The world bled red, and Sakura thought she was going to be tortured and stabbed as Sensei had been. She had prepared herself mentally, knowing that no matter what torture he had prepared, she would be able to withstand it.
Except the world started to regain its colour and now Sakura was in Konoha again. It wasn't Konoha now, it was Konoha of her love, dreams, and past. It was Konoha with the sun beating down on her cheeks and yakitori stands.
"Sakura-chan, c'mon let's go!"
Sakura didn't turn around, she couldn't bear it, she couldn't see it again. It would destroy her more than any jutsu in the world.
"You promised ramen!" The blond was in front of her, the blond was in front of her. It was the loud blond who was so unmistakably hers, with a whiskered smile and warmth, she couldn't-
Tanned hands grabbed her wrist and Sakura was already pulling him in, wrapping the taller teen into her. "Naruto." She whispered.
This is all an illusion, don't fall for it you fool-
"Naruto," Sakura said once again, gripping him even tighter. He smelled of pine and laundry just as he always did. "You dick."
Her eyes felt hot, and she felt dizzy. This wasn't right, yet she couldn't draw herself away like a moth being pulled into flames.
"E-eh? What's wrong? Did Teme say something? I swear -!" Naruto hugged her back with gentleness and Sakura could do nothing except to hold him closer to her.
Naturally, that's when he appeared.
"Hanari-san. I must apologise."
This was terrible, she was already showing too much by hugging an illusion but Sakura could not tear herself away. Naruto was frozen, all time stilled as only one figure moved.
"Itachi." She wanted to snarl out but the only thing that escaped her was a choked cry. She hated him for showing her this yet she was desperately thankful.
"I did not think you would switch places with Kakashi-senpai. This illusion is meant for him. I wanted to show him a future where he became the Hokage and succeeded."
Even with the emotional high, she could understand that something else was going on. "Stop playing coy with me." The words fell out bitterly.
He spoke softly. "To get rid of Danzo, we needed to let the Third retire. The next in line would be Tsunade-sama and she would never willingly come back unless it was to save an injury that only she could save that didn't involve blood. My plan was to trap Kakashi-senpai while dealing with Root so she would come back to heal and take her place as the next Hokage."
Itachi was saying words that angered her, but Sakura found it hard to care about Danzo, when her Naruto was right here with her.
"I had hoped that you would think I had betrayed you, considering that I had hurt you with the explosion tag. Once I was established as missing-nin, I could kill Orochimaru." He explained.
She knew it! The explosion tag was on purpose, to make her suspicious of his intentions. There was no way that an astute ninja like Itachi would send an explosion tag so close to her face, Sharingan or no Sharingan.
"What about Sasuke?"
And Itachi had that faraway look in his eyes, one she now categorised as maniacal. "Obito would be there for him."
With great difficulty, Sakura disentangled her limbs from Naruto's and grabbed the Uchiha's collar. "Alright stupid, I don't know what more I have to do in order to get it into your thick brain. Sasuke. Does. Not. Need. Anything. Else. Beside. His. Brother." She spat out every word. "You little fucker, doing what's apparently best for him without even asking him. How about you ask the goddamn little shit what he wants? He is clearly able to voice his own opinions."
Itachi stared at her, his red eyes wide.
"Don't even dare to rebut my words when you've set an explosion tag on my face, and trapped me under the memory of my grieved ones in some misguided attempt to save your brother. Why can't you Uchihas be normal for once in your lives?"
"I apologise once again for the harm I have caused you but Orochimaru will clearly go after Sas-"
"I'm not done so shut your mouth. You go kill Danzo and take the head of Konoha Police Force and build this village into one that Sasuke would be safe in, not prancing off somewhere else. Or I will kill him. If you don't believe me, feel free to leave."
Her breath was ragged and she shoved the man back. This Uchiha stupidness had to be genetic right? She couldn't think of a single one that wasn't fucked in the bloody head.
"I know that you don't have faith in The Third's decisions towards Orochimaru. I promise you that Shisho, Tsunade-sama, is different. She will make Konoha into a better place."
"Orochimaru is her teammate."
"You think she won't be able to kill her teammate? You underestimate her."
