Thank you so much reviewers. After all these years, I still marvel at how vast and supportive the Naruto fandom generally is. I will never stop being amazed at how much people like this story. It feels good to know something I've worked so hard on has been mostly well received so far. For everyone who keeps asking questions, you'll have to just wait and see. Can't answer some of them because I have dialogue and events planned that should explain and I'd like to keep it a surprise. At this time I not all the motivations of all the characters is known. Kay? Kay. Sidebar: I wish I had more time for updates, but thanks to college I don't. :/

Ready for chapter 10?


Sakura blinked at the three children standing by their father's side, who were observing them with open scrutiny. As Yoshiro had said, he had two daughters and one son, who was hardly anymore a child than Sakura. One child, clearly the youngest, watched with curiosity on her face, while her older sister looked cautious. Both were tanned and dark-haired like the other Kaguya.

Yoshiro's son and heir, however, was a different matter. Although he shared the bronze skin and dark eyes of his relatives, the hair banded on either side of his face was white, just like the clan's namesake. He wore a periwinkle blue yukata, opening so far that a considerable amount of his muscular chest was exposed.

Sakura wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but a small part of her was relieved she wasn't staring into the face of some grimy man with wandering eyes. Yoshiro's son didn't look much older than her, and he certainly didn't seem interested in her or Toka.

"Jun'ichi." The young man slowly looked at his father, dark eyes blank. "What do you think of these two?"

Jun'ichi stared at the both of them, his eyes alternating. "They're new concubines." His tone gave nothing away. He looked almost dismissive. His sisters looked more interested in the meeting than he was.

"That's not what I asked." Yoshiro pressed. "They are not like the others. Kento tells me they are decent kunoichi. Sturdy enough. You are my heir, and soon you will need heirs. I've allowed you to continue rejecting all the women I've sent you, but now is the time to choose."

Jun'ichi gave a barely audible sigh. "Are you sure, tou-san? With all due respect they appear…frail." He was looking at the disguised Sakura as he said it.

Without warning, he walked into her personal space, looming over her by a little less than a head. His long index finger reached out, and he none too gently pressed it to the cut running down the girl's face. Inwardly, Sakura winced as his finger jabbing into the cut made it throb and begin to bleed again.

On autopilot she lifted her hand and brushed aside the offending digit, keeping his gaze as she easily healed her small injury. There was silence, and she wondered if she'd done the right thing in revealing her skills so soon.

But, she reminded herself that she wanted to impress them. Give them a reason to keep her around. Odds were it would be easy to find and get into their weapon cache if she stayed close to the clan head and his family. Even if she already missed Konoha.

"…Did you see that?" the smallest girl whispered loudly, tugging at her sister's sleeve. Her hair was cut in a simple bob that didn't even reach her shoulders. The black hair swished as she glanced at Sakura again. "She healed herself!"

"Yes, she's clearly a healer." The older girl said back, shaking her sleeve from her younger sister's grasp. Her own dark hair was twisted into an elegant bun at the top of her head, some of it banded on either side of her face. "Now be quiet, Kikue."

"You know healing techniques." Yoshiro stated quickly, walking into Sakura's personal space too. She wanted to lean away, both from the man and his son. Yoshiro turned to his son, who was suddenly staring at Sakura with narrowed eyes.

It seemed like her demonstration had ignited at least a spark in the apathetic young man. Now he watched her like she was a loaded trap ready to spring, unsure of what else she could do. "You're the one." Sakura's eyes snapped back to Yoshiro, trying to hide her surprise. His dark eyes were shining with a strange greed. "Jun'ichi. This is the woman I've chosen for you. Do you object?" Sakura's eyes slowly trailed to Yoshiro's son. Jun'ichi. He seemed resigned to the notion this was happening. With or without his consent.

"And if I did? Would it matter?" He muttered under his breath. The white-haired Kaguya nodded mutely.

Yoshiro ignored it, his attention back on Sakura. "Our clan has never had a healer. Can you do more?"

