Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


Chapter 31

Soon after Sakura left, Tobirama made his way outside and stood on the balcony, breathing the fresh air. She was right. She had always been honest with him. Omitting certain details, but the essential always had been there. Hell, he could have made the connection on his own if only he would have thought about the situation thorougly. Thinking back to the moment he exploded outside of the training grounds. He replayed their fight. He remembered what he told her but what did she-

Because did not plan to fall in love with you, stupid Senju.

Air left his lungs when her voice rang in his head on repeat, echoing in his heart. Bending forward like he had been punched in the guts, Tobirama exhaled loudly. He never thought it good to go back to that moment, but he should have. She fell in love… With me. He thought about the position she had been put in. Thrown in the past of her village with nothing else than knowledge. Trying to make things right for her and her friend not to go through hell and back again. And in the midst of all this, developing some affection for him. Him. Of all people. It must have been hard to battle with her conscience. All the what ifs of her situation… Madara's voice echoed behind him.

"She did not lie to you because she wanted to. She lied in order to be able to change things. Make the future better. For me, for you, her friends..." Trying to hold on to his fading anger and bitterness Tobirama huffed a laugh.

"She lied though. There is so many things she did not say, and we trusted her." Madara smirked. Even Tobirama did not sound convinced with his reply.

"Your brother and I, hell, the whole village trusts her, somehow you are the only one having problems with all this." The young Senju tensed. "Tobirama, be honest. You are mad. Not at her but at yourself." A small laugh left the Uchiha. "She found it in herself to trust me even though she knew I was the one who destroyed everything and caused the death of her family, and yet, you cannot forgive her for omitting the fact that, in some twists of faith, she ended up in the past and sacrificed almost everything for us. She even saved our brothers' lives."

Tobirama's shoulder hunched over the rail and Madara knew his words hit home. Rubbing his eyes, Tobirama grunted.

"Madara, I am done listening to you, I need to think." Getting closer to Tobirama, Madara grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him against the wall of the compound.

"Now you listen to me. I have been patient with you, but your stubbornness is getting on my last nerve." Tobirama tensed and he glared at the black-haired man.

"You are hurt because you feel more than friendship towards her and you feel betrayed by what she told Mito because you wanted her to trust you enough to tell it to you. Mark my words Tobirama: She will not wait for you endlessly, she might not even be there tomorrow, who knows?" Tobirama leaned his head back on the wall, a defeated sigh leaving his lips. This was probably the most vulnerable Tobirama had looked in front of Madara.

"But how do I know that she won't get tired one day and leave to go back to her own life?" Seeing how vulnerable the man was at the moment an understanding his fear, Madara let go of his shoulders. That had been the root of all this anger. The fact that she could leave.

"You never know what will happen. The real question is: if she does leave, will you regret not telling her how you felt?"

The young Senju's eyes opened like he got hit and flying through hand seals, he transported away under the satisfied look of Madara. Finally, he had been able to get things through Tobirama's thick head. Go get her Tobirama.


Appearing on her front porch, Tobirama had a gut wrenching feeling when he could not sense her chakra. Did she return to her time? She had not even finished the seal yet! Had he given her a reason to do something reckless?

Running to the door, he opened it and paused when his eyes adjusted to the darkness inside of her home. Walking forward, his eyes widened and the color left his already pale face. Taking a kunai out, he walked around taking in the sight of the broken cups, the flipped table, the chairs on the floor… Signs of struggle. Blood. He felt his heart falling in his chest and it stopped when the moonlight shone on her necklace, laying broken on the floor. He cursed at himself for being stupid and stubborn. She would still be safe he hadn't been such an idiot. Grabbing the necklace, he used his hirashin back to the reception, startling a few people around him.

Grabbing the Yamanaka with roaming hands by the throat, he slammed his body on the wall, furious. Behind him, the music stopped and the silence was broken by a few gasps.

"What did you do to her?" His scream caught the attention of everyone present in the room. The man was tensing under the murderous eyes of the Senju.

"To whom?" Tobirama showed Sakura's broken necklace to the man.

"Sakura." The Yamanaka's eyes widened. Sakura?

Hashirama, aware of all the commotion, ran and stood behind his brother. He could not believe that this was happening. His brother was losing it. What was going on… The man shook his head and, serious, looked into the young Senju's eyes.