Itachi stood, contemplating. She was convincing him, so she pressed on. "I've lived under her reign as her apprentice. I know her better than you do, better than you ever will. The only way to keep Sasuke safe is if you stayed by him, teaching him like an actual brother."
She let go of the collar she was painfully holding. Itachi still looked thoughtful, reading her face through his Sharingan. Every word she had uttered was genuine from the bottom of her heart, what she always wanted to say to the man.
"Is this your promise as Sakura?" The word promise was laced with gravity, pulling everything in the simple syllables.
She looked at the remains of her past life, a genjutsu of Konoha that twisted her heart. "I promise as Sakura." The name was starting to feel foreign in her mouth.
"I promise." She said once again in his silence, this time softly.
The man's stature noticeably changed, the firm line in his lips softening. The mouth twitched into a smile. "If you promise. I suppose that Tsunade-sama's stubbornness wasn't the only thing that you learned under her tutelage. I do not have enough chakra to stay here any longer, but I will wrap up the things on my end."
As the man disappeared, the world moved around her, the vibrancy back surrounding her.
"-I'm going to beat his head in! Sakura-chan?"
This was Itachi's vision of her future using scraps of Sakura's subconscious. It was deathly accurate from the cherry blossom tree in the middle of the road, to the faded fabric banners of the food stalls surrounding them. She should distance herself, shouldn't let this false reality accept her.
Concerned azure eyes stared at her and her will crumbled. "Nothing's wrong, It's just… girl problems."
Naruto backpedalled quickly, peering awkwardly at her. "Do you need to go home?"
She would not let him out of sight, linking her arms with him. "Don't be absurd. Let's go get ramen."
Sakura couldn't resist her teammate in front of her, but she could hold her back from actively seeking out just to see the others. Her instincts told her to check on her teammates, assess for injuries just to see them moving. She would hold each and every one of them, telling her that they were the best teammate she could've ever wished for, and that she loved them with everything inside of her.
Instead, she let herself be pulled by Naruto to Ichiraku. The ramen stall was a small thing, the blue roofing and the small squares of fabric garland spelling out the name. She could smell the miso as they walked inside.
Teuchi welcomed them warmly, already preparing their favourites without even a question.
"Ne, Sakura-chan, what mission do you think we'll get next? I hope it's badass, we haven't had an A-rank mission in ages."
Even in the genjutsu world, this wasn't her Naruto. This was the past Naruto before he was tainted by the war, before he had to see the death of his friends that even his kyuubi form couldn't save. A place she could truly never return. But she could pretend.
"I don't know, maybe you should ask Yamato-senpai."
"Sasuke-san. The usual?" Teuchi called out.
The dark-haired raven slid into the seat next to Sakura, a faint 'hn' as a greeting. A true Itachi like reality, where Sasuke was in the village and still a member of Team 7. A burst of hysterical laughter bubbled inside her, doubling her over the counter.
"What's wrong with her." The flat tone without amusement. Sasuke sounded the same.
Her eyes were already hot again, the wetness covering her face. She didn't bother wiping it away, more would just fill their spot. His headband was clean without a strike through, a future that never existed in front of her. How she had daydreamed of this moment when younger, calling soft cries of Sasuke-kun to Naruto.
"She's in her… girly phase, you know?" Naruto said while inhaling the hot bowl of ramen in front of him. They were both so oblivious of the opposite sex, orphans to the core with the only prominent female in their lives being her. Any person would realise what she was doing was not normal.
"I want to practice using taijutsu, dobe. Don't eat too much or you might throw up."
Naruto scrunched his face in annoyance. "Shuddup, I'm gonna beat your smug face to the ground, teme."
Ah, the typical banter. She would never be part of this conversation again, her past of Team 7 gone.
"Can you tell Kakashi to reconfirm the mission statement? You're going to see him after training, aren't you?" Sasuke asked Sakura.
That did sound like something she would do. Sakura nodded while moving the noodles with her chopsticks. "Right." She rasped out.
Sasuke's face was so… calm. Sakura remembered Sasuke as a man with blinding emotions, the epitome of Naruto's brightness. Hatred, desperation, or smugness had dawned his faces for so long, it was odd to see him be so eerily adjusted.
Naruto idly chattered about the new move he had thought of with his shadow clones which Sakura would have normally nodded dutifully without responding but the spark of want to make him stronger was inside her.
