In the eerie silence a constant high pitched sound entered her consciousness. Slowly she became aware of cold hard ground underneath her body, then the smell of leaves, earth and grass. The cold seeped into her bones, numbing her.
Around her twilight fell, she noticed the change through her eyelids. The coldness intensified, slowly descending from the tops of the trees, humidity in its wake. The moisture in the air seemed to coax more smells from her surroundings; there was bamboo and a whiff of wild honeysuckle.
Time was of no consequence, she only existed within the moment, without a past or future. Consciousness came and went as it pleased. Her body felt heavy, like a rock pressing on the cold earth.
While a part of her registered these sensory impressions emotionlessly, another part of her awoke with a start and a worried feeling began to nestle in her heart. Ever so slowly her identity and purpose resurfaced into her consciousness. While her mind seemed to become whole and aware, she realised quickly that her body was rather broken.
Trying to move her limbs proved no success. While trying slowly feeling came back, accompanied by severe pain. Her blood drenched clothing was painfully stuck to her skin and wounds, in some places already dried up to a hard crust. More time seemed to pass while she was stuck in the moment, trying to move, slowly realising who she was. Haruno Sakura, medic nin, member of Team Seven. And then suddenly a thought struck her mind as if it were lightning. The battle!
The idea seemed to fuel her chakra level, although she knew it to be impossible. With one swift movement, she shot up and stared around. Where was she! Where was the battlefield? Where was the noise of explosions, cries and weapons clattering? The smell of burned meat, fire, earth. She was in a peaceful forest and for the life of her, she couldn't remember how she got there! There was a black void in her mind that she could not penetrate. Then she remembered the battle against the Kaguya goddess. She was thrown with incredible force backwards by the goddess, who screamed something about time. She looked around. Time? Was she in another time? Could it even be possible?
There was no time to assess her situation further, she felt a strong chakra signature approaching. Fast. She stiffened. She was unfamiliar with her surroundings. There seemed no place to hide. Best to stay in the open and confront the person head on. Her own power was mostly based on taijutsu which worked best within arm range anyway. It was a gamble, but it was all she could think of in her weakened state. She noticed her heart rate increasing, while the chakra signature approached.
Suddenly he was there, landing with a graceful leap in a crouched position on the ground before her, poised like a cat, the grass moving violently by the replacement of air. He stood with grace, limbs light and agile, his movements smooth, flowing like water. He was tall, shoulder broad, legs long. Staring down at her he folded his arms over his chest in haughty disdain.
She met his gaze. Blue armour and a white fur collar made her gasp. "Nidaime-sama!" She bowed immediately, shaking, trying to catch her breath and trying to still her heartbeat. How was this possible? How could the Nidaime Hokage be here again? The Edo Tensei technique had been dispelled.
Her mind was whirling, staring at his face. Her eyes scrutinized him, the grey hair, like Kakashi-sensei's hair, reddish eyes, facial markings. His features were handsome, finely chiseled, well balanced, a straight nose and strong jaw, high cheekbones. He did not look like an Edo Tensei clone or body. He lacked the specific assembled markings. The more she started, the more she became convinced that he was very real and very alive. The impossibility of it, made way to the one leftover inevitable thought. Could I be in the past?
His eyes were narrowed, his expression grave. Shit, she gave herself away with her reaction. They never officially met and now she displayed the fact that she did know him and respected him and acknowledged his status. How was she to explain this? She racked her brain about the Nidaime.
He was known for his very direct communication style. He was stern and serious and responsible for almost the complete structural foundation of Konoha's powerbase: the Police Force, the Ninja Academy, the Hospital, ANBU, the Genin- and Chuunin Examinations. History books recollected that he was a strong willed shinobi with a great love for his people and for Konoha. Secondary information sources stated that he tended to be devoid of emotion, constantly vigilant bordering on paranoia, but seen by others as merely suspicious and always weary. He died sacrificing himself to save his team of subordinates. A team that included Danzo, head of Root en the Sandaime-Hokage.
Great. She gave him in the very first minute of their encounter a good reason to be suspicious of her and she could not undo it.
Senju Tobirama assessed the kunoichi before him. There was no doubt she was a shinobi, her flak jacket gave her away, as well her hitai-ate, which said 'Shinobi Rengōgun', Allied Shinobi Forces.
