Chapter 3: It all crept up on you, in the night it got you, it plagued your mind (it plagues your mind)
Goosebumps rose on her skin as the cool breeze carried her hair and effectively covered one side of her face. She slowly lifted her hand and tucked them behind her ear. She could see other kids running around the playground, squealing and throwing shuriken toys at each other. Picnic benches were occupied by families pulling out bento boxes, so it must be lunch time.
"—and 'Kaa-san has new scrolls and she said I can take a look at them if I could make my handwriting better—"
Sakura directed her gaze at the source of the cheery voice and found the same boy that had bumped into her earlier now sitting right beside her, hunched over pieces of parchment and chatting away. Rays of sunlight filtering through the branches above them made his blonde hair shine. The stone bench they had been occupying was hard and uncomfortable so she moved to stand, although the boy still hasn't looked up.
"—I try to make my hand shake less, see?" he paused then carefully added a curved stroke among the rows of different kinds of characters she couldn't understand, "but this new ink she gave me is absolutely hard to write with dattebayo!"
The unfamiliarity of the situation immediately hit her like a flying brick. "Who are you?"
She had no memory of arriving at the park. Had she fallen asleep and been carried along the way? No, this felt nothing like falling asleep in the sofa then waking up in her bedroom in the morning. One moment she was standing in the Hokage's Office, next she was sitting under the shade of a tree without her mother. She looked around just to make sure and confirmed that she was in fact with the boy from the office and no one else familiar in sight.
"Eh? Didn't I tell you already, Sakura-chan?" he lifted his head to look at her, blue eyes wide and eyebrows raised. "My name is Na-ru-to." He waved the brush he was holding and dark ink landed on her dress.
"Oops!" his face immediately twisted in regret and he reached out to press on the stain with a colorful napkin he had pulled from his pocket.
Sakura took an involuntary step back and shook her head. She does know. In her confusion, it must have slipped her mind. She remembered a soft voice saying that name followed by a blurry vision of a grinning face with closed eyes and a moving mouth although no sound had come out. Her heart had pounded as a strong surge of emotions clashed within her. She furrowed her eyebrows and tried to recall what happened after that but it came up blank.
She could feel Naruto staring at her, head tilted in confusion but she is currently focused on not bawling her eyes out then and there. She bit her lip to prevent them from trembling the way they would do when she was upset. She needs to find Mama. She has a vague memory of the way home after spending time with her parents in the park before, so she decided to go with that.
"I'm going home," she turned around and started to make her way out of the park, her quick stride shifting to a full run before Naruto could do anything more than stand up and spill more ink on her.
Naruto stared at the retreating back of his new friend. Had he done something wrong? He bumped into her and stained her dress but she had been fine with it earlier. Before he could decide on whether or not to chase after her, he heard footsteps approaching his bench.
"Usuratonkachi." Sasuke stood in front of him, raised his eyebrows and looked around. "Where's Sakura? Haha-ue arrived and she has lunch."
They both looked at the bench a few ways away and sure enough Mikoto had just placed a big basket and was talking to Sasuke's older cousin, who has been supervising his other younger cousins since they got there. He didn't seem to pay Naruto and Sakura any mind since they were just sitting and talking to each other. At least, until she acted weird to him anyway.
Naruto gave him a small shrug. "She went home. I don't know why, though."
"You're a dobe." Sasuke crossed his arms and stomped to the direction of his mother to tell her.
"You don't have to say that, teme!" Naruto cried out as he gathered up his things and hastily followed.
She could see the bakery up ahead. She got to the door just in time for a customer to walk out with a handful of paper bags filled with delicious-smelling pastries. She walked inside and saw her father carrying another batch of sweet and savory goods to be added to the shelves. He heard her footsteps a second later.
"Sa-chan! I thought you were with Mama," her father turned to her in surprise. "Did you get here by yourself?"
Sakura shook her head, nodded, then took a seat behind the counter. She watched him place loaves of bread on the upper shelf.
"Well, have you eaten? She said she'd pick you up after you had lunch with your friends in the park. She's off to meet another client but she should be done in a few minutes." He looked at the cat-shaped clock on the wall signifying it was about half-past 12. "Kazuko-chan should be back soon," he added.
Kazuko-chan has been managing the bakery with them after her family moved in their neighborhood last year. She's about thirteen years older than Sakura, and acts like an older sister ever since they've known each other. She's currently on her lunch break so her father would take over during this time.
