Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 36
Itachi had showed to her door early in the morning and if he saw the dark circles under her eyes, he did not say anything to her. The only thing he mentioned was that she might want to let the Hokage know what she went through and what she planned to do. In his opinion it would be better to explain her future disappearance now than have him try to do it.
She agreed with him and put on fresh clothes before to leave her apartment with Itachi. On their way, she saw Ino, who gave her a surprised glance, looking between her and the Uchiha heir multiple time. The glint in her eyes told her that she would have to explain later.
When they were standing in front of the office, Itachi took in a breath and faced her, unsure.
"The Hokage can be quite… Blunt and aggressive-"
With a laugh, Sakura cut him, waiving her hand in dismissal. "She was my shishou. I know."
Remembering what she had told him he closed his mouth and nodded. He only hoped she knew how to approach the situation. They knocked and entered when her voice sounded on the other side of the door. When they walked in, her eyebrows raised, questioning. She had seen the pink haired kunoichi a few times, though she did know really know her, but seeing Itachi with her was interesting... They stopped and looked back at her.
"Don't stand there staring! What do you brats want?"
Sakura chuckled, some things, no matter which time period you were in never changed! Without any prompt from Itachi, Sakura told Tsunade everything that had happened. Everything. She left her story with the Nidaime out of the details, only mentioning that they had worked closely.
The blond woman was quite shocked, but seeing that Itachi Uchiha was backing Sakura's claims and taking in the seal on the girl's forehead, Tsunade had no choice but to believe her. The only way for her to achieve the seal was with rigorous teaching and medical training and Tsunade was quite certain that she had never trained the pink haired girl that was on Kakashi's team.
Smirking, the Hokage had a devilish idea. The only way to know if this Sakura had been trained by her in another time was to have her dodge her attacks in a spar. So a few minutes later found them in training ground far from the Hokage tower. Both women faced each other while Itachi leaned on a tree nearby.
Tsunade observed the young kunoichi and frowned. The idea of sparring with her did not even scared the pink haired girl. Interesting. With this thought, Tsunade started to come at the pink haired kunoichi who dodged every single blows. Even the chakra enhanced ones. She was impressive and seeing her in action, the blond woman understood why she had taken her as an apprentice in the first place. There was cold determination in her eyes, a purpose. Pure strength.
Being distracted for a moment, Tsunade was surprised to feel Sakura's kunai on her throat. Yes indeed. In another life, she had been her apprentice. Huffing, the blond woman crossed her arms on her breasts.
"Your great uncle was a sore loser as well." Sakura's voice had been soft and nostalgic when she spoke.
Tsunade turned her head in time to see the sad flicker in the pink haired kunoichi's eyes. Puzzle pieces clicked into place. Removing her blade from the Hokage's throat, Sakura cleared her throat, bowing to the blond woman.
"All this conversation today was to inform you that I intend to go back in time and stay there if I can find a way to do so. Itachi-san and I have a plan."
Having a suspicion of the reason why she might want to do such thing, Tsunade prodded.
"Why? Why going back after everything?"
Sakura reached up and, grabbing the pink and green necklace that rested on her collarbone, she met Tsunade's eyes. "Because there is someone important that I left behind, and I cannot stay here knowing he is back there."
The conviction in Sakura's emeralds made Tsunade's face softened. She had a pretty good idea of the identity of the man. She remembered some of the conversation of her childhood when she had asked her grand uncle if he had ever been in love. His voice still rang in her head. when he had told her "Yes. She was the prettiest and deadliest blossom I have ever met." Tsunade remembered the way his stoic face had softened, the way he would look up at the moon at night, longing for this person. Being a child, she had never understood, but seeing Sakura now, she knew.
"Whoever this person is, they are lucky to have you."
Shrugging, Sakura turned her back on her former master and glanced at her over her shoulder.
"I hope they feel the same way when I go back…"
When Sakura started to walk away, the blond haired woman allowed a small smile to find her lips, the words of her grand uncle still ringing in her head.
"He always thought about you, you know? Every day."
Sakura froze, her back still turned on the woman. Tears welling in her eyes she nodded and continued her way to her apartment, Itachi in tow. During the walk, he had placed his hand on her back, giving her his silent support, and she thanked him silently for that.
When she arrived to her apartment, Ino was already waiting, taking in the sight of her and Itachi and the way his hand rested on her back. Huffing, her frustrated eyes met Sakura's.
