Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


Chapter 35

They had packed and were ready to go in a few minutes. Sakura was excited to leave the village on her first real mission! Tobirama was feeling her joy like it was his own. They walked through the village, her in her ninja gear, a bounce in her steps, him with his armor, the white fur and his happuri, trying to be as stoic as possible in front of the villagers. People who knew him could see the softness around his eyes and the barely noticeable uplift of his lips when he looked down at the woman happily walking next to him.

The made their way out of the village and she took the time to turn around when they passed the gates. It was the first time in a while that she had seen the villahe from this angle and she was proud of what she saw. She could see the future Konoha and could almost smell Ichiraku. Seeing her faraway look, Tobirama's eyes softened. Snapping out of her thoughts, she smiled at him.

"It looks the same, yet it is so different."

Grabbing her hand, Tobirama squeezed it gently, smiling to her.

"Come on, we have to go."

Nodding, she followed him, sparing one more glance towards the villager over her shoulder. She kept close to Tobirama, but far enough so she could protect herself if anything happened. And so did the journey begin.


The trip took three days, which were filled with laughter and perfect moments. Every night, they had dinner together and then they worked on the seal that would hopefully work to bring her back. When the night came, they made love under the stars. They saw a inn that was about a day from Konoha and decided to stay there one night on their way back.

The mission was quite easy and the people from the village welcomed them warmly when they arrived. In the span of a few hours, the scroll was given to the leader and they already had an answer for Hashirama. They spent the night there and were back on the road the next morning.

Even thought Hashirama had given them eight days, they both missed the comfort and privacy of Sakura's house. They pushed their body on the way back and when they made it to the inn they were relieved.

It was a charming little place. When they entered, they were greeted by a pretty young lady with beautiful black hair and a perfect oval face. Sakura cringed when the woman looked at Tobirama hungrily, from head to toes, but the man did not notice, since he was grabbing his money pouch from his travel bag.

"One bedroom for you and one for the lady?" Sakura met the eyes of the blacked haired woman and taking a step forward, wrapped her arm around Tobirama's middle. The man stopped what he was doing when Sakura looked in his eyes, smiling softly.

"One room will be just fine. What do you think, love?"

Love? Sakura had never called him that, but he would never admit that a shiver had ran down his spine and his toes had curled slightly at the term of endearment. He nodded, not able to fin his words, still processing what she had said. Sakura's eyes turned dangerous when looking back at the woman behind the counter.

"One key, then."

The woman glared at Sakura and handed her the key as Tobirama put the money on the counter, still staring at Sakura. THe pink haired medic practically ripped the keys from the woman's hands and grabbed Tobirama's arm, dragging him behind her. Pausing at the bottom of the stairs, she sent a cheeky look at the black haired beauty.

"I don't think we will leave this room anytime soon, so, if you could be nice and bring dinner up, it would be greatly appreciated." Seeing the pure surprised and disgust on the woman's face, Sakura laughed, continuing her way, Tobirama close behind her.

The room was modest, but had everything they needed. A bed that was large enough for the both of them, a large bathtub and a table with some chairs. Closing the door behind him, Tobirama leaned on it.

"Love?"

Sakura faced him and blushed deeply. She did not answer to the silent question, avoiding his look.

"Sakura, were you-" He tilted his head. "Were you jealous?"

At the word, she met his eyes and opened her mouth to speak and closed it, not knowing what to say exactly. Walking towards her, he stopped a few inches from her, smiling. Grabbing her chin, he lifter her face so she would look at him again. With the knowing look in his eyes, she groaned, throwing her hands in the air.

"Yes! She was looking at you like you were a piece of meat and -" His deep laugh made her anger flare. She crossed her arms on her chest. "So what? You are the only one allowed to be territorial?" His laugh stopped. "Don't think that I forgot the many times where you scared other men away, Tobirama Senju."

She had a point there.

"And don't act like you hate it, love." Her voice was sweet and held a hint of something wicked.

Hearing that term coming out of her mouth again, he took in a deep breath. Yes, he liked it. Loved it.

Seeing how his eyes darkened, Sakura smiled. Interesting. This word seemed to awaken something in him. Turning her back on him, Sakura slowly removed her shirt and her bindings, looking at him over her shoulder. His crimson eyes were taking in the details of her body that she uncovered piece by piece, with an intensity that made her restless.

"How long are you planning to keep me waiting, love?"

