"Grandpa, will you tell me more?" Nine-year-old Sakura asked. She laid comfortably in her bed clutching a toy bunny. "Was Ace rescued? Did Luffy save him?"
"That's a story for another time." He explained, "it's bedtime. You have school tomorrow."
"That's right... Um, Grandpa?" Her cheeks were dusted with pink. "Do you think I'm pretty enough for a boy in my class to notice me? Also, I found out Ino likes him too. What should I do?"
"I'm guessing the boy is an Uchiha." He smiled and ruffled her pink hair. Her face became red. "Never underestimate your beauty my little blossom. If he doesn't notice you then it's his loss. There's someone out there that will love you for you." She removed her covers and hugged him tightly. He kissed the top of her head. "Never forget that your closest friends will always be there for you. Don't do anything reckless. It's not worth losing someone over a boy."
"Thank you. I love you, Grandpa."
: :
Twelve-year-old Sakura Haruno sat between Naruto Namikaze and Sasuke Uchiha. She paid attention as Iruka called out the names of each Genin team.
She's placed on Team Seven with the boys on either side of her.
This will be fun, she thought sarcastically.
"No fair, Forehead!" Ino Yamanaka shouted from the seat behind Sakura.
Said girl turned to her and stuck her tongue out. This infuriated the blonde preteen. One of Sakura's favorite pastime is teasing her best friend.
: :
"Blond boy, you go first."
"You know who I am, believe it! You were having dinner with my mom and me yesterday, Kaka-baka." Naruto pouted.
Kakashi sighed. "I'm your sensei now. You have to address me properly from now on. Just introduce yourself."
"Fine," he adjusted his headband. "I love my mom, my dad, and ramen! I love the ramen from Ichiraku's that my mom and Iruka-sensei buy for me." He sighed deeply. "I... My dream is to become Hokage someday! My dad died protecting this village the day I was born and I want to make him proud! I want to be just like him. Maybe then villagers will accept me too."
Kakashi smiled. "Your turn dark-haired kid."
Sasuke leaned back. "I don't particularly like nor dislike much. My goal is to avenge my clan. I will prove my father wrong and surpass my brother. I will be strong enough to kill the man that took my family. I will show him no mercy."
Kakashi frowned. "Now to you pink."
"I like lots of things. I dislike assholes. My dream is to go on adventures! Like the ones my grandfather spoke of." Sakura punched upward. "I want to see the world while simultaneously protecting the people in the village! Like my family and friends."
Kakashi felt indifferent. "Now that introductions are over, let's move on to the instructions for your test tomorrow."
: :
"It's always hard for them to work together!" Sakura paced back and forth in the living room. She yanked at her hair. "It's like they literally want to kill each other!"
Her grandfather watched her with a small smile. "Teach them."
She stopped with a huff. "What?"
"Show them what teamwork looks like. Teach them how to get along enough," he suggested.
"Okay."
: :
"Listen you two!" She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm so tired of your bullshit! It's time you try to at least get along a little. You guys have ruined almost all of our missions with your competitive attitudes toward each other. That needs to change. Like, now."
"Why should I get along with him?!" Naruto questioned.
"Because he's our teammate. Even if you don't like him, you have to work with him on a day-to-day basis. Missions will go smoothly this way." She explained.
"Missions would be best if I didn't have either of you weaklings as teammates," Sasuke remarked.
"Look here motherfucker!" She grabbed him by the front of his collar. "We don't have time for your arrogance, Mr. Daddy issues!" He looked at her as if she were crazy. "That's right. I went there." She shoved him. She calmed down and thought for a moment before smirking. "I'll talk to Kushina-san and Mikoto-san when they visit my mother for their girl's night out."
Both boys paled.
: :
"Grandpa, guess what?!" Sakura ran home with a bubbly exterior. Her grandfather looked up from his book. "Our team will be going on our first C-rank mission!"
He ruffled her hair. "That's great. You should pack important items."
She smiled. "Thanks."
: :
Kakashi offered to take care of the mission report and sent his students home.
Sakura unlocked the door to her home. It was eerie. Too quiet for comfort. "Mom?! Dad?! Grandpa?!"
The sound of a door closing startled her. She brought out a kunai and firmly held it out. She stepped lightly on the floor. Setting her bag down quietly she made her way down the hallway.
Their first mission out of the village turned upside down. It was meant to be a C-rank but was soon changed into an A-rank. The client, Tazuna, lied about the details of his journey back to the Land of Wave. On their walk halfway down the road, they were attacked by the Demon Brothers of the Mist. After continuing forward they encountered Zabuza Momochi and his partner, Haku, in Wave.