"I did not do anything, I swear. She is my friend."

At the same moment, a young Uchiha clansman that Madara recognize as Hayato came running and out of breath caught Tobirama's attention.

"They got Sakura-sama. One of the Senju… Ren I think, saw them take her and started to follow them not to lose their trace." Seeing the young clansman hesitate, Tobirama looked at him with piercing eyes. Hayato straighten, feeling the dangerous chakra seeping out of Tobirama.

"What is it you are not telling us?" The young man glanced at Madara quickly before to focus back on the white-haired Senju.

"I heard them talking about this a while ago, but did not take it seriously… They are some of our clansmen." Hayato regretted not saying anything when he had his appointment at the hospital with the pink haired medic. It was his fault.

Izuna approached and shook his head in disbelief.

"She told me about some of our men in the hospital that had been acting weird towards her, but I did not make any case of it…" Tobirama let go of the man and turned around, facing Izuna. The temperature in the room dropped when their eyes met. Everyone waited with baited breaths, feeling the chakra radiating in waved from the white-haired shinobi.

"You did not think about letting us know!?" Izuna scoffed at that.

"Like you cared. I know what you told her, Senju." Touché. Tobirama approached Izuna and they stared at each other for a while and Tobirama looked away first, now pacing. Hashirama looked at his brother. The man looked like a caged animal.

"Tobirama, calm down brother... We will find her and-" At this, Tobirama exploded.

"And what if we can't, Hashirama!? You don't understand. I messed up with her and right now, the only thing I want to do it scream and let it all out because the thought of them hurting her is killing me inside!" Panting under the emotions, Tobirama ran a raging hand in his hair.

For Tobirama to admit any kind of feeling out loud probably meant that the man was really in pain. Madara, who loved Sakura dearly could totally understand how the young Senju felt. He himself was boiling on the inside. He also knew that tonight, the man had left the reception to talk to her and probably tell her how he felt about her and now he did not know if he would see her again… Getting closer, he grabbed Tobirama's shoulders and met his eyes with a calm gaze of his own. Calm that he was far from feeling.

"We will find her." Tobirama let out a shaky breath and nodded anchoring himself in Madara's calm. The Hyuga head took a step forward.

"We will help you." A few members of different clans stepped forward. They all knew how important she was to the village and to the younger Senju. They would find her.

And the planning for the recovery started.


Sakura woke up, groggy. Pain was the only thing she could feel. Her arms were attached upward, and her legs were dangling. Stretching her toes, she could touch the ground, but barely. Her shoulders were on fire and her medic instinct told her that one of the muscles was probably torn. She could not see where she was because at some point, they had blindfolded her. She could feel the soft silk of her dress still on her body, which was reassuring everything considered. A laugh made her raise her head.

"Would you look at this… The prized pupil of the founders in my lair." Sakura stayed silent. The voice was somewhat familiar, but she could not place it quite yet. She knew that she did not interact with this person on a daily basis… The chakra emanating from this person was heavy and dark… familiar.

"Speechless, perhaps? Let me help you." Getting closer to her, the man landed a hit on her ribs and yanked the blindfold away.

Trying to catch her breath, Sakura coughed before to finally look and her eyes widened.

"You?!" The man standing in front of her was one that she had treated often at the hospital. A Uchiha. The one who told her that she had beautiful eyes. The one that, prior to that had been rude with her.

"Me…" For some reason, she remembered his chakra being less dark than it had been a few days prior… He chuckled seeing her reaction and grabbed her face.

"You made things really difficult here. Since you've arrived, nothing went according to plan. We were supposed to annihilate those Senju. But then you came crashing, being all good and making everyone forget about this pain and all the deaths caused by our wars. Even the great Madara Uchiha bowed down to you." He scoffed and let go of her face. "I had half of the clan, ready for this. Now we are less than ten because of your charms... So I recruited help from a small clan and some mercenaries around that had been injured by the Senjus and Uchihas throughout the years. They jumped on the opportunity."

Sakura tried to move, but the chains tying her hands were chakra suppressant. She had no clue what to do now. So she settled for the easier option: gather information. The man looked like he was able to talk without her pushing him to do it, so she stood still.