A growl left his throat and he was soon following her to the bed, thinking about all the way he could make her scream his name.


A while later, the black haired woman was bringing the food to the couple's bedroom. The man could not really like the pink haired woman, could he? Placing her hair and her outfit, the woman took a deep breath. Grunting, she placed the tray on her hip and when she was about to knock on the door, explicit sounds reached her ears and she froze. Putting down the tray on the ground, she looked at the door again and when she heard a feminine moan, she ran away.

The pink haired woman was not kidding when she had said that they would not leave the room...


Sakura was lying on the bed, exhausted when Tobirama left the bed to prepare them a bath. He had put on his pants when he opened the door, grabbed the tray. He might have known when the lady had been there and made Sakura scream on purpose at that moment, but no one needed to know that. Sakura might have been jealous, but he liked people to know that she was his as much as he was hers. Closing and locking the door behind him, he placed the tray on the table.

When he walked back to the bed, Sakura took in the ripple of the tight muscles of his abdomen and arms and smiled like a cat that had caught a canary. She gasped when Tobirama scooped her in his arm, walking her to the bath. Setting her in the bathtub gently, he removed his clothing and sunk in the water behind her, bringing her close to his chest.

They soaked together for a while, basking in the warmth, their strained muscles relaxing. Her head fell on his shoulder and she sighed, happy. Seeing her exposed neck, Tobirama peppered it with light kisses before to lean his head on the rim of the tub. Sakura realized that every day was a blessing and being with him was the most precious gift she could have asked for.

After their bath, he had wrapped her in a blanket and set her on the bed. She had to admit that she loved this caring side of him after some intense love making sessions.

He dried himself and put on his pants before to sit on the bed with her. They worked through another part of the seal and soon, put the work away. They ended up talking for hours about life and the future they would build if the seal worked. When the seal would work. Here, in this little inn in the middle of nowhere, only them existed and it felt nice. After a while, they laid next to each other and sleep found them rather fast.


Something woke him up. Spreading his senses, he frowned. Everything was peaceful and there were no threats. Looking down, he could see her naked body tighlty pressed against his. Under the moonlight, her pale skin had a perfect glow. He remembered how her skin had been tempting him since the first time he saw her. When he brought her into his tent that day, caring for her…

She opened her eyes and sleepily grabbed his hand, smiling. Moving herself up, she kissed his lips and he closed his eyes, savoring the moment.

"Come back to sleep, Tobi."

Hands caressing her back, he did not answer. He had other thoughts involving touching and tasting this tempting skin of hers.

Bending down, he kissed her neck, trailing to her breasts, her stomach and… feeling his lips on her core, her eyes screwed shut and her hand found his hair. She was awake now. Tobirama took his time, discovering, nipping, kissing until waves of pleasure washed over her. His ministrations left her undone more than once, whispering his name like the most amazing melody. He continued until he knew her thoroughly exhausted and pleased.

Getting back to her, he wiped his face on the bedsheet. Sakura marveled at how attentive of a partner he was. Warmth flooded her hear.

Tobirama looked in her precious emeralds, shining with such love. His heart felt full and a shaky breath left his lips.

"What is it?" Her hand found the hair on the back of his neck.

For a moment, he observed her, no sound coming out of his mouth. He took in a deep breath and smiled.

"I am happy. You, crashing into my life was the greatest gift the universe could give me."

Grabbing his face, she kissed him softly. She whispered against his lips, her eyes never leaving his. "I love you, Tobirama Senju." His heart almost burst out of his chest and holding her close, he kissed her again, deeply and broke the kiss long enough to reply to her.

"I love you, Sakura Haruno." At the soft velvet of his voice, Sakura's eyes filled with tears. Perfect. They were perfect together.

Their bodies found each other again and they were lost in each other's touch, the fire burning within stealing their breaths away, leaving them happy and fulfilled, lying next to each other, exhausted but whole.


The next morning, they woke up, packed their bags, excited to be back in their routine and in Sakura's small house. When she strapped the last pouch on her leg, Sakura looked up at him.

"Let's go home, Tobi." His heart clenched at the word. Home. Nodding, he grabbed her hand and they walked down the stairs.

The young lady was still behind the desk, staring at them. Sakura did not pay attention to her, but when they were about to go out the door, Tobirama brought the medic close to him, a possessivehand on her hip. Kissing the side of her neck, he sent a hard look to the black haired woman. Seeing her gulp, Tobirama left the inn, still keeping Sakura close to him.