She felt extremely out of place to him, and how unlikely it seemed, he was certain that this girl just exited a battlefield. Her wounds were fresh, he could smell the blood. She was shaking lightly, but there were no signs of shock, she was battle hardened.
He frowned while analyzing. She didn't belong here, there existed no Allied Shinobi Force and female kunoichi were as good as non-existing. There was no battlefield in the vicinity that could have caused her wounds. There was just no way she could exist here at this moment. His brain raced, probing all options. She recognized him. She called him Nidaime. How could that be? He was second to Hashirama in line. What knowledge did she possess?
Tobirama was a man of high intelligence. Quick to analyse situations and make fast decisions while depending on hard evidence. Also he was a realist. There was no way he could fool himself from any truth. He always chose the hardest path to take, truth, even the unlikely truth. Ruling all the probable explanations out, he was left with the improbable ones.
He realized this kunoichi did not belong in this place and this time. The more he looked at her, the more likely this theory seemed to be. Could that be possible? It was not a big leap of thought for a shinobi that was constantly developing space-time ninjutsu. The question was from where and when she came. He frowned.
She looked startled, he literally saw the wheels turning behind her eyes. If she knew him, she must have realized by now, what his character was. She must realize how suspicious she would have made him with her reaction. He wondered what story she would invent to convince him that she was trustworthy. The chance that she would just blurt out the truth was not very likely. If she would have met a lesser shinobi, she would have been killed on the spot on suspicion of mental illness or just plain deception. What was the best cause of action? How could he make her prove his peculiar theory? Start with the basics.
"State our name, kunoichi." His voice was deep and rich, but monotone and deadly serious.
Her mind worked frantically, searching for the best course of action. Honesty or deception? She doubted she could fool this legendary Hokage in any way. Maybe a half-truth would be best under the circumstances. She straightened her back. "Haruno Sakura, Senju-sama!" She figured it wouldn't matter if she used his name anyway. He knew. She saw he knew. And she wondered how much he knew.
"Haruno?" He frowned. First proof for his theory as far as he was concerned. There existed no Haruno-clan.
"Kunoichi, explain your hitai-ate and the non-existence of this clan in these lands"
She frowned. He was not beating around the bush! What to tell? "The Haruno clan consists of merchants, Senju-sama. You are right, we are not from here, but travel through these lands. Allied Shinobi Forces is a small band of masterless shinobi that I was part of and that protected our economic interests, but they were killed. I am the only survivor."
She fell silent. It was a meagre lie. She waited with a beating heart for his reaction because it would tell her the extent of his suspicions.
There was no sign of wavering suspicions. He kept on frowning, arms crossed. Then he sniffed the air, looking up suddenly. The faint light shone on his pale face, the facial tattoos clearly visible. It reminded her of the Inuzuka clan, sniffing the air like that made him look feral, like a fierce animal in pursuit of prey. His stoic expression did not falter and he sighed warily. His deep voice stated tonelessly: "Kunoichi, we will see about your statement. Night is falling. There is a secret shelter close by, five minutes. We will go there and tend to your wounds. Can you run?" She nodded silently.
He took off without warning, jumping from tree to tree. She followed as fast as she could but her body felt like it was made of stone. It took more than five minutes and she felt more dead than alive when he came to a halt by a small crack in a rock face. He went in, carefully, sideways. There was a small space inside, with one bed, draped with fur blankets, a small fire still going. There was a small pan next to the fire with some rice, already cooked. He must have been here, sensing her presence the moment she arrived.
The temperature inside was comfortable and she sighed relieved. A wave of tiredness flooded her senses. She squatted down where she stood, leaning her back against the wall feeling dizzy.
He prodded around in the cave. A loud clang told her he had taken off his armour, carelessly throwing it on the ground. She faintly noticed he removed his happuri, revealing a more boyish and soft face. She dozed off for a small amount of time.
Then she was startled by a gentle tug on her shoulder and she instinctively grabbed for a kunai, but her pouch was missing, no doubt a precaution of the Nidaime. She must have slept longer than she realized.
