(I hope you like the chapter. This is my current writing level and I will do my best to make the chapter enjoyable and not cringe worthy.)

~Time Skip Sakura age 6 Land of Water~

Sakura sighed as she shivered in the ice cold air surrounding the village. It was currently snowing and Sakura had once again been ditched by her father because of his 'Research.' She was walking through the lit up town looking for a shop to eat at when she saw a boy curled in a slight ball on a bridge not to far from her location. She looked at the boy and worry went through her eyes. She ran into the closest store she could find and bought some blankets and some food and a hot drink. She walked across the road towards the bridge and walked up to the boy. He looked up after hearing feet stop in front of him. Sakura smiled at him and set the bag of food down and draped a blanket over his shoulders. Sakura wished to do more for him but realized with her limited money, supplies and the fact that her father could hardly look after one child meant that she really couldn't. She gave him the hot drink and he just stared at her in surprise.

"The man in that shop has been informed that if you come in I have payed for a bag more of food and four more hot drinks, I wish I could do more for you but that was all the money I had." Sakura set the other two blankets she bought next to him and gave him her coat.

"Why?" Was the only word he could utter as he looked at all the things she was doing for him.

"Because I had the ability to help, so I did." Sakura smiled at him again then waved and started walking away.

"W-what's your name?" He asked as he shivered and held onto his drink. Sakura turned around and flashed him a large bright smile.

"Sakura, and you are?" Sakura asked as she walked over to him again and leaned down.

"Haku." He said quietly.

"Well then it's very nice to meet you Haku." Sakura held out her hand and quickly pulled it back when he flinched slightly obviously not used to the gesture. Sakura smiled at him and slowly held out her hand for him to shake. He stared at the hand for a moment before he reached his out and grasped hers.

"T-thank you." He stuttered and Sakura frowned for a moment. She wanted to take him with her, but something told her it wasn't the right thing for her to do. She felt like someone else needed him more, as much as he needed them. She smiled warmly trying to hide her frown.

"I hope we meet again Haku-kun." Her head shot up as she heard yelling and she sighed hearing a familiar voice in the mix. "Everywhere we go daddy gets himself into trouble." She mumbled under her breath as she waved goodbye to Haku. Sakura ran through the crowded street toward the yelling and sounds of houses being destroyed. She looked around trying to see above the people much taller than her who were running from the scene. A sigh escaped the five-year-old's lips as she couldn't see anything through the crowded streets. She blinked curiously as she was picked up quickly by her father and he began to dash away. She definitely knew something was wrong with how fast he was running and the sweat on his brow. Pursing her lips she looked past her father behind them to see a man with long black hair and pale skin. He stopped chasing after them and stared at her curiously with snake like eyes that sent shivers down her back. She knew just by looking at him that he was bad, and not to be messed with.

"But what's the fun in playing by the rules?" Sakura's eyes widened at the voice the resounded loudly in her mind. At first she thought she had imagined it but when she got out of her father's arms against her will, she knew something was wrong. She felt her entire body be taken over as she was shoved into the far reaches of her own mind. She could still feel and see everything that was happening, including her father's worried expression. She felt herself smirk and stand as tall as she could make herself. Sakura felt her body saunter toward the man as she flipped out a kunai and twirled it in her hand.

"Sakura!" She heard her daddy yell and she walked forward getting more afraid by the second. Sakura had no idea what was going on or why she couldn't take back control of her body but she knew it wasn't a good sign.

"Daddy said to stop, you need to stop!" Sakura yelled out into her mind.

"Oh come on Saku, learn to have a little fun." Sakura walked until she stood only a few feet in front of the snake eyed man.

"Hmm you don't seem too scary to me, so why is daddy scared of you?" The man seemed surprised as Sakura called Jiraiya her father. Though neither of them had much time to react as Jiraiya stepped in front of Sakura and pushed her behind him. Any other day Jiraiya would have stayed and fought his old teammate, but he couldn't risk Sakura or anyone in this town for that matter getting hurt.

"Daddy?" Orochimaru questioned with a tilt of his head as a smirk was placed on his face.

"Sakura, run!" Sakura whimpered in her mind trying to plead with whatever had taken her over to listen to him. Inner ignored her pleas and her father's words as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"No." Sakura protested angrily.

"Sakura now is not the time to argue, do as I say." Sakura stood still unmoving.

"It seems your daughter isn't very obedient, I could change that fairly easily." Jiraiya moved more in front of Sakura as he tried to protect her. Sakura frowned as her view was blocked. Inner grabbed a kunai out of her weapons pouch and jumped on her father's shoulder tossing the kunai as she weaved an illusion making it look like three. The man dodged the three easily but failed to see a senbon that she had thrown in the mix. As it grazed his cheek drawing the slightest bit of blood the two men were so quiet you could have probably heard a pin drop. Inner changed her position sitting on her father's shoulder as she smirked lightly at the man before her.

