Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor the fictional characters except my own. I do not own the pictures either, but I own the plot.

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"Ino, what are you doing here?"

"Sakura! I heard that you will be back from your mission today! I also had a mission with my team and we just arrived, too. Azuma-sensei thought that it would be a good idea to invite all of you to eat some food at the nearby BBQ."

Kakashi looked at the blonde girl. Of course, Azuma would say something like that. Maybe he can escape this situation. "You guys can go on already. I will report to Hokage-sama," the man assured them but he wouldn't be let off the hook so easily.

"What are you talking about Kakashi? I invited everyone so, of course, you have to come and eat with us. Or, you could just pay for your team and we go eat Ramen."

Kakashi froze. This man was going to kill him. The teacher sighed not daring to ask where Azuma came from and agreed. On their way to report both their missions, Ino decided to talk to Sasuke. Poor boy. He thought he got rid of one fangirl just for another one to appear. Sakura was talking to Naruto. She was smiling and laughing. All of that didn't go unnoticed by their teachers and by two members of team 10.

As they reached the Hokage tower, they reported their mission and were allowed to go. "Let's go and eat some BBQ," exclaimed Chouji happily. The others laughed. It was kind of cute to see him so excited about food. He was like a baby receiving candy for the first time and not being able to let it go. Neither now nor ever.

Chouji was a kind soul. He was part of the Akimichi clan which meant that he had larger chakra reverses than other people. In addition, he had to eat much more than the other people. It was to perform his clan's secret technique. Other people were disgusted by them. Eating like pigs and feeling proud about it. How could they stuff food inside them like that? Why did that clan think it was a good idea to eat them all the food away? These were questions the civilian had but never thought about voicing their opinion.

Other clans understood their struggle. All of them did. They had to do things like eating, training, using more tools to be able to use their clans' secret techniques. It was hard. Chouji Akimichi hated being called fat. Of course, he did. Nonetheless, he was happy with his body and wouldn't change it. It made him who he was.

Shikamaru Nara. He was a smart boy. The Nara clan was the clan that had the best strategies. But the boy was lazy. Well, that would be something the civilians would say. They would always catch him sleeping somewhere or yawning. Always muttering something about troublesome this and troublesome that.

Besides that, the boy didn't try to do anything. Always complained about how annoying this was and that he gave up. Still, he was one of the only children taking an actual liking to him. Back in the academy, they were together. Chouji, Shikamaru, and Naruto were the troublemakers but it was good how it was.

Ino Yamanaka. Another fangirl of Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto didn't mind her much. She ignored him most of the time. There wasn't much to say about her. She's from the Yamanaka clan and has the special ability of mind-controlling. However, her self-image was destroyed a long time ago. A girl was supposed to be beautiful, graceful, skinny, and as a bonus intelligent.

She didn't know it better. That was the kind of society they lived in. If she decided to become a ninja, then she needed skills. The blonde girl needed to have the needed body for rescue missions. The man who was taken would be changed with her. The purpose of women in that world. She needed someone strong next to her so she wouldn't end up like her aunt.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun. Say, how was your mission? I bet it wasn't that hard with you there. Did you get stronger? I bet you did. You learned something new, right? I think it was tree-walking. Asuma-sensei said that your team was the first one to master this exercise. That's amazing."

The girl knew how to push his buttons. She needed to. How else was she supposed to survive in that world? Sasuke's only reply was some mutter he always did. "Hn." Ino was tired. Fuck that boy!

They reached the BBQ and waited for a waitress to ask for their menu. Kakashi sat opposite Azuma. Next to him was Sasuke, and next to Sasuke was Sakura. Naruto was the one who sat next to Sakura. Opposite him, Shikamaru was seated. Chouji sat in between him and Ino. So, the girl was able to continue to talk to Sasuke. She needed him to think that she was on his side. No matter what would happen in the future.

Then, after a while, a waitress came to take their order. "What can I get you?" she asked them politely. Chouji was the first one to order. In addition, he informed the people sitting at the same table as him about what was truly good and what was okay. It was a nice gesture and the others appreciate it.

