Only one second.

And you can imagine, how dreadful that second must have been. How immense the gap between time was, how slow yet too fast everything moved. There was no ticking of a clock- only the beating of heartbeats as they pounded, witnessing history. Or, in better terms, the removal thereof.

They were in the midst of war. As the barren, rocky fields littered with bodies and the blood, sweat, and tears of desperate shinobi stretched far, the only word to describe the scene was calamity. Utter chaos reigned supreme as two sides clashed against one another. To one side, only one man was the separation between them and peace.

Madara Uchiha.

Our story does not focus on him, though he is a major influence on what is about to happen. No, our story starts with the Fifth Hokage, Konoha's Slug Princess. One of the Legendary Sannin, the great Tsunade Senju. As she stood there, surveying the battlefield, she knew that there was no way Konoha and her fellow shinobi were going to come out of this alive. And even of the few who were lucky enough to fight their way to survival, the scars in the Shinobi Nations would be so deep that recovery was beyond the hope. How did it come to this?

Tsunade knew exactly how it came to this, but refused to accept it. Konoha cannot fall to this. Konoha will not fall to this.

She wouldn't allow it. It was her duty, as the Fifth Hokage, to ensure the safety and prosperity of her village. To make sure, at all costs, that the Village Hidden in the Leaves survives and reaches it's greatest potentials. To make sure that, even if they were dragged down into the clutches of war, they would emerge victorious and stand taller than they stood before. Tsunade observed the ninja fighting from a distance, fighting for their lives and their village and their nation. Fighting for what was right. There she stood as she saw those same ninjas being slaughtered. Being killed, not for what was right, but for power.

This was not what a Hokage was supposed to do. She was not supposed to let her village, her people, die like this.

And with a grave understanding of what needed to be done, Tsunade retreated from the battlefield into a safe house set up for her and the Kages. Hastily, she rounded up a messenger and sent him into battle, praying that he survived the chaos and delivered her message. She headed into a private sector of the safe house, one reserved for her only, and scoured until she found the chipped, wooden box in her bag. It was supposed to be a jewelry box, but Tsunade only choose it so that it would disguise the true secret hidden within it. Carefully, she undid the clasp and encountered a smaller wooden compartment in the box. Putting her hands together, she channeled her chakra into her palms and placed them upon the compartment.

Almost instantly, the seal that would respond to her chakra, and her's alone, was undone. Sliding the panel to the side, a small scroll slipped out and landed on Tsunade's palm. It was a tiny scroll: old parchment rolled up and compressed so tightly that one could easily believe that the only type of information a scroll that size could contain would be trivial. But Tsunade held the scroll with the utmost care, barely gripping it, because, in truth, the information contained in the scroll was beyond the limitations of human comprehension.

A knock sounded on the door and Tsunade secretly slipped the scroll into her haori, fearful of any eyes that may glimpse it. It turned out to only be the messenger, who brought back with him the valuable cargo that would be the final piece in her plan.

Her student, Sakura Haruno.

Sakura wasn't a very impulsive person. Most of her decisions were calculated and thorough since she used her mind and great intellect to her advantage. This applied to almost all situations Sakura Haruno was confronted with- except when the people she loved were involved. In those situations, Sakura tended to do a complete one-eighty and become as reckless as Naruto, if not even more so. It was the one concern Tsunade had for giving her student this mission, and a concern that she would have to ignore for the moment. Because, despite this fault, Sakura was the best choice to save Konoha's future.

The best person to go back and change it all.

Sakura was the only person she truly trusted to complete this mission. She considered sending Naruto but decided that, despite his good intentions and strength, he may be too impulsive and not take into account the consequences of his actions. She could have sent Kakashi, Shizune, or any other Jonin that she had trusted or been close to for this mission. None of them, though, harbored the personal connection that was necessary to complete this mission.

To travel back in time meant not only to change yourself but to leave behind everything you ever worked for. Only someone with a true desire to correct everything would survive the mental toll it would take. This is the true reason she selected Sakura for this mission. She knew that she would throw her heart and soul into this mission, not only for Konoha, but also for Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura had a desire to complete this mission, and that's what mattered.

When Sakura first heard that she was being summoned by Tsunade, her mind began to panic. Of course, she welcomed the small break from fighting, since her limbs felt like jelly from the constant use and a pounding headache resonated within her forehead. Despite this, Sakura felt the feeling of dread crawl up her spine. She knew that for whatever reason Tsunade summoned her, it was bad news.

The messenger led her into a safe house hidden within the cliffside overlooking the battle and guided her through the passageways into a private room set up specifically for Tsunade. She saw none of the other Kages inside the house and assumed that they were probably outside observing the battlefield. The messenger knocked on the door and slowly opened it, revealing her teacher's figure standing in a barely lit room.