"Like I said, not that scary."

~Sakura age nine, Mist~

Sakura had taken to writing letters to Gaara, about anything and everything she could. She learned, after a day she could hardly remember, that the chakra connection she had with Gaara had been severed for a reason her dad wouldn't tell her. As she fiddled with the pen in her hand she absently touched her right eye she could no longer see out of. With a sigh as her fingers met with cloth she set the pen down and stood up. Her father was out and she was yet again left in the hotel room for the day. Looking around the dull room she decided she needed to go out for some fresh air. Maybe that would help her think of what to tell Gaara in her next letter. Strapping on her weapons pouch and pulling on her cloak she walked toward the door. She never understood why ninja didn't just be normal and use doors instead of windows. Rolling her eyes at that train of thought she walked out the door of the hotel and onto the street. Looking around curiously as people created a path for a group of swordsmen that walked down it. Eyeing the interesting weapons strapped to their backs Sakura shrugged and began walking across the street going straight in front of the group. People eyed her strangely but she chalked it up to them looking at her hair.

"You wanna watch where you're going brat?" One of the men sneered as she walked past him. She glanced at him and looked forward, rolling her eye. They may have looked intimidating with the large weapons strapped to their backs and waists, but she could tell that they probably had no idea how to fight with them. "Did you just roll your fucking eyes at me?" His hand grasped her shoulder and her hand twitched towards her weapons pouch.

"Come on, it's just a brat, leave it." The man seemed to ignore his friend as he tried to pull him away.

"You going to answer me, brat?" Sakura sighed audibly and turned to look up at the man.

"Why should I, you're hardly worth my time." One of the men laughed as the man before her bristled in anger.

"You stupid brat, why don't I teach you some goddamn manners." The small crowd around them looked as if they wanted to help, but fear seemed to overtake that desire. The man went to grab Sakura's wrist and let out a scream when his hand disconnected from his forearm. He cradled his bleeding wrist and stepped away from the pinkette. The crowd seemed to freeze as they looked at the girl as she flipped her stained kunai around her finger.

"What, weren't you going to teach me some manners?" She asked, her lips set in a grim line. "Because trust me, I'd love to stay for that, but it seems you just developed an impairment." She leaned down poking the hand on the ground with the tip of her blade. Sakura rolled back and positioned herself back onto her feet as she dodged the slice of a blade. The man's companions seemed to be angered by her as they pulled out their weapons. "One against five, well if you had four more it might actually seem like a fair fight." Taunting was one thing she took to the most in her shinobi training. It was a good way to distract and disorient her opponents with their own anger. Pushing off of the ground as she dodged another slice of a blade she grabbed the chain of a sickle that was thrown at her. In one quick movement she had her feet back on the ground and her fist reeled back. Pulling on the chain she brought her fist forward as the man on the other end was pulled toward her.

"One down."

Flicking kunai out of the air with her own she sprinted forward and arched her body down. Sliding her foot quickly in a crescent shape she kicked one of the men's feet out from under him. Slamming her fist into his nose and seeing his eyes close as he lost consciousness she pushed her hands off of his chest flipping herself away from another attack.

"Two."

She stalled only slightly as a kunai dug itself into her arm. Continuing her run forward she slid under a tall man's legs using the kunai she took out of her arm to cut his right ankle. After he fell to his knees she scissor kicked him in the side of the head effectively knocking him out.

"Three."

Sakura gasped for air as pain traveled through her stomach causing her to be lifted off of her feet and slammed into the side of a building behind her. She looked up bleary eyed as her opponent approached her. A stocky man with tattoos traveling up both arms. He walked toward her swinging his naginata as a devilish grin spread across his face. Sakura felt fear grip her heart as she looked around the now barren street. A scream exited her lips as she felt pain course through her body. Blood seeped through her clothes as the blade of the naginata pierced her shoulder. Her hand tried viciously to pull the blade out of her shoulder eliciting a small yelp of pain as the man pushed it in farther.