"This alliance is against nature. Doomed from the beginning. We are meant to fight and kill each other. What baffles me is how a weak woman like you changed our ways… You played them good. All of them, putting them in your pocket and using them as you pleased…" Sakura did not understand how her bringing peace could be considered as playing the people she helped.

"Using them?"

"I saw how often Tobirama and Madara were coming to see you alone at different times… Does Tobirama know that you are seeing Madara also in secret?" Seeing her unsure face, the man continued. "I see how often Madara went to the hospital recently, staying for an hour and leaving. So, tell me. Does Tobirama knows?"

Sakura did not understand. She barely saw Madara. He was coming for tea sometimes, but they were always out in the open. Thinking about a certain apprentice of her she realized that the man was probably coming to see Kaiya, not her. But this man thought otherwise… She would have to listen and see where this was going, because she did not understand the man's reasoning. When some more of his chakra seeped out, something clicked in her mind. Her head snapped up.

"You are the one who has been following me!" His eyes held a cruel glint and he bowed mockingly.

"Indeed. Me and a few others… I have to admit that your love life is quite interesting…" Had he spied on her that night? No. Not the time to think about that. Gather information. Meeting his onyx, she tilted her head to the side.

"What are you trying to achieve here?" Crossing his arms behind his back, the Uchiha smiled.

"Nothing major, really. I will make you pay for this alliance first. I might kill you, or injure you real good… Then I will blame it on Madara. I have some evidence that I can plant that are going to make this look real. Maybe he was jealous of being the second choice and tired of your disgusting relationship with Tobirama Senju? You two have been naughty, haven't you? How do you think Tobirama would react after knowing that Madara did this to you?" An insane laugh escaped his lips and he looked at her, pleased. "Then, we can go back to the old ways…" Straining against the cuffs, Sakura groaned.

"No one will fall for this." Sakura spat to his face, angry. She knew her friends better than that. They would not get wrapped into something so stupid. A threatening growl escaped the man as he grabbed her by the throat and he had a sadistic laugh, taking a kunai out. Tilting his head on the side, he stabbed her in the thigh. Sakura held her yelp in. She could not give him the satisfaction of reacting to the pain. In a quick motion, he cut through the kimono, some material falling on the ground, exposing her bindings and her black shorts. He paused.

"Let's see if that Senju bastard wants your body when I'm done here."

Like an artist, he painted wounds on her body with his kunai for what felt like hours. On her collarbone, her waist, her thighs… Sakura could feel the blood seeping into the material that was left from her kimono, sliding on her legs and dripping from her toes. She tried not to react, but after a while, the pain became unbearable and screams escaped her. Was this the way she was supposed to leave the past? Would she ever wake up if she died here? A soft face with white hair and red eyes flashed in her mind. I can't die. I have so much more to do…

Getting bored, the man took a step back, admiring his work.

"I will be back later… Enjoy the pain, Senju whore." His maniac laugh echoed through the corridors. We are in a cavern…

Sakura tried to fight the darkness as much as she could. For Konoha. Not her Konoha, but the one she had helped to create with all her passion, the place she now called home.


The men had left the village after an hour of planning. The rescue team consisted of Tobirama, Hashirama, Madara and Izuna, Hayato, the Yamanaka and a Hyuga. They were stopping every now and then for Tobirama to sense and find where their clansman was. After two hours, the younger Senju dropped on the ground, placing his two fingers on the earth. The trace of Ren's chakra had disappeared. They could not find him anymore. Tobirama made a mental note to put his seal on Sakura to make things easier if something like that was to happen again. As the thought crossed his mind, his heart clenched. They had to find her first.

The Hyuga activated his bloodline trait and scanned the forest. His posture changed and he pointed to his right.

"I found something!"

They started running in the direction the Hyuga pointed and ended up in a small clearing. The young Senju that had been following the kidnappers was laying on the ground, bleeding out. Hashirama crouched next to him, raising the young man's head.

"Ren, what happened?" The young man coughed, and blood tinted his lips.

"Heard them talk about… cavern… west. They know how much she means to each of you… create discord-" A cough shook his frame and more blood fell from his lips. "Please save Sakura-sama…" That being said, Ren's eyes glazed over, and he died soon after.

Hashirama looked over his shoulder and met Izuna's eyes.

"Bring him back to his family. We will go and find her." Izuna nodded, grabbed the body and put it on his shoulders and before to leave, sent a hard look to Tobirama.