Hesitantly, Sakura nodded.

"How much more?"

"I have an extensive knowledge of the human anatomy. I've performed countless successful procedures. Resetting broken bones, suturing battle wounds, detecting the onset of illnesses…" Sakura began listing a small amount of what she could do. She felt more confident now, more in her element. The Kaguya seemed more interested in her with every word. This had to be a good thing, right? Part of the success of this mission depended on her proving her usefulness.

"It's easy to say you can do more than heal cuts. But how do we know?" All eyes looked to the older Kaguya girl, who was scowling with her arms crossed.

"Harihane. Do not speak out of turn." Yoshiro growled. Surprisingly, the girl held her father's gaze defiantly. "But, my daughter has a point. I think I'd like a demonstration." Sakura was slightly confused. She glanced at Toka but any traces of the camaraderie she'd seen in her at the stream was gone. Her face was stone. She had entered a single-minded state where only the mission mattered. "Kento, go and fetch your stable hand."

"Yes, milord." Kento moved surprisingly quickly for his mountainous size. Sakura was feeling an increasing sense of discomfort. Not for herself. She was sure she could handle whatever the Kaguya threw her way. But she was lost in the midst of their brusque ways and heavy-handed culture.

She wished desperately she could slip away and discuss everything they'd seen so far with Toka. If only to be assured somewhat. She glanced at the older woman again, and this time, Toka spared her a small glance. She was sure in that one look she saw a look of steely calm. Toka wasn't scared or even apprehensive. She was alert and ready. Sakura had to try to be the same.

No sooner had she thought this than Kento returned. His large hand was wrapped around the scrawny arm of a small boy he was dragging along. Sakura held in a gasp as they got closer. It was the boy who had taken Kento's horse to the stable.

He was quivering, eyes wide in fear and confusion. His face and clothes were streaked with dirt, like he'd been doing something laborious outside before Kento had come and whisked him away.

"Alright. If you can heal the boy than I'll have seen all I need to." Yoshiro declared.

Sakura's eyes scanned the young boy from head to toe. He was dirty and scared but he didn't look hurt. Was there something she wasn't get—

"Kento, if you will."

In a flash, the boy was whining like a wounded animal as Kento squeezed harder on his arm. By the time Sakura realized what he was doing the protestation was half stuck in her throat. "Wait—"

The child's agonized scream drowned out her words. The big man dropped his small arm harshly and it hung limply at his side. His eyes overflowed with tears as he weakly lifted his other arm up to cradle his limp one. Shock and horror dominated her features as Sakura rushed to the boy that had fallen to his knees, bawling.

"It's rare for a Kaguya to break bones." Yoshiro continued explaining calmly. Sakura felt a small tremor of anger as she reached for the boy's arm, her hand glowing. "Thanks to our kekkei genkai our bones are perhaps the most indestructible thing about us." Sakura ignored him, gingerly lowering the arm the boy was using to protect his broken one so she could better examine him.

"I imagine his bones have been thoroughly shattered. Under normal conditions without treatment he wouldn't last long. We've seen it often enough with the servants we keep here." Yoshiro stated.

'Servants? More like slaves!' Sakura grit her teeth in a consolidated effort to keep ignoring the man.

"However, if you're truly a competent healer, then the boy has no need to worry. And neither do you." Sakura chanced a look at the man's face and almost lost it at the highly amused smirk he wore.

Sakura swore under her breath as she continued her diagnosis. It was a fracture for sure. If Kento had truly splintered the bone into pieces like he'd likely aimed to, without a hospital she'd have much more serious problems. But Tsunade had prepared her to work around adverse conditions in the field, so she was confident she could still help the poor boy.

She was, however, worried about the strength of his bones. It had been a while since she'd worked with a patient so obviously malnourished. His bones probably didn't have as much calcium as a young boy's should, and that could be a problem if they proved to be brittle.