"You're a pretty decent fighter for a little kid, shame to end that here, but you cut off my friend's hand, and I'm sure he's a bit pissed about that." Sakura grit her teeth trying to stop the tears that began gathering on the corner of her eyes. Everything in her told her to beg for her life but she zipped her lips shut. The naginata was yanked from her shoulder violently, blood dripped on the ground staining the concrete red. She grit her teeth as the man raised the weapon and prepared to strike a fatal blow against her. The girl watched his muscles tense and his arms thrust forward. She waited until she could see her reflection on the tainted blade. As the man's smile widened sure he would kill her she pushed herself forward off of the wall. Using her momentum she slid between his legs and turned once she was past him kicking his legs and causing him to fall face first into the wall. Shakily she got to her feet knowing the man wasn't downed yet. She turned hearing the shifting of feet and a cry of pain. The pinkette looked on in confusion as she stared at one of the men, who currently had a katana through his heart. She saw his eyes go dark as he gasped for air and blood stained his clothes. Gurgling he fell to the ground and slumped over dead.

"A bit unfair to attack a little kid, though I can't say the brat didn't do a good job taking care of you runts." Sakura was stunned at the tall man leaning against his now sheathed katana. His eyes shifted down to her and he cracked a sharklike smile. The sharp teeth seemed to take Sakura out of her daze and she turned quickly back to the man she had taken down. The man stood shakily, he took one look at the man behind Sakura and bolted. The pinkette turned and regarded the man with a frown. He stared at her for a moment then proceeded to walk past her and pick up the naginata the man that bolted so foolishly left behind.

"I had it under control." She glared at him once she heard a laugh escape his lips.

"Of course, that's why you were almost impaled from behind." Before she could retort she began to feel quite dizzy. Looking at her shoulder wound she stumbled a bit and leaned against a street lamp. Cursing under her breath she brought a green hand to her shoulder and began healing. Though she had lost a lot of blood because of the severity of the wound. Sakura made a mental note to buy a new medkit at the store. Her previous one was fresh out of gauze from the constant care she had to give to her eye. Sakura was a bit disappointed in herself that after so many years she had yet to restock. Though she supposed not getting injured enough to use it since then was a bit of an accomplishment. After she had mended the bone and knitted the skin back together she was forced to leave the skin as it was. Sakura knew the large raw mark on her shoulder would just become another scar, considering she didn't have enough chakra to fully heal it. Sighing, the girl walked toward a store she had been in twice since arriving in Mist.

"Oi' kid, you seriously leavin' without taking his weapon, that's a bit goddamn disgraceful." Sakura turned to the tall shark man with confusion swirling through her eyes.

"I don't even know how to wield a Naginata." He shook his head and tossed the weapon to her.

"That doesn't matter, it's tradition here kid, he left it for that reason." Sakura swirled, the several inches bigger than her weapon clumsily in her hand.

"I'm not even from here." Sakura bordely stated as she looked at the tall gold stained staff. The crimson ribbon that hung just under the blade swayed as she twirled the staff in her hands. The blade, she noted, was still glimmering with her blood.

"Doesn't matter, you disarmed him here." The man shrugged.

"Why do you care so much." Her eye never left the oddly weighted weapon as she fiddled with it.

"I don't really, just a bit bored and you brightened my day by being able to watch a little kid beat the shit out of a group of chunin with God complexes." There it was again, that infuriating sharp grin of his. Sakura finally gave up, relenting to taking out a scroll fixing on sealing the weapon inside of it. She stopped when she saw a frown on the blue man's face.

"What?" He shook his head and put up his hands like telling her to forget about it. "You can't just frown at me like that then not tell me why!" Sakura's brow twitched in irritation making the man smirk in amusement.

"When you claim a weapon from someone you don't seal it away, you wear it on your back to show off." Sakura's frown deepened.

"A bit pompous isn't it?" The man shrugged again, strapping his katana to his back. Sakura sighed and took out a cloth covering the Naginata blade with it and using the ribbon to tie it off.

"You might want to go buy an actual sheath for that, and it looks like that idiot didn't even have a strap for it." Sakura looked at the man's contemplative expression as he walked over and began looking over the weapon.

"Seriously, why do you care?" The man shrugged and motioned her to follow him. Against her better judgment she went without complaint looking at him like he was crazy.

"The names, Kisame, you?" Sakura blinked in surprise at the sudden question.

"Sakura." She answered with veiled suspicion over her words. Afterall, he could have just saved her to lure her into a trap, maybe get a bounty off of her father. Then she scratched that idea out because no one actually knew that she was Jiraiya's daughter. She after all always introduced herself as Sakura Haruno when she had to give a last name. Not that she was embarrassed of her father being her father, but it was safer if people didn't know. "Where are we going?" Kisame pointed toward a small rundown weapons shop.

