Everything was fuzzy-- her mind, her vision, even the noise around her sounded like static. Her senses were disoriented as she opened her eyes, the surroundings utterly blurred to the point where she only recognized the door of light.

This light, she thought, is just like the one from my balcony.

And when her eyes adjusted somewhat, she could see the outline of her old balcony door. This was her old room, she realized.

"Right," She whispered, ignoring the hoarseness of her voice. "I reversed time."

That was a feat-- if the soreness of her body was any indication. She pushed herself up, not letting herself be startled and lose her grip. She was in her childhood home, which meant she still lived with her parents. And she had no idea how old she was.

When everything came into focus, she glanced at her calendar.

"No way," She breathed out, rubbing her eyes to see if the date would change. It didn't. "I'm... seven?"

She thought back to this time, trying to remember if she was even friends with Ino yet. She was-- Ino had given her her first traditional kimono for her seventh birthday, so she could attend some clan formal of hers. It wasn't normally allowed, but because Sakura wasn't a part of a clan and Ino would throw a tantrum if she was denied her friends presence, Sakura was invited.

So, she went back ten years. Ten whole years. What had yet to occur? What did occur during these years? If she wanted to change her future, what exactly was she supposed to change?

Sakura pulled the blanket off her, moving to stand up. But as soon as her feet hit the ground and she tried to hold up her weight, she fell.

"Damn," She cursed, pulling herself back into a sitting position. She rested her back against her bed and stared at her balcony doors. "This sucks."

Her legs were burning, her arms felt like dead weight, and she had a splitting headache. This sucked.

"Sakura!" Her mother called up. "Come down for breakfast!"

"Coming!" She managed to yell back, grimacing as she carefully stood up this time. It took a few moments, but she did manage to stand up and not fall.

It ended up taking her five minutes to get downstairs, but she did.

And she had breakfast, responded with childlike enthusiasm as she discussed meaningless topics with her mother. And before she knew it, she was walking towards the academy.

Her mother left her at the doors of the academy, wishing her luck and hugging her goodbye. Sakura almost stepped through the threshold when she noticed blonde hair in the shadows of a tree.

"Naruto," She whispered, taking in her best friend at such a young age. He was on the swing he normally perched on at the end of classes. She never noticed he sat there in the morning too.

Is this something she should change?

Screw it-- she was going to give her best friend a happier childhood. It was the least she could do.

So she walked up to him, seeing him sit up straight with excitement before his shoulders slumped.

"Naruto, right?" She asked as she came up to the swing. She clasped her hands behind her back and smiled widely at the boy who was looking at her with utter confusion on his features.

"Yeah," He said, watching her as she turned back towards the Academy.

"Well, come on, then," She beckoned him forward. "Classes are about to begin."

"Really?" He perked up, tripping as he got out of the swing. But he stood up by her side immediately, the pure happiness in his eyes relieving any doubts she had about this choice.

"Sakura," She nodded, giving him another smile.

"Has anyone told you that you're the prettiest girl in the Academy?" He asked her, continuing to babble as they walked through the Academy doors together. "And the nicest?"

"You're funny," She replied, watching him blush and she remembered that even now, Naruto had a crush on her. She guessed some things just wouldn't change.

"You like my pranks?"

Sakura hesitated before simply smiling. "Let's just go sit down."

Naruto deflated a bit at the change of topics, obviously not too excited to sit through class. But he followed her anyway, staying by her side as she sat down next to Ino.

"Why're you with him?" Ino asked, eyeing Naruto as he took the seat on the other side of Sakura.

"Naruto's my friend," She told Ino simply, resisting the sudden urge to cry when she saw the expression on Naruto's face. She knew she was the first person to say this about him.

"Hm," Ino started but shrugged after a moment. "Okay. I'm Yamanaka Ino."

"Uzumaki Naruto," He declared triumphantly.

And that was that. Sakura got through the rest of the day with a few weird looks thrown at her but that was it. No one seemed off. In fact, everything seemed to be okay in these moments.

That is, until they were brought outside for recess and Naruto challenged Sasuke to a race.

They weren't even friends yet. But she forget that their rivalry stemmed all the way back to their Academy days. It was fruitless, of course, because Sasuke was completely out of everyone's leagues at this point. Naruto wasn't even able to hold a candle to the Uchiha.

That's when she realized than an important event had yet to pass.