She grabbed pieces of anpan from the front display and took a huge bite. "I don't remember. I couldn't find her so I went home."
He raised his eyebrows at this. He thought to himself for a moment, letting Sakura finish her food and drink her water, before nodding at her and telling her to mind the bakery with him.
While she sat and waited for Kazuko-chan to arrive, her father busily catering to the usual customers he's known over the years, she heard the familiar ringing in her ears again.
She looked at the door to see if some neighborhood kids were messing with the bell but that wasn't the case. No, it was the same thing from earlier, with the voices and the visions.
She stared ahead and waited for something to happen while making sure she doesn't look silly or weird when her father happens to look over. She grabbed a notebook and a pen from the corner and drew on the pages to make it look like she was busy with something. Her guess was right when she heard the voice, this time her vision slowly dimming until all she saw was a dark void, as if her eyes were closed shut. She blinked many times and for sure her eyes were still open but her sight was gone.
Her anxiety rose and she was about to call for her father when the same voice from earlier spoke up clearer in her head.
'Wait, Sakura! Don't panic. You'll be able to see again in a few minutes.'
She wasn't aware she was gripping the edge of the counter until she felt her hold loosen as she breathed a sigh of relief. Her suspicion came back when she thought about how odd this was however. She has had imaginary friends for as long as she can remember but she knows this one is different. Still, she continued to blindly scribble and draw on the paper as she kept quiet and waited.
'Listen, I know hearing a voice in your head might be strange for you, but I'm not going to do anything to hurt you.'
Sakura raised one eyebrow in response.
'I can feel your suspicions Sakura, and that's good. But this time, you have to let those go. I have a mission for you, and only you can do it.'
A mission? She heard about those from the ninja customers that would sometimes come by the bakery, although her father would make her go to the back kitchen and do something. Reigning her suspicions in, she couldn't help but get excited over the idea of a mission. So Sakura nodded and waited for more.
'I assume you haven't enrolled in the ninja academy yet?'
She shook her head. She has passed by the ninja academy a few times and she would catch sight of older kids sparring with each other while an older ninja supervises. Sakura knows she wants to be a ninja. A kunoichi, she remembers from what the voice had said in the Hokage's tower. But her parents are planning to enroll her to the civilian academy this summer.
'I thought so. I need you to do something when no one's looking, Sa-chan. Oh, and is it alright if I call you by your nickname?'
Sakura nodded. And yes, the lady voice can call her Sa-chan. She sounds really nice and friendly, unlike the loud grownups she met with rude, pitchy tones when they would talk to her.
'Here, I'll show you.'
A slow-moving image presented itself in her mind. She was looking at bigger hands shifting into different hand signs. It seemed like she was looking from this person's perspective. Sakura wonders if they're the voice's hands as she followed the signs with her own small hands in front of her. There wasn't much, and the sequence of images repeated itself so she quickly memorized it until she's confident she won't forget. She started in her seat as sudden sounds accompanied the vision. What sounded like an explosion set off somewhere behind her and the hands in front of her swayed for balance.
Warbled voices had mixed with another set of explosions that were slowly approaching where she was currently standing. You have to go! A rough hand grabbed hers and the vision stopped before she could hear and see more. Everything went dark again.
Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but decided to let it go and instead focused on her memories of the hand signs.
'You shouldn't have seen that. Are you alright Sa-chan? Do you remember the hand signs?'
She nodded and performed the sequence once more.
'Good. Those are also called hand seals. You need chakra for it to work, but I'll tell you about that next time.'
How will she know though? Will it be like what she felt earlier? With the ringing and the dark and then the voice will appear? What should she call her anyway? Should she just name her the voice?
'I believe so. You can call me anything you want, Sa-chan.'
Sakura decided to stick with the voice for now.
'Our communication is wearing off. Your vision will return after that. I'll be back soon. Don't forget the signs, okay?'
True enough, she could slowly see the counter in front of her, the paper scribbled with drawings and unidentifiable characters. Once her sight has finally cleared, she looked up to find her father still talking to a customer near the entrance. He hasn't found anything strange going on with her so she was slightly thankful or else she doesn't know what to do with the concern. She tore the paper and crumpled it in her hand.
She saw Mama arrive soon enough, eyes zeroing on her. Sakura shivered in her place behind the counter.