"Getting you a sheath and a strap." Unable to find an actual reason to turn the offer down Sakura kept her mouth shut and continued following him. Glancing up at the tall man whom she decided was crazy and saw him watching her from the corner of his eye. Sakura slightly flushed as he grinned, obviously noticing her staring at him. "Can't keep your eyes off me, am I just that handsome?" If it were possible his grin widened. Rolling her eyes Sakura crossed her arms over her chest.

"I was more staring at the fact that your teeth, skin and the gills under your cheeks make you look like a fish." Kisame's grin fell as his eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"What was that?" Sakura turned with a smile on her face as Kisame glared at her.

"I think you heard me quite clearly, sharky."

"Why you little-"

"Kisame!" Sakura turned to see a pretty brunette jogging toward them. She stopped once she made her way to them, the smile on her face turning into a confused pout. As she looked closer at Sakura she smiled.

"Hello my name is Miru, are you Kisame's younger sister?" Sakura raised a brow at that question. "I wasn't aware he had siblings." Miru looked a bit off put that she wasn't clued into a part of Kisame's life.

"No, I actually just met him, he saved my life and was showing me one of your cultures customs, something about wearing your opponent's weapons as some sort of trophy?" Miru looked at Kisame with a raised brow.

"Did he now?" Sakura looked at Kisame when she heard Miru speak in that tone of voice, like she was angry at him. "I wasn't even aware of such a custom," Now Sakura was a bit ticked off, had he really been lying to her? "Why are you feeding lies about our country to a child Kisame?" The woman put a hand on her hip as she questioned him. The man put his hands up in surrender as he looked at the two girls that were both a bit pissed with him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Miru-chan, that's been a custom-"

"That has not been a custom in centuries, since the first war, and it was only a custom so people could protect themselves by intimidating others that might attack them!" Sakura looked between the two in slight amusement.

"Are you two a couple?" Miru's head whipped toward her in surprise. Her cheeks flushed and she shook her head frantically.

"N-no, we, we aren't." She stuttered and looked at the ground. Kisame looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Though Sakura guessed that he was a bit disappointed at her answer.

"Mm okay, well, I have a new weapon that needs a sheath and a strap, so, wanna help?" The woman looked at Kisame then Sakura and smiled giving a small nod. Sakura walked toward a weapons shop and through the doors. Throughout the day Sakura dragged both of them to numerous places in town before Miru split off saying her goodnight by kissing Sakura on the head and Kisame on the cheek. Which caused both of them to blush madly and awkwardly say goodbye. Sakura rolled her eyes as Kisame and her walked through the village as the nightlife began to come alive.

"Where to now, pinky?" Sakura glanced up at Kisame and shrugged.

"You up for a bar, sharky?" He raised a brow but shrugged.

"Whatever you want kid." She grinned and grabbed his arm pulling him into a bar. Everywhere they went it seemed everyone was familiar with Kisame. Then again, it was fairly hard to forget a giant blue shark man. The bartender set down three bottles of sake in front of him without him having to ask and Sakura looked at him in amusement.

"You seem to be fairly famous here." Pouring herself a cup of sake and taking a drink Kisame shrugged.

"Comes with the job. And I ain't really famous kid, more like infamous." She raised a brow and leaned back in her chair.

"Guess I never really did ask. What is your job?" He blinked and looked at her.

"Wait, kid you seriously don't recognize me?"

"I already told you I wasn't from here." He pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Everyone knows who I am! I'm Kisame Hoshigaki!" She shrugged.

"That means what exactly?"

"I'm the top guard of the Cypher division! One of the top ninja in Mist!" She shrugged again.

"That's interesting I guess?" He huffed and pouted.

"Brat."

"Jerk." They both looked at each other for a moment then went back to drinking. "So top guard. What do you even do here? Besides awkwardly flirt with Miru?" He practically choked on his drink before he smacked her on the back of the head.

"Listen pinky. I don't flirt with her. We're barely even acquaintances." She shrugged again.

"Whatever you say, Sharky. Never answered my question." He huffed again and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"I train kiddo. Train, drink, eat, sleep, normal shit." He took another large drink from the bottle. "What's it to ya?"

"I'll be here for another week, sharky. I want to see if I can actually do anything interesting other than keeping up with letters." He snorted.

"Hate to break it to ya pinky. But there ain't much to do here other than protect your wallet and get drunk."

"Maybe you're just boring." He smacked her again.

"Shut it."