"Forehead. You and Itachi?!"
Sakura touched her face, making sure that the remnant of tears were not visible anymore and shook her head, meeting the Uchiha's gaze. To her surprise, the man just shrugged and remained calm and unphased.
"It's nothing like that Pig, I swear."
The Yamanaka wiggled her eyebrows and smiled at her in a way that made Sakura roll her eyes. She looked so much like her ancestor, it was incredible.
"What is it like, then… Also, what did you do to your hair?"
Sakura paused. She glanced at Itachi who understood her silent dismissal. Nodding, he left them alone. Grabbing her friend's hand, she brought her inside of her apartment. Once the door closed, Ino faced her, arms crossed.
"Now, am I going to have to guess or are you going to talk?"
Seeing the impatient glint in Ino's eye, Sakura went to her cupboard and grabbed cups and sake. Placing everything on the counter, she faced her blond friend and sighed, grabbing the counter tightly, preparing herself.
"You might want to sit and have a drink before that."
Ino, detecting the serious undertone of the conversation, froze. She had never seen Sakura acting that way. Something was not right. Taking a few steps forward, Ino tilted her head and crossed her arms on her chest.
"Are you ok?"
Sakura nodded and cleared her throat. "Now sit and listen to me. Do not interrupt me."
Ino slowly sat on the stool near the counter and chugged the alcohol in her cup before Sakura refilled it. When she felt like she had Ino's undivided attention, Sakura went through the whole story again, for the third time since she had gotten back. She went through their old life, the war, the past, her coming back. She even told her the spicy moments between her and Tobirama since she knew how Ino would like the details.
The blond woman listened to her carefully and when Sakura was done, Ino leaned back in her chair.
"I am sorry Sakura, I just cannot- This is a crazy story."
Knowing that she would not really believed her, Sakura sighed. What Itachi and her talked about lingered in her mind, so she took a rapid decision. Sitting straighter, she faced her friend.
"Use your mind transfer jutsu, Ino. Look into my memories if you need to. I swear on our friendship, I am not lying to you."
Sakura hated her jutsu but for her to ask Ino to go in her mind freely was something new. She was not kidding. Ino knew that. So she agreed. They moved to the couch where they would be more comfortable and the blond looked at her, worried.
"Are you sure about this Sakura?"
The only answer she received was the medic's determined eyes on her.
Taking a deep breath, the blond woman put a hand on Sakura's forehead and began the jutsu. Sure enough, everything that Sakura had said she had been through was there. She went back to the war and saw herself, in pain when her father had died, even went back to their days at the academy. She had been telling the truth. How could this even be possible?
Removing her hand, Ino opened her eyes, out of words. She looked at Sakura and could see a scar when the poisoned kunai had hit her flesh when she had been kidnapped, the seal on her forehead that she somehow had failed to notice, her hair that was now longer. Every little things that did not make sense now did. The main thing that caught her attention was the beautiful necklace that the pink haired kunoichi was wearing. Ino had seen the way crimson eyes had met her friend's eyes when he gave her this necklace on her birthday… Wow.
"Sakura, I had no clue. This is- I believe you, but… How do you feel?" Ino grabbed her friend's hands, not knowing what to do at the moment.
Sakura shrugged and tried to smile, though her eyes were filling up with tears.
"I am glad life is good here, but- Ino, I left him there..." She met Ino's eyes. "You should have seen his eyes when I disappeared… It was-"
Sakura's voice broke and sobs shook her frame. Ino, being the caring friend she was, scooted closer to her and hugged her pink haired friend tightly, tears welling in her own blue eyes. How profound was this love her friend shared with the Nidaime for her to be such a mess…
Ino stayed there, patting her friend's back until her tears dried. Once most of the pain was out, Sakura sat back, wiping her face. She cleared her throat and gave her friend another serious glance. Now was the time to get down to the important part of the conversation. Seeing the glint in Sakura's eyes, Ino sat farther on the couch, eyeing the pink haired medic warily.
"I don't like when you look at me that way, Forehead."
Sakura chuckled and grabbing her friend's hand, she squeezed gently.
"I need your help."
Sakura explained to Ino how she could help her to go back to the man she loved. She told her about her and Itachi's plan, how they needed her help to retrieve the memories of the research Tobirama had done so they could work on finishing it. Surprisingly, Sakura was not even done explaining when Ino cut her.
