Quick note, I know that some readers asked about the conclusion of the survival exercise and were a bit confused on where the ending to those were. To summarize, as I was doing the chapter I realized it was turning longer and longer. Instead of dragging out that section of scenes, I resolved to show the conclusion via flashbacks. This felt like the best way to have everything wrapped up so I could move forward with other plotlines. Hope that clarifies things. This was also written during 'Missing MadaSaku hours' so there's quite a bit of that reflected here.


Whatever he had done in a past life, whoever he had wronged, must have been paying him back tenfold. There was no other explanation for it. He was being haunted by the ghost of an enticing fantasy. Nearly every night he returned to a place that only seemed to exist in his dreams, found himself in the warm embrace of another person who held him sweetly and spoke murmurs of love into his ear. Though their face was always lost to him when he woke up, the true identity always frustratingly out of reach, Madara had no doubt that this woman was his lover.

What else could they be to each other when her presence soothed a deep ache in him he had previously never known to exist. But there was no denying the rightness of her body slotted up against his, the sense of completeness impossible not to recognize.

Sometimes, all they did was lay pressed against each other, her hand resting on his cheek, his on her waist, falling through time and space without ever moving as they gazed into each other's eyes. At other times, they touched each other with urgency, speaking lowly, mouths connecting, bodies becoming one as clothing gave way to heated skin.

Madara was far from a blushing virgin, and he'd never particularly romanticized the act. The closest he had ever come to a true connection in the midst of passion was with Naoko, and that was of an entirely different nature, something built from trust and mutual understanding. Something that didn't extend beyond a shared want for comfort and companionship, a reprieve from loneliness. Never had it been like what he experienced with her, their souls melding together, wrapping more tightly around each other every time they made love.

There had even been one occasion where her fingers took his wrist, guiding his palm against her stomach. The words she said were muted, but the echoes of his astonishment and then joy seized him so fully, the Uchiha had woken up elated, and then subsequently felt empty to find himself alone in his rumpled sheets.

Still, if nothing else, it filled the man with determination, convinced that these were flickers of the future, far-reaching fingers dragging him through time in his sleep then cruelly shoving him back to the present in the end. The cycle was teeth-gnashing to be sure, but in the grand scheme of things not something he was too concerned about missing out on.

Madara had always been proactive—perhaps at times a little rebellious—about securing the future he wanted to live in. As he bathed, dressed, and groomed his hair into half-submission, the Uchiha thought. Well, plotted really, to be more blunt about it.

He had every intention of making good on his promise, sooner as opposed to later. Madara meandered down the hall, peering through Izuna's cracked door to find his room empty, sunlight cascading down to illuminate the empty bed. Although he surmised his brother couldn't have been gone long. Generally an early riser anyway, on a nice morning like this one, Izuna was probably outside.

With that in mind, Madara decided to forgo breakfast, an act his rumbling stomach wasn't exactly thanking him for. It would just have to get over the injustice later, eased by the reconciliation of some fresh inari-zushi maybe. If he wasted time dallying over breakfast, who knew where his crafty little brother would slink off to. His gut told him straight to Haruno's house. There was…a theory he wanted to test.

Some entity of luck seemed willing to oblige, his stroll through the compound in search of Izuna proving fruitful. Madara's gaze sharpened, a satisfied grin threatening to curl itself from ear to ear. As it happened, his brother wasn't alone, the very same woman he most wanted to see standing at his side. How courteous of her to make herself so readily available for his convenience.

He walked across the training grounds towards them, taking note of the tense atmosphere tightening the air around the pair as they spoke to Maro, his son Manabu standing stiffly by his father.

Unlike his normal show of detachment and composure, it seemed that the elder Uchiha was quite worked up, his face pinched tellingly. "My son's explained his reasons, hasn't he? There wasn't anything he could've done, given the unfair position he was placed in."

"What exactly is unfair about needing to have some cooperative spirit?" Haruno fired back, standing her ground with an unimpressed expression. "He wasn't asked to wrestle a bear by himself. All he needed to do was work collectively with the other members of his team to pass the exercise."

Maro's jaw clenched as he spoke again, "He was put on a team with a child from the Kaguya clan. The very same one Manabu tells me tried to maim him before. If that doesn't demonstrate a clear bias against him, I'm not sure what does." He tilted his head, sizing the pinkette up disapprovingly. "Of course, I wouldn't expect you to see that. I've heard about you, Sakura Haruno. They say your allegiance is to the Senju."

The apples of her cheeks heated in record time, eyes flashing in the sunlight. Madara was all but right behind them now, and yet still no one acknowledged him. It gave him the perfect vantage point to see the tongue-lashing Maro was in for though. If he knew one thing about the kunoichi, it was that she was hardly one to back down from a snide comment.

"I'm sorry to tell you that someone passed along false information," she chuckled. "My allegiance is to the village, not a singular clan."

"And you should really be more careful about believing everything you hear Maro," Izuna commented, his face blank as he stared the older man down. "Sakura has no allegiance to any one clan, but she's been a great ally to the Uchiha. She's gone above and beyond to prove herself a friend to us, so the least we can do is return the gesture with respect."

The implication was evident. A slight against Haruno was one Izuna wasn't going to take sitting down, and any veiled threats against her would be handled seriously as well. If the old warhawk knew both of them had intentions of courting her, he would have a conniption. All the more reason to convince her to be his, Madara reasoned. The faces of Maro and any other traditionalists against bringing in fresh blood would be well worth it.

"My solemn apologies," Maro cleared his throat, tone lightening with the insincere deference he was well known for. "I'm not usually so ill-mannered, young lady," He gave a small bow. "I simply let old memories of bad blood hasten my tongue. Please forgive this old man for his assumptions."

"Bad blood?" Haruno repeated, "Is it because Tobirama Senju was also a proctor for the exercise?"

The Uchiha head noticed how she was careful