"You find her and bring her back, Senju, or I swear to god-" Not able to finish his sentence, he clenched his fists on his side and left right after. Gathering everyone, Hashirama led the group towards the west.


Sakura was sitting under a tree, reading a book when a familiar voice startled her.

"Naruto knew that if things were going poorly, there was a way to repair things. Kurama and him planned the whole thing. He knew you would get out of there alive because you've always been the smartest in the team, never the reckless one." Kakashi appeared in front of her, hands in his pockets. Waiving at her with his two fingers he gave her his eye-crinkled smile. "Yo." Looking at the man with wide eyes, Sakura stuttered.

"Ka-Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura got up rapidly and wrapped her arms around the man. Patting her back affectionately, a laugh rumble in his chest and Sakura enjoyed the reassuring sound, never realizing how much she missed this pervert. He continued talking, running a hand through her hair.

"He acted like he did not know what was happening on the island but when he met us, on the battlefield, he talked to Tsunade, Shizune and I about this plan. We agreed that it would be better if it were you and if you were not aware of it. Tsunade did not agree at first, but then decided to do it for you. She knew how you would be able to better things only with the current knowledge you had." Sakura nodded and frowned.

"What plan?" She looked up at him, perplex.

"Like I said, you always were the smart one, so I had no doubts that one day you would realize what was going on. Before he died, Naruto placed a seal on your neck, which is probably why he passed away this fast. I don't know how it activated, but it did. I think he mentioned something about "dark presence" and "trigger" but I am not really sure of what it meant… We did not really have time for details, you know?"

"But what am I supposed to do? I saved Izuna and did what I had to for the village to start on a stronger foundation… Save the one who died in the past of our future." At that, Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.

"See, I was not aware of that part... The thing I know has to do with killing someone who is a threat… I am sorry, I wish I knew more." Sakura paused. Kill someone? Why did she have to save someone in the first place if the end goal was to kill another one?

"How am I supposed to know who this person is?" Her arms fell on each sides of her body.

"You will know, and when you do, use this seal-" Taking her hand, he drew the seal, which was the same as the one she had dreamt about. "When released, it will permanently erase this threat. Kurama helped Naruto to come up with it."

Sakura memorized the seal and pondering a few things, fleeting sad expression crossed her features.

"Am I bound to stay here?"

"Actually, I have no idea." She chuckled.

"Do you know anything?" Her chuckle stopped and she looked at him seriously. "What if I don't want to go back to our time?" He paused, surprised.

"Maaa Sakura-chan, you know Naruto, he did not plan for you to want to stay in the past. He probably thought that you'd be missing him. But again, I am afraid I do not have the answer to this question, unfortunately."

"Is anyone going to remember the war?" Looking up in thoughts, he hummed.

"I don't think so. Life will be different and the circumstances of everyone's life as well would be different. You would probably be the only one to remember this massacre of a war…"

Nodding, Sakura looked down. Grabbing her chin gently, Kakashi gave her a bone crushing hug.

"I have faith in you, Sakura-chan. I should have had more faith in you since the beginning, and I am sorry…" Pulling away he gave her his signature smile. "I wish I could take some credit for the amazing person you have become, but unfortunately, I can't. You did that on your own."

She laughed. Never in her life had she imagined that the man would voice this to her, but it felt good. Made her feel at peace. Now she understood what she had to do, kind of, and she would carry her mission. For Konoha.


Sakura woke up, hearing the door of her cell open. Instead of the older man she expected to see was another Uchiha. She had seen him a few times here and there in her everyday life. He approached her with a kunai and grabbed her face tightly, making her teeth sink in her cheeks, and pushed her back. Once he let go of her, she spat blood on the ground.

"Such a gentleman." He obviously did not see her as a threat. She might be able to gain more information from him. Her body shook slightly under the exhaustion of the blood loss. She knew there were a few Uchihas and some strangers but did not have any idea of their numbers. Looking up, she gave the man a small smile. "How many of you are there?"

"Me and a few others Uchihas, some rogue nins... We also associated with a small clan at the beginning and almost killed them all but kept one of them because of his skills with some dangerous poisons… Unfortunately, he died by the hand of Tobirama when he and some of the rogues fought with him, Hashirama and Madara." He walked around her. "It is so sad that you were able to save Hashirama from this poison. It would have been so easy to spike the old rivalry again… Uchiha and Senju are not meant to live together."