"Maybe you should set up the fight with the clone before the spar, keeping one in the ground and grabbing them during the fight," Sakura suggested.
The man bounced in his seat enthusiastically, already starting his second bowl. "Right like how Sasuke henged himself as a shuriken in our mission to Wave! Ne ne, do you remember Sasuke?"
"Of course. Unlike you, I don't have the memory of a goldfish."
The blond was flailing his chopsticks in anger and Sasuke smirked back at him.
Sakura didn't even want to interrupt the conversation with her own jibe, only listening because she had missed this with every fibre of her soul. Sasuke's small teasing smile, Naruto's ire and rising up to the bait. The sound of the wok sizzling with various ingredients. It sang to her soul, feeding it with the happiness she hadn't experienced in so long.
They all finished their meals and placed the money on the bar with a quick thanks. The two men bolted from the stands in sync.
They used to do that, Naruto and Sakura, racing each other to the training grounds in bouts of competitiveness. Whoever arrived late would be the "enemy nin", engaging the one who arrived first. She looked at the backs of her boys- they would always be her boys no matter their age- nostalgia inside her flipping her stomach.
She would have to be careful not to fall into this. The familiar rhythm of life was already beating into her. Especially since it was something she wanted so horrifically to the point of embarrassment.
A Tsukuyomi lasted 72 hours. She could get through this.
Sakura chased after them, pretending that she didn't feel glee.
Her hands were coated with green, ready for it. She forced her chakra to travel to his lungs, moving up and down while the other hand was tingling with electricity to deliberate.
A nurse had interrupted their training, to much of Sasuke's chagrin, collecting her with a frantic message stating emergency. She arrived at the sight of a whole platoon of half-dead ninja, already bleeding out on the operating table.
The reason why she was called was apparent the moment she saw the deathly paled figure. It was an ANBU man with his mask melted into his face, some sort of fire jutsu that liquefied the porcelain to his skin. The quick water to his face was the best first aid that the team managed, and he was unconscious with his body cold with shock. Classified and a dangerous procedure.
This isn't real, I shouldn't be so invested in healing him.
But Sakura was already extracting the pieces with her chakra, barking orders to heal the other parts of his body. The thoughts of illusion and genjutsu were already gone as she was completely focused on saving this dying man.
The dark hair with the angular chin, she knew this was Hayato. This was all a dejavu. Sakura remembered the exact way she used the scalpel to pry the material out of his cheekbones, marvelling at the sheer luck of it missing the optical nerves.
One hour turned into five as she methodically worked with only a single thought to save him. When they were done putting him in a stable condition, Sakura knew that in the past, she had turned away at this moment with great pride. She should do the same, shouldn't she?
Sakura was a fool, her hand already at his chest. A quick cursory diagnostic jutsu found the man's incurable lung disease. This had been an utterly deliberating condition in the past, only in the future with the advances in medicine there was a way to fix it.
There was no need to fix it, he wasn't real anyway, just a figment of Itachi's and her imagination mingled to create this figure in front of her. She should really just go and write the injury statement and relay the information to the other nurses.
But here she was, pumping her hands with chakra and sneakily coating his fragile lungs with a purifying cleanse.
Even when knocked out cold, Hayato gave a big cough gurgling with blood which Sakura took out with no difficulty.
Looking down at the man, Sakura knew she was fucked. She was already invested.
Hayato felt as real as the chakra in her, real as her healing abilities.
When the surgery was over, Sakura stood over the washing basin, scrubbing her hands under the scalding water to wash the blood underneath her fingernail. Fake, fake, fake but the burns from the hot water felt real.
A voice called on her, relaying a summons from the Hokage's.
Sakura forgot what it was like, to be this wanted by people around her. Hanari was not important, no one asked for her presence or help. Sakura was a person in charge, someone who everyone came to ask for help. The delightful feeling of being useful and called upon was addicting and she was already running to the Office.
The Sixth Hokage was sitting there, staring at the paper like it was a death trap.
"Kakashi-sensei." She said breathlessly. This was her Sensei, the person who had managed to overcome everything. His eye crinkled upwards as he saw her burst into the door. The familiar chakra of comfort was seeping into her. Sakura's face split into a giant smile that hurt her cheeks.