"Sa-chan, your friends told me you left before they had lunch. I told you to stay put until I came to get you, didn't I?"
Her voice carried through the whole bakery and cut off her father mid greeting. She walked over and placed her hands on her hips. She could see him wave at the shelves and smile at the customer before joining them.
"It's alright, Mebuki. She got home by herself."
Her mother directed her eyes at him, and they had a silent conversation. Moments later, she switched her gaze between them then sighed. "Promise me you won't run off like that, okay?"
When Sakura nodded, she reached over and patted her head. She then left to meet another client not long after, passing by Kazuko-chan at the entrance and asking her to look after Sakura.
Sakura spent the entire afternoon watching various customers come and go while Kazuko-chan rang them up and her father busied himself back in the kitchen. He had come out at one point and showed them the experimental recipes he had been trying out since last month. The three of them tasted it and designed a rating system to determine which ones could be sold. A few made it in the good list. Frankly, Sakura enjoyed a lot of them, but the two are more critical hence the short official list.
It didn't take long before dusk and Kazuko-chan and her father prepared to close the bakery. Sakura helped with storing the leftover goods, waving goodbye to Kazuko-chan when they finished.
She had dreamt that night. She was given a message in the dark.
'You didn't forget, Sa-chan. You simply weren't there. I'll show you what happened.'
They were back inside the Hokage's Office. Sakura doesn't remember any of this happening but it felt like she was present. There was an itch in her mind as a new presence seemed to be more in control of herself. Her thoughts were invaded by a different voice, a different feeling. It felt familiar, almost like the one that appears in her dreams from time to time. Was this connected to the same presence she had felt within her on their way to the tower? The sudden invasion pushed her own consciousness at the backseat of her mind as a stronger one took control and she couldn't do anything but watch. At this point, her thoughts are not hers, but someone else's. It was the voice.
'It worked.'
Haruno Sakura, an older mind and spirit in the guise of her younger self, stood frozen in her spot as she took in the sight in front of her.
"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Naruto let out a panicked yelp.
She couldn't see Naruto's expression clearly from the tears, but his head darted from her crying face to his dad's exasperated one and back to her again, as if silently asking for help. She paid him no mind while her consciousness formed itself once more. She was aware of her younger self's mindfulness slowly shutting down as she took control for now.
It had been years since she has sealed herself to recover. She had been told that the effects of the jutsu would be taxing on her mind, body, and spirit, so she expected the repercussions once she arrived and finally confirmed it had worked. It didn't help that she had wasted no time in following the orders she had been given. Considering the time and place she ended up in, she had miraculously prevented Obito from unleashing the Kyuubi on the night of Naruto's birth. It was no easy task, especially with the state she was in after the jump, but his future self had given her what she needed to prevent one major catastrophe that led to the ripple of events that would play into the future she had left mere moments ago.
Her mission doesn't end there, however. She still needs to find him soon and—well what was she going to do? Of course, she and the others didn't have enough time to plan the specifics on what she should do after she seals herself. Basically the only direction she has going for her was the general "don't lead the world to ruin" idea. They had faith that she could work it out once she gets there and now is probably a great time as any.
First she needs to take stock of her current situation. She guesses she is now four years old, turning five in a few weeks. The Yondaime is still here, and Naruto is standing in front of her. His hands still gripped her shoulders and she could tell he's panicking by the second. She immediately adopted the persona of her younger self.
"I'm okay, Naruto. You can let go now." She wiped her face with her sleeve and turned to Mama, who had been watching. Sakura could see the concern and confusion in her eyes so she shook her head and gave her a smile.
Mama nodded and directed a soft smile at Naruto. "It's alright, Naruto-kun. Sa-chan is fine now. But do be careful next time."
"Yes I will dattebayo!" he bowed deeply to Sakura, then to Mama, and finally flashed Minato a sheepish smile.
Minato gave his son a stern look as if making a point, then gave up and sighed. "Why don't you wait outside until I'm finished with my meeting with Mrs. Haruno? You can tell me about your training then."
Naruto nodded his head plenty of times and walked out without saying a word.
"I'll go too!" Sakura said and she ran off without waiting for their response.
The doors closed behind her, and she looked around to find the ANBU gone. Naruto was sitting on the floor beside the entrance, hands fiddling with a scroll.