"As I have been told, though I don't believe in this theory of yours."

"Well, it does not matter now, does it? Either way, good news, I still have some of the poisons so how about we have a little fun? Tell me, Sakura-sama, who will save you knowing that you are the only one who knows how to deal with this?"

Sakura froze. She never finished the antidote for the second poison… If it was the one she thought he would use, she would die. Approaching her again, the young Uchiha dragged his kunai on her back, cutting her skin. Stopping in front of her, he poured some poison on the kunai and dragged it from her left shoulder to her right breast. She could feel the burn of the dangerous liquid mixing with her blood. If she was trying something to get out of this situation, it had to be now.

When he got close enough to her, Sakura swung her face forward, hitting his nose with her forehead and contracting her abdomen, she lifted her legs, wrapping them around the young man's neck tightly. The pain of the movement made her nauseous but she held on. Jerking violently to the right, he tried to escape by stabbing her in the other shoulder but with a twisting motion of her hips, she succeeded in breaking his neck.

His body fell on the ground with a thud and looking down she could see the kunai still stuck in her flesh. The smell of the poison was reassuring. She never thought she would think that about a poison in her entire life. She still had time. It was not the dangerous one. Leaning her head down, she grabbed the kunai with her teeth and tried not to gasp when she pulled it out. Taking a few second to breathe, she then threw the kunai to her hand. Picking the lock was hard but she was able to do it and then worked to unhook her other hand. Once the chains were gone, she felt her chakra coming back, though sluggishly because of the drug she had been given, and she slumped on the floor.

Her body was exhausted, her chakra was limited, and she had a small window of time before the paralytic started to work… Taking a kunai from the dead man's pouch, she made cuts around the poisoned areas so most of the infected blood in that region could escape. She bit her lips until they bled not to scream. It was hurting so much she thought she would faint but was able to regain some control over her body. She was so tired but needed to get out. She would not die here.

Sakura grabbed the dead's man weapon pouch and wrapped it around her leg. Getting out of the cell that was still unlocked she took in the sight. She was in some underground prison. Looking passed the cell, she could see a large number of mercenaries standing in a room farther down. She wanted to cry. She wanted to stop this there. No. You can do this. You survived a war.

Taking a deep steadying breath, Sakura opened her eyes, determined. Naruto would not cry. He would just burst in that room with no plan at all and probably come out on the other side with some scratches. She, Sakura Haruno, apprentice of the Fifth Hokage would not cry. She could do it. She would prove the world that she could be more than a clanless little girl. She was not weak. Not anymore. She was one of the Founders.

Crouching, she made her way closer to the room, every single muscle in her body protesting, leaving bloody footprint behind her. Analyzing the situation, she made her first move and killed a man from behind, slitting his throat. She did the same thing to another one but was brutally grabbed by the shoulder and thrown against a wall. Getting the air knocked out of her lungs, she saw dark spots in her vision.

Another man tried to approach her, but she jumped back on her feet and stabbed him in the neck and in the heart, kicking his body backward. It fell with a thud and at the same time, someone threw shurikens at her. She was able to avoid the first one but the second one hit her side. The sharp pain made her yelp. Trying to breathe was harder with the weapon in her flesh. Yanking it out, she sent a bit of healing chakra to the wound and had to stop when she realized just how low her reserve was.

Cursing, she charged and whipped her kunai from left to right, slashing whomever was in her way. A kunai hit the back of her shoulder and a scream escaped her lips. Turning around, she threw the weapon she had in her hand pushing a bit of chakra in it. When it collided with the man's face, it went through his skull in a bloody explosion. Yanking out the kunai from her back, she threw it at another man who dodged it easily. She faced the enemies left.

There were four men in front of her and who knew how many more in total. Two more ran in the room. Six. Not matter how hopeless it looked, she would not give them the satisfaction to think they had won. She would not give up. Looking at them, her body shivered in disgust. Their eyes were raking her uncovered body from head to toes, giving her a pretty good idea of their thoughts.

Sakura could feel the tightening of her muscles. The poison was progressing in her system. Taking two kunai out, she flipped them in her hands and took a fighting stance. The first man made a move and she jumped in the battle.