"Don't worry. I'm here to help you." she whispered to the sobbing child. He seemed startled from his crying when she used her unoccupied hand to brush some tears from his face. His crying quieted minutely, hiccups interspersed through the tears. "What's your name?"

That got his attention. He blinked teary eyes, trying to gauge if the woman was truly safe. Biting his lip, he whimpered, sniffling loudly. Sakura didn't think he'd answer. Then he spoke with considerable effort. "Y-Yu-Yuuta." Sakura smiled comfortingly. She was aware that Toka and the Kaguya were watching her every move. It was now or never.

"I'm going to heal you, Yuuta. I'll try to make it as quick as possible."

She turned back to the family, who were watching her as if viewing a spectacle. Her eyes were cold. "I'll need something to splint this."

The amused expression never left Yoshiro's face. "Of course. Kento can get you anything you'll need." He motioned to the man that seemed to be Yoshiro's right hand, and he exited. If it weren't for Yuuta's sake Sakura would want him to take his time coming back. Any many that could so easily injure a defenseless child without remorse was a lowlife in her eyes. She imagined if Yoshiro commanded it Kento would do more than injure a child. But if she thought about that, she'd be too angry to focus, and right now a patient needed her.

Tsunade had taught her they could use their chakra to hold a patient's fractured bones in place, when surgical screws weren't available. Now would be one of those times. She sent chakra into Yuuta's arm, numbing it. Her chakra searched out the break, and she found two places. She was silently relieved it hadn't been much worse.

A man like Kento could have turned Yuuta's arm to pulp. She carefully brought one finger to the spot where she felt the break and pushed the pad of it to Yuuta's skin. He flinched instinctively but didn't cry out, so she pressed on. She used her chakra to hold the fracture together, and did the same for the other spot.

For good measure she ran her whole hand down his arm, using her soothing healing chakra to make sure her work would hold. Yuuta had almost stopped crying when Kento got back, but one look at the man looked like he was going to start up again. Sakura didn't blame him. She roughly took the materials he offered to her with a thinly veiled look of disgust and set to work splinting Yuuta's arm. The boy watched her work in silent awe.

She was careful not to jostle his arm too much, and when she'd tied the cloth up at his shoulder she sat back on her heels, satisfied. Yuuta looked down at his arm, then into her face, surprised. The boy had literally thought he was going to die. That much had been obvious. Without her medical expertise he just might have. "There," she smiled slightly. "Just try not to do too much with that arm, now."

"B-But…my chores…" he began meekly.

Sakura turned back to Yoshiro, her eyes hard. "This boy doesn't need to be doing heavy labor while he heals. My chakra will speed it up, but that arm still needs time to finish healing."

"Are you making demands now?" Kento glared at her. "We have a shortage of able-bodied servants as it is."

"Because I'm sure you overwork them." Sakura challenged boldly.

"Why you, sniveling—"

Surprisingly, it was Yoshiro's son who held up a hand to silence the bodyguard.

"You've proven yourself." He stated, his voice flat. "Father, I'd ask the servant boy be given lighter chores as the healer states."

Yoshiro's brow rose, his thin lips pressed together as he mulled over his son's request. "Very well…" Yuuta looked shocked. "Return to your quarters." He bowed clumsily, darting out of the room, but not before giving Sakura a large, teary smile.

Kento was clearly fuming, and Sakura had to hide a satisfied smirk.

"I've decided that you may have the potential to carry on the Kaguya name and give my son heirs. And a healer is something we're in need of anyway." Yoshiro eyed Sakura up and down. "What's your name, girl?"

"Oka Takahashi, milord." Sakura bowed, revolted as she was.

"That sounds like a civilian name…" Kento muttered bitterly.

"No matter." Yoshiro dismissed. "All the better, actually. A strong shinobi bloodline could possibly dilute ours. Whatever children my son has will need to have the bloodline of the Kaguya, and they shall."

Kento remained silent, though he glared venomously at Sakura.