"Sensei!" She shouted while throwing herself toward him. She flew past the paperwork on his desk straight into him.
Kakashi stuck his hand out to catch her by the back of her neck, dangling her away from him. "What's the occasion?" The voice was laden with amusement.
The asshole-Kakashi was nothing compared to this relaxed man in front of her. "Nothing, I just missed you. Now give me a hug before I force you."
With an overexaggerated sigh, Sensei bent his arm to let her be closer. Sakura squeezed him hard, trying to convey how proud she was. After seeing Hound, she couldn't imagine the work he had to do to come this far. Hound was a man with a tsunami inside of him but Sensei was the ocean. Even after seeing it for herself, it was hard to believe that this friendly, porn loving pervert was the same man.
"I called you to tell you that your proposal for the Konoha Mental Clinic was approved. You need to bring an outline of the budget." He said.
The Konoha Mental Clinic was the initiative she had worked her own blood, sweat and tears on. First of its kind but one that was desperately needed. An overwhelming happiness overtook her. "Really? That Councilwoman Aki finally said yes?"
"I pulled some favours." He said, as if it was a small deal.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I already have the draft of the budget, I'll bring it to you right now. Promise me that you'll actually get to it sometime this week."
Her sensei looked everywhere but her, nodding with lackluster enthusiasm. Sakura turned hot on her heels to go to her office to grab the paper-
That was dangerous.
For a brief second, Sakura was overcome by the happiness and was actively planning in her mind the next meeting with the Council. She had forgotten. Sakura clenched her fists hard enough that her fingernails dug in her palms. This couldn't go on any longer or she wouldn't be able to come back to reality with her sanity.
She stopped. "Sensei."
"Hm, Sakura-chan?"
"How did Hound become our Sensei?"
The door in front of her clicked shut.
"Is there a reason that my adorable student is asking this question?"
Because I'm trying to save you. She stared at the door in front her, not trusting herself to turn around. The heartache would be evident on her face, the anger of failing too strong in her mind. "If you could meet your younger self, what would you want to say to him?"
"To Hound?"
"Yes."
"I would tell him to read some Icha Icha Paradise."
Sakura laughed. The answer was so ridiculous yet a testament to who Sensei was.
Kakashi Sensei was Sensei and Kakashi was Kakashi. The confusing boundary of the two men separated. Kakashi Sensei was a stark comparison to Hound, the stranger who had entwined himself in her life. It was clear now, the man in front of her and the man she had taken this personal hell for were two different people. For one, Sensei would never try to kill her. Or let himself be so affected by Sakura's biting words. Or conduct an attack that involved harming her in the process. Or take part in a village level genocide.
Itachi, Obito, and Kakashi better be doing their jobs while she was stuck here.
She turned around to face the baffled ninja. He looked at her with one hand under his chin. "You don't say, huh Sensei? I know that I should've said this at the inauguration, but I didn't get the chance. I'm really proud of you Sensei. You didn't want to be Hokage yet you are doing an excellent job."
"My cute little genin is proud of me." Kakashi walked towards her and placed his hand on her head. "I'm proud of my student too. Now go get your budget and I'll consider reading through it."
"I'm a jonin, Sensei. And you better do more than just consider!" She shouted, walking out of his office with a smile.
Sakura's whole body was tingling with excitement when she arrived at her home. It was the smell of the house that was enough to bring her joy; the scent of vanilla with the perfume her mother used often. The tacky picture of Team 7 set next her baby photos with other small memorabilias she brought back from missions. The hallways had her certificates and awards, framed in the dark wood.
"Sakura-chan? Back already?"
Her dad was standing there with his muted pink starfish hair, cooking in a frying pan.
Sakura ran up and latched herself to his back. Oh god oh god oh god- he was solid, warm, alive, holding a spatula up to flip whatever as inside the pan. Her arms circled his torso, holding as tightly as she could.
He let out a choked breath in surprise but soon folded his hands back to give her a quick squeeze. "Did that Councilman say something again? I'm going to give her a piece of mind, I swear."
She buried her face at his back. "No, no she finally approved!"
"Congratulations, honey!" He said, turning around to fully pick her up in his arms.
