Whoops weird formatting issue, let's try again.

A/N: Thank you so much for those of you who have held on so long. It's been a long road coming but I have good news! We are closing in so quickly to the finish line and I hope everyone has loved the journey as much as I have. I took a bit of a different music inspiration for the rest of the story. I listen to music throughout the writing process and during the majority of this chapter I felt a real connection to two songs from Game of Thrones. The Night King and Light of the Seven were both huge influences to this one and I'm not sure how it may have changed the tone. Anywho, without further ado.

Warning, this may contain a slightly darker Sakura than before. Kari-Oya is a godmother figure.

Chapter 14: Let Me Steal This Moment From You Now

"Naruto," she started, pausing to gain his attention, bright blue eyes looked up from their task and prompted her to continue. "Have you ever hated someone? Like honestly despised someone for choices they have made in their past?" She flicked her eyes away, uncomfortable with his sudden gaze and turned her attention to the pole in her hand, giving it a small jiggle.

The two of them were at the banks of some slow river, she was sure that a few years ago she could have named it and found it on a map, passing the uneventful day with fishing for dinner. The day was dreary and dull with clouds covering the sun and rain threatening to unleash upon them all, but then again the days had become increasingly dreary but she wasn't sure if that was because of the weather or the current state of life they occupied. Admittedly there wasn't much joy to go around lately.

Her sunny haired companion, the only bright spot in her life with his blindingly upbeat persona even now when more were dead than alive, sighed heavily and rocked back on his heels. "Nah, I can't really say I have, I used to think I hated everyone when I was younger because they were all so mean to me but I don't really feel that way now. Now I think I was just confused and hurt by them."

The pinkette continued her line of questioning, not really sure of what brought the topic up but glad to break the stilted silence. "What about Madara? Or Danzo? Surely there has been someone so irredeemable that you've felt no compassion for them?" She finished as she felt a tug on the line of her pole, but there would be more fish to catch and she was willing to let this one go free for the sake of an answer. Her ego waiting on bated breath for the small chance of forgiveness it so craved for her past actions, and current less than kind feelings.

"Of course I feel compassion for them, they were made by the circumstances around them, molded to act and react the way they did. I could have let myself become like Gaara used to be if I didn't have someone telling me that I was worthwhile when everyone else kicked me down." Naruto stopped then, reeling in the fish she was ignoring and effortlessly removing it from the line and dropping it into the bucket, and she remembered he had told her long ago that he learned to fish at a young age to try and get food.

Sakura was stunned for a moment wishing for her heart to be as pure as his was yet she could not help but feel the swells of resentment and slight hatred towards the Hyuuga princess that currently and would continue to hold the blond's attention. She tried in vain to shrug the jealousy off, willing herself to be more like him but knew that if she couldn't stop herself from feeling this way towards someone who had never truly done anything to her she wasn't worth his time.

"Hey, I don't think I'm cut out for fishing, I think I'm gonna head back and go through the medical herbs. Want me to take any back with me?" she asked, allowing herself to wallow in the misery of her self actualization. The painful discovery that she would never be who she wanted to be, who he needed to be.

Instead of replying the blond waved her off, too focused on reeling in another catch for dinner.

-xxxxx-

There was an uproar when she found herself back in the village, Councilman Shimura Danzo had been arrested and was being tried for treason among many other crimes. She and her companions had been able to make their way to the Hokage tower without being accosted which Tsunade was definitely thankful for. She had already had enough dealing with the small talk between her two apprentices the whole journey back and couldn't wait to see the old man to figure out exactly what the pink haired menace had planned for her.

Not to mention said pain in her side had kept her sober the whole trip back.

Said annoying kunoichi had suddenly gone from being confident and sure of herself (although she kept wearing out very easily which was something that had peaked Tsunade's medical mind considering she was not that way when they had sparred) to a jumpy mess the moment they entered the village and she wasn't sure if it was the news or the village itself that inspired this sudden collapse in on herself.