The Uchiha Massacre. That occurred a few weeks after her eighth birthday. And according to her calendar, was set to happen within the next three months.

Could she even stop it? How does a seven year old child stop a massacre?

Sakura wasn't even sure what her skill set was now. If it was like the first time around, it would be, well, none. She only had logic in her weapon arsenal. No superhuman strength, no medical ninjutsu, and no muscles to even rely on if she went on a run. Sakura was a civilian with a lot of knowledge on ninjas and good chakra control. That was it.

Could she go to Itachi? Would he even believe her?

She only learned the truth of the massacre just before she reversed time. And it all made so much sense. She almost wanted to fast forward back to her time so she could yell at Sasuke herself for never telling her.

Sakura was brought back by Ino's laughter, as the two watched Sasuke and Naruto race. The latter was comically behind, naturally. And Sakura giggled despite herself.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, what's so funny?" Naruto asked, huffing a bit as they stopped their race.

"Because you're so bad at racing," Sasuke taunted, his back to their little group.

"Because you're you," Sakura corrected, giving him a smile. "It makes me happy to see how determined you are."

Sasuke scoffed at her words and turned to glare at Naruto when he hugged her suddenly.

"I'll never give up! Just you watch, Sakura-chan!" He proclaimed, turning back to stick his tongue out at Sasuke. "I'll get you next time, Sasuke! Wanna race again?"

"Your loss," The Uchiha replied, but nonetheless geared up to race again.

"No cheating this time!"

"I wasn't cheating before! You're just too slow!"

"What did you say?" Naruto challenged with a raised fist.

"You're just too slow!" Sasuke repeated, jerking his head away from them.

Sakura giggled at the sight of her boys, wondering why she ever took their innocence for granted. She stopped suddenly, sensing someone overlooking the scene. She turned around, only seeing the flicker of a body atop a telephone pole before it disappeared.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, you have to look! I'm going to beat Sasuke this time, ya know?"

Sakura apologized and set herself back into being the seven year old she was supposed to be.

The days went on like this. She and Naruto grew to being friends once again, his grades improving slightly with her influence. Sasuke was still distant, but it seemed if they ever had to be put into a group, he wandered over to them. Ino was beside herself the first time Sasuke spoke to her, even if it was him asking her to move aside so he could get through the doorway.

Right, Sakura remembered. Ino had a crush on Sasuke at this point. They both did.

But that didn't matter. Not this time around.

About two weeks passed before Sasuke left his book bag at the Academy. Naruto had gotten him all riled up and he left in a hurry when his mother came to get him.

"Sasuke-kun left his bag," Sakura whispered, picking up the straps as she gathered her own belongings.

"Sakura-chan, wanna go play at the park today?" Naruto asked and she nodded.

"But I have to go drop this off first," She told him, raising the bag. "I'll meet you there."

"Hmm, okay!" He agreed, bounding off to the park.

Sakura took a deep breath and headed towards the Uchiha compound.

When she entered it, she was totally caught off guard by the atmosphere. It wasn't unnerving like she remembered, but rather. . . lively. Was this the Uchiha clan before everything went tragically wrong?

She only knew which house was for the head family because she and Naruto had walked through the compound after the Pain invasion. Something about renovating the area to house some families displaced by the invasion and that, if they wanted anything for Sasuke, they had to go in and get it themselves. And though almost everything was taken into storage, there was a photo in an untouched room in the largest house. Of Sasuke's family.

She wasn't sure if it was Sasuke's old room or Itachi's, but she knew it was their home they had been in. The photo ended up being the only thing they brought back with them.

Sakura walked up to one of the stalls, surprising the vendor as they took in her appearance. She was very clearly not an Uchiha.

"Excuse me, but do you know where Uchiha Sasuke lives?" She asked, holding up his bag. "He left this at the Academy."

The vendor was a bit too shocked to respond right away, and didn't get the chance to speak when someone else interrupted.

"You're looking for Sasuke-kun?" He inquired, tilting his head as he held out his hand. Sakura had no idea who this Uchiha was, but he looked to be around her old age. With unruly hair and an inviting smile, Sakura wondered if he was even a part of the legendary clan.

"Brat's my cousin," He told her as she shook his hand. "Name's Shisui. And you are?"

"Haruno Sakura," She answered immediately.