A merry laugh bubbled inside of her as her dad spun her around, like he had done when she graduated the academy, when she had made Chunin, when she had become Tsunade's apprentice, and when she had become a Jonin. It didn't matter that she was almost twice as heavy as she was when she was twelve. Her dad always picked her up.
"I knew my daughter was the best daughter in the world! Psh, I can't wait to rub this into Nori-san's face next time we have tea. He was going on and on about how his son became a merchant or something. Blah blah who cares? My little girl just opened a whole new branch in the hospital!"
"Dad! You can't do that." Sakura said with no real conviction in her voice. Goddamnit her dad was proud of her, and Nori-san would have to suffer her dad's gloating.
"Shush you medical prodigy." He said, finally giving her a long hug. "I'm so proud of you."
It was the third time today, but tears were already welling into her eyes. Her dad was proud of her! Sakura had spent the last few weeks in a verbal war with the Council trying to convince them that mental health wasn't 'a waste of time' and that it would strengthen the forces. It felt good that someone acknowledged her efforts, understanding the amount of work that went into crafting the thing that truly mattered to her.
"Thank you." She murmured.
Thank you for raising me. Thank you for always being by my side no matter what.
It was clear now. Sakura would never be able to remind herself that this was not real. She was already feeling immense pride that echoed the pride she felt when she had truly done this feat in the past. This was all fake, from the kitchen table with the scratches from where she accidentally hit it too hard, to the very person standing in front of her.
Sakura had come to this world thinking that knowing no matter what torture Itachi had prepared, she would be able to withstand it. Pain was something she could ignore but happiness- it was like offering a hand to a dying man.
The sea of the past was already at her chest, the torrents so violent that she was sinking down. She had already healed Hayato, as if it made a difference. Sakura was getting acclimated to her old life, hands itching to grab the budget paperwork. It was already done, she was pulled impossibly down.
She had to stop it before it drowned her.
She pulled away, staring at her dad. He gave an enthusiastic smile.
Sakura took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I'm sorry that I didn't visit your grave as often as you would have wanted. I can't promise I won't skip any more meals but I'll try. I think about you everyday when I make dumplings but I still can't make them as good as you. I miss you." She placed her hand on his chest. "I love you, dad."
Sakura was ready to break this fake world.
A swift flow of green chakra, and her dad slumped forwards.
"I love you." She whispered again in his ears, fully knowing that he would never be able to hear these words because even in this reality, her dad was now dead.
Sakura had chosen the quickest, least painful way she knew. It was a technique used for CPR, covering the heart with jolts of chakra. Except this time, the opponent was alive.
A heart attack would be the nicest way to die. Sakura had tasted death's door on many occasions to be intimately aware of the floating sensation it gave, an oddly comforting feeling as if everything was okay. Even if this wasn't real, it was the least she could do.
She slowly let the man slide off her, gently setting him down on his back. There was no sign of surprise in his face, his lips tugged into a smile with eyes half closed his last expression. The mellowness wasn't in there anymore, only glassy directionless pupils were left.
Sakura felt… good. She had stopped herself from sinking further, choosing to swim against the current and rise up. The dead man wasn't her dad, just a very convincing shell. Even if it wasn't to the actual person, she had gotten to say her goodbyes, the words that she only said to an empty, cold grave.
Even though she had murdered her dad in cold blood, the sadness- how dare the world snatch her dad away when he was still so young?- lessened. Sakura couldn't even remember the last conversation she had with her dad. There was only the hollow emptiness of the years she could have had that were snatched away from her restled inside her bitterly until today.
At least now, she had ended it on her own terms.
The slowly building hysteria inside of her was rushing away, and Sakura felt a wave of calm overcome her.
One by one, she hunted her loved ones.
It was easy, they all trusted her as much as she trusted them. They all laughed even with a kunai pressed straight to their throats, thinking it as a joke.
"You've always loved me even if I am an insufferable brat. Thank you for never doubting me and always believing that I could do it. I love you, mom."
"Ibiki-senpai, the meditation technique you taught me was the only reason that I could be sane through all this. You're a terrifying man and no one could ask for a better T&I director."
"You're the best senpai in the world, your comrades do not think less of you because of your past with Orochimaru. You're a ninja of Konoha no matter what anyone says."