"And what was that for?"

Tobirama shrugged and smiled to Sakura. She shook her head, rolling her eyes and shoved him playfully. He was terrible and probably scared the crap out of the poor woman.

That being said, they started their way to Konoha and about an hour later, Sakura smirked at him.

"How about a race to the village?"

Tobirama paused and thought about it for a moment. They barely slept the night prior because of their... activities. He did not want to push her too much, especially since they were less than a day from the village...

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sakura nodded and rolling his eyes he agreed. He was about to take his mark when she started running towards the village without any notice. "Sakura, you are cheating!"

Her laugh echoed and smiling, he started running behind her, set on catching her and teaching her a lesson. They were running so fast, pushing chakra in the sole of their feet. Pink and white blur. When the trees became more dense, they hopped from branch to branch.

They raced until a pained hiss escaped Sakura's mouth. Her foot missed the branch sending her into a freefall. Tobirama plunged down, catching her before to land on the ground roughly, shielding her body with his.

Finding his footing, he set her down and started examining her body, trying to find any injuries. He frowned when he could not see anything,

"Are you alright?"

She nodded and took in a deep breath.

"I am fine, my head just hurts a bit."

She tried to get back on her feet without his help when a wave of pain made her knees buckled and she landed in his arms again. Closing her eyes, she hissed again.

"Sakura, look at me. What is going on?" He grabbed her face, not knowing what to do.

Another wave of pain washed over her and she grabbed her neck tightly. Tobirama felt a churning in his guts, knowing what was happening, yet denying that it was happening. He slowly moved her hand from her neck and lifted her hair. At the base of her neck, the seal was glowing brightly. It could not happen now.

She knew it was bad when she met his wide eyes, full of realization and sadness. Feeling the burning on her neck, she knew. They had ran out of time.

"I can't lose you now…" His voice was barely above a whisper.

Sakura reached and touched his cheek, bringing his face to hers. She kissed his lips with all the love she could convey, tears rolling out of her eyes. He pressed his lips on her fervently, holding her tightly, yet it felt like she was so far.

Thinking about their almost finish seal, Tobirama closed his eyes tightly. "We were so close…"

"It will be ok, Tobi." Sakura tried to appear sure of herself, when the truth was that she was afraid. So afraid.

How could it be ok? She was everything he had ever wanted. Needed in his life. The part of him he never knew was missing until she came into his life.

"Please, I need more time…" His voice broke. He was falling apart. He had hope they would have more time. That they could have find the way to make the seal work for her to come back right if she disappeared. He never expected her to leave so fast. They should have worked relentlessly, yet he was happy they did not and spent amazing moments together.

His voice echoed in her. She would give him forever if she could. Everything. But right now, she could not. The only thing she could give him at this moment was hope. Putting her forehead on his she took out a kunai and made a small cut in her hand. Blood dripped slowly on the ground, but when she met his eyes, she was determined.

"I'll find a way back to you, I promise, love."

Pain ripped through her body and the only thing she could see was the look of despair in his perfect crimson eyes. They wanted more time. They tried. She would find him back. Whatever it took.

Her body became translucent and he could not look away as she disappeared from the world she had never been supposed to be in. A sob shook his shoulders as he stared at the place, she had been a few moments ago. Why?


Hashirama felt his brother's chakra peak outside of the village and ran to him. When he arrived, Tobirama was on his knees looking at spot on the ground without seeing. Remnant of tears was staining his pale cheeks. They all knew this moment could happen but always hoped to be able to find a way to avoid it before it did happen.

All and all, they had been lucky to have her this long. They knew they might be living on borrowed time but Hashirama knew that none of these words would make his brother feel better. The only person that he had ever let into his heart had left him.

Hashirama slowly approach his brother like he was some kind of wounded animal and grabbed his shoulders gently. Tobirama looked up, numb.

"She's-"

"I know." Without another word, the Senju leader fell to his knees next to his brother and pulled him into an embrace. "I know."


They came back to village after sunset and Tobirama went straight to his room. Mito looked at Hashirama's face and the situation dawned on her when Sakura was nowhere to be seen. Tears filled her eyes, but she nodded, rubbing her belly. She would never be able to announce to her best friend that her and Hashirama were expecting their first child. Hashirama squeezed her hand and left the compound to announce the news to Madara.