They had spoken more on the trip back to the village and Tsunade had started to see the personality that her future self had deemed acceptable for an apprentice. Sure the pinkette was pushy and demanding and a bit of a mental wreck, although that specific trait may be due to the whole time travel ordeal, but she was determined and had an inner strength that shone brightly in those beryl eyes.

She was unfortunately developing a fondness for the girl and that terrified her. Not only did that mean that she had wormed her way into a locked heart but also that the poor kunoichi was doomed to suffer.

Anyone she loved suffered somehow.

Tsunade was startled from her thoughts when her sensei's doors burst open and a very harried Fugaku Uchiha emerged, sliding on a specialized flak jacket for the military police . His face was a mask of smooth stone yet when those dark orbs caught sight of her pink haired companion she watched that stone crack and a myriad of emotions dance.

With a strange resolution he came up to Sakura, a gruff clearing of his throat prompting the obviously distracted kunoichi to turn her green eyes towards him. "Certain occurrences have come to light. In the wake of the new information I am willing to re-discuss my previous decision." The Uchiha stated formally, his tone curt and full of edges, before offering the trio a small nod and leaving in a brisk pace.

Tsunade watched her companion, the girl's green eyes shining alight with an inner happiness as a slow grin split across her face like the sun breaking through the clouds. Once the dark haired many was a sufficient way away Sakura turned towards her, beaming still.

"I may have just secured you another apprentice."

Before Tsunade was allowed a reply they were ushered through the imposing wooden doors of the office. She did however have time to shoot the girl a very pointed look that spoke volumes about how they were going to be having a talk soon.

And how she needed a damn drink.

-xxxxx-

Jiraiya was there, all grins and charisma, he had spared a moment at the top of the meeting to inform her he had finished strengthening the seal on Kushina. According to him barring any disasters it should hold through childbirth.

She wanted to hit him for saying that, for tempting both Kami and fate with the wording that all but cursed the comment, but she held her tongue, she was learning to do that rather well lately.

Hiruzen had also revealed to her that he had decided to let the Uchiha patriarch into the fold and told him of her real identity and situation. She had only given a small nod at the news, her insides in a twisted turmoil because she never knew where she stood with the severe man but accepting that it was part of why he had changed his mind and allowed Itachi to become a medic.

Sakura felt herself standing at attention, on edge and weary. Something about the tone of the room and the conversations had her feeling off, like the feeling in the air before a big storm. Yet she held on, let the older and wiser adults in the room have their discussion and nodded her head along like she was some casual observer.

It was wrong, she wasn't just an ornament to the room she was central to the whole plan but felt oddly disconnected in this moment.

Perhaps it was because it was only the second time she had ever seen all three of them in a room together. Tsunade, Hiruzen, and Jiraiya. Perhaps it was because between the three of them the air was clear, it was a sense of familiarity that she was finding herself longing for the longer she was with these people from her past, from their future.

They were discussing the trial, exactly how to best lay out the evidence to achieve the maximum shock factor. To truly tear down the great mythical figure that Danzo had somehow made himself out to be and she was just nodding along. This was her plan after all.

She was asked for her input and found the words spilling out before she realized she was speaking. They were all looking at her for her permission almost, finally looking to her for the next step in the road, and that feeling of somehow being less than them evaporated from the room in a heartbeat.

"Yes, I will allow the council to handle it now, like we agreed."

It was an odd sense of power she felt when they continued on with the meeting without missing a beat.

And it was amidst all the swirling emotions that she had processed through since they entered the village that she realized she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

-xxxxx-

Inoichi was uncomfortably used to the odd requests from the candyfloss haired girl. It had become one of the staples of their relationship that he had come to accept in stride.

Chouza could eat and drink him under the table while dispensing ridiculously sage advice, Shikaku was an annoying know it all who always beat him at any strategy game and made him feel a fool with the tiniest of glares, and Sakura would show up at the drop of the hat with some inane demand.