"I'm proud of you for becoming a member of Team 7. I'll make sure that the other Sai will match even half of the man you are. You are strong, breaking through Danzo's conditioning, and I will make sure he feels the pain that you've felt."
"You took me in when everything fell apart and for that, I will always be grateful. You taught me everything you could and I only hope that I could live up to your expectations, Shisho. Thank you."
It was already the next day when she had killed her closest acquaintances. She always told her that she appreciated them for always watching her back standing by her side. She spun each and one of them the greatest tales they had made, ones that became legends in their own right.
The village was alert, asking her why, pleading for her to stop.
Their words did no damage to her, these people were not the people she left behind. Her people all had the edge and fear of decimation that could only come with the toe curling heaviness that the war gave. These people were trying to convince her with words, but the words held no weight.
In a normal world, she would've been defeated in seconds. But this was her Tsukoymi and small things like death couldn't stop her. Sakura died over and over again, once by Naruto's rasengan, once by Sasuke's Susanoo, once by Sensei's Kamui, once by Kurenai's genjutsu but rose with full chakra every single time. The world was on her side, letting her live.
A truly immortal enemy with infinite chakra was no match to the whole of Konoha. '
Sakura burned Konoha to the ground.
She told her teammate's Sensei stories of how strong their students had become, conveying the sheer delight she felt at the fact they were her friends. Shikamaru became the Jonin Commander! Hinata abolished that Branch nonsense! Ino became the top interrogator!
"Sensei, Hound is an absolute asshole but I've returned Obito to him. He won't have to carry that burden anymore. The cycle of hatred ended. Naruto is the best Hokage, and Sasuke is the most powerful right hand that anyone has ever seen. The Konoha Mental Clinic was a resounding success. I couldn't have done it without you."
Sensei was hard to defeat even with Sasuke's Sharingan. Maybe if she unsealed her Strength of Hundred Seal, but she wasn't sure if unlocking it here would carry over to her world. Sensei was resourceful and brutal, more than Hound was, the years of experiences forging him into an unstoppable force.
Unstoppable force met Sakura, an unbreakable shield and she won. It required a suicide jutsu, burning herself with Amaterasu but she had won.
As Sakura razed Konoha, the genjutsu crumbled from the very seams. The skies started to break away in pieces revealing it to be an illusion under the red skies. Her blow to her friends faded Konoha away a building at a time until the black ground was underneath her again. She was breaking through.
The more the reality crumbled down, Sakura felt confident in the choice she chose.
As the village slowly disappeared to Itachi's world, the concept of time was gone.
Only Naruto and Sasuke remained. They were continuing talking to her, trying to break her free of this murdering spree but Sakura barely listened. She poured the words she only wished to say before her death.
"You're a devious pranker, Naruto. Why couldn't you tell me the plan to send me back? You told me that you were practicing a chakra seal for the next attack! If you told me, I could have told you how much you meant to me. I could have told you that I loved you. You're always and forever my teammate. Nothing would change that even if you don't exist anymore."
The orange chakra coating Naruto was corrosive against her skin, but the impact was lessened by the fact that Naruto's blood, the testament to his sacrifice, ran inside her.
"I told you not to die and you promised me knowing that you would die buying time for Naruto to finish his seal. You're so troublesome, you git. You should be glad that I still love you, trust you even when you betrayed the village or I would have beaten you with a stick. Your brother's back, and I promise that he's going to stick around this time. You're still as annoying as ever even as a pint size brat, attracting danger but I'm going to keep you alive no matter what. You're my teammate, and I love you."
She stared at the two men on the floor. "Team 7 forever."
And it was over.
The bodies all disappeared as the illusion finally faded away and Sakura was once again standing alone under Itachi's space.
She let herself fall to the floor, lying down. She had just killed every single person who cared about. Every single person who dared to die before her while protecting her.
Sakura laughed and Sakura cried.
"Fucking christ." She said aloud.
This was who she was. So blatantly clear that Sakura was broken beyond repair, ready to kill her friends. They were genjutsu, yes but it didn't make their desperate cries less real. Her hands still went through them, no matter how kind she had been to put them out of their misery as quickly as possible, the blood of her village still ghostly in her hands.
She didn't deserve this place anymore.
