Some things to clarify…not every chapter will have fluff or build to romance. Not every chapter will have action packed scenes. Everything in good time. But it can't just be romance and action. Plot has to have its place too. Also, why do you guys keep asking if the story will be continued?! When the hell did I ever say there was a chance it wouldn't be? All I said was updates wouldn't be rushed. Geez… I'm sorry I'm just super confused why so many people PMed me that question. O.O My bio clearly states that if the summary box doesn't say "discontinued" then you have nothing to worry about. The bio, people! Please check it sporadically, even if you just skim it over for relevant information.
Once again this chapter came together faster than I was expecting due to being inspired by PM chats. O.O Thank you to FlyingSilverDreams, The Forgotten Reader and the many other people throwing me suggestions and support.
Sakura nibbled at the freshly cooked game meat they were having for dinner. Despite Susumu scaring away the prey with the commotion, Sarutobi had managed to catch three rabbits and two quails. He then cleaned and gutted the animals by himself, performing the fire jutsu necessary to cook them. Clearly, the man had survival skills.
After the earlier scare and the revelation of the female Nara apparently having some form of narcolepsy, Sakura was feeling slightly better that an adept ninja was watching her back. Then there was Toka, who had firmly volunteered herself for first watch. Sakura had caught a glimpse of a devoted, softer side to the other kunoichi at the stream, but now the Senju's focus was entirely on a mission.
'I've gotta get my head right for this too.' Sakura thought. Thinking about the fearsome clan she'd be up against, the inside of her wrist suddenly felt hot, and she rubbed it against her thigh with a gasp. Hoping no one had seen, she glanced up. Luckily, the others were engrossed in their meals.
"Before we reach the Kaguya's land, you will leave us, and find a hidden area to make camp for the duration of the mission. Should we need you in anyway, I will send word by means of my summon." Toka was explaining to Sarutobi.
Susumu, head tucked, picked at the sleeve of the thick lavender kimono, eating daintily with one hand. Sakura squinted. Such delicate mannerisms led her to believe Susumu may be female after all. Vaguely, she was reminded of Hinata.
Shikamarin on the other hand ate with much less care, with more energy than Sakura would expect to see from a Nara. So far, the only thing that seemed to get her going was food.
Sarutobi also ate heartily, tearing into his quail meat and wiping the juices away with the back of his hand, the other arm planted on his muscular thigh as he listened to Toka's plan. The scars littering his exposed arms told of a life of many battles, especially the prominent scar running down his bicep. His built physique told of training from a young age, and the seasoned look in his eyes spoke to his experience. Overall, out of all of them on the mission, Sarutobi could easily be captain, if Toka hadn't already taken up the position.
"So another day and a half, huh?" Sakura mumbled.
Her comrades looked at her, their faces illuminated by the firelight.
"You aren't getting jitters, are you kid?" Sarutobi asked.
"Well, I know what I'm up against, so I know to be cautious, but I think a mission like this is almost a relief." In comparison to fighting a war, went unsaid.
Toka, Sarutobi and Susumu gave her strange looks, Shikamarin too absorbed in her meat to care. "Well you know, I haven't taken a mission since I came to the village. I was afraid I'd get out of practice." Sakura explained carefully.
"Huh. This mission, fighting a bunch of barbarians is a relief, is it? A little bit of a thrill-seeker?" Sarutobi smirked. "I like your style, and that was some quick thinking back there. Hell if I knew what was wrong. You seem like you have a decent head on your shoulders. Just keep your wits about you and it'll stay there."
Sakura sighed, staring into the glow of the fire. "Believe me, I've had plenty of practice with dangerous enemies."
"We all have." Toka replied solemnly, standing. "Try to rest, everyone. We set out again at dawn."
Sarutobi stretched his legs out with a sigh, swallowing the remains of his meat. "Diligent, that one." He nodded to Toka's back as she left to patrol. "That's good news for you, though." He told Sakura. "Whose watching your back can make or break a mission." His eyes trailed to Shikamarin lazily. "Of course…I'm sure you're well aware of that." The man scratched at his beard, stood and began rummaging through his pack, to set up his sleeping area.
