Set Post Naruto Gaiden.

Previous Chapter Summary: The Uchiha heiress meets the Genin version of her parents in her first time-point. She realizes the connection between her parents and is confident to see more in her next travel.

A/N: Another long chapter! Thanks for the wait everybody! I usually try to make all of my stories synonymous with the events in the actual anime, although I do add new things here and there. Not including the Interludes, I do want to finish this story in 8 or 9 chapters. (I'm not good at long term writing commitments so I want to make sure it'll be easier for me to actually finish this one T _ T)

Can you believe Naruto is ending in literally 2 episodes? ; u; ma childhood.

* Note: Kakashi doesn't appear. Read on to know what I mean.

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

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Journey Back In Time

Rewind II: Because I'm Your Daughter

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The blue-eyed boy paced back and forth in his office, arms firmly crossed together as he contemplated his speech in his head.

He had told his old teammates to meet him in the Hokage's office after lunch. Even so, he didn't know how he should go about telling them what happened to their daughter.

The time technique made it so that Sarada is missing way shorter than she actually is. She could be experiencing an entire day over there, while back in real-time, only a few hours had passed.

It was the next afternoon since he discovered her being missing from the storage room. Sasuke and Sakura definitely wondered where she went for the night. In fact, Sakura tried to ask Naruto earlier on in the morning, but thank god something came up and managed to drag him away.

"No need to be afraid." The blonde took a deep breath, giving himself the pep-talk he needed. "Hokage's aren't afraid of their best friends. Nope."

"Naruto?"

The blue-eyed boy jumped off his feet at the sound of Sakura's voice. He shifted his gaze up and realized that his best friends had already made their way into the office, standing right in front of him. He must've been too busy thinking to notice.

"Have you heard any word about Sarada?" Sakura inquired, a worried look shown on her face. Sasuke stood by her side, looking neutral, but the blonde could tell that he wanted to know as well.

Everything he originally planned to say became lost. Naruto took a few moments to collect himself together before speaking.

"I was with her last night."

"What!?" Sakura exclaimed. You could practically see a vein starting to pop from her forehead. "You told me you didn't know where she was this morning!"

"She's not here." The blonde continues, careful with his words. "She's not in Konoha. Not this one, she isn't."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He was starting to lose his patience. "What do you mean?"

Deciding there was no going back, Naruto picked up the scroll on his desk and held it up with his hands. With a flick of his finger, he let it fall open so that the red seal was evidently shown to the two of them.

"Sarada went back in time."

"W-What do you mean?" Sakura asks again, slowly. She didn't understand, but this definitely didn't sound good.

Sasuke caught on to the bad vibes as well. He started to clench his fists, in hopes that Naruto would hurry the hell up with the talk.

"Last night, I ran into Sarada-chan and she started asking me things about the Uchiha's." Naruto went on. "I brought her in the storage room so she could read up on it herself, but she found this scroll which contained a time-travel technique. She probably decided it was a good idea to use it to answer her questions.."

He stopped, searching for a reaction from his best friends, but the two of them remained frozen still. He figured they were being calm and rational about this, until Sakura's face immediately turned beastly with rage.

"You're telling me that she found some technique that no one's ever heard of and went back in time to see all the shit that's happened here in Konoha!?" She bursted, walking up to the blonde and practically screaming into the Hokage's face. "And before that, you brought her into the storage room so she could READ about her relatives!?"

The raven-haired boy could feel his blood run cold.

"NARUTO! Do you know how dangerous it is for her to be back in that time!?" Sakura fired again, causing the blonde to flinch back. Her mind raced at the flashbacks of the past. Orochimaru, Akatsuki, the fourth great ninja war.

Not to mention Sasuke's absence.

"I know, Sakura." The blonde whispered in dismay, unable to make eye contact with the pink-haired girl. "I didn't think-"

"Bring me there."

Sakura turned around, following her husband's voice, while the blue-eyed boy looked up at his best friend. Sasuke's crimson eyes were glaring straight at him, and the blonde knew what he wanted to do.