"I'll do it." Sakura's eyes widened. "Forehead, you and genius Uchiha will find a way to get you back there, I am sure of it. I would be happy to get the information for you."
Ino took the time to observe her friend's emeralds filled with hope. She continued, smirking through some tears. "I will surely miss you, but if it means that you are happy with someone who deserves you, I will push your ass back in time myself."
Sakura took her friend in a bone crushing embrace and they both laughed. Ino then paused, pushing back the medic and looking at her with a playful glint in her eyes.
"The second Hokage, Sakura, really?! You set the bar high for me, there is no way I can beat that!"
The laughter continued and Ino being who she is, asked Sakura for every details of her and Tobirama's relationship. Her friend left a few hours later, promising to be back the next day to help her gather information from her memories.
Now alone, Sakura felt stuck in her apartment, so she left, deciding to take a walk. Feeling the sake she drank warming up her inside, she went to the cliff and sat there, looking at the village. She remembered a time when Tobirama had carried her to a room in the compound when she had outdrank Hashirama not too long after her arrival in the past. At the memory, tears silently fell from her eyes. She also remembered the many lunches they had on this exact same cliff. Every memories hit her like waves and she had a hard time to keep her head above the water.
Closing her eyes, Sakura tried to remember his face and the soft look he was only giving her. How his body fit perfectly with hers… The way candlelight could soften the hard lined of his face. She missed him so much.
Opening her eyes, she was determined to find a way back. She had promised she would find a way. Getting home, she burnt the alcohol she drank with her chakra and went to bed. She needed to be fit for tomorrow's schedule. She did not want to stay here any longer. She wanted to go back as soon as possible. She could not make him wait his whole life to see her again.
Months had passed and Tobirama continued his work in the village, developing the ninja academy, like he talked about with Sakura. Knowing how she was advocating for all the clans to be equal, he made sure that no one was left behind, when teams were formed, he would place different clans together and made sure to include the Uchiha clan in the founding of the academy.
His brother and Mito were expecting their first child in a few months and so were Izuna and Ama. He was happy for them. Even though he was a stoic man, Tobirama liked children very much. He had never thought about having children of his own until he had met her and he could not help it. Every time he thought about that or saw Mito radiating with happiness when she looked at her swollen belly, he would think about pink hair. It could have been us. Every time, the thought killed him inside. But he continued to live.
When his thoughts became to heavy to bear, he found himself going back to the river where he saved her. Near the flowing water his spinning mind was slowing down and he was left there, longing for her. She had promised she would find a way to come back, but what if he wanted to go there? When it crossed his mind, he swattd the idea away. He could not go in the future; he would not fit in the modern world. What if he got there just to learn that she had made it back in the past? She had told him that she would find a way. She had promised. He would have to be patient and wait. But he hated it. His whole being hated to live here without her.
This is the reason why, a day when his weakness got the best of him, Tobirama went back into her house. They had kept it the exact same way that it had been in case she would return. Snooping around her things, he had found the research she had started on her own, thinking that maybe he could go forward in time. The idea never leaving him and taking all the space in his brain when he was thinking about her. He was shuffling through the papers when someone cleared their throat behind him.
He turned around to see Madara watching him with a frown of disapproval.
"What are you doing with this?" The Uchiha's voice was stern and Tobirama felt like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It must have been evident on his face since Madara's frown deepened. "Tobirama, you do not want to do this. Whatever you are planning, I can tell you it is a poor idea."
Tobirama stood there, shaking in anger. They did not understand how he felt without her around. They could never understand how painful it could be to dream of her, of her body, of her voice, only to wake up utterly alone.
"How can you be so sure of it?!"
Madara took a few steps in and ripped the papers from Tobirama's hands before to dispose of them with a quick katon. The white-haired man was now raging in front of him. About to explode, Tobirama approached the Uchiha, threatening, but Madara only grabbed his shoulders with a bruising grip, shaking him so hard that his teeth rattled.
"Think about it. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. Tobirama, by going in the future, searching for her, you would only mess up everything she worked so hard to accomplish here."
Tobirama's anger faded slightly when the words reached the logical part of his brain. Still seeing how tense the white haired Senju was, Madara continued:
"Without you here, lots of things are not going to happen, think about that. You are an important piece of this village."