When he entered the compound, Madara who was standing next to Kaiya looked in his direction, smiling. His smile fell when he took in Hashirama's sad and serious expression. Excusing himself, he brought his friend to his office. When Hashirama told him what had happened, the Uchiha sat in his chair, in shock. It was crazy to think that she could have taken so much room in their hearts and lives to leave such a hole when she left.

His thoughts went to a future where she would appear, missing the past that she had helped to build. The love she had found… He wished he would have been able to help her cope with those losses. The reality crashed in. He was here. She was not. She would not be able to come back. Not without a lot of work anyways.

Over the next few days, Hashirama and Madara came up with an explanation to give to the villagers to justify where Sakura had gone.


Tobirama could barely stay in his room. Her clothing and personal effects were there with his and everywhere he looked, he could see her. He remembered her lips on his skin, her voice, her eyes...

What they had was something he never expected to experience in a lifetime. Their bond, this love and understanding… everything that his cold heart craved his whole life. He had it and it had been taken away. She was his other half, now that she was gone, he was not whole anymore. He could only find solace in the fact that she was still alive. And he would continue to live to make sure that this village would not let her down again. He would cling to this glimmer of hope that she gave him. Hope that she would find a way back to the past. Back to him.


Sakura woke up in the middle of a forest. Her head was throbbing. Where was she? What happened? Trying to remember where she was, she bolted on her feet. She was close to the village. That much she knew. The gate was not too far from here. Where was Tobirama?

Pushing the thoughts away, she slowly made her way to the village. Looking passed the gates, something deep in her broke when she took the sight in front of her. His face. His face was carved in the rocks. Sakura almost broke down right there, but a voice stopped her.

"Hey Sakura-chan! Back already?" Turning around, she saw Izumo and Kotetsu waiving at her.

Smiling, she waived back and they nodded their heads before to get back to their conversation. She continued her way into the village. Everything felt so similar yet so different.

A shaky breath left her lips when her eyes found his face in the stone again. She screwed her eyes shut and bumped into someone. She was about to apologize when she met Itachi Uchiha's sharp gaze.

Taking a step back, she looked at him warily and realized that something was different. He was wearing his clan's crest, normal clothes, his face looked somewhat… relax, considering that he looked at her, concerned.

"Sakura-san, are you ok?" His concern was genuine and like he could see her discomfort, he tried to smile to show her that everything was fine.

So it worked… She really did make a difference. Looking back from Tobirama's face carved in the rocks to Itachi's onyx eyes, her breath hitched.

"I am not sure… I-" Not able to form a coherent thought, Sakura closed her mouth. She was a mess of emotions.

Noticing how her hair was longer, way longer, than when he had seen her two days ago, Itachi frowned. Not only that, but she now had a purple diamond on the middle of her forehead and her clothing was peculiar. Her eyes looked… Haunted. Tilting his head, he grabbed her shoulder gently, not to scare her.

"You've changed… How is this possible?"

Not able to hold it in anymore, the dam broke and Sakura busted into tears, shaking her head.

Itachi, seeing the questioning look of the villagers around her grabbed her wrist, bringing her with him to her apartment. So she did have an apartment in this world too. To her surprise it was the same building, but a different door number. Like he knew his way around it, he unlocked the door and continued to drag her in, helping her to sit on a stool near the counter. He grabbed her shoulders, looking deeply into his eyes.

"What is going on Sakura-san? I saw you two days ago with Naruto and you did not have this " he pointed at the seal on her forehead. "And you are wearing different clothes…right now you look like you are not from here."

Chewing on her lip, she stayed silent for a moment. He did not know how right he was. She knew he was a genius, but he was surprisingly fast to catch on those things. When she met his expecting gaze, she understood that they must have been close-ish in this new reality if he was acting this familiar with her… Sighing, she shook her head.

"You won't believe me even if I tell you…"

Sakura looked down at the floor of the apartment and soon, Itachi was crouching in front of her, gazing up in her eyes. Tilting his head, he only looked curious. And open.

"Try me."

Sakura nodded and this open minded friend lending her his ear was all it took for her to tell him everything. She even told him about his previous life, which made him cringe, but he listened. She told him about her life with the founders, her attachment to the Nidaime, everything. Even the fact that they worked on a seal to bring her back in time.

When she was done, Itachi took a step back. During the whole conversation, she gave so many details, so many things that were accurate. And he believed her. He also believed her because he knew that the Sakura in his life was a kunoichi but had no medical knowledge, and the one in front of him honed the medical skills of the fifth Hokage.