Sakura plopped herself opposite of him and stared. His white shirt and orange pants were stained with ink. His hands and fingernails had traces of dried ink. A brush poked out of his pocket, and it was dripping with dark ink. It seemed like Naruto had started learning all about fūinjutsu at this time.
She tried to remember the Naruto of her time, orphaned and alone. This Naruto is different. He has both of his parents growing up, and he's not the kyuubi's jinchūriki.
"So your name is Sa-chan?" his voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
She shook her head. "Sakura."
"Oh I see! Just like your hair! That's really cool Sakura-chan!" he snickered.
"Uhh I guess. What were you gonna show your dad earlier?"
"Oh. I wanted to show him this," he pulled out a clean sheet of parchment, positioned his brush and wrote something on it.
Sakura noted that he hasn't brought an ink dish of some kind. No, ink seemed to flow from the brush consistently. She could see seals inscribed on the wood itself.
Once Naruto was done writing on the paper, he opened his left palm and wrote something on it. A few seconds passed and he faced it to her.
"Now watch," he grinned.
Sakura's curiosity grew as Naruto carefully placed the brush on the paper so it was resting at the center of the seal. Then, he closed his eyes and slowly performed a series of hand seals, mouthing the names of each seal and shouting the last one out loud. Not a second later and poof! and in his hands was the brush. They both looked at the paper and it was empty save for the faded ink on it.
Sakura couldn't stop the awed expression on her face while Naruto pumped his fist and cackled in joy. Who knew he had it in him? At this age, Naruto is already trying to master the sealing arts, and by the looks of it he's doing really well under the tutelage of both his parents.
"Did you see that? I did it, Sakura-chan!" he proudly waved the brush at her, ink spilling everywhere. Sakura nodded and wondered whether the hidden ANBU are watching them. She couldn't sense them like she could before, and she thinks it's because her future skills are out of sync with this present body. She has to figure out what she can and cannot do without raising suspicion. It wouldn't do her well if she ends up risking her plans over some tests. She has to find out when she's alone.
The door opened and Sakura's mother and Ichiro-san and walked out. She waited for them to finish their conversation before speaking up.
"Mama, can I go to the park today?" She waved at Ichiro-san as he walked off before Mama looked at her questioningly.
"Are you sure you don't want to get back to the bakery?"
Sakura nodded. She could see Mama thinking about it for a moment until she smiled at her. "Well, we did finish up early. And I won't be meeting our next client until lunch. Alright let's go," she offered her hand and Sakura took it. Well, she decided she'd do it when she's totally alone.
Naruto jumped up from behind her. "Oh! Can I go with you? I want to go to the park to meet my friend. You can meet him too, Sakura-chan!"
"I don't see why not. Go ahead and ask your father first," Mama replied.
Naruto peeked his head through the doorway. 'Tou-san! I'm going to the park with Sakura-chan if you don't mind," he called out. Minato didn't mind, and only reminded him about the technique he wanted to show him, which Naruto has decided to do later at home.
The walk to the park was uneventful. Between listening to Naruto chatter, observing the village under the era of his father, and trying to see if she can sense the ANBU following them, unsuccessfully, nothing much happened.
When they got to the park, the sun has almost risen midday. Children were scattered at the center, running around and chasing birds or each other.
They stopped at the benches secluded by the side, under the shade of the trees. Sakura sat down as Naruto placed his things in between them, placing a rock on it to keep it from flying off. Mama stood, adjusting her bag and looked around.
"Is your friend here, Naruto?" she asked him.
"Oh uhh wait lemme see," his eyes roamed the park, searching through the crowd, "there he is!"
He pointed at a group of kids somewhere northeast from where they were seated. They all had dark hair and wore dark shirts with identical clan symbols at the back, an uchiwa fan.
Naruto cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Hey! Sasuke! Over here!"
One of the kids turned and looked over their direction. Naruto waved some more, gesturing for him to come over.
Sakura looked from Naruto to the kid running towards them. It really was Sasuke. And he and Naruto seemed like good friends this time. She searched the group for Itachi, but he was nowhere to be found. There were about six other Uchiha kids mingling with the others, while an older one she doesn't know was watching over them from a bench.
As Sasuke neared, Sakura couldn't help but remember her own Sasuke. In a few years, that smile would be gone, replaced by cold expressions and a heart seeking revenge. She has to make sure nothing like that would happen this time. Her heart thundered as she thought about her goal again. She has to get back to planning things soon.