He turned to Shikamarin and Susumu. "Let's go you two. I want you both on alert tomorrow morning." He told the other two shinobi.
Susumu stood suddenly, bowing. "Y-Yes!" Sakura watched the other medic rummage through a nearby pack and set out a light travel bedroll.
"Time to sleep? You don't have to tell me twice…" Shikamarin grinned happily, rolling out her own bedroll.
"You sleep when you're full…you sleep when you're hungry." Sarutobi shook his head half-heartedly. "I just hope you'll be able to put that kekkei genkai of yours I've heard rumors about to good use when the time comes."
"Hey…" Shikamarin climbed onto her bedroll, lying flat on her back with her arms behind her head. "I always get the job done, old timer…"
"Old ti— I'm thirty-five!" Sarutobi huffed good-naturedly. "Of course, I guess that is old for us shinobi." He chuckled sardonically.
Sakura quietly took out and set up her own bedroll, still deep in thought. The first test in this new time period was upon her. Madara's smug expression flashed through her mind, and she squeezed her eyes shut in anger before slowly opening them, more determined than ever to see the mission through.
The last thing she heard as she closed her eyes, was the Nara on her left wondering what they'd have for breakfast.
She was surprised to open her eyes and find that she wasn't in the forest by the campfire. None of her companions were anywhere to be found, and there was an eerie fog that blanketed everything. "What the hell is going on?" the bewildered kunoichi demanded. Sakura let herself wander, on high alert for a possible threat. "Hello? Toka-san?" she called warily. Silence. "Shikamarin…? Sarutobi-san…?"
"You won't find them here." A familiar voice answered coolly.
Sakura's head turned sharply to the right, and there, standing elegantly in her emerald kimono, was the goddess she had met before during meditation.
"I-It's you again…!" the kunoichi swallowed thickly.
"Indeed." The Dragon Goddess smirked gently.
Sakura took in the woman's appearance, and her eyes immediately drifted to the two appendages curled on either side of her head. "You…look different." She said quietly.
Sprouting from Mizuchi's long hair were two curved ebony horns. The goddess looked pleased with herself at the comment. "Being connected to a mortal with an exceptionally potent life-force has made me stronger. As I gain strength, my appearance may alter, but do not be alarmed." Mizuchi explained nonchalantly. "I will continue to grow as my connection to you deepens. Think of yourself as my tether to the mortal realm. For now, I am corporeal only in this realm. But soon…that will no longer be the case."
Sakura looked down at her wrist, where the mark of the Otsutsuki was fully visible once again. "Please…tell me what your intentions are." Sakura looked the goddess directly in the eyes, willing herself to be brave. "My last experience with a goddess wasn't the best…"
Mizuchi seemed to consider the pink-haired mortal. Her aristocratic face scrunched slightly. "Dear Sakura, please. I am not the fool Kaguya was. I told you all I can about my intentions. I simply wish to observe through my progeny." Sakura tensed as Mizuchi stepped forward, extending two long fingers toward her chest. "You." Sakura felt the lightest tap between her breasts, and her body tingled.
"W-What's going to happen to me?" Sakura questioned. "I mean, I've seen some of Kaguya's descendants. Their tier of power is beyond anything I can do now."
Mizuchi frowned crisply. "You doubt yourself? That won't do. You won't complete the tasks I've prepared for you full of doubt."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Tasks?! You just said—"
"I want to observe, yes. But things must be set in motion, all the same." The goddess answered, almost sounding bored. She cocked her head, and some of her long ebony hair spilled over one shoulder. "Many were fated to die before your arrival. And some would never live."
Sakura was beyond frustrated by the goddess' cryptic statement. "What's that supposed to mean? Any way I look at this…it sounds like you're asking me to change things." The pink-haired medic shook her head slowly as she tried to process that. "A-And I know I'm in no position to refuse you, but changing history…has consequences."