A bowl of rice was held under her nose. She didn't realize her hunger until she smelled the food and started to wolf down the content of the bowl. Her hunger made the rice taste like nothing she ever ate before, fragrant, warm, sweet with a hint of salt. The warmth of it made her feel better. It spread from her belly throughout her limbs, causing the pain returning with a vengeance.
She looked at him. He was sitting next to the fire, eating rice, looking at her. His mouth hidden behind his bowl, he gestured towards two thick pieces of bamboo stuck in the hot coals. She carefully leaned forward, took one, opening the lid. She smelled tea and carefully sipped from it while staring in the fire. She noticed a large kettle hanging above the licking flames, heating water.
When he was done eating and sipping his tea, he spoke again, face expressionless. "Haruno-san. It may seem imprudent, but seeing your state, I will assist you with cleaning your wounds. It is important to clean them before they infect. Will you trust me?"
She nodded. He was right. She felt weak and tired and she had no chakra left to heal herself. Lifting her hands was difficult. Tending her wounds would have to wait until morning. So it was imperative that they would be cleaned before they closed up permanently during her sleep.
She looked down at her clothing, clotted and stuck to her skin. He seemed to guess her thoughts: "Don't worry Haruno-san. There is a spare outfit in this shelter for emergencies. I think this is such an emergency."
He was looking at this strange kunoichi with interest. She was exhausted, but didn't seem fazed by the idea of a stranger washing her. She seemed aware of the necessity of cleaning her wounds, giving it priority above her prudence.
The journey towards the cave had surprised him. He wasn't used to female kunoichi or women keeping up with his speed and she was even wounded. Her strange hair colour made her look exotic, although the colour was now lost in the yellow and golden light of the fire. She wasn't bothered by her wounds too much. She ran to this place for a full ten minutes without complaints and with a constant speed. Her chakra reserves were almost gone and still she had been keeping up with him. Her mental state was strong. She was a battle hardened kunoichi, an alien concept to him, but one that fascinated him to no end.
They waited for a moment for the water to come to a boil. Suddenly he noticed her eyes becoming abnormally large, fixating on the fire. Her whole demeanour changed from a deep tiredness to a tense posture. She started shaking, a horrified expression on her face. She started to pant quickly, eyes seemingly looking at a confronting scene that played in her mind. She chanted softly in herself "No… no… no …no.." Then her eyes widened, then she stood up, body poised, crying with fear evident in her voice: "Neji! Nooo!" Wailing, she hugged herself, moving back and forth, repeating the name over and over in herself.
He knew what this was, all warriors experienced it after traumatic events. She was reliving the events of the battle. He sighed. This was the reason he and his brother tried desperately for peace between the clans. War left scars. He stood up quickly and rested his hand on her shoulders, softly tugging at her. She seemed to snap out of her memories. Her eyes met his and realisation kicked in. She sank to her knees, all strength leaving her. Only then tears started to leak out of her eyes, uncontrollably they fell down, trying to wash away the experience. He sunk through his knees until he was facing her, his face inches away from hers.
She spoke with trembling lips: "Hyuuga Neji. I couldn't save him. He died saving Naruto. He sacrificed himself but I couldn't safe him. All my training and I couldn't do it. Death took him…." She let the tears flow freely without shame.
"Sakura…. " under the circumstances, he naturally left off the honorific. "It wasn't your fault. You did well trying to save your comrades. But death is part of a shinobi's life. If he died in battle, it was an honourable death"
She grabbed his arms, holding him tightly, staring into his red eyes wildly: "I can transform my cells in such a way that I can survive death. I was mortally wounded and survived because of my techniques. But I couldn't save him. I was too late. Why was I too late?" Her shoulders shook and she cried.
Tobirama moved on instinct, pulling her close to his body while she mentally fell apart in his arms. They sat next to the fire, frozen in the moment. Tobirama felt her burying her face in his neck, while he held her delicate body with his calloused hands, wondering about the battle that this small kunoichi had fought in. He held her until she calmed down and she came to her senses enough to blush about the intimate moment she was having with the legendary Nidaime Hokage. He seemed unfazed by the intimacy though, his face impassive. They were shinobi and as such, they shared an intimate and special bond that connected them even through time. Imprudent intimacy would not be tolerated in the civilian society and clan life that he was part of, but in a shinobi life gender boundaries were non-existing and these moments were accepted. As shinobi they were equals.