Sasuke reached them, panting in exertion. "Did you show him?" he immediately asked.
"Wha- oh! Not yet. But I showed Sakura-chan!" Naruto replied.
"Showed her what, Naruto?" Mama asked.
"This technique 'kaa-san and 'tou-san wanted me to do, Haruno-obaa-san!"
She could feel Mama's amusement as they watched Naruto write the seals on the paper and his palm. He did it faster this time, then placed a big rock he'd picked up on the center instead of the brush. Once he was done, the rock poofing! from its spot on the paper onto his cupped hands, he presented it to Mama and gave her a big grin.
Sasuke let out a short excited laugh and shouted, "Still cool!"
Sakura stared at him, mouth agape. She has never seen Sasuke this— this carefree and happy before. He caught her looking at him like that.
"Hello! My name is Uchiha Sasuke. You must be Sakura-chan," he bowed.
It felt odd hearing him call her with a suffix like that. "It's fine, you can call me Sakura."
"Yeah only I can call her Sakura-chan, Sasuke!" Naruto butted in.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Fine."
At least there were still parts of them she was familiar with no matter how small, and Sakura was glad with that. Mebuki raised her eyebrows at them all. She cleared her throat and asked them if they wanted something to eat.
Sasuke shook his head. "No thank you, Haruno-san. Haha-ue is bringing us lunch. You should join us," he offered.
Mama looked at her watch. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun. But I have somewhere to be right now," she told them all. "Is it alright with you Sa-chan? I have to meet with a client, but I'll be back in an hour or so. You stay here with Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun until I come by and pick you up, okay?"
Sakura nodded at her and waved her off. Mama reached over and removed a leaf from her hair then left with a promise to be back soon.
Naruto went back to his writing beside her, while Sasuke stood for a while and watched. Sakura was quietly pondering over her present self. She doesn't know how long she can take over her, feels her hold on her consciousness slip little by little.
Sasuke bid them goodbye with a short reminder to call them once lunch arrives, leaving the two to their own devices. Sakura placed her palms on the cold bench and leaned back, tilting her face to the sky and breathed in. She was sure now that her control on her younger self's body would stop soon. She glanced at Naruto one more time, looked back to where Sasuke was playing with his cousins, and closed her eyes.
'And that's why you woke up without any memory of what happened in the Hokage's Office and the park, Sa-chan.' It was dark again.
But it didn't end there. Her dream shifted to an entirely different scene. It was darker, colder, and her whole body ached. The wind howled but her feet managed to stick itself to the rocky floor. Her right arm burned and itched while the rest of her limbs were freezing.
She glanced down at her hands and realized it was the same one that had shown her the hand signs at lunch. They were bloody and littered with cuts and scratches. Thick, black lines decorated her arms.
Is this the voice's body? Am I still dreaming? Why are you showing me this?
The strong gusts of wind stopped and she managed to regain her footing. Her heart was beating madly and her nerves were on high alert.
Something landed to her far right and skidded to a stop a few ways behind her. She looked back and searched through the clouds of dust until she spotted tufts of blonde hair peeking through. She let out a relieved breath through her nose and cupped her hands over her mouth.
"Naruto!"
Naruto?
The dust cleared and their eyes met.
They should be blue. Why are his eyes yellow?
Another form landed behind him. He stayed in a crouched position for a moment, hand reaching for a sword on his back. His black hair swayed as he moved to stand, his eyes shone bloody red.
"Sasuke! Where's Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto called to him.
Sasuke?
Sasuke made his way to him, turned his gaze to her, and shook his head. Naruto lowered his head and clenched his fists. She felt her heart drop as she took in the news.
What does he mean? Who-
The ground shook and the two of them disappeared from her sight.
The dream shifted once more and she found herself laying on a cold, rocky floor. The sky was red and the air was foggy. She couldn't move, her entire form ached, and blood, sweat, and tears dripped from different parts of her body.
"Sakura, can you hear me?" her eyes searched for the source of the call and focused a woman looming over her, black lines decorating her face. Was she hallucinating or is her skin really turning ashy and somewhat older? She felt warmth coursing through her and energy returning to her limbs. What was going on?
It didn't take long before she regained some strength back, and the woman, who was now surely older than she appeared a few seconds ago, black lines decorating her face gone, collapsed on top of her. Her green haori stuck to her back from all the blood and sweat.
"Shishou..." Sakura rasped out.
Her vision shifted once more.
