I opened my eyes and groaned. Sunlight assaulted my eyes, making white dots jump before my eyes.

Wait… Sunlight?

I looked around, and realised that I wasn't where I remembered to be. Tall trees stood proudly around the clearing I lay in, the crisp, green grass was slightly wet with morning rain, but the sky was cloudless and brilliantly blue above my head.

I stared for a moment, not quite comprehending what was going on.

It never occurred to me that this could be a dream. Everything was too real to be just a figment of my imagination. Plus, don't they always say that your dreams are what you had seen when you were alive? Well, I can assure you I've never seen anything like this. Amegakure is bleak and drab, and no matter how much I love the Village, it's just always. Fucking. Raining.

This… this is like paradise.

I stood up, still admiring my surroundings, when I heard the tell-tale sounds of moving water.

A River.

I jogged to where I assumed the sound was coming from and gasped.

If I thought that the clearing looked like paradise, this was even better. There was a thin stream of crystal clear water, and hundreds of small, colourful flowers littered the ground. It was quiet, save for the river and an occasional cricket chirping in the distance. I wanted to stay there forever.

I spotted a particularly thick tree trunk and walked over to it, my necklace jingling as I went. I sat down and leaned my back against the tree, my right hand wrapping around the six red magatama which dangled on my necklace.

I was asleep seconds later.

I awoke to a sound of a twig snapping on the other bank of the river, and immediately jumped up, my hand automatically travelling to my kunai pouch.

Only to find out that it wasn't there.

Shocked, I looked down and my jaw dropped. I was wearing a bloody hospital gown.

I wracked my brain for an explanation as to Why I was wearing a hospital gown, but then gave up, deciding to focus on the reason why I needed my kunai in the first place.

Right. Twigs.

I thought that if I couldn't use weapons, I would just have to focus on hand-to-hand. I started to gather chakra for the Chakra Scalpel, but I gave up soon.

Nothing but a small flicker of blue.

Where the hell is my chakra?

I looked around as if expecting to find it somewhere, and gasped when I saw the tree on which I was previously leaning on glowing blue.

There was no mistaking it. The tree glowed with chakra.

What's worse – I had a suspicion that it was my chakra.

I jumped at the sound of a deeply amused chuckle from behind me.

I twirled around and my eyes widened as I saw a tall figure leaning casually against one of the trees on the opposite bank.

I frowned. How come I didn't sense him?

Assessing the figure once again, I groaned.

Trying my best to appear nonchalant about it, I spoke. "Listen, I'm in no shape to fight right now. The bloody tree sucked out my chakra, so if you have something to say, can you please just get on with it?"

The man just chuckled again, and quicker than I could blink, he was standing in front of me.

"Let's play a game, little girl." He whispered. "Do you know who I am? I certainly know you…"

I sighed irritably. I just wanted to sleep and regain my chakra, not play some stupid mind games with a stalker.

"See here, Stalker-san." I ground out. "I have no intention of entertaining you by participating in your little game, so could you please get out of my way before I decide to castrate you."

He laughed.

"My, my, such harsh words coming from such a pretty mouth." His hand rose to gently stroke my cheek. "You really have no idea who I am, do you, Sa-ku-ra-chan?"

I was seething.

Not only was he violating my personal space, he was also-

"Are you suggesting that I'm stupid?" there, the question was out before I could stop it.

His eyes twinkled madly, though the rest of his face was still obscured in shadows.

"Not stupid. Only… Inobservant."

I sighed again. "Elaborate."

I could almost feel him smirking. "Tell me child, don't you see anything familiar?"

The mind games again. "I hate people who speak in riddles. They make my life too damn complicated." I muttered.

He snorted.

But no matter how much he annoyed me, I still listened and scanned him from head to toe. Spiky, inky black hair, long cloak, armour, red magatama necklace…

Wait, necklace?

I fingered my own necklace and brought it up to my face. Sure enough, they were the same.

Well, that is the first thing on the list of THE NEVERENDING STRANGE THINGS ABOUT STALKER-SAN.

I looked up at his face. A lot of it was covered in the shadows, or some crafty genjutsu, but I could see his eyes. As if sensing my stare, he locked eyes with me.

I gulped.

Rinnegan.

Make that number 2 on the list.

Something at the back of my mind was telling me that I know who this man is, that I read stories about him. But at the same time, the responsible, rational part of me demanded more confirmation.

I glanced down again and noticed something golden flickering inside his cloak. What the?