Tobirama's shoulders slumped forward. The truth of the Uchiha's words echoed in his heart and in his head. He knew he was right. But still…
"Madara, I-"
Madara looking deep into the Senju's eyes and broke his last defense. "Tobi, if you really love her, trust her to be able to find her way back here."
The white-haired Senju walked in her small house and sat on a chair, grabbing his head tightly. When he next spoke, his voice was somehow defeated.
"Sometimes I feel like she was just a dream. Some days, I can barely remember the sound of her voice…"
Knowing the feeling, Madara sat next to him and squeezed his shoulders lightly.
"I miss her too. The best thing we can do for her is to continue our work for now. Make sure that life, where she is, is peaceful."
Tobirama lifted his head and met Madara's onyx. The Uchiha leader was right, and again, with his insight, helped him to get back up and continue fighting until she could come back home.
Ino showed up the next morning and they started to retrieve the information. Since it was scattered on a few weeks in Sakura's memories, it took the blonde Yamanaka two weeks to gather everything of importance. Once this part was done, Sakura and Itachi started their work.
The days turned into weeks, that turned into months... They worked as much as they could, but unfortunately, she had to do it alone sometimes since Tsunade could not justify removing one of her best asset from active duty. Itachi left on some long missions, but everytime he came back, he worked day and night with her to finalize the seal.
During that time she spent in her new future, Sakura concealed the diamond on her forehead and lived a somewhat normal life, meeting with her friends and acting like she was the same innocent Sakura that they knew. Inside she longed to be in her small house, sprawling in bed with Tobirama. She even missed when Hashirama would barge in her house because she forgot to lock the doors. Ino could always pick up on her mood and when she had those thoughts, the blond woman would lend her an ear and support her.
Naruto's parents were still alive, Sasuke was a totally different person and only that made her at peace. It was easier to leave knowing they were surrounded by their families. Both her teammates and Shisui, Sasuke and Itashi's cousin, decided to tease them since they were spending so much time together. Shisui despised her, grumbling about how Itachi was now always with her and never with him. In reality, Shisui was aware of her predicament and of the project they were working on, and Sakura knew it. She saw the glimmer of understanding flickering in his eyes when she was lost in thoughts. She could never be mad when they teased her since she was too happy to see them having a normal life.
All in all, it surprised her how well her and Itachi were getting along. He was smart and was always listening, never making her feel stupid if she did not understand a complicated notion. He had become her anchor in this time and she was grateful for that.
Finally, after a year and some weeks of work, the seal fell into place. They had done it. Eyes widening at the realization, Itachi and Sakura looked at each other and she had jumped in his arms, crying. Understanding what it meant for her, Itachi had patted her back, giving her silent support. They succeeded.
When her emotions were under control, Sakura looked up at him.
"Promise me that once I go back, you will get rid of our research. It cannot fall into the wrong hands."
Itachi nodded and placing a hand on his heart, bowed his head to her.
"I promise."
She looked down at their work and her shoulders relaxed. They had worked long hours and spent many sleepless nights trying to figure out this intricate seal, and finally, they were rewarded. Running a hand in her hair, Sakura let out a relieved sigh.
"I will pack my things and leave soon."
Her eyes shone with hope and relief and Itachi's gaze softened. She would find happiness too, and he was glad he could help her to do so.
Sakura went to the Hokage's office and together they talked about the next steps. Once Sakura would be back in the past, if people asked where she was, Tsunade would tell them that she was on a confidential mission for an undetermined amount of time. No one could know that she travelled through time. Ino and Itachi had sworn not to tell her secret and Tsunade agreed to proceed that way, only after having her writing a detailed report of everything she did for Konoha, in case future Hokages wondered what had happened to her. Before she left the office, the blond woman had given her a side hug with warmth in her eyes.
"I can see why I took you under my wing. You are an impressive young woman." Bowing in thanks, Sakura had left the office soon after, bubble of emotion in her throat.
Once everything was done, Sakura went home and started packing her belongings when she heard a knock on the door. Opening she was faced with Naruto's bright smile.
"Hey Sakura-chan!" She smiled at him, letting him in.
"Naruto, what are you doing here?"
Looking passed her, he saw her backpack halfway full and frowned. He was not aware of her leaving anytime soon.