Mizuchi's brow rose. "Oh? The uncertainty of the outcome perturbs you?"
Sakura nodded hesitantly.
"I have seen you fight in spite of your fear. Even when you believed Kaguya was an opponent you could not beat, you battled valiantly. That is the reason you were the one I chose…" Mizuchi said calmly. "You won't deny me, will you?"
Sakura saw the hard glint in those golden-green eyes and knew better than to argue against a goddess. If she was understanding correctly, the longer Mizuchi attached herself to Sakura, the stronger she was able to manifest on the mortal plane.
If she wanted to get rid of this goddess before she could become a threat, while she had yet to gain her full strength would be the best time. But was that even a good idea? Mizuchi was the reason she was in this time…if she found a way to destroy or seal the Dragon Goddess, what would happen to her, a girl already in a time she didn't belong to?
Would she fade from existence? Or be stranded here, in the past forever… Right now, whatever the goddess had planned, it was likely best to keep appeasing her. In time, maybe the whimsical deity would decide Sakura's mission was complete, and return her to her own time.
'I'll just…think of this as a long-term mission. And the sooner I finish the sooner I go home.' Sakura told herself.
"A wise decision." Of course, Sakura wasn't sure how she felt about this telepathic link…"Of course, I am a benevolent goddess to those who have curried my favor." Mizuchi's eyes closed and she looked particularly pleased with herself. "For your success, you will be rewarded. Your first challenge…a triumph against my sister's progeny…Ohoho…prove that my bloodline is superior. I have already given you the power."
Sakura's eyes opened wide, startled. Above her was a clear sky full of stars. A dream…it was all a dream. But that didn't mean Mizuchi hadn't really made contact. She glanced down at the spot where the mark on her wrist would be in the dark. She was beginning to understand that the mark was a direct link to Mizuchi.
When the goddess wanted to make contact, it burned hot. Could tapping into it be the key to unlocking the power she'd been given?
"I need to study this as soon as we get back…" she whispered to herself. She glanced around, but everyone seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She could hear Sarutobi's deep snores from somewhere nearby.
Toka, though… She wasn't around, but Sakura could feel a chakra signature close by. She wasn't a sensor, but there was no killing intent in the presence and she figured it was just Toka patrolling.
'Maybe I should help her…she's been up all this time, and it's not like I ever get back to sleep after that anyway.' Sakura stood up with a stretch.
She turned up out of the blue. She had a questionable origin. And most intriguing of all, she seemed to despise Madara nearly as much as he did… Some things were bothering him about the mysterious girl, Sakura Haruno.
And yet… "Hashirama…" Across the table, his brother was happily slurping up a bowl of hot udon. Because Hashirama insisted that though he now lived in the Hokage Manor and Tobirama the Senju compound, they should eat dinner together regularly.
Hearing his name, the Hokage looked up. "Hm?" Noodles hung from his lips, and with his brown eyes innocently wide he looked ridiculous. Definitely not like a man strong enough to be the leader of a shinobi village.
Ignoring his brother's undignified table manners for the moment, Tobirama pressed on. "I've been thinking about Sakura Haruno…" He stared into his bowl of hardly touched food.
Hashirama messily slurped the noodles into his mouth. "What about her? She seems fairly reliable, and I think if Toka seems to trust her, then that says a lot. We both know how Toka is with outsiders—" A thought seemed to dawn on the brown-haired man and his eyes lit up. "Oh, unless it's not about her skills at all." Tobirama's brow arched. He stared blankly as his older brother leaned forward with a sly grin. "Is it…like I first thought after all? Are you thinking of courting Sakura-san?! You have my full blessings, of course. I mean I was truthfully a little worried you'd ever find someone who wouldn't mind your attitude."
Tobirama grit his teeth as his brother rambled, and at the dig to his personality. "For the last time, idiot, I have no interest in that woman." He saw a curious pair of eyes that belonged to one of the women who routinely cooked meals, watching them as she passed by. "And I would advise you not to spout such nonsense."