He noticed my gaze and pulled it out. A rope. A thick, golden rope.

Strange.

"Do you know what this is? Hm?" He asked.

Once again, my sub-consciousness told me I did, but I didn't want to risk it so I shook my head. No.

"This is the Kōkinjō. Ever heard of it?"

I had. I knew what this was. But it seemed almost impossible.

I refocused my gaze back on his physique. I spotted a hilt of something, but it looked too long to be a sword or even a katana.

He pulled it out.

I gasped. I didn't need any clues or hints with this. The enormous fan-like weapon had made a frequent appearance in my history books.

"The Bashōsen." I mumbled. I stared at the man in front of me in disbelief. "But then, that would make you…"

"The Sage of Six Paths. The God of Shinobi. The Savior of This World. You name it." He shrugged.

I mulled the information over in my head. Then, something clicked and I giggled. At his raised eyebrow I snapped. I fell to the floor, clutching my stomach and laughing my head off. He just stood above me and stared.

I calmed down after a few minutes and stood back up, wiping a small tear with my gown's sleeve.

"Mind a little explanation as to why you suddenly burst out laughing?" he asked.

I barely stifled another giggle. "T-the books," I choked out, "They portray you as a calm, civilized, serious man with a fetish for power. Not a crazy, insane bastard who likes playing mind games. Your personality and the ones described in the books are polar opposites of each other." I explained, still grinning madly.

He huffed. "I'm hurt." He commented sarcastically.

I giggled again.

"But now to the more serious matters, do you remember what happened before you found yourself here?"

I frowned. "Konoha was attacked… Sand was allied with Sound, and I was fighting against Kabuto…"

I tried desperately to see past the black splotches in my mind. My memories of that day were hazy.

"I… I think he stabbed me… Then I woke up here…"

"Do you remember where exactly he stabbed you?"

My frown deepened. "He… He stabbed me in the stomach…" suddenly I realized something. "I should be dead."

He nodded. "Yes, but that's where your mission comes in."

I scowled. Mission?

"You see, your father, Pein, is planning something. I believe you are aware of his intentions – to bring peace to the shinobi world once again. But he has a slightly alarming way of achieving that. Do you know how the jinchuuriki came to be?"

I nodded. "The Ten-Tails' chakra was split. Each jinchuuriki just carries a fraction of that chakra."

He grimaced. "And do you know what your father is planning to do?"

"Yeah; get all the beasts." As I noticed his gaze, a horrible realization dawned on me. "So… He can… Unite them once again." I whispered.

I stared at the Sage in horror. "He wants to recreate the Ten Tails!" I shrieked.

The look in his eyes answered all my questions.

I slid down the tree trunk. "But what does that have to do with me?"

He sighed. "I want you to stop him."

…

…

I burst out laughing. "Oh, that's rich! What do you suppose I say? 'Hey, Daddy, let's forget about your evil plans and go skipping in the flowers'? Seriously!"

He just continued staring at me and I sobered up. "You're serious."

The Sage just nodded.

"Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God." I groaned. "How do you expect me to do this? I don't even have a Kekkei Genkai!"

"Are you sure about that?" the Sage questioned.

I stared at him incredulously. "Yeah. I'm nothing special."

He gestured for me to come over to where he was standing. I obliged.

"Look into the river."

I did, and gasped.

I saw my reflection. The pink hair, button nose, irritatingly big forehead. But it was my eyes that shocked me the most. Instead of the usual emerald orbs, there was a grey, ripple-like pattern around a purple iris.

I couldn't believe it.

"The Rinnegan…" I whispered.

"Do you know why the Rinnegan was considered so special?"

I didn't nod, I just answered. "It was said that in times when the world is in disorder, a person is sent down from the heavens to become either a "God of Creation" who will calm the world, or a "Destroyer" who reduce everything to nothing. I know that you were the God of Creation, therefore my father is the," I gulped. "Destroyer."

"Correct. Every time the Rinnegan appears, the roles are switched. So far, it was only me and your father. Now it's you as well. The third wielder in over two millennia. Do you know who you are?"

I sighed. "The Creator."

He smiled.

"But that still doesn't explain my question – I was supposed to be dead."

"Ah, yes. I believe I forgot to mention that until you complete your mission, you're, well… Immortal."

I gaped.

"Until we meet again, Sakura No Akatsuki."

I could only nod as black splotches once again covered my vision.

My eyes snapped open, but I ignored the startled gasp of the person beside me. My heart was pounding madly, and my head hurt. I'm immortal.