It was life, and it was friendship with her, and it was something he was very keen to keep.

This was why when she came knocking frantically on his door in the early afternoon her second day back from her trip he let her in with only a questioning gaze. She was wound so tight, he felt as if the wrong word would set her bouncing like some rubber ball off into the horizon.

"I need a favor," she started without preamble, her fingers wringing around each other nervously, or distractedly, he wasn't sure which at the moment.

He pitched her an easy grin, before replying. "Why is something telling me I'm not going to like this favor?" his tone was light, calculatingly jovial as he pulled deep from his interrogation roots to fish the information from her without fraying her frazzled nerves.

He had been transplanting some herbs from some small indoor pots into larger ones for the greenhouse he had been building in the backyard when he heard the pounding on the door. Casually tossing her an extra pair of gloves he effortlessly led her back to the kitchen, disarming her hyper aware state with some menial task. Something he had learned long ago worked well when she reached this point.

She used a small spade to add soil to one of the bigger pots before huffing a great sigh, her bright green eyes searching to meet his unique ones. "Because you won't. You don't like lying and I'm going to need one hell of a lie." she stated before giving a small huff at having to push her hair from her face with dirt covered gloves.

He nodded his head gravely, before taking a spare hair tie from his pocket and tossing it towards her to contain the rogue locks. "Alright," he started, pausing to be sure that she was giving him the attention desired. "Rip the bandage off Doc, what am I doing?"

She gave a small laugh, the sound echoing in the kitchen and he felt a genuine smile tug at his lips from the sound. She had been busy the past few months and they hadn't spent nearly enough time together, he had missed these moments.

"I just need an alibi for tonight." she said, turning her attention to tying back the offending hair. "Nothing big, just say we were training and catching up or something."

He felt himself agreeing, like he had said it was just a part of their friendship, a sacred commandment almost.

To be friends with Sakura Unmeiko, no Sakura Haruno, meant obliging the odd favor without much questioning, something he felt was entirely justified because he just was not willing to lose that connection.

Yet the odd downturn of her smile, the small glimmer of shame that danced across her doll like face caused a pit to form in his stomach a mile deep. He wasn't going to like the outcome of this small fib, just one more in the patchwork of a quilted lie they told, but he was going to learn to cage it deep inside.

Along with all of the others.

-xxxxx-

She had lied to him.

She planted the evidence and played her part but in the end she still lied. Hiruzen simply could not be trusted to make the right decision in the matter as he had proven once before so it fell on her very sore shoulders. Shoulders that seemed to wear deceit like a billowing cloak that swallowed her whole.

The words had tumbled from her lips with a newfound ease that terrified her to the core. "Yes, I will let the council handle it now, like we agreed."

Like she had agreed, when this all started, before she had the truth hastily thrown in her face about just how easily Hiruzen let the memories of his past companions cloud his current foes. Before she had become so entirely entrenched in making sure every single part of her plan worked like a well greased cog in the machine that was her own making.

Lies

Deceit

Betrayal

Then again wasn't that just what they had trained her for, to plant tiny falsehoods and cover the truth with the story that was made up to be her life. Wasn't she just playing the part they thrust upon her.

Like the good little shinobi she was, or was it an actor in a play of her own writing? She had been swimming so deep in the political mire and conniving muck that she was losing sight of what was her and what was them.

No, this was her choice, all of it and she needed to finish this one last step before everything eventually came crashing down because her deadline was steadily ticking closer and closer with every setting sun.

Long shadows flickered across the pavement as if it were a Nara's playground as she slunk down the village street. The sidewalks were busy with civilians and shinobi alike making purchases and dinner orders. It was the perfect time to be a face passing by, unseen and quickly forgotten.

She slipped into the prison at the changing of guards, chakra smothered and bright hair covered. Further she crept until she was in the kitchen and tampering with a small pot of tea, the green liquid swirling as she stirred her special ingredient in. She watched mesmerized for merely a moment, allowing herself to drown in the what ifs, both positive and negative.