She was kneeling at the edge of a cliff. She took in the horrifying sight below. A giant tree stood strong and tall far ahead, and raised and twisted throughout the land were unmoving bodies wrapped in white.
Hands gripped her shoulder and shook her to catch her attention. She looked to the side and green met blue, a haunted expression reflecting off a hopeful one.
"There's no other way." Naruto leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. She caught her breath, closed her eyes, and nodded.
"Sakura," a deep voice called from behind them.
They both turned and faced Sasuke, who was wearing the same determined expression as Naruto.
Naruto stood up and offered her a hand, to which she accepted. Sasuke approached them, red eyes leaking blood as if they were nothing but tears. He held out his own hands and linked with theirs, forming a close circle.
"Take care of yourself back there, okay?" Naruto gripped their hands tighter, looking at her. "We'll see you soon."
Sasuke stared at the view below them, quietly taking in a deep breath then looked at her as well. "Hn."
Sakura couldn't help but snort at this. "Seriously, Sasuke-kun. You'd think I'd get more than a grunt considering how it's the end of the world," she chided.
His hand gripped hers tighter, noticed him doing the same with Naruto's. A ghost of a smile managed to show itself in his expression, and Sakura felt her heart flutter. "It's not the end of the world." He stepped closer to her, let go of her hand, and poked her forehead. "You'll see us soon."
Her eyes widened at this, tears streamed down her face before she could stop herself. They linked hands again, and Naruto shone as bright as the yellow sun. He nodded at Sasuke, whose sharingan spun wildly. Seals appeared from where they stood, fragments of the former kage's chakra mixed with theirs, pouring itself into the Jikan-Uchū Ryokō Jutsu they thought they would never use.
The ground shook, cracks quickly forming as they did their best to balance their footing. Sasuke directed his gaze behind her, opening a portal a few feet away. At the same time, Naruto let go of their hands, his own quickly flying into different hand seals at lighting speed. He stepped forward, thrust his hand on her stomach and placed a seal on her before pushing her body toward the portal with full force.
Her feet met air and she fell into the dark void, body torn between chilling and fiery sensations. Her vision dimmed, and she strained to see Naruto and Sasuke one last time. Behind them, a giant figure loomed closer, before darkness enveloped her once more.
Sakura was alone. The dream had stopped moments ago, but some parts would still replay itself in her mind. She waited for more, but knew that she's finally in control of her own mind and body.
"I'm you."
Her voice echoed loudly in the silence. She patiently waited for a response. It didn't take long before a figure formed in front of her.
'That's right, Sa-chan. You and I are the same person. But our fates will be different.'
Haruno Sakura stood tall, although parts of her broken past, the current Sakura's possible future, could be seen in her scars and haunted eyes.
"What do you mean?"
Her own small voice started breaking. What she saw was too much for her to bear. Was that her future's reality? She hopes with all her heart that it would remain a dream, a nightmare she could wake up from.
'It won't happen again, Sa-chan. I won't let it happen,' she reached her hand out, just like how Naruto did in her dream, 'We won't let it happen.'
Her tears fell to the ground, but she felt determination course through her as she took her older self's hand. Even when she stood, she has to tilt her head up to meet her eyes. Both held a promise that they would uphold no matter what.
When Sakura woke up before dawn, a tiny hand placed on her chest above her small, beating heart, she silently cried for an ill-fated future that her older self suffered and hoped to change. Haruno Sakura has lost too much. She'd be damned if she loses them again.
A/N: Man I really made Sakura cry a lot this chapter huh ;w; But she went through a great deal and her tragic future self's forced residency inside her can really mess her psyche up sooo. What do you guys think? I'm working on how Future Sakura would function with Present Sakura (I have written alternate scenarios in how she appears within the story so I'm still in the process of picking the one that works)
Also, I'm not sure how to write 4 y/o kids but these are ninja kids and one has fragments of her older self's spirit so they're not average lol (at least that's my excuse for this fic's dialogue)
*anpan is a Japanese sweet roll most commonly filled with red bean paste;
*Jikan-Uchū Ryokō Jutsu means Time-Space Travel Jutsu.
There are still parts about Future Sakura's actions that will be revealed in the future chapters, as the story focuses on her younger self for now. Anyway I hope this chapter is alright. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome!^^
P.S. Chapter title is also from Bastille's Weight of Living Pt. 2 :)))