"Harihane." The scowling young girl looked at her father. "Take Takahashi to your rooms." Sakura didn't think the girl could get more annoyed, but she was wrong. "And what's your name."

"Tomoko Sawada." Toka responded.

"You'll go to the servant quarters. Tomorrow you'll start working the fields for your keep."

Sakura was disappointed she and Toka wouldn't be in the same room, but maybe that was by design on the Kaguya's part. They'd just have to be sneaky about meeting up later.

Harihane decided it was time to interrupt. "But Father," she practically growled. "She," She pointed at Sakura, "is going to be Junji's bride. Shouldn't she stay with him? Or even Kikue!"

The youngest perked up at the sound of her name. "Kikue wants to see more!" She looked at Sakura with shining black eyes that were slightly unnerving, grinning toothily. "You can do more, right?"

"O-Only if someone's injured." Sakura forced on an awkward smile. The little girl puffed out her cheeks in a pout.

"Maybe someone will get hurt soon then," she mumbled quietly. "Kikue will bring them to you so she can watch." She said it so innocently. Like she didn't understand what was wrong with the statement. Sakura felt a chill go through her.

"Of course, you won't be allowed to have anything dangerous." Yoshiro smiled mockingly. "Kento, search her pack." Before the burly man could reach for her backpack, Sakura took it off and tossed it at his feet. She watched as he searched it thoroughly, hiding her thoughts behind a blank expression. 'The most dangerous things I have are my fists and my mind.' She chuckled quietly. 'They won't find those in there.'

Grunting, Kento threw the pack back at her. Sakura caught it easily.

"Let's go," Harihane marched over and grabbed Sakura's wrist, tugging. She had a surprisingly strong grip and Sakura could feel her wrist bruising. Even though she could have pulled away from the girl, she let herself be led away with one last glance back in Toka's direction. Kento was snatching her backpack away to search it.


Sakura was looking back at her as they were led in opposite directions. Toka had half-expected this. But she wasn't overly concerned. It worked in their favor.

If Sakura stayed close to the clan head and his family, and she herself could get information from the servant quarters, then they had a higher chance of not only discovering the location of the weapons cache, but Kaguya secrets.

As she walked behind the burly Kento she was taking in every detail, memorizing where she could see Kaguya guards lingering around, and devising a plan to come and go as she pleased. The clan was stretched thin. So all she had to do was find the chink in security, and exploit it.

Tonight, she would slip away and send a message to Konoha. Promising regular updates was the only way she'd been able to get the Hokage to agree to her request. Of course, Hashirama didn't know the full extent of it. He would have raised strong objections if he did, without a doubt. He was as soft-hearted as he was strong, and that's what made him such a beloved leader. It's why the Senju would follow him to the ends of the earth, herself included.

But, it also meant that sometimes he was blinded by his generosity. That was where others close to him such as herself and Tobirama came in. He was more than capable on the battlefield, but his tendency to seek out the best in everyone left him vulnerable. For this reason Toka would gladly make herself the tool that protected not only Lord Hashirama and the clan from more subtle threats, but now the village as well.

Sakura Haruno…Toka couldn't say if she was a threat. If she could be trusted, she'd be invaluable to the village.

When Lord Hashirama had sent her to help a new arrival several weeks earlier, he had been vague about details. Toka half expected the door to open to the face of some wide-eyed and haggard civilian. Instead, she was met by the cautious green gaze of a clearly battle-hardened young kunoichi.

Immediately Toka's guard was up. Many shinobi had started to enter the village from all over, and the scars of battle marred them all in some way or another. It was the steeled glint in their eyes when they passed by a member of a clan they had once lost someone to.

It was the physical wounds just starting to heal. It was the look of disbelief when they wandered the village, clearly in awe such a place existed. Toka understood all of this. What she didn't quite understand was Sakura. As she helped her under Hashirama's instructions, she observed closely.