Monster, she told herself. A person would feel guilt at what she had done, all she felt was a lighter heart that she had said the words she always wanted to say to everyone. Her goodbyes were stolen away from her, tricked by her own very teammate to be sent back in time.
Itachi said that he created the world to show Kakashi a future where he became the Hokage, a future where Kakashi overcame his demons. In a roundabout way, it helped Sakura to defeat her own regrets.
Sakura felt the edges of an unfamiliar and rare feeling inside her.
It was closure.
Danger! Danger! Danger! Danger!
The moment she came to, her instincts were screaming with full ferocity. The adrenaline still carried over, lingering in her system.
A note fluttered next to her, haphazardly placed on the table with a kunai to secure it.
"Taking care of Danzo, Orochimaru is out and killed The Third." Sakura read aloud. The fancy loops in the characters suggested that it was Itach's writing.
Sakura channeled her inner patriotism to see if she felt bad that the leader of the village was dead. She really tried, except it was hard to take pity on a Hokage that was turning a blind eye to Danzo. Actually, now that The Third was out of the way, it was probably easier to approach Naruto, which brought a little thrill inside her.
Sakura was about to lie back in her bed for a very well deserved rest when the fabric of space rippled next to her.
"Hanari-san, we need your assistance."
Obito grabbed her shoulder, blinking her away from the comforts of the Konoha Hospital and to some barren wasteland. They must have been waiting for the 72 hours of Itachi's Tsukuyomi to pass judging by the timing.
They couldn't let her rest for a fucking second, couldn't they?
This was clearly the middle of the battlefield in the outskirts of Konoha. The normally green forage was overgrown with branches of tree twisted as if they were self conscious limbs. The ground underneath was soaked with blood, yet everyone stood standing.
Thankfully, only Sharingan users were here, Itachi and Kakashi, making it so that everyone could counter Danzo's Kotoamatsukami since it could manipulate other's thoughts without them being aware of it. This was all part of the plan they had outlined.
Except that monster snake mode Orochimaru wasn't. The only familiar remaining feature of the man was his hovering head, the rest of his body transformed into a white pearly scaly snake.
She glanced at too-pale Itachi shivering in the classic sign of chakra exhaustion. Kakashi looked even worse, his jacket mere tatters on his chest with a gaping wound on his back.
"Bringing reinforcements, Obito-kun? Must be getting desperate." The snake nin drawled, his tongue flicking with appetite.
Once, Sakura had been greatly unnerved by this man. She had blamed him for leading Sasuke down the path of hatred, thinking that he was the reincarnation of evil. But now, she felt almost thankful. This man had shown her what being a ninja should entail, making her cut her hair and her naivety with it.
"The girl has the Sharingan." Danzo said to Orochimaru. "It's in Mangekyo form."
Danzo looked absolutely horrific, his right discoloured right arm embedded with Sharingans. She should be scared, this man had the Wood Release, expert on fuujinjutsu and elemental manipulation.
Sakura felt excitement. Her heart thrummed in her veins, every muscle in her body tensed for an attack.
"Do you need my help dealing with a pedophile and a elderly councilman?" She jumped up to one of the wooden pillars that Danzo must have created. She would've cursed Danzo's never ending abilities but the man looked pretty spent. His normal charismatic posture was fading away, exhaustion strongly written in him.
Sakura glanced at the three Sharingan users. She thought they would've stomped them to the ground, leaving only patterns of blood on the floor.
They're not as strong as I remembered.
Except, of course, they're not. This was ten years ago from the monsters she remembered. This was before Obito was religiously taught by Madara, learning the ins and outs of what a ninja required to be.
Itachi was crippled by chakra from holding her under a Tsukuyomi, Obito yet to be the power man he would become, and Kakashi was the only one decently in shape.
"We have to stop him. You promised." The two stressed words from Itachi were a noose coiling around her, ready to snap at a moment's notice. His fists were curled up in clear frustration.
"Hanari Uzumaki, surely your loyalty towards Konoha has not kindled its flames just yet. If you join us, you'll be treated with the respect you deserve." Orochimaru purred at her, an eerily smile painting his face.
"Again with this offer. It's the definition of insanity isn't it? Trying again with something that didn't work?" Sakura smiled at him.
A hiss met her words. "Insolent girl. When I take your body, I'll make sure to beat that resistance out of you."