The delicate shades of blue that glazed the pot and matching cup would remain imprinted in her memory like a scar.

He believed he was untouchable now, safe behind his iron bars while the council and the beloved Hokage were too terrified to make a martyr of him. They were determined to have the village see him laid bare and confess his wrong doings, and had made him very aware of the fact.

His confidence, even stripped of his power, was staggering.

It would also be his undoing, because she was not an instrument of the Hokage tonight. No, on this eve as the sun slipped ever further beneath the horizon she was a being of vengeance. An avenger for all those children he had warped into emotionless soldiers to bend to his will.

For Sai, who grew into a close companion and confidant, the one who truly enabled her to make her eventful journey, the one who struggled even in death to seem entirely genuine.

For Sai, who blossomed from one of those mannequin soldiers into a true Shinobi of the leaf. One who was fearless and fascinating, who was strong and dependable.

For Sai, her friend.

Her eyes were misty and she hurriedly wiped the moisture away before twisting her fingers about and whispering some words. The shadows wrapped around her in a graceful caress as the subtle genjutsu she wove took to the area allowing her to wait patiently until the guard came by to pick up the prisoners meal.

Eventually someone came by, a nondescript young man that she had never met and she trailed after him, stepping where and when he stepped, muffling her breath under a mask reminiscent of Kakashi and treating the shadows like a home.

It was truly the most ninja-like she had felt in a very long time.

Shimura Danzo accepted his dinner without preamble. He checked the food over once and gave the green tea a tentative whiff. Satisfied he waved off the young man and set upon pouring himself a cup of the liquid.

It was odorless, yet had a very distinct tang that was hard to hide without the burn of alcohol so once he took that fateful sip his dark eyes widened in shock. In the same moment she allowed herself to come from the shadows, the dark shroud melting off of her form with each step she took.

Oh how she reveled in the panic that sparked in his eyes, as the paralytic took hold. It was a variation of the one used upon her for her ANBU exam, one she had personally concocted in the very lab that he allowed her to call her own. More potent, and striking the vocal cords first so that the victim could not call for help.

His mouth hung agape and attempted to shout words that would never form as she stalked closer to her prey. She resisted the urge to gloat, to give him some speech about how this was all part of a very carefully laid plan.

How she was never the young medic prodigy that only he saw the value in. Or how she planted the very evidence that landed him in his cell. Kami, she even wanted to taunt him about how he was too confident in the soft Hokage.

But she wouldn't spare the words on him, he was a vile rot in the great tree that was Konoha, not the roots that held it together like he believed. Nothing more than a persistent termite and she wasn't about to waste the breath.

Instead she reached forward, one slender hand slipping through the bars and gripping the edge of his frozen form. She dragged him closer, taking great care to stare deep into his eyes, and placed her other hand upon his unbandaged cheek in a movement some would call a caress.

She leaned forward and whispered a message only for him to hear as she allowed her chakra to flood into his system. She felt it surge throughout his body, filling and searching each corner of the network that was within him, his fear causing what could only be explained as an odd aftertaste. Having been already acquainted with his particular pathways from when she had implanted his lab grown eye it was easy to concentrate the glowing energy around his heart and began to constrict the organ.

Sakura stayed there, with no cheer or pride, just a desire to make sure the job was done, a need to know every bit of the festering rot upon her village was gone She dared not close her eyes, no longer enjoying the moment but more weary that he would somehow find his way out of the situation. Instead she stared at him, into that eye she had grown on her own, a prize he had coerced from her. She watched until the light left them, kept a hold of him until the body heat had started to dissipate and he began to grow cold.

Until he was nothing but a memory.

"You will be forgotten"

-xxxxx-

The odd dry mouth that had accompanied her tongue seal disappeared with the offending ink and she was almost tempted to say that that single feeling was the best part of the night.