~Sakura, age 11~

The sky was an ashen grey, the air in the clearing was still, almost chilling and instilled with fear. She was feeling something almost foreign to her as she held her bleeding arm and gasped for breath just staring across at her opponent. Tall and uncaring as a bright red glow came from the solitary hole in his mask. He was almost curious as to how the child in front of him was still standing. She was bleeding, and it was clear that she was fearful of him. Yet, her fear wasn't stifling her drive to fight. He regarded her with amusement as she shifted her feet in a wider stance and crouched down, eye calculative as she scanned the area around him, eye always ending on him. Her thoughts were going a million miles an hour as she contemplated ways she could get out of this alive. Running wouldn't work, she had to enhance her eye with chakra to even see his movements. It would take no time for him to catch her and she would be too vulnerable with her back to him. She sighed when she figured out her only option and rolled her shoulders.

'Fine, I guess this is happening. If I live through this. I'm blaming Kisame.' Not that Kisame had anything in particular to do with this, she just found that blaming the giant blue fishman made her feel better on most occasions. She shifted and closed her eye before she sent her Chakra out into the area around her before she tilted her head from side to side and felt him move toward her. She waited, waited until she felt the wind on her face as he shunshinned in front of her. Waited until she felt his enormous Chakra engulf hers, she slammed her palm up into his wrist pushing the blade up away from her before it could cut her jugular and slashed her hand extending chakra from her fingers and slicing his arm with the chakra scalpels. Feeling the satisfaction as he flinched back from it his entire body tense from the pain before she was thrown through the air by a kick. Feeling her ribs cracking as she gasped for air before her back slammed into a tree cracking it. She coughed standing and pouring healing chakra through her body only healing the most major things. Jumping back as he swung at her and dodging several more attacks as he advanced on her. He gave her no room to breath as he continued to attack. Everytime she tried to gain enough ground away from him to do anything he'd be in front of her with another attack that she had to frantically dodge. The fight was just continuing to drag on and it seemed that he was getting bored of her. He backed off and for a moment of tired and desperate thinking she believed that he was just going to walk away. Jumping back to gain some ground away from him she didn't have time to dodge him as he shunshinned forward. She felt an unimaginable amount of pain as his blade was shoved through her chest. A scream ripped through the air as she used all of her strength to hold the blade in her as she pumped healing chakra through her trying to heal her heart. Screaming again as he started twisting the blade in her. Tears streaming down her cheeks she looked up at him and he stalled at that fire still raging in her eye as she held onto the blade her hands bleeding from her grip and she stepped toward him. He blinked in thought for a moment before a dark chuckle escaped from his lips and he continued twisting the blade.

"You could have had quite the potential child. It's almost a shame that you had to expend your purpose so soon." She screamed as he twisted the blade in her and yanked it out. She dropped to her knees as she crumpled to the ground before blood began pooling around her body as she met darkness.

Pathetic child. Dying so early in your life.

The voice echoed through the darkness she waded through. It was deep and guttural and it shook her to her core.

'Wh-at? Who... who are you? Where am I?'

You're dying child. And I am the one that is going to save us.

He paused walking away as the ground began shaking and red Chakra engulfed everything around them. Turning to the dead child to see her wounds begin healing as the Chakra swirled violently around her and slowly she pushed herself to her feet eyes glowing red as the whisker like scars on her face became more defined. She cracked her knuckles and grinned showing the fangs that grew in her mouth

"You fucked up."

It was as if a storm was released from a cage as energy ripped through the area around them threatening to make him drop to his knees. The chakra was violent and suffocating whipping around her like a shield. A crazed laugh escaped her lips before he felt a blow to his stomach that sent him sailing through the air slamming into several trees before his momentum finally stopped. His ribs were broken and he strained to breath as blood dripped from his mouth. He thought for a moment, that he possibly made a mistake. Seeing the power endlessly pouring from her being he realized he could most probably die if he stayed any longer. Choosing to take action by doing the only logical thing he could think of. Strategic retreat. Sakura blinked in surprise when he shunshinned away from her and began to flash step quickly to leave.

Go after him. Sakura pondered for a moment before she shrugged and the red faded from her eye. Her Chakra returned to the cooling blue that pulsed gently around her before she suppressed it all to that of a civilian.

"No need to. I'm late anyway." Turning and walking toward the forest to go find her father. There was an enraged growl from her mind and she flinched at the loud noise.

I said go after him! He killed you child, he deserves to be taught why that was a grave mistake. Sakura yawned, making the beast in her mind even angrier.

"Nah, I'm good."

You insolent bra-

"Yeah yeah, so what do I call you Fox-chan?" He bristled at the nickname and growled more.

Don't. Ever. Call me that.

"Give me a name or Fox-chan is sticking." He growled and snapped and she felt a small bit of pain in her head but ignored it. Staying silent for a long while as she walked before she smiled at his response.

Kurama.

"Well then. Nice to meet you Kurama-san, thank you for the save." Kurama would never admit it, but this brat could possibly be growing on him.