"Going on a mission?" She nodded at that and he shrugged. "Anyways, my mother is making so much food today that she asked if I could invite everyone over, wanna come?"
Sakura smiled and squeezed his shoulder gently.
"Yes, I will finish packing and come over right after!"
Giving her a big grin and a thumbs up, he poofed out of existence and she rolled her eyes. A clone. Of course. Some things never changed.
Sakura went back to her bedroom and grabbed every piece of clothing she could. Looking at her pictures, she packed the one with her parents and the one of team 7, leaving everything else behind. She also grabbed all of her weapons. Everything ready to go she sighed. Soon. Changing into black shinobi pants and one of her long sleeve shirt, she made her way to Naruto's house.
When she arrived, Kushina was preparing food. It smelled delicious even from outside their house. When she entered, she saw Kushina swatting Naruto's hands away from a plate, slapping him behind the head and could not hold in her laugh when Minato turned around, leaving the kitchen, eyes wide. She had done it. Naruto would not be alone.
Walking around the house, she took in the sight of every single person she knew. Neji was alive and getting cozy wit Tenten, Naruto was still oblivious to Hinata's feelings, Sasuke looked… happy. They were all there.
Feeling like she accomplished the most amazing mission by seeing the results of her efforts, Sakura sighed. There was nothing left here for her. She did not fit in this time. And it was ok. So she stayed for a few hours before to decide to leave.
Catching Ino's eyes across the room, Sakura nodded and the blond woman sitting on Shikamaru's laps understood. She crossed the room in a heartbeat and grabbed Sakura into a bone crushing hug.
"Take care of yourself my friend. I will look for you in history books…" The whisper was full of emotions and Sakura could only nod, looking into her best friend's teary eyes.
"Don't do anything stupid, Pig."
"Last I checked, I am not the one who is travelling through time, Forehead."
They both laughed, eyes filled with tears that were not falling.
"I will be fine, Sakura. Now go, before I shove you back there myself." Sakura gave her friend a last hug before to look around the room.
"Alright guys, I am leaving for my mission! I'll see you all later!"
Naruto came to her and gave her his signature bone crushing hug, while the rest of her friends smiled at her waiving her goodbye.
"See ya Sakura-chan!"
The pink haired medic looked into his blue eyes and realized that everything she had been through was worth it seeing the happiness radiating from Naruto. He was alive. Smiling, she pulled back and waived her hand over her shoulder, leaving her friends. Their laughs echoed around her until she turned on the street.
She quickly went back to her apartment and grabbed the two mission bags she had filled to the brim with her belongings and taking one last look behind her, left the small apartment.
She slowly made her way back to the river where everything started and took out everything she needed to prepare the seal. Itachi came out of the wood silently, helping her to place everything. She had not told him that she planned to leave so soon, but he knew. And wanted to be there to bid her farewell. It took them a few minutes to prepare and when it was ready, she placed her backpacks in the middle. Stepping forward, she hugged the Uchiha tightly.
Itachi froze, but soon returned her hug, putting one hand on her back and bringing her somewhat closer to him, things he had never done.
"Thank you for your help, Itachi." Her breath brushed against his neck and he closed his eyes. A tear rolled down her cheek when she took a step back. She looked relieved, smiling up at him. "Please, take care of them for me, will you?"
Itachi nodded and Sakura took her place in the middle of the seal. She eyed him warily, but he looked confident.
"You are ready, Sakura. Safe travels."
Finding her determination back, she took in a deep breath and activated her byakugo, black lines covering her body. Looking up at Itachi, she took in a deep breath. Seeing him nod, she made a quick hand sign, light surrounded her and everything turned black.
Decided to answer to some of the review I got for the previous chapter:) If you are not there, I am sorry, I will try to answer later:)
diamaris324: Thank you for the nice comment! I am glad you liked the previous chapter!
NejiSakuKiba: I was wondering where you had been! Thank you for the kind words!
mykaelamatsukaze: I was all emotional reading your review, thank you so much, it means a lot to me!
BlackRoseDragon97: Thank you for reading, sorry if it made you cry!
xxXdaniploXxx: Here you go, spoiling you with another update haha;)
ramsesjames05: thank you for reading!
Milady Hokage: I cried too, no worries!
JasmineDragon22: Thank you!
Tarani Bosatsu: Sorryyyyyy, please don't cry!