She was never as open in voicing her mistrust or showing hostility like Tobirama. But even when Sakura kept up a harmless façade, Toka was sure never to completely lower her own guard. The girl looked so jaded at times as they walked the streets together, and yet Toka was sure she had yet to reach her second full decade of life. Compared to Toka's twenty-five years, she was just a child. And yet…

Sakura Haruno had clearly seen more than her years. It wasn't so uncommon in the war torn era they lived in. Children grew up on the battlefield and by Sakura's age, any vestige of innocence had been stripped away. If they lived that long.

The strange thing was that Sakura didn't strike her as someone who had led a particularly hard life. The wariness she'd seen was caused by something fresh, something that hadn't happened long ago. Hashirama had told her she'd claimed to have lost her only family and village not long before Tobirama found her, but Toka was sure there was more than that.

At times she felt bad, essentially spying on the girl, when Sakura wasn't aware she was around. Using the excuse of helping her get acclimated to watch her closely.

She seemed to be a genuinely good kunoichi, but the Senju refused to take chances. When she had seen Sakura in her house alone one day meditating, she hadn't thought much of it. But then something strange had happened. An immense chakra was suddenly surrounding the house, something almost unearthly…

Shortly after that, Hashirama told her he'd like for her to go on a mission, and Toka knew what she had to do.

"I'd like for Sakura Haruno to come with me."

Hashirama's smile had fallen slightly. "I don't understand…have you seen Sakura-san in combat?"

"No. But I'd still like her to come. I will take full responsibility if she gets in the way."

Hashirama stroked his chin in thought. "I'm not entirely sure about the nature of this mission. I only know that Madara has requested it and needs two competent kunoichi that have proven themselves. It could be risky. Tobirama certainly won't agree." He sighed. "If it's all the same, I'd rather send another Senju you've worked with before."

Toka understood Hashirama's concerns. She also understood what she was asking for could be seen as reckless and irrational. Two things normally not associated with the level-headed kunoichi.

But she had her reasons. Reasons she couldn't tell the Hokage or he'd never agree. "Please, Lord Hashirama, trust my judgement. No harm will come to Sakura-san. I'm willing to protect her if necessary." Toka didn't particularly enjoy lying to Hashirama. But it was for the good of everyone, she told herself. And, so long as Sakura didn't give her a reason not to, Toka would have her back.

"It's a large weight to put on your shoulders, Toka." Hashirama still didn't look too convinced. "Taking an untested kunoichi into battle…well, you've never done anything without reason for as long as I've known you." A slow smile spread across his face. Toka nodded, bowing in respect, even though they were long past such formalities.

"I won't let you down, Lord Hashirama." That, at least, was not a lie.

Hashirama had Sakura called into his office later that same day and explained Toka wanted her to accompany her on a mission. The pink-haired kunoichi had been all too eager to accept. Of course, her mood soured quickly when Madara Uchiha entered the room. Despite that, Sakura had decided to stay the course, and Toka was secretly pleased. It would derail things if Sakura had chosen to back out.

Hashirama had done his part in defending Sakura's participation in the mission to Tobirama, who she had known would raise the strongest objection. Madara was unconcerned with who accomplished the mission, so long as he could get his fan back. Toka knew that trusting his instinct and vouching for Sakura came from the kindness of his heart.

But she also knew that it was because of their old friendship that Hashirama was really allowing Sakura to go. Maybe he had a good feeling about the kunoichi. If he said he did, then he was likely being truthful. Then again, Hashirama tended to have a good feeling about most people. But what he hadn't said was more than anything, he was placing his trust in her. In Toka. She had no intention of betraying that trust.

Sakura seemed like a good kunoichi. She had the skills and she seemed to have the drive. Toka wanted to trust in her completely. But she believed in being thorough if nothing else. After what she'd felt when Sakura was meditating, she was sure there was more to the mysterious kunoichi than met the eye.

