Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


The cherry blossom impact

05

Sakura scrunched her face with growing displeasure as she once again rolled in her bed trying to find the perfect position to resume her slumber. Any time now, her alarm clock would start blaring an annoying tune to wake her up and she was being unnecessarily stubborn, refusing to get up before her alarm told her so. She wasn't ready to start her day just yet, so she stayed in bed, buried under her rough covers and waited, ignoring the growing pressure in her side.

She hummed in defeat, finally sitting upright, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes before she took in the room she was in which was definitely not her room... and it all came crashing down at once. Sakura sucked in a sharp breath of surprise as she felt her heart rate pick up within her, ringing- pounding in her ears, blocking any other sound.

'Calm down,' she told herself, digging her nail in the soft flesh of her palms as a distraction while she tried to collect herself and years of training kicked in.

She was in the centre of the room, laying down on a futon, giving her the perfect angle to inspect her surroundings without moving much, not that there was much to see. Sakura glanced around the room, further confirming her fears with just one look. The room was... bare, and very spacious. Its lack of decoration and clutter made it seem even more so. A changing screen was to her right, its paper windows decorated with a hand painted floral pattern so detailed that she could recognise some of them from her time helping Ino with her family shop. At the thought of her friend, Sakura shook her head, forcing herself not to dwell on it, she had yet to fully come to terms with her situation and what being trapped in the past entailed for her- their- future. She had already fucked up, hadn't she? Saving Madara's younger brother was bound to bring repercussions for the yet-to-be created Konoha. Whether those changes were positive or negative, only time could tell. Time. She scoffed at the word, feeling the familiar stung of tears gather around her eyes that she blinked away, 'Not now.' she calmed herself, burying her emotions within her for the moment, she could have her breakdown later on, once she was sure of her situation.

She continued with her assessment, spotting a basin with water and rag next to it and a chamber pot... Her stomach sank at the sight, out of all of the things she had seen so far, that's the one that made her start cursing Tobirama's mere existence. Not quite done yet, she moved on onto the last thing occupying the room, it's a vanity, made out of a rich wood that she immediately recognised as the result of Mokuton. The same flowery pattern is carved in the wood and painted to match the changing screen to perfection. It's beautiful and it also serves as another reminder of her situation as the skin in her palm starts to itch, the same area where Hashirama's seal was placed and Sakura sighed again, heavily, hoping to release the whirlwind of emotions raging inside of her with that one breath. It's futile, of course, there's still an uncomfortable weight sitting in her chest, growing in size the longer she sits there. She had never felt this helpless before and the sensation is almost overwhelming as clings to the last ounce of her sanity.

She was back in time, thrust into a time not her own all because of a man. Tobirama Senju. She gritted her teeth, clenching the fabric draped across her lap to take out her frustrations as she imagined herself wrapping those very same hands around his neck. Shock melted into anger in the blink of an eye and Sakura relished in the familiar emotion and allowed it to push her to her feet. She fixed the loose sash around her yukata as she turned to find an exit, wondering what happened to the lovely yukata she had been wearing before for a brief seconds before she spotted the big banner hanging behind the futon. The Senju's clan insignia is splayed proudly across the green fabric and Sakura roughly pulls at her clothes to check that yes, the symbol is also on her clothes, embroidered in white thread. She scrunched her nose, fixing her clothes once again and she swears she can hear Ino's voice teasing her about this being some sort of weird claim on her.

As any other she had in the past minutes, Sakura pushed that thought out of her brain.

Silently, she made her way across the room away from the sounds coming from the other side, seeing the sun reflected on the paper walls, meaning she had found a way out. She slid it open just enough so she could take a peek outside. It was a garden, Sakura's not too surprised at this revelation as she looked around, checking for anyone wandering around the area. When she found none, she rested her hand in the door for a second too long with the intention of slipping away but something stopped her. She couldn't leave, not after what she'd done. Saving Madara's brother had started a change of events that had yet to unfold, as far as she knows, Konoha would never exist ... or it would, she wasn't a seer. But it was too much of a risk to just leave it to luck and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she left just like that, couldn't pretend that she would be okay to doom her loved ones to never exist just because she saved someone's life. She couldn't regret it, as a medic and as a compassionate person, she doesn't have it in her, even if it complicates things for her in the long run, she would never regret it. The look of gratefulness on his face would be permanently engraved in her mind.

So she slid the door close and turned around to meet, (with what she hoped, was a normal expression in her face) the gentle footsteps approaching her room as she felt a strange prickle in the distance that somehow she managed to recognise as the chakra signature of the Senju brothers, pondering how long had they know she was awake and pacing around in her room.

The door opened in a swift motion followed by a sharp gasp that made her wince. She wasn't that scary, was she?