Though the words were laced with hostility, no one engaged. Orochimaru and Danzo were weary of her.
The Orochimaru and The Danzo were weary of her.
Sakura laughed. "You're inviting me to join you as if you could dare to hold my leash."
Danzo slammed his staff to the floor. "It's been years since someone doubted my ability to tame a dog."
The slight change in his breathing was the only warning she got.
The councilman's staff charged electric blue, the azure spikes covering in seconds. A stray bolt charged at her, which she dodged efficiently. The bolt passed her cheeks, its current raising her hair up.
Then,
The screeching sounds of electricity charging, the chirping, as Kakashi raised his hand to block the lightning charging at him. It was such a simple movement, the brilliant blue in his hands in an innocent manner.
Kakashi stared back at her, the blue glow lighting his face a deathly pale. He knew what he was doing, edging her on but Sakura couldn't resist. Her mind was spiraling, instincts driving her.
He dares.
Danzo touched what was hers. Kakashi was hers to protect, hers to hurt, hers to touch. That man had dared to attack her teammate. She had to step up, Sakura would be in charge now, saving everyone.
Sakura had to save. She was the frontliner and the last line of defense, everyone's expectations on her shoulders pressing down firmly. No one would touch what was utterly hers, not even a hair.
No one would die anymore, Sakura couldn't let that be.
The village was going to be safe and she had to stop Kaguya- no no, that was another lifetime.
Your village is gone, remember?
Sakura couldn't breathe anymore, the oxygen not reaching her fast enough. The red haze started to settle around her, the fog of war piercing itself through her brain. She missed Naruto and Sasuke by her side, her flank was too open. They would always make sure to watch her back.
But Naruto and Sasuke weren't here.
They were dead twice over, both indirectly and directly by her hands.
Her family, her teammate, her love, her life, her everything was gone, gone, gone.
Kakashi, Obito, and Itachi were her teammates now, she was going to give everything to keep them alive and safe because if they fell, if they fell to the abyss like her family did-
Sensei's face losing its usual leisure, the realisation on his face when he embraced the last moment -
She couldn't-
Her very sinews of her heart twisted with ice cold, an old feeling filling her chest. It made its presence loud and clear, choking her from toes to scalp.
Panic, Sakura realised. It was panic that one felt when they had something to protect, when they had something to lose. The need to attack for a cause firmly brewed inside her. The utter overwhelming feeling of unnerving reared its head with stomach butterflies, but hands were very still.
I can't lose them. I can't lose them. I can't lose them.
The mantra repeated inside her head with a familiar beat she used to tell herself.
They were the only thing left. No matter how stupid they were, her teammates were the only thing left.
Sakura let her chakra swirl inside her violently.
She closed her eyes. The Strength of a Hundred seal instantly responded, the inky lines crawling over her body and searing a swell of chakra in its path.
"Oh?" Orochimaru said, his curiosity piqued. "That would serve me well."
Sakura grinned. "You want it?"
This was going to almost kill her even with the seal activated as protection. Hopefully Tsunade would be able to pick up the broken pieces.
The deepest part inside her squirmed, letting its presence be known. It was the last gift from her past, a literal part of Naruto that was buried deeply in her.
Come out, honey. Sakura gently coaxed.
The monster inside of her roared its head, prickling her skin with its intensity. Her whole body felt engulfed in flames, liquefying her core. Starting from her fingertips, deathly orange bubbled up, the pale skin falling into the ground as if it was made of paper. The darkest black took its place.
This was how Naruto felt.
Stupid, she knew, but at this exact moment, Sakura understood Naruto a little more. The sheer hatred and anger that was bursting inside of her was making her too entirely giddy. Even if Naruto was gone, she was with him.
Her head was filled with effusive cries and anguished whispers, telling her to crush. The sin had already spread to her every nook and cranny, its vileness greedily taking her in. No armour could resist this molten anger, desire to kill taking over her fading consciousness.
Even if it was the tiniest portion of the beast, Sakura couldn't handle it. Naruto had claimed this as his own, overcame this emotion. Sakura could never.
"Come and get it." Her voice was low and gluttral even to her ears, a voice of a tailed beast.
The last thing she remembered was her lunging with one massive orange tail of Kyuubi.