After Haku died Zabuza expressed an uncaring attitude. Naruto talked to him. He explained how the dead teen felt about the ex-Mist Shinobi. This brought him to tears and had him realize his mistake. In his last moments, he helped Team Seven cut down most of the henchmen and Gato. Moments after, the villagers of Wave assisted as well.
Everyone learned something that day.
Sakura's mother walked out of the bedroom and jumped. "You scared me!"
"Me?! I shouted 'mom' a few minutes ago and you didn't answer! No one did," she said, "so when I heard some noises from grandpa's room I thought there was an intruder." She noticed the clothes in her mother's hands. "What are you doing with those?"
"I'm sorry, sweetie." She bit the inside of her cheek. "He's in the hospital. He had a heart attack the day after you left. They're releasing him today and I came home for a few things."
She put her kunai away and hurried to grab her shoes. "I'll go with you."
: :
"Are you signing up for the Chunin Exams?" Sakura's grandfather asked, staring at the application in her hands.
Her shoulders slumped. "I don't know if I can. I'm not strong enough."
"Stop saying that," he scolded. "You're strong already. With hard work and proper training you can become even stronger."
"You think so?" She asked.
"I know so," he assured.
She watched as he finished his fifth sandwich. "You eat as much as an Akimichi. How do you not gain any weight?"
He chuckled.
: :
"A tie? Does that mean you both advance forward?" Mebuki questioned.
"Not at all. Since we both fainted at the same time, neither of us advance." Sakura clarified.
"That's a bummer," Kizashi commented.
"Did your teammates win their fights?" Mebuki asked.
"Yeah," she sighed, "I'll be up in the stadium watching their fights."
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," her father laid down his newspaper. "Your mother and I will be leaving tomorrow. There are going to be new vendors this year. We're going to buy more inventory for the store."
"That's okay." Sakura poured orange juice into a cup. "Bring us souvenirs if you can."
: :
The pinkette groggily opened her eyes. A painful groan escaped her lips. Her entire body felt as if it were hit by a boulder. She tried to sit up but her body screamed its protest.
The door to her room slid open. "Hey, Sakura. It's okay. Calm down, lay back, and rest."
She did as told. "What happened?"
"Sand and Sound attacked our village. You pushed Sasuke out of the way and you were crushed against a tree instead." Her grandfather explained. "I was worried. It drove me crazy not knowing."
She chuckled. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put that kind of stress on your heart." She momentarily thought to herself. "Will you tell me about Ace? You never finished your story all those years ago."
He smiled sincerely. "Ace was given a second chance at life. He died in one world and was allowed to live in another. He found love, settled down, lived a quiet life, and told tales of his adventures to his only granddaughter."
Her eyes dilated. "Wait, you're Ace?" He could only grin. "B-but how? Didn't you just say he died?"
"I did, but he was given another chance. There are different worlds and universes my little blossom." He explained.
"Does mom know? Did grandma?" She asked.
"No one knew," he replied, "and it's going to stay that way. This stays between you and me."
: :
After the attack on Konoha, a new Hokage was appointed. Itachi Uchiha became the Fifth Hokage. Mikoto felt proud of her eldest son. Sasuke seethed at the fact his brother advanced further. He left the village to gain power from Orochimaru. He thought his team, his family, and the village itself were all holding him back. Mikoto and Itachi were devastated over his choice.
Tsunade heard of the invasion and came back to the village. While she stayed in the hospital Sakura watched the moments when she would heal people and give orders to other medics. The pinkette asked the Senju to train her. She was turned down many times, but she persisted until finally, Tsunade said yes. She trained tirelessly for the next three years.
With some reluctance on Kushina's part, she gave in and allowed Naruto to travel with Jiraiya outside of the village. He brought some valuable information to the new Hokage. The Akatsuki are after all Jinchūriki. The Toad Sage thought it beneficial for the safety of others if Naruto moved constantly. He promised to protect and train the young Kyuubi holder.
Three years flew by.
: :
Kaguya was released from her prison. With everyone's efforts in the war, she was sealed away. But before they could be rid of her, she opened a few portals and sent numerous Shinobi through. One of them happens to be Sakura Haruno.
She fell and fell until she splashed into cold sea water. She broke to the surface and greedily took in the air. All around her was a vast ocean of blue. Not too far sat an Island.
Wait, that's not an island.
"Where am I?"