"This is where you're gonna stay." Kento announced, smirking as they stopped in front of a shabby stone building. It was far removed from the opulence inside the clan head's own home. "Nothing fancy. Not like you servants deserve it." He burst into the building, almost taking the wooden door down with a shove of his shoulder.

There were roughly twenty women inside, sitting at wooden tables and hunched over a pitiful amount of food. They'd interrupted their meal time. Instantly, all the women were at attention, practically trembling at the sight of the tall man.

"Fall forward!" Kento barked. They lined up obediently. "This one is new. Show her the ropes." He glanced around. "Where's Yuhi?"

"Right here, milord." Toka watched as a young woman stepped forward, not looking as intimidated as the rest. In fact, despite the cowering females around her, she held herself with a certain poise that was admirable. Her honey colored hair was tied in a high ponytail, loose strands falling into her face.

"You're personally in charge of making sure this one falls in line. If you fail you know what'll happen."

"Of course, milord." The girl bowed, a polite smile on her face.

Kento sneered at the women who were trying to avoid his eyes, delighting in their fear. He brushed them out of the way on his way to the table and looked down at the rations. Thin soup, half-stale bread and some cheese. He snatched up the closest bowl of soup and downed it in one gulp, throwing the bowl on the ground. It shattered loudly and shards scattered everywhere. Some of the girls yelped as they jumped to avoid the flying porcelain.

"Pig piss would taste better." Kento laughed, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "Glad I'm not one of you. Enjoy your meal, ladies." He swaggered out of the quarters, slamming the door on his way out. Toka watched as shoulders slumped in relief all across the room as he left.

"I-I was scared he was here to take one of us away…" someone whispered off to the right.

"He wouldn't have wasted time taunting us if that were the case." Another voice sighed.

"Well, we're all here together for the moment. That's what's important." said the girl Kento had called "Yuhi". She turned to Toka, and this time her smile reached her alluring red eyes.

"You must be exhausted. We don't have anything grand but you're welcome to it," She gestured behind her at the table of food. "I'll show you our sleeping area after the meal. But first, I'll need to clean this up." She bent down with a sigh, carefully beginning to pick up the scattered shards.

One of the young girls gasped. "Oh! I'll get a broom!" She scampered off carefully.

"And I'll get a trash bin…" another girl volunteered.

Yuhi smiled as she continued to pick up the bigger shards. "They're all so helpful." She blinked when she noticed Toka was on the ground, picking up shards with a blank expression. The Senju had decided she'd need to ingratiate herself with this girl, who seemed to be something of a leader among the female servants.

"No, you don't have to—"

"I know." Toka interrupted. Yuhi nodded in understanding.

"Thank you…"

"Tomoko Sawada."

"Thank you, Tomoko. I'm Yurine Yuhi." She smiled slightly.


Aww yeah, a Toka POV~ I figured it was about time for one. So little is known about her canonly except she was respected as a genjutsu expert of that time. But, I have plans for her. Big plans. There isn't much she wouldn't do to protect her clan and the village.

I know some people get impatient when there's no SakuraxFounders interaction but I'm determined to go at my own pace, and to me, writing the world-building is just as fun.

Oh, The Forgotten Reader asked if I would consider putting in an OC from the Yuhi clan because they aren't usually a clan featured in these time-travel fics. I admit I hadn't even thought about the Yuhi family. lol I tend to forget about Kurenai in general. But, I decided it was a small enough request so it'd be okay to add it in. More to be revealed next chapter about that.

Also coming next chapter…

What Naruto and Sasuke are up to and what's going on back in Konoha with the Founders. Plus more about the Kaguya. Nothing's what it seems.

Also, I was working on Wabi-Sabi's update before I had computer issues. I decided to do this one since chapters for this story are always shorter but at least I made progress on the next chapter of WS. It's just easier to update with shorter chapters, but I don't like cutting a story where I've been doing longer chapters short. This story I've been keeping pretty consistent with 4,000-5,000 per chapter, so I don't feel bad about continuing to do that length.