He then understood the flash of fear she had in her eyes when she had seen him in the streets. It must have been a shock for her.

Sakura chocked on a sob and met his eyes.

"You don't believe me, do you?" She sighed, shaking her head.

"I do believe you, actually."

At that, her head snapped up. He read the silent question in her eyes.

"I will not talk about what you told me, do not worry, it is your story to tell, if you wish to tell it to anyone."

Relieved, Sakura's shoulders slumped forward when another thought found her mind. "I don't want to be here. I don't belong here anymore." Their eyes met and he stayed silent. "I want to go back… Is it selfish of me to desire something like this? Something that is out of reach?"

Taking a moment to ponder the information and what she had told him about her and the Nidaime's work and the whole situation in general, he shook his head.

"It is not selfish, nor is it impossible."

Sakura had an exasperated laugh and she met Itachi's eyes.

"The seal we worked on was almost done. I should have carried the research with me so I could have it in case-" She stopped talking for a moment. "I would agree that it is not impossible to do, but without the research, there is nothing I can do. It would take so long to try and gather everything I need again."

Itachi had a small smile on his lips and a his eyes shone when a thought crossed his mind. Seeing this, Sakura raised an eyebrow, questioning.

"What if… What if someone could see the work you did in your memories? This person could gather the information you already had and we could go from there?"

"We- Wait. What?"

"If you'd allow me, I could get your friend, the Yamanaka, to do it. Extracting the information. That way, we would not have to start from scratch."

There he was using "we" again. This was a "her" situation. She would never ask for his help. She would probably be able to find a way to do it on her own...

"We-, Itachi-san, you don't have to help me."

At that, Itachi raised a hand, cutting her gently.

"I will help you. After everything you did for us to have this life, it's the least I can do." He paused and looked into her eyes. "It is important to me to help my brother's teammate… also, if I deserve happiness, so do you."

Sakura could not find it in her to refuse. Nodding she smiled at him. Putting together a plan, he left her apartment soon after with the promise to bring Ino to her the day after.


Sakura felt like a stranger in her own life. Her apartment was different. Obviously this version of her did not have that many challenges… Looking around, she found an old picture of her and her parents. Nothing recent. Looking further into her things, it dawned on her that her parents might have died. And she was proven right reading some entries in her old diaries. Putting them back on the shelf, she sighed. At least, she would not have to explain to them why she would leave them forever…

The night settled over the village and the lights of the multiple markets were shining. Going out on her balcony, Sakura looked up at the moon. What it the same where he was? What he thinking about her as much as she thought about him? Did he miss her the way she did miss him? Wrapping her arms around her, Sakura stayed outside for most of the night.


Tobirama had spent the whole day in. His brother came in his bedroom and seeing how distraught he was, understood that he needed time. Time to get used to the emptiness of her absence. He had not realized how she had become the sun he gravitated around, now he did since everything felt cold and dark.

Tobirama was numb, he knew that her leaving so soon was always a possibility, but never thought it would happen so fast. He thought they would have a month, maybe two if they were lucky...

Laying in his bed, the smell of her body lingered in his sheets and he wished he could bottle her scent for later. He stayed the entire day, locked away in his bedroom, thinking about her and the future they had imagined.

That night, sleep could not find him and her scent around him only opened the gaping wound of his heart more. Sometimes, it soothed him, sometimes, it haunted him. Getting out of his bed, he opened the door leading to the garden and sat in the stairs. A memory of him sitting at this exact same place when she was replenishing her chakra after saving his brother's life surfaced. He turned his head, hoping to see her pink hair sprawled on the pillow, her mouth parted, breathing softly and let out a shaky breath when the only thing he saw was an empty bed.

Looking up at the moon, he leaned his head on the wall behind him. What she ok? Was everything alright where she was? Did she remember him? He liked to think so, since her memory was plaguing his mind. Would she remember the promise she made right before to disappear?

Words floated in his mind, words that had been spoken by lady Chika, and somehow, they now made sense.

The souls were bound to meet each other again. Would he really get to see her again? Thinking about the old lady's words again he sighed, resigned.

"You don't know how much I hope she was right." He said to no one in particular. Taking a deep breath, he went back to his room, nose buried in his pillow and falling into a dreamless sleep.


xxXdaniploXxx : I am so sorry, but you were right!