Just as the blonde was about to place his order the woman was about to go. She ignored him. Just like everyone else. It was a shame enough to have him in that restaurant. The people at the other tables would agree with her. The boy meant misfortune. And they weren't all too wrong about that.

"Excuse me, you forgot to ask Naruto."

It was Sakura who spoke to the woman. The woman pretended that she truly had forgotten the boy and apologized. It wasn't like she meant it so it was OK. She took the blonde's order and disappeared.

"How was your mission by the way?"

Shikamaru looked at Naruto before he answered. "It was alright. Just a normal D-rank mission. And guess what? It wasn't about that stupid cat. The cat is surprisingly doing quite well," Shikamaru explained, and Sakura was impressed.

"That's good. I felt sorry for that poor thing. If I were her, I would have run away, too."

There was something left unsaid. Shikamaru noticed it. There was something about running away from home that he picked up. The way she talked only concluded that she wanted to run from something; from someone. Or maybe he was just interpreting too much.

"I heard that your first C-rank mission turned into a B-rank mission," Chouji started. Sakura turned her attention towards Chouji and nodded her head. "It was quite something. But let me be honest. I have the feeling that we did absolutely nothing to help these people. The main fight was fought by other people. All we did was take out a few men who were sent our way," the girl confessed.

She was honest Asuma, Kakashi, and Shikamaru noted. After waiting and talking for a few more minutes, their food arrived. It was a nice sight. Such amazing food. The meal looked delicious and they thanked the waitress for serving them. To add that Chouji had good taste wasn't left unsaid. The waitress came back with a glass of water but happened to spill it all over the blonde and pink-haired girl.

In truth, the waitress wanted to do that but somehow she failed and actually fell. How useless must one be to fail such an easy plan? The shock was written on her face as she looked up to see a shocked Sakura and a not very much reacting Naruto. The waitress stood up and apologized immediately. Sakura didn't say anything. She has the feeling that the woman did it on purpose but why did she look so surprised though?

Naruto was the one to accept the apology. He assured her that it was ok but the woman didn't care about the blonde. It was Sakura who she was apologizing to. The pinknette sighed and assured her that it was ok. "Please, let me pay for the wash and food."

"You don't have to do such a thing. It's ok. It was only water," stated Naruto but the woman wanted to ignore him again before Sakura agreed with Naruto. The pinknette didn't like that woman one bit. On the contrary, she thought that the waitress was quite annoying. The woman excused herself as she went back to the kitchen to get something to clean up the mess she made.

"What are we gonna do now? Our clothes are wet," Sakura asked Naruto who only shrugged it off. He was glad that he still had the clothes he took with him for the mission. But now, he only removed his jacket. He had a shirt under which wasn't soaked. Lucky him. Sakura, however, didn't have anything to change into and felt stupid.

"Oh, Sakura. Wait I think I have some clothes for you," said Ino and pulled out a small bag. Now, where was she hiding this bag and why did none of them notice it? She gave Sakura some clothes to change into and the two girls excused themselves to the bathroom. She got lucky that they had one, otherwise, she would be doomed. Now, it was only the boys including the two teachers sitting at the table.

"Aren't we going to talk about how Ino just pulled a bag out of the blue?"

"No."

"But I must agree with Naruto. Where did she get that bag from?"

"No Chouji. No. We won't talk about this."

"But Shikamaru! Think about it! There was no scroll or seal in sight!"

"To be honest, Naruto's right."

"Not you too, Asuma-sensei!"

"What do you think Sasuke? Say something"

"Hn."

"Of course, you think that."

The conversation died down the moment the girls came back. Sakura was dressed nicely and had some blush on her face. Fuck is that embarrassing! Naruto made some space for her to sit next to Sasuke but she refused and decided to sit where the blonde used to sit. Strange. Ino on the other hand needed the seat opposite Sasuke. "What were you talking about?"

No answer.