The older woman rubbed a hand in her chest to control her erratic heartbeat, offering Sakura an apologetic smile and bowed slightly, as far as the bucket balanced in her hips allowed her to before meeting her eyes, "I'm sorry, Sakura-sama. I didn't expect you to be awake and out of bed this soon," the woman explained shyly as Sakura's brow raised at the honorific. The woman set the bucket down and properly bowed at her, tendrils of black hair escaping her bun at the sudden action, "My name is Ichika. Hashirama-sama assigned me as your personal servant." She doesn't dare to maintain eye contact for long and soon she is stepping out again, "I will bring you breakfast shortly and send someone else to fill a tub so you can wash before meeting Hashirama-Sama and Tobirama-Sama," Ichika finished in a soft voice.

"Meeting?" Is all she managed to say.

Her newly appointed servant nodded eagerly, mistaking her apprehension with something else, "Yes! They requested to meet with you as soon as you woke up." she proudly informed her, eyes sparkling with admiration at both men.

Sakura nodded at her, a sight the woman took at her dismissal and promptly left the room, her excited footsteps fading in the distance. She rubbed her temples, trying to ease a nonexistent headache. Of course they wanted answers, that was the price of staying here. They were probably racking their brains trying to come up with a plausible explanation for her unusual arrival, poor Tobirama his brain probably started smoking and turned to mush by now, 'Hah! a girl can only hope.'


(...)

Hashirama brought the ceramic cup to his lip, breathing in the light scent of the tea before taking a small sip as he peered at his brother from over his cup. It's one of those rare occasions in which they're both in the same mood, serious, impatient and waiting for answers. Tobirama's back is facing him and even under the layer of his armour and pelt, he noticed the tenseness in his muscles. Not an unusual sight for him, but he always prided himself in being able to read his brother's mood. Where most people saw no change in Tobirama's blank face, his brother noticed every subtle change in it. From the slight frown that marred his brow ever since they returned home carrying an unconscious woman with them to the tightness in his jaw and the constant gritting of his teeth that only seemed to intensify after they received a missive from the Uchiha's.

He set his cup down, away from the open scroll laying in his desk and couldn't help but frown at it. Before he could ponder any more on it, someone stood outside of his office, "Come in," He called, closing the scroll and securing it away in one of the secret compartments in his desk.

Tobirama doesn't bother to turn to greet the newcomer and it is Hashirama's easy smile that eased Ichika's nerves as she stepped in, bowing quickly before speaking, "Sakura-Sama is awake." She informed them as they requested her to.

He nodded, "Thank you, Ichika. You may leave." He waited for the girl to leave before exchanging a look with his brother, who looked like he bit on a lemon by the pursing of his lips.

They knew she was awake as soon as she started moving, neither of them knew why or how they could tell, they just knew. It was unsettling to say the least, to be connected in any way to the strange woman that fell from the sky and the fact that even his brother, the most logical and rational person he knew seemed to be unable to come up with an explanation made it worse. Tobirama had only told him that it had been his doing, his own jutsu had backfired in a way he couldn't predict and that was all he knew. All they had left was to start entertaining the rumours spreading amongst the common folks like wildfire. Not even the mightiest warriors amongst his ranks was immune to partake in the hushed conversations that started after Haruno's-san arrival.

Fairy tales, Tobirama had called them, nothing they needed to even consider, he had reassured him. Nothing but the rambles of men incapable of producing the right answer to the unknown. But as time passed and people became less shy of discussing their theories in the open, even he was starting to crumble. The accepted theory by most members of their clan was that Haruno-san was a goddess, sent from the heavens to put an end to their endless war, (The scroll currently hidden on his desk supported this theory,) but there were also the folks that thought she was the complete opposite, an spy sent to lure them into lowering their guard and bring victory to the Uchiha's, this assumption was supported by the fact she had indeed healed Uchiha Izuna from a fatal wound inflicted by his younger brother.

He had no idea what to believe in and the more he thought about it, and the more he took in her soft features that seemed to be straight out a men's fantasy and her otherworldly colouring... he was inclined to believe there was more than one thing off with her, and he wasn't even taking their strange chakra connection into account-

Then something happened that broke him out of his musing.

Outside of his office, he sensed the aforementioned woman coming closer, her nimble approach would've been unnoticeable if he weren't able to feel her. He exchanged another look with Tobirama, no words were spoken but he knew they thought the same. Sakura Haruno was no normal woman, she was a shinobi just like them and that realisation added another layer to the ever growing mystery that she was.


Sakura smoothed a hand down her newest yukata, the pale fabric soft and light under her clammy touch as she fixed her posture, chin held high and back straight as they waited for Hashirama to invite them in. She had been dolled up again, not as much as Ino had done before, but they had dressed her up to this time standards of formal wear. The yukata was a teal colour, adorned with white flowers in the hem of the skirt and her right sleeve. Her hair had been combed and pinned into a bun, a single hair pain stuck on it. Her lips had been painted a rosy pink and her cheeks given a good squeeze to complete her look.