It quickly fell down the list of great things about the evening when she finally spotted the child she was looking for. She was currently standing on the side of a building, peeking into a window in a way that she was sure would be seen as creepy if she hadn't once more securely genjutsued the shadows around herself until she disappeared.

Inside the orphanage, lying in a plain bed was a little boy with gray hair and dark eyes that her teammate once called brother.

She felt the weight of a promise unsaid lift from her shoulders at the knowledge that Shin had not yet been recruited into the shadow organization and now never would be. Without root there was no guarantee that he and Sai would ever find each other in this lifetime but it was a choice she was willing to make to fulfill a dearest hope she knew lye in her black haired friends heart, that neither he nor his "brother" had to grow up in the unfeeling cold of the Root corps.

She allowed herself only one moment more of observing the boy, making a small note to have Tsunade check up on him later, before jumping away and into the deep night.

-xxxxx-

Kushina reigned in her happiness when the petal haired kunoichi across from her gave a blinding smile and gladly declared that Naruto was growing nicely. Time had passed with the seasons and she had been struggling to finish the nursery with her giant belly, but Sakura had jokingly assured her that at 8 months she still had some growing to do.

"Thank you so much for offering to help out with the painting. I couldn't imagine finishing it all on my own." Kushina kindly exclaimed looking at the beautiful walls the two women had just finished.

Sakura grinned in return, "How could I not? I can't wait for my kamison to greet the world." At the comment the redhead gave a sound of surprise.

"Does this mean you'll accept then? You'll be Naruto's Kari-oya?" Kushina asked in trepidation, giving a small jump and giggle when her pink haired companion nodded in the positive. After Minato had suggested the name Naruto after the hero in Jiraiya's story she had fallen in love with it and easily accepted the suggestion. Especially when they had discovered that the baby was a boy.

She watched her companion for a moment as the pinkette bent down to start clearing some of the mess from painting the mural of a beautiful forest. They may not have been friends for long but Sakura had come swirling into her life with the quickness of a mighty gale and Kushina felt so dearly for the younger girl that it had been an obvious choice to make her a Kari-oya.

Not to mention how close Minato and his team was to the girl as well. It was obvious that she would not be disappearing from their lives anytime soon.

-xxxxx-

She hadn't meant to pry but when she heard the heated words drifting through the morning air so close to her jog she felt the need to see what the commotion was about. Something about it being near the east gate was calling to her like a ghost from the past.

"You are wasting your damn time. He is wanted for his crimes and won't be stepping a foot back into this village willingly." Sakura watched rapt as Tsunade chided her white haired companion.

He was dressed for travel and the pinkette found herself watching an entirely different scene with a blond and pink haired preteens replacing the powerful sannin.

"I know hime," he started, using the pet name that momentarily floored Sakura. "But after everything we learned from Danzo I can't shake this feeling that maybe they were working together. That maybe he isn't as far gone as we had believed." Jiraiya finished, hiking his travel bag up to be more comfortable before pausing, the air hanging tense and heavy as he waited for the blonde's reply.

"You are a fool." his opposite hissed out, irritation regret and dread coloring every word. Nevertheless the white haired giant quickly pulled her into a one armed hug before turning heel and taking off into the forest.

The optimism, the words, the situation. It was all ringing like some macabre bell in Sakura's head, some memory she had long forgotten and she realized with a painful start that while the words were different she had experienced this once before, when Naruto had made his "Promise of a Lifetime"

Sakura found herself walking closer to the busty woman, not hiding her presence or her footsteps. "What do you need?" she ground out, her low pigtails swaying fiercely as she turned towards the pinkette.

"I know this seems absurd coming from me but I've been exactly where you are before." Sakura started, pausing and stumbling to find the right words. "Only I was a blubbering mess." she smiled gently only for it to vanish at the blonde's unimpressed face. She sighed before continuing. "Lets go get a drink."