They finished eating the meal and the atmosphere was comfortable. After they finished eating they called it a day and hurried home. Well, all except Naruto and Sakura. They decided to head to an all too familiar playground. And there it was, the swing the blonde used to sit on but this time, the swing wasn't alone. There was another one placed next to his.

"Come on, let's swing."

The two children sat on the swings and enjoyed life. A task that they had been unable to perform before for two very different reasons. Their reasons were too different but at the same time, they were not. They swung not caring about the people who were watching them. It didn't matter. And at that moment, they didn't matter. All that did, was have fun and keep their conversation up. It was perfect. It was what children should do besides studying.

Some of the children gave them dirty looks while others kept their distance. Sakura was standing on the swing as she moved forward and backward. She could feel the wind playing with her long pink hair and it felt amazing. She felt free and it was represented in her smile. Her eyes lit up. She looked so happy and beautiful.

Naruto did the same. It was nice. The feeling he felt for her came back. It was like he had done this before. With her. They used to be friends before something else happened and drifted apart but that part didn't feel real. It was like a memory deleted from his brain, his mind so he wouldn't want to be with her. Did the girl feel the same?

No.

Sakura didn't feel the same. She hadn't had the feeling of meeting Naruto in the past. There wasn't something like that in her mind. However, she knew it. She remembered. Before something tragic occurred, they used to be friends. The pink-haired girl could recall the past clearly even if she wasn't allowed to. She remembered him.

"This feels amazing. It feels like I'm flying. As if I were a bird high above the clouds."

I'm free.

The blonde smiled softly. He had read between the lines.

"This feels amazing. I can't remember ever feeling like that before."

The puzzle is incomplete.

So did she. The words between the lines were clear to her.

It grew dark as the children sat on the swing and held small conversations. The pinknette couldn't remember why she would be so mean to him. But soon she would. "Sakura-chan. Do you want to come over to my home? After training with Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke?" the blonde asked her softly. Sakura thought about it. She had two options. Option one; she accepted and could spend more time with a friend she lost or option two; she declined and would lose said friend forever.

"Of course!" she agreed and smiled at him. The two talked more until it was time to get home. The two walked side by side still talking about everything and nothing. Just about some things that jumped into their minds. Sakura's house was opposite Naruto's, which meant that they needed to split up. However, the blonde decided against it and walked the girl to her house. He knew what could happen to her and he wanted to prevent it.

There weren't many people on the street but most of them were drunk men. And drunk men meant danger. Sakura was a strong girl that Naruto knew, but just to be sure, just to be safe. Sakura had told him that it was ok and he should worry about himself but deep down, she knew that it was all a lie. She wasn't over what happened with Gato and the women they freed. She remembered it clearly.

The two made a clone. Naruto made two shadow clones while Sakura changed the appearance of one of them. She had asked him how he knew this technique and he told her. He learned it from a person he used to hold dear. Then, he read it in the scroll he stole for Mizuki. They disappeared without either Kakashi or Sasuke noticing. They walked to a tower and entered it. There were a few of Gato's men who attacked them but they could protect themselves.

As they neared a huge room Sakura had an idea. They pretend to be one of the men who brought a new victim. Sakura cast a Genjutsu on Naruto to hide his appearance. The blonde looked like one of the men. They captivated her and neared the men. They nodded their heads and invited them inside. Naruto closed the door as the two men went inside with them. The two kids looked around and saw women and girls with chains around either their legs or arms.

It was disgusting.

The women held the smaller girls in their arms as they tried to protect them. It was awful. Naruto looked at Sakura and nodded his head. She attacked the man who was behind her with a kunai. Just as the other man was about to attack her, Naruto did the same and defeated the man. The women in the corner of the room were shocked. What was going on? Sakura removed the Genjutsu and Naruto looked the same as before.

He nodded his head towards the women and girls in the room. Sakura was supposed to approach them. The blonde turned around to give them some kind of privacy. Sakura walked towards them slowly but her aura gave positive energy. She wanted to run, scream, and shout at the person who did that to these women. To these young girls. She wanted to punch them, throw up, cry, everything. As she reached one of the women, she kneeled and assured them that everything was alright.