Ichika was bouncing in her spot, peeking at her with an excited grin every so often that Sakura answered with a nervous smile of her own, unable to share her sentiment as she's sure she was walking to her death- okay, that was a tad too extreme, but that's how she felt like. She was about to be face to face with two shinobi legends, of course she was nervous!

"Come in, Haruno-san," Hashirama's voice stirred her stomach unpleasantly as Ichika stepped away from the door and slid it open, revealing the two men waiting for her. His office is spacious, suited to fit a large party to discuss whatever clan head talked about with important people. The walls were lined with bookshelves as tall as the walls themselves, filled with all kinds of books and scrolls, any space that wasn't taken by either is occupied by a plant, something that doesn't surprise her. Behind his desk was another Senju banner, this one bigger than the one in the room she woke up in.

Sakura stepped in, coming to a stop in front of his desk and bowed as Ichika shut the door quietly. She met Hashirama's gaze and opened her mouth to greet him, her mind rehearsing the lies she made up as she ate her breakfast minutes ago.

Her mouth hung open as Tobirama beat her to it, "Who are you?" He asked gravely, looking at her as if she were the root of all of his problems. His brother's face fell at his rudeness, he was under the misconception they would take this easy!

A vein in her forehead throbbed at the nerve of that man but she remained calm, turning slightly to his side, "Haruno Sakura, Tobirama-sama," her faux cheery tone deepened his frown.

"That's not what I meant, woman. Why do you have both my brother's and I's chakra signature in you?" He asked and repeated his previous question, "Who are you?"

Agh, there goes her plan of lying her way out of this.

"You already know why." She challenged, refusing to elaborate and narrowing her eyes as they glared at each other and Hashirama was stuck glancing back and forth between them until he grew tired of it, setting his palm on his desk as he pushed himself into his feet, the action taking her attention away from Tobirama.

"Prove it."

"Please, forgive my brother, Haruno-san. As you can see, we were both very... confused about this whole thing and were expecting for you to clear things up for us." Hashirama smiled at her.

'Ah, the classic good cop and bad cop act.' Sakura groaned inwardly, peering over his shoulder to spot the only other exit in the room as she weighed her options once again. She could come by later, in a month or two...

Tobirama moved to block her view and she went back to glaring at him before she looked at Hashirama, "It's your brother's fault I'm here at all. He put his hiraishin seal on me without telling me," She enjoyed the way he flinched at the name and rejoiced at the dumbfounded stare his brother gave him after her last sentence- She lifted her blank hand next, catching their attention back, "And this seal, you placed it on me to seal's someone's chakra." She shrugged after her explanation, knowing they were back at square one.

"That makes no sense, woman." Tobirama spoke, "I've only developed this jutsu not long ago and I have never crossed paths with you," He stated and Hashirama nodded in agreement, neither brother recalled ever meeting a pink haired girl before.

'Here goes nothing,' Sakura mused inwardly, knowing they wouldn't believe her unless she told them the truth.

"That's because we haven't met yet," she said, confusing them even more as she gathered her wits to keep talking, "Not until a hundred years in the future, when all of the shinobi nations ally to fight a common enemy, Uchiha Madara in what is going to be known as the fourth shinobi war."

Hashirama's face felt as her words dawned on him, Tobirama on the other hand, was unimpressed. An Uchiha being a menace, what was there to be surprised about?

"A hundred years from now on, you say? Tobirama asked with scepticism.

She nodded, pointing a finger at him, "Also your fault." She said and he clenched his jaw, stubbornly looking away, "It was all thanks to your resurrection jutsu that you guys were involved at all to begin with."

Tobirama tensed after hearing that, regarding her with a hard stare as he mulled her words. His resurrection jutsu? He hadn't created such a thing -yet- but he had thought about it, a permanent solution to restore the many losses the Senju clan suffered after each battle. Soldiers that never grew tired and were loyal to their cause until the end of times... But that had been nothing but a stray chain of thoughts he only dared to entertain at night when he couldn't sleep after a particularly rough battle, after he helped his clansmen carry whatever was left of their comrades back to the compound and after he had to deliver his condolences to the mourning families.

"Fourth shinobi war?" Hashirama muttered coming out of his stupor, "How did Madara..." He trailed off, his intentions clear to her so she took it upon herself to answer what he couldn't voice.