The last thing he needed was the headache of rumors about his purported love life spreading around the compound. As it were, he fended off quite a few advances from Senju women already. Settling down could wait until the village had reached true prosperity. And when he chose a wife, it would not be a short-tempered, pink-haired girl who was nearly as snarky as he was.
"Oh…" Hashirama deflated from all his previous excitement at the prospect of seeing his brother married off soon. "Then it is about her competency?"
"Since she's taken the mission, questions about her competence in battle will be answered soon enough. Either she'll successfully survive the Land of the Dead. Or Toka and the others will return without her." Hashirama frowned slightly, but Tobirama saw it as something that was just that simple. Those who took things lightly or will ill-prepared for the harsh realities of shinobi life, died. It was a fact in their world. While the thought of a young girl dying on her first mission for the village clearly bothered Hashirama, he saw it strictly as a test. Was the girl worth keeping around, or was she dead weight?
"Then…" Hashirama trailed off, his eyebrows puckered in confusion.
"Did you not notice the intense animosity she held for Madara during their first meeting? Although she said 'you' as if she'd known him from before."
Hashirama scratched the side of his head, shoveling more noodles into his mouth at the same time.
Tobirama impatiently waited for his brother to finish chewing. "Well, I guess it's true they didn't hit it off well…"
Tobirama felt his eyes roll. That was an understatement. The killing intent was enough to prove that she was at bare minimum, a kunoichi.
"But," Hashirama continued. "These are bloody times we live in. There are many people would have had the same reaction to seeing either one of us. The Senju are not without their own enemies." He waved his chopsticks at his younger brother, before eating a piece of aburaage.
"I'm aware of that," Tobirama said flatly. "It's unavoidable. But in regards to this Haruno girl, I can't help but wonder how her feelings toward the Uchiha will affect her placement in the village. If she truly holds a vendetta…"
"It doesn't effect yours much." Hashirama smirked playfully. "Besides, Madara is capable of handling hostility. He understands that some rifts won't be repaired easily."
Tobirama gave a snort as he lifted his cup of sake to his mouth. As if Madara was so forgiving…
Holding grudges was an official Uchiha pastime, if someone were to ask Tobirama.
"If you're so concerned about her intentions, why don't you get to know her when they return?' Hashirama laughed. "You could see how she's acclimating to the village and observe her daily life for suspicious activity."
"Perhaps…I will." Tobirama nodded solemnly.
"Huh?" The Hokage blinked. "I…I was only joking!"
Tobirama stood. "Usually sitting through your obnoxious table manners is a chore. But I feel like I've actually gained something from this dinner. Unusually, I may have you to thank for that, brother."
Hashirama continued gaping, too surprised to respond to Tobirama's backhanded compliment.
"It's growing late. You should return to the Manor." Tobirama tossed over his shoulder as he left the kitchen.
"Well, I could always stay here for the night…" the Hokage mumbled meekly. "I did have a room in the compound before moving into the Manor."
A white head of hair popped back around the door frame briefly. "Not anymore. I've converted your bedroom into my own study. To avoid cluttering my own room."
Hashirama wilted. "How could you be so cruel? It's like you don't want me here…"
He received silence as an answer.
"Well, this is it…" Toka announced.
Sakura stared up at the imposing fortress at the foot of the mountain that they could see off in the distance. "Wow…" she breathed. For barbarians, they had a handle on how to make a sturdy enough looking fortress, that was for sure.
The Kaguya stronghold, where she assumed the entire clan was based, was surrounded by a thick stone wall on all four sides, the back of the base was literally built into the foot of the mountain for added protection. Sakura could just barely make out a large compound behind the barrier. Due to the region, there was a thick layer of fog that added an ominous touch. And since they were close to the mountains, it was chilly.
"Starting today, we aren't kunoichi of Konohagakure. We are wandering shinobi with no home, looking to settle with the Kaguya."
Sakura nodded in affirmation. It was important that they both kept the aliases they were going to use at the forefront of their minds.