I'm immortal…

I couldn't believe it.

Okay, maybe not forever immortal, but until I somehow manage to stop Pein.

Well, that could take a long time…

Finally I realized that someone was looking at me. I turned my head and noticed a rather busty blond haired woman standing next to me, her hand glowing green. A medic?

She seemed to notice my questioning gaze and the corner of her lips twitched upwards.

"Relax." She said.

I grumbled. "Easier said than done."

She chuckled. I let her place her hand on my forehead and sighed as my headache slowly disappeared.

But that didn't last long.

"Tsunade-baachaaaan!" someone yelled.

I flinched at the sound. Tsunade growled.

I watched as the idiotic blonde tumbled into the room, with another four people trailing after him.
I smiled slightly at the lazy boy, who returned the smile before turning to bonk Naruto over the head.

"Idiot. Didn't you notice that Sakura just woke up?" Shikamaru questioned.

That made the other three people turn their attention towards me. "Forehead-chan!"

I was then tackled back into my pillows by Ino. I smiled. "Nice to see you too, Piggy."

There was a quieter, "Sakura-chan!" and I smiled at Hinata as she walked to stand beside Tsunade.

That left the last person there. I looked over to Neji who was smiling lightly and blushed slightly. I remembered the last time we were in a room alone.

Damn, that boy is a good kisser.

Oh, shit, did I just-!

Yeah, you did.

I sighed, then returned Neji's smile with one of my own.

Then I turned to the medic. "Alright, no offense, but who the hell are you?" I mumbled.

Ino gasped.

The blonde woman just laughed. "I'm Tsunade Senju. Also, the new Hokage of Konohagakure." I thought I heard her mumble a 'Unfortunately', but I couldn't be sure.

That's when something clicked.

"Wait, Tsunade as in, the Legendary Sannin Tsunade? As in, The best medic of this generation? That Tsunade?"

At her amused look I paled. "O-Oh my god, Gomenasai! I didn't mean to offend you-!"

"Relax. You just woke up. You had every reason to be grumpy." She laughed.

Then I frowned. "But if you're the new Hokage, what happened to Sarutobi?"

"He was killed by that bastard Orochimaru." Naruto piped up sadly.

I grit my teeth. "Orochimaru?" I hissed. I will wring his snake neck next time I see him.

"Yeah." Naruto nodded.

Then something dawned upon me. If Sarutobi died and had his funeral, and they managed to get a new Hokage, then-

"How long was I unconscious?" I asked.

"Just over two weeks." Neji answered.

I paled. "T-Two weeks?" I stuttered.

"Yeah Forehead, we seriously thought we lost you until Tsunade-sama arrived and said that you just suffered severe blood-loss, so you couldn't wake up until your body regained all that blood." Ino answered.

I sighed. "Well, atleast I didn't get any scars."

At Hinata's sorrowful look I felt my blood run cold. "D-Didn't I?"

Tsunade groaned. "It seems that Orochimaru's lackey, Kabuto," the way she spat his name made shivers run down my spine, "had great fun in marking you. After that kunai in your gut, he then pierced your lungs, close to your kidney, and thighs. It's a miracle you survived."

I felt faint. Lungs and kidney? I could very well be dead.

"But he felt it was necessary to mark you in his own twisted way." Tsunade continued and I felt cold seep into my body. "Look at your left forearm."

I did as told and felt angry tears gather in my eyes. There, about ten centimeters tall, stretching cruelly across my forearm, was a scar. But it wasn't a normal scar. It was a symbol. A kanji.

鬼

Demon.

"If your sensei hadn't pulled him off you, I would fear for the worst." Tsunade stated.

I shuddered. "Could you… Could you leave? Please?" I asked in a small voice.

They nodded and filed out of the room. I closed my eyes, ready to cry, until I felt the side of my bed dip. I opened my eyes and saw Neji sitting there.

He met my gaze, and a small, sad smile pulled at his lips. "I thought I told you to be careful?" he whispered.

I sniffed lightly and nodded. "I'm sorry, Neji." A tear rolled down my cheek. And another.

He didn't say anything, just shuffled over until he was lying beside me and pulled me to his chest. "You need to let it go, Sakura-san." He said.

"B-But how can let it go, Neji?" I choked out.

"By letting it out." He whispered.

I smiled, and let the tears roll down freely, after years of being supressed.

"Arigato, Neji-kun." I mumbled.

Everything went black.

~::~

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