As her eyes landed on Tobirama again, the man grunted and she smirked, "Also your brother's faults. Well, partly." she bit her lip, stalling what she was about to say. There was no point in lying, in keeping this to herself, Sakura had already changed the course of history with her arrival and had already started to change things without meaning to. She could try to fix things on her own, guide -manipulate- them into the right direction, but she had no power here, no voice. She was no longer Sakura Haruno, the best medic nin in the Shinobi world and the student of the fifth and sixth Hokage. She was no one, no prestigious reputation to back her claims and assured them that she wasn't a mad woman speaking nonsense. Sakura could build herself up again, she had done it before but she feared that things would take a turn for the worse if she chose to focus on herself. No, she couldn't do this alone. "Madara is not at fault here. After Izuna's death he started to spiral into darkness and-" She paused, a conflicted look flashed in her face as she tried to paint the man as the victim he was. After the war, she had a lot of time to think about it, about the Uchiha clan and their tragic endings, how their faithful love turned sour after each heartbreak until they reached their breaking point. For Sasuke, it had been the massacre, for Obito it had been Rin's death and for Madara, it had been a combination of things that led him to become the fearsome enemy they faced in battle. "His intentions weren't wrong-"

"Just as I imagined. You're an Uchiha sympathiser," Tobirama scoffed and his brother's head whipped in his direction, "You came here to tell us to call off the war, then? To concede victory to them?"

Sasuke's face filled her mind for a moment, a pang stabbing her aching heart at the memory, Sakura shook her head, "I didn't expect you to understand." She spat, turning to her last hope, Hashirama with pleading eyes, "You know him better than anyone else. Do you really think he's truly a lost cause? That he can't be saved? Are you truly okay with condemning a man from something he hasn't done-"

"Yet." Tobirama spoke, as unhelpful as ever.

"You weren't exactly a saint either," she shot back, "I read every single one of your diaries and research journals." She said deviously, turning to his older brother with a smile, "Did you know that it was him who let leafy die because he forgot to water it while you were gone?" She revealed, confirming her time travel affirmations as no one but Tobirama knew about that.

The room grew silent as Hashirama gaped at him, "You told me a bunny had hopped on him!"

The tips of Tobirama's ears were red as he glared at her, "I was a child, busy with my own duties to take care of your plant." He shook his head, dismissing the topic. The idea of this woman knowing each one of his most intimate secrets didn't sit well with him. It made him uncomfortable beyond belief and the little smirk she gave him told him she was aware of it, "Enough of this nonsense, woman. Tell us, what are your intentions? What do you gain from telling us this?"

"A home, I gain a home for my loved ones." she smiled sadly, "And for that I need to make sure that Konoha is brought to be as intended. Born from the dream of two boys from opposite clans that wished nothing but peace." She took Hashirama's hands in her own and the seal in her hand spun to life, doing its job to connect their feelings.

Hashirama placed a hand on top of her, squeezing it lightly, "Thank you for trusting us with your future, Haruno-san. We'll make sure not to disappoint." He assured her, a glint in his eyes as he looked at his brother for confirmation.

Tobirama sighed, he might not like it, but if there was a chance to change things for the best, even if it meant making peace with the Uchihas..."Very well. Anija."

Sakura let out a relieved sigh as her shoulders sagged, noticing a pair of red eyes staring at her back, "What it is?" She asked curiously, following his gaze, "Ah, you want to see it?" She said, releasing Hashirama's hands, the seal retreated back into nothing. Tobirama huffed, ears tinted pink as he looked away. Sakura giggled at his childishness, turning her back to them and easing the sash around her, letting the fabric fall down her shoulders as she gathered the rest in her chest to maintain her modesty as she too blushed at her boldness. She blamed her good mood for blinding her better judgement.

"May I?" Tobirama's voice made her jump before she nodded her consent for him to start touching her. He trailed one cold finger around her back, following the pattern of his seal with great care, awakening a wave of goosebumps after his touch as her stomach knitted and she forced her legs not to give in. Hashirama had come closer, his curious stare doing the same to her.

The door slid open as an elderly lady came in, carrying a tea tray that she dropped at the sight before her, "I-I'm s-sorry! I saw-nothing." She yelled, scurrying away as Sakura's blush deepened and both brothers took a step back, equally embarrassed.

"I should get going too," She managed to say, fixing her sash as she too ran away from the room. Her mind yelled at her for her stupidity and stomped on her messy feelings which she blamed on the fact that there was a similar scene written in the Icha Icha books her sensei loved to read.


(...)

What is this, a new year miracle? Yes, it is. I've been thinking about this for a while now but didn't had it in me to return just yet, but today I was like f*** it! I feel like writing my Sakura harem today.

Thank you for your patience and please do let me know what you thought of this chapter, reading all of the reviews make me giggle like an idiot and fill me with so much happiness to know so many people enjoy reading my late night fantasies turn into fic lol

Shameless plug here:

I'm writing an Si/oc reincarnated soul fic for Bleach were the Si "slash" oc soul is transmigrated to Orihime's Inoue body if anyone is interested in that hehe might post it some time today or later this week since I'm trying to write a few chapter ahead for once.