"It's ok. We are here to save you and get you back to the village."

She looked at the chains and tried to open them with her kunai until Naruto threw the keys over to her. "I found them in one of their pockets." Sakura nodded and thanked the boy before she turned around to free the women and girls in the room. One after another they were freed but there was still one issue left. The clothes. Sakura turned to look at Naruto.

"What should we do about the clothes?" she asked him. They looked around searching for something for them to wear. "Stay here, I will look upstairs," Naruto told her and disappeared from the room. A few started to cry and a few couldn't stop shaking. It was awful. The blonde came back with a few robes he had found around.

As they reached Sakura's house, the girl thanked him and kissed his cheek before she ran to her house with a blush still visible. The blonde slowly touched the spot she kissed him and blushed too. He smiled before he walked back to that shady ass apartment.

...

"You called us, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, I did. I have a mission for the six of you. I want you to take a good like at Sasuke when the Chunin exam happens. I have the feeling that something bad will occur. Do you remember Orochimaru?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. He is one of the legendary Sanin."

"Exactly. My sources informed me about his goal. I got a glimpse of what he is planning and I want you six to look out for the last Uchiha living in Konoha."

"Of course Hokage-sama."

With that, the man dismissed the six people in his office.

"Listen carefully. I want you to do me this one favor. The last mission I will give you. Please, in the name of Kami-sama, please protect Naruto-kun from his fate."

"I understand, Hokage-sama. I accept the task and I will make sure to succeed."

"Now, tell me what information you've gathered from the Akatsuki, Weasel."

...

Naruto arrived home and sat on the couch. He told his friends about Sakura.

Do you think it is a good idea, Naruto-kun?" Spider asked him. The blonde had thought about it before. And he was sure about it. He knew what he wanted. He nodded his head and assured his friends that he was sure. The others understood and didn't question him any more. Who were they to question the person who saved their lives?

They went to bed and hoped for the sun to never rise again. But it wasn't in their favor. The morning came and the blonde went to training. Kakashi taught them nothing new. All he did was to make sure that they mastered the basic exercise and after that, he let them fight against each other. They should fight and the one watching should comment on what was good and what should be improved. In the end, if they wanted to, they could do the bell exercise together.

The children were dismissed and headed in different directions. Sasuke was on his way to his house. It didn't matter if he came later than usual, there was no one waiting for him. The boy had other desires. He wanted to kill the person who killed his luck, his family. It was a pity. Sasuke's face was blank. There weren't any emotions presented on his face. That wasn't the face of a child nor was it the mindset of one. On his way to his house, Sasuke noticed how quiet it was. Sakura wasn't there to talk his ear off.

She had left him too.

Sakura and Naruto were walking side by side again as they talked about their training. "I heard that the Chunin exam would be soon. Do you think that Kakashi-sensei will register us?" asked Sakura as she turned her head to look at Naruto. The blonde gave it a thought until he made up his mind. "He would do everything to get rid of us. So, yes. I think so. What about you? What is your opinion on that matter?" he answered her honestly.

The girl didn't think too long about it as she answered.

"I think you are right but for a different reason. I have the feeling that Kakashi has problems with children. It's like something is missing. Something he couldn't experience or something that was taken away from him."

The blonde nodded. He knew some parts of Kakashi's past. Kurama told him about Kakashi. Something about him losing his dad due to suicide and that his father was like a father to Kakashi. So, it meant that Kakashi once again lost the people he held dear. There were a few more incidents though Kurama didn't think it worth mentioning. If the man wanted to talk, he should talk. It was his past to tell and no one had the right to expose him like that. Not Naruto, not Kurama, and not Kami-sama. Kakashi was the one to tell his story. It was his for a reason.

They reached the apartment and the blonde boy opened the door for the girl. The first sight wasn't beautiful and neither were the next six sights. The girl smiled politely not to seem rude. This must be how he was living all alone without parents. She should help him clean. Maybe, the boy would feel like there was someone he could rely on. Someone to greet when he got home. She wanted to be there for him but before she could say something, Naruto placed a seal on her wrist and told her to be quiet.