Sakura was still very respectful and held great admiration for the Hokage, but training with her for so long over the years had virtually eliminated the small barrier of fear that every shinobi had of their Hokage. Whenever they were alone, she felt that she had the freedom to express her opinions and thoughts to the Hokage because, despite her temper, Tsunade always had listened to and respected her ideas. This formed a deep bond between the master and student, which allowed them to become closer and love each other like family. It was for this reason that Sakura was prepared to carry out any orders that Tsunade would give her. Not only because she was Hokage, but also because of the trust that she had in Tsunade.

The kunoichi reminded herself about this trust as she bowed before the Hokage of the Leaf Village. Explosions could be heard through the walls that were so great, the room started shaking. Taking a moment to regain her bearings, Sakura shot her sensei a warm smile in an effort to quell the anxiety building in her own heart. Tsunade attempted to give one back to her, but it was ruined by the glint of sadness in her eyes. Sakura's heart constricted.

It means nothing, she hastily tried to reassure herself. It wasn't working.

Tsunade looked past her to the messenger and, after dismissing him, reached into her moss-green haori. Amber eyes maintained an intense look on the kunoichi as she pulled out the tiny object, trying to gauge her reaction.

A pause filled the room. A gasp broke through Sakura's lips.

No.

No.

No.

Her shoulders started shaking as fear, pure raw fear, consumed her body. Her eyes started burning, welling up with heat, as they focused solely on the scroll in front of her. The scroll meant as a failsafe. The scroll that meant the end of her world.

"You...you...sensei?" The words froze up in her throat, and all she could do was send a pleading look to her teacher. Tsunade's look seemed to mirror her own; only she wasn't lost or confused on this matter. This was her final decision.

And that scared her.

"Sakura, " Tsunade began. She said her name as if it was the last time she was going to say it. Devoid of any professionalism between a Hokage and her shinobi, and full of the raw feeling between a master and her apprentice. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't want for it to be this way, I just-" Tsunade's voice hitched and she bit back her tears.

She took a moment to collect herself, then stood tall once again with a look of duty in her eyes. Though tears were threatening to fall from her eyes, a fire was lit behind them that flickered brightly. "I, Tsunade Senju, the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, due to dire circumstances bestow upon you, Sakura Haruno, the title of Jonin." Sakura's eyes widened as her sensei's words shocked her. Quickly gathering herself, Sakura instinctively stood up straighter at her sensei's serious tone. She remembered her duties as a shinobi and willed her emotions to disappear, hardening her heart to the inevitable news she would receive.

"I also assign you a classified, S-rank mission."

Sakura's heart pounded. She knew what was coming. What was going to happen. Once again, the sadness threatened to well up and spill out, but she wouldn't let it. Not this time. She turned her eyes to the scroll. This item will change her life forever. Except, this time, it wasn't her own life anymore. She would be living for the sole purpose of fixing the wrongs.

"You will go back in time..."

Of mending the mistakes.

"...back to when you were a genin..."

Of changing the past...

"...prevent the war..."

...for a brighter future.

"...and protect Konoha at all costs. Do you understand?"

"Hai."

Tsunade held out the scroll to the young kunoichi, now a Jonin. Sakura knew what she had to do. Be the hero that the Leaf Village, the Shinobi Alliance, needed. But, as a cost, she would forfeit her world.

"Do you accept?"

Tsunade's words rung about the empty room. Another explosion shook the walls in the safe house.

"Hai."

A pounding rung in Sakura's ears, thumping throughout her whole body.

A chance to make everything right.

By giving up everything she worked for.

A hand reached out and gripped the scroll, taking it from Tsunade's outstretched hand.

No longer living for herself, but her village.

The inside of the scroll revealed bold, black kanji that started to emit a faint glow.

No longer her own life...

But then again, wasn't it always like that?

As the glow grew stronger, Tsunade's eyes lifted to meet her student's ones. Her precious student who was sacrificing everything for her village. Tears spilled for her chocolate eyes, and this time she didn't stop them. A smile lit up her face, one that contained what one could only describe as motherly love. Wind started whipping around them, as more explosions from outside shook the building. The light from the scroll now encompassed the entire room, bathing it in an ethereal glow.

Sakura's eyes shone with tears, looking back at her teacher with a broken-hearted look. But, when Tsunade looked deep into her eyes, she found they mirrored her own. A bright flame burned within the emerald, a sense of duty shining from her soul.

The Will of Fire.

They stared deep into each other's eyes, communicating silently. This was the end. She would never see her student again. Never demand her to work harder in training, never teach her the secrets to her gambling technique, never yell at her for hiding her sake. No more deep conversations after training, no more small smiles, no more sweet hugs, and long lunches.

Slowly, Sakura's form was being enveloped within the light, being consumed by the lumination. Tsunade looked deep into her student's eyes and suddenly regretted not being able to spend more time with the girl she could've called her own daughter.

"Sakura," she whispered into her ear. "I'm so proud of you."

And then everything was gone.

And it only took one second.