Naruto frowned, returning his friend's strong glare. "You can't, Sasuke. There's no way in hell you can exist in two places at once."

"What do you think we should do then?" The raven-haired boy spat.

Naruto loosened his expression and took a deep breath.

"You're just going to have to leave it to Sarada-chan."

"What are you saying, Naruto!?" Sakura yelled again, unable to comprehend how absurd everything was. "Sarada is in there all alone and you damn well know what went on between all of us 20 years ago!" She continued, pausing before her next burst.

"HOW ABOUT I JUST THROW BORUTO AND HIMAWARI IN THERE TO HANGOUT WITH THE KYUUBI?"

At that moment, Naruto slammed his hands down on the desk, causing the papers on it to fly off in all directions. Sakura flinched from his sudden movement while Sasuke remained unphased.

"Just how long are you going to keep it from her!?" The blonde screams before starting again.

"She's your daughter. She needs to know at some point, and you two are always underestimating her." Naruto turned around so that he was now facing the glass window where the village could be seen, almost as if he was dismissing the two of them from further conversation. "You guys are her parents, for god's sake. If you won't trust that she'll return safely, then I will."

Sakura's expression turned sullen, and a wave of emotion overcame her before she spoke softly. "But still, to go see it for herself..."

"Seeing it is one thing."

Naruto's eyes shifted to the side as Sasuke spoke, a harsh tone present in his voice. He could practically feel his red eyes stabbing through his back.

"But if something happens to her in there, I really doubt your judgment as a Hokage."

The two of them stood still as the raven-haired boy shifted around and made an exit out of the door, failing to close it on his way out.

"Ouch.."

Sarada woke up from being unconscious, clutching her head from the dizziness of her fall.

The white space wasn't very nice this time. When she entered this time-point, it simply sent her dropping from what seemed like the sky until she fell smack on the ground.

She opened her other eye and took a long look around her. After getting herself up and turning around 360, all she could see were tall trees. She was in the middle of a forest.. and who knew if she was even in Konoha.

I should probably start looking for people... Sarada thought, beginning to walk along the dirt path of the forest.

She wondered what time it was at this time-point. Maybe her parents were 20. Maybe they were 10. There was no way she could've known.

It was quite exhilarating to her, actually. The Uchiha heiress gave herself a grin in excitement. After her experience at the first time-point, she felt like she was ready for anything.

Suddenly, she heard rustling coming from behind her. The Uchiha paused in her tracks and listened with her eyes narrowed. Someone was coming.

She immediately retreated behind a bush beside the dirt path and waited for the person to reveal themselves. She wondered if it was going to be somebody she recognized.

The person's presence got stronger and stronger as they got closer. They were racing forwards, jumping from tree to tree. Sarada took a large gulp and waited intently in silence.

Immediately, she witnessed a pink blob of hair rush past the tree above her, disappearing just as a fast as it appeared.

"It's mom." Sarada confirmed to herself, feeling giddy once again. She looked different.

Her feet began to move on their own. In a second, she found herself running to catch up with the viridian-eyed girl, who had already disappeared from her sight.

It was only a brief second, but she could tell that her mother was a lot older in this time-point. She noticed that her hair was shoulder-length and her figure looked much more mature than before. They were probably only three years apart in this time.

She won't remember me anyways. Sarada thought, remembering that memories are reset once she exits the previous time-point. Maybe she's a Jounin.. will it be weird If I hung out with her when she's so much older now?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a burning sensation take place on her wrist. The metal bracelet was heating up, prompting her to go back.

Already? The Uchiha raised an eyebrow. But I literally just got here..

It went away after a few minutes. Despite the pain of the redness that it left behind on her wrist, she discovered that she had finally caught up with the pink-haired girl.

Her heart began to race as she could see her mother standing by the side of a long, stone bridge. Sarada smiled and jumped down from the tree, breaking into a run towards her mother.

"Sa-!"

She paused in her tracks as she noticed that half of the stone bridge was broken, the middle part torn into two. She could sense a strong chakra coming from the other side of the bridge, but she couldn't see that far to make out what was going on.