"You will use your medical jutsu to impress them, and I will have my Suiton techniques." Toka continued. She reached up, pulling at her small ponytail until her hair had fallen to touch her shoulders. Her bang she kept covering her eye. "I am no longer Toka Senju. I am Tomoko Sawada."
"Should I change my name too?" Sakura whispered.
"I highly doubt they'd remember a civilian clan, but hell maybe it's better to air on the side of caution." Sarutobi said, arms crossed as he leaned against a tree. He chewed restlessly on a senbon he had gotten from Toka, claiming that his wife often used them, and that chewing them helped him redirect nervous energy.
Sakura looked thoughtfully up at the stone wall they'd be penetrating soon.
"Um, what about...Sakuya Haruna?" Shikamarin drawled.
"That's hardly a change…" Susumu sighed.
"Oka…" Toka muttered.
Sakura smiled brightly. "I like it. Oka Takahashi seems plain enough."
"But Sakura-san… what about your hair?" Susumu fretted.
Sakura bit her lip. "Well…I guess maybe…" She quickly formed the correct hand signs and in a puff of smoke, in place of the pink-haired and green-eyed Sakura Haruno, there was the honey blond, brown-eyed Oka Takahashi.
"Now's the hard part. We have to get them to trust us, or we'll never get them to let their guard down long enough to get the fan." Sakura said, rubbing her chin.
"This mission may take some time. I will send you updates on our progress periodically through my summon. But they will be watching us carefully, so it will be tricky. Not many people have joined the Kaguya willingly. Most of the women brought as concubines are captives." Toka said, a hard edge to her voice. "Set up camp in this area."
Sarutobi nodded. "Understood. I'll cover our tracks so well, they'll be none the wiser the enemy is living under their nose." He winked. "So you two had better do a good job fulling them on the inside."
"Don't worry." Toka smirked. "I have plenty of experience in espionage."
"Please be careful…" Susumu told them, brown eyes looking watery. Sakura wondered if she—for now she was operating under the assumption that Susumu was a girl— had ever done anything like this. A part of her felt that Susumu must have come from a civilian background and lucked onto a path as a shinobi.
"That's right…or this'll turn into a rescue." Shikamarin added.
"Idiot," Sarutobi lightly flicked her forehead. "You've got some nerve."
"Alright, the fog at the foot of the mountain is lifting…we make our move." Toka and Sakura looked at their comrades one more time and headed for the Kaguya's settlement.
The remaining three ninja quickly hid themselves without a trace.
Sakura is the guinea pig in Mizuchi's strange time-travel social experiment. Damn. :O Well clearly Sakura is wary, as we'd probably all be, but I won't necessarily say Mizuchi is evil. She's heavy-handed though, that's for sure.
And will Sasuke and Naruto be able to successfully summon the Sage or will there be a hitch in the plan?
I thought since Sakura and the others won't be back in the village for a while, I could at least show what the guys are doing in the meantime.
Oh Tobirama, so against the idea of Sakura not having ulterior motives, let alone being in anyway involved with her in the future… But little does he know… *hehehe* People change their minds over time, don't they? ;P
You have to wonder if Tobirama never started a family because he was so wrapped up in making sure Hashirama's dream was honored, that he almost became married to the village. I mean little about his personal life is known either way, and I honestly doubt more will ever be revealed about the Founders than we know now, what with all the attention being focused on a brand new generation in canon *grimaces*, but that's sort of my headcanon for why Tobirama never settled down. Originally. Obviously Sakura is in this time now so things are a bit different.
This era's version of the Kaguya clan will be introduced next chapter. I wonder what kind of people they'll meet and if they'll live up to the terrible rumors. Hm…
Please review!
P.S. Mizuchi's dialogue is always in bold, because thus far she's talking to Sakura inside her head.
Aaand, "Oka" also means cherry blossom. She got to keep a little part of her true identity. Takahashi is just a super common Japanese surname they felt wouldn't raise suspicion.