The girl was confused and got these strange feelings inside her. It was like a tingling thing inside her stomach. Funny. She closed her eyes for a second before she opened them again and suddenly, she wasn't in that apartment anymore. She was somewhere else. Somewhere nicer. She looked around and saw three people besides herself and Naruto wearing masks standing in the room she was in. The girl turned to face Naruto and asked him what was going on.

The boy walked over to the three people and turned his body around to face Sakura.

"Sakura-chan. These people here are my family. Remember when I told you about me traveling the world with a person? I collected them on my way. Even though all of them are Konoha citizens. I call these people my family and I want you to be part of them."

The girl looked confused. What was he talking about? And, could she really become a part of his family? "Naruto, I don't quite understand what's going on. Could you explain it slowly?" she asked him in return. And the blonde knew that the information she got was quite something. One couldn't just hear this and accept it right away. So, she was right to question him.

"Let me start from the beginning. I made a contract with the existing living inside of me. Do you know what a Bijuu is or rather do you know the Kyuubi that was painted as the villain to attack Konoha twelve years ago?" he asked her, and she nodded her head. The blonde continued.

"He was sealed inside of me by none other than the fourth. My father; Minato Namikaze. I was the only chance of survival for the village so my father did the only thing he could think of and sealed the Kyuubi inside me. I know that you already know the basics of the fight with the Kyuubi and the fourth, so I don't need to inform you how it ended."

Sakura was speechless.

"The reason why I know about this is Kurama. You know him as the great Kyuubi who killed a lot of people but let me tell you something. Kurama was controlled by a man whose identity we have yet to find out. As I mentioned, I made a contract with him. He gives me his chakra and I give him his freedom in exchange. "

.

"I collect people like you and me. People who are hated by others for their mere existence. Hated for who they are or what power lies in them. I collect the people who are still willing to fight even though they have no reason to fight anymore. I wasn't too sure about you but something said I should give it a try."

Naruto walked closer to her as he spoke. He looked the girl up and down before he smiled. She swallowed her spit. "There's something about you that you're hiding. It's a family matter, isn't it? You feel like your freedom was taken away from you, don't you? You don't feel at home whenever you go back to these people, do you? You never said you were going home, you only mentioned going back to your house. Don't think that I don't know the differences between going home and going back to your house," the boy told her.

"How did you figure it out?" she asked him. But she knew the answer. She was crying, shouting, calling out for help silently but no one seemed to hear her. Why couldn't they see that she was suffering from all of this? Because she was a woman? A birth-giving thing that had no other purpose than breading children and serving men? She was none of that! She was a strong independent young girl who is fighting for her rights!

Something was wet.

Sakura touched her cheek and noticed that she was crying. She was so frustrated! She hated it here. She hated everything! Naruto took a step closer before he hugged her. "Shh, it's ok. It will be ok. You just need to know that. Don't believe it, know it. You can be the change the women and girls in this world desire to be. Change the system for them. Save them."

The girl cried harder. This world was cruel! She wanted to end it all. End herself and this world. If she was about to end then the world needed to end too. This wasn't how a kid was supposed to think. This wasn't something anybody should think about. She knew it. Naruto did. All of them did but the adults failed to change the system. It was now left for them to improve this world the adults ruined. Sakura cried a bit longer until she calmed down. She wiped her tears away and looked the blonde straight in the eyes.

"I want to be the change. I want to be your family and be there for you. Please take me in."

Naruto smiled and pulled her back for a hug. "Welcome to the family," he whispered inside her ear. She smiled and thanked him.

"I'm almost home."

If only the children had known what the future would hold for them. If only they weren't almost home.

The two parted apart and Sakura looked at the three people in the room who were still wearing their masks. "Who are you?" she asked them. The one with the code name Tiger walked towards her. Her eyes were shining. She slowly pulled down the mask that hid her face and the pinknette gasped. It couldn't be! How was that possible? The girl smiled as she looked at Sakura.

"You know, it all started a few years ago, Sakura."

"Hinata."

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Total word count 4663