The pink-haired girl easily jumped from one end to the other, which prompted Sarada to walk closer. Eventually, she hid herself behind a tall stone pillar just before where the bridge started. Slowly and carefully, she peered past the pillar, revealing a single eye for observation.

Oh, god.

The Uchiha heiress felt her mouth drop open automatically at the sight of an onyx-eyed boy, dirty and covered in blood, standing on the other side of the bridge beside a red-haired girl laying on the ground who looked like she was about to die.

What's.. what's happening?

"I'll do anything you want me to!" She heard her mother say as she approached the raven-haired boy. "I'm tired of having regrets."

"Do you know what I really want?" He responds nonchalantly, a firmness present in his tone.

"I don't care what it is!" Sakura yelled in desperation. "I'll do whatever it is! Even if-"

"To destroy the Leaf."

Sarada's eyes widened at her father's statement. Her heart started to pound faster. She needed to know what was going on. What he was saying.

What he meant.

She saw that Sakura was also surprised by this statement, as she let out a small gasp.

"That's what I want." Sasuke confirmed. "You think you're really capable of doing that? Betraying the Leaf Village for me?"

The viridian-eyed girl hesitated for a split second, but quickly collected herself together, hoping the shakiness in her voice wasn't detectable. "Yes, If you asked me to."

".. Okay." The raven-haired boy closed his eyes and quickly darted his finger towards the helpless red-haired girl on the ground. "Prove it to me. Kill her right now and I'll believe you."

Sarada felt her legs beginning to tremble. She's never seen her father so relentless, so.. unfamiliar. He had a dark aura to him, one that was foreign and evil. Her gaze darted towards the redhead on the ground, and her eyes widened to see that she had the exact same pair of glasses as she did.

It's the lady that helped mom with my birth. Sarada thought. B-But wasn't she his teammate or something?

Sarada watched her mother carefully, feeling her own forehead starting to sweat at the suspense. After a few seconds, Sakura withdrew a kunai from under her cape and slowly made her way towards the redhead, a small stagger present in her walk.

Her dad watched as intently as she did when she paused in front of the girl on the ground.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her lag. "What's the matter, Sakura? You can't do it?"

The Uchiha heiress refused to swallow the lump in her throat.

No, Dad.

You're not like this.

She suddenly felt a sense of urgency as the raven-haired boy slowly walked behind Sakura. He had a look in eyes.. a dark, relenting-

Oh my god.

He's going to kill her.

Her heart practically stopped as she watched her Dad gather a Chidori in his hand, silently and hiding his chakra as much as possible. He looked at the back of her mom like she was a pest.

A million thoughts started racing through her mind. And for a brief moment, she completely forgot that this was only a figment of the past. Her mom was in danger.

I have to do something.

Mom is going to die. She's going to die for sure.

Dad's going to kill her.

FUCK. H-How can I-

NO!

And before she knew it, abandoning all reason, her legs moved on their own.

She reached the two of them just in time, grabbing hold of her father's wrist that contained the glowing Chidori and twisting his arm so that his body began to turn sideways. In that split second, their eyes came in contact with eachother just before Sasuke spun his way out of her grip and landed back, maintaining distance with her.

The Uchiha heiress panted long, strong breaths of air. Her pulse was racing and nothing else was in her vision except the savage father staring at her from afar.

Almost immediately, she realized the consequences of her actions. What was she thinking? This was only a time-point, it was years ago. Yet, it triggered this kind of reaction from her. She knew better.

But she didn't have time to go yelling at herself. Not right now.

"D-Don't hurt her!" Sarada exclaimed in a quivering voice as she held up her arms, guarding her mother, who stared at her with a confused yet surprised look on her face.

Her mind was a blur. She had no idea what she was planning to do, but there was no going back.

The onyx-eyed boy shot her a strong glare, suspicious of her intentions.

"Who are you?"

Sarada wasn't sure how to answer his question, and instead let the large gulp go down her throat.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, ignoring his question and trying hard not to show any fear in her voice. "Isn't the Leaf Village your home!?"

She waited for an answer, but he continued to stare at her like she was an annoyance. All of a sudden, he displayed a small grin, followed by a series of chuckles.

Sarada's eyes widened and she felt her heart beginning to sink to the depths of the earth as she listened to her dad let out the most maniacal, hysterical laugh she's ever heard.

This isn't dad.

He soon stopped and fixed his eyes back on her, showing a smirk on his face.

"I don't know anything about what home is."

Sarada scoffed, trying her best to hold back her tears. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"But they're your family." She whispered, hearing her own voice beginning to choke.

Sasuke's expression turned serious at this moment, the bridge between his nose wrinkling as he scowled with a terrifying glare.

"My family is dead."

In an instant, the raven-haired boy charged up with a Chidori, running straight for the Uchiha heiress with a fire in his eyes.

She knew she should move. But she couldn't. Instead, she stood, letting a single tear run down the side of her face as she watched her dad close in on her.

Just as he was nearing her, Sakura jumped in front of the Uchiha heiress, holding her kunai up in defense.

It wasn't a problem for the onyx-eyed boy as he grabbed the pink-haired girl's arm and tossed her aside with almost no effort at all, letting her hit and roll onto the side of the bridge before she went unconscious. His eyes immediately darted back towards the Uchiha heiress, but just when he was about to initiate his attack, he froze and widened his eyes.

Sarada was staring at him blankly, tears streaming madly from her bright crimson eyes.

He paused for a moment to search her gaze, trying to comprehend the red eyes that were similar to his own.

"Who are you?" He spat in a whisper, his expression even more unforgiving as before.

"Somebody you'll regret killing." She whispered angrily, which only provoked him into another short, maniacal laughter.

"I don't have any regrets." He responds.

If Sarada had two hearts, the other one would've dropped just about now.

She practically watched as her father raised his hand with the Chidori, ready to slam it into her chest with an expression of murder.

Her eyes were a blur, and she wasn't sure if it was because of her tears or because of her mind that was really getting to her. She failed to foresee her next few movements.

She stood no chance against her dad, not like this. If anything, at this very moment, all she knew was that she had to run.

And she did.

After managing to dodge his attack, she ran as fast as her legs could take her, the tears blocking her sight. But she didn't care.

Don't get yourself killed. She remembered the seventh rule of the time travelling scroll.

It just didn't make sense to her how her last time-point was so serene, so happy, so carefree..

And now, it seemed like she was in a living hell, and she wasn't sure if she would even make it out alive.

Her legs felt heavy, as if they weren't carrying her anywhere. She wished for the bracelet to hurry and become hot, so she knew it was time to leave this awful, unreal place.

Her own dad was trying to kill her, for god's sake.

Just as she reached the end of where the bridge broke into two, she paused and stared down at the bottom of the ravine, trying to catch her breath which only remained staggered.

The pit was dark and endless. Just like this time-point.

Just then, she felt a strong presence lurking behind her, and she knew that he had already caught up. As she began to turn around, she saw his hand reaching for her from the corner of her eye and gasped when she felt her neck being caught in his grip.

The raven-haired boy turned her so that she was now facing him, letting her stand on the tip of the edge between safety and oblivion.

She peered at him through her tear-stained eyes, catching sight of the madness that was present in his own. He was gripping her hard, and she felt like she was about to lose consciousness.

"Don't do this." She begged him, her voice barely alive.

Sasuke formed a ferocious smile on the corner of his lips. "Why not?"

Because I'm your daughter. Sarada thought, letting out a gag as he intensified his grip.

And in a second, he let go, and everything felt like it was a lot slower than it should be as he let her drop down into the dark ravine.

Sarada's arms reached out instinctively, attempting to grab hold of his hand that was so familiar yet so foreign. She was responded by still the same maniacal smile on her dad's face.

Her tears flew into the air as she continued to fall deeper and deeper, until she became completely out of his sight.