"Well, Sakura-chan, let's get going," He smiled and began to walk towards the large house. Sakura followed, coming up to his side and tried to pinpoint the name in her memories.

She didn't remember a single time Sasuke mentioned his cousin, but she felt at ease around him, like with Itachi just before she sent herself back.

So she smiled and answered his questions with the excitement only a child held. What year was she, what were her favorite subjects, and how she knew Sasuke.

"He and my friend Naruto are always competing," She told Shisui, who looked down at her in surprise. "They get carried away sometimes and I think Sasuke-kun got so distracted that he forgot his bag."

"Sounds like the twerp," Shisui commented with a laugh. They rounded a corner and were met with a familiar face. "Oi, Tachi, you're back early."

"Mission went well," He greeted and Sakura had to stop herself from reacting physically. Itachi was a friend, she reminded herself. He was the reason she had this chance. "Who's this?"

"Sakura-chan," Shisui answered, ruffling her hair as she smiled in greeting. "She's here to give Sasuke-kun his bag."

"It's nice to meet you," Sakura said, lowering her head a bit.

"You as well," Itachi responded, watching her carefully before falling into step with them. "I'm Uchiha Itachi."

"Sasuke-kun talks about you a lot," Sakura said with a smile. "When he does talk, that is."

"But not me?" Shisui questioned and huffed when she shook her head. "I'm just as good as you, Tachi! Your brother is playing favorites."

The two boys continued to talk as they neared the head family's home and Sakura felt a bit uneasy as they did so. But, Itachi and Shisui led the way, opening the door and calling for Sasuke.

"Oh, you're both here!" A woman greeted, stepping back in surprise as her eyes landed on Sakura. "And who might you be, little one?"

"Haruno Sakura," She answered with a bow. Next to her, Shisui chuckled and Itachi smiled at his mother.

"She's one of Sasuke's classmates," Itachi told the woman, a soft expression warming his mother's features as she looked down at Sakura.

"He forgot his bag," Sakura supplied quickly, sliding the strap off her shoulder.

"And neither of you offered to hold it for her?" Mikoto scolded quickly, both boys smiling nervously at one another. "Where did I go wrong? Anyway, sweetheart," The woman turned to her again. "I'll call for Sasuke-kun. Thank you for bringing his bag all the way here. I know it's a bit of a walk."

She yelled for her youngest son, who came into view a few moments later. He stopped short when he saw her, his smile dropping back into a flat line.

"Why're you here, Sakura?"

Mikoto responded with a rather hard squeeze on Sasuke's shoulder. Sakura saw his eye twinge.

"Your classmate here was nice enough to bring the bag you left at the Academy," Mikoto told him, pushing him forward. "Thank her."

Sasuke grumbled a bit, but stepped forward and took the bag from her outstretched hands. "Thank you."

Sakura stopped breathing for a moment at the words. They hurt before the war but now, after everything that happened, it was utterly devastating. But she recovered quickly, a blush forming on her cheeks from embarrassment.

"Now, Sakura-chan, why don't you stay for dinner?" Mikoto offered after a few moments of silence.

Sakura shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I promised Naruto we'd go to the park today. In fact, if you wanted, Sasuke-kun, you can come too."

"I'm supposed to train with my brother tonight," He told her, staring at his feet. Sakura saw his mother tighten her grasp on her son's shoulder and he winced. "Maybe another day."

"Okay!" She said with a smile, before turning to Itachi and Shisui. "Thank you for walking me here. It was nice to meet you both. I think I can manage my way out."

"Nonsense," Mikoto waved her off. "The boys will walk you back on their way to the training grounds."

Sakura sensed that Mikoto's word reigned and didn't bother fighting it. She soon found herself escorted by the three boys to the park, where Naruto was waiting.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically, running up to her. "Why's the teme here?"

"Training," Sasuke answered, turning to her and nodding. "Thanks."

"Anytime!" She smiled wide, giggling when Shisui ruffled her hair again.

"It was great to meet you, Sakura-chan," The curly haired Uchiha said. "Hopefully, we'll see each other again soon."

Itachi gave her a gentle smile and held up his hand.

"Bye!" Sakura called out, as they continued walking, waving until they disappeared into the tree line.

She wasn't sure how she'd stop a massacre. But she found herself wanting to stop it more and more. Not only for Sasuke, but for his family too. They were all so sweet. How could she not want to stop his family's destruction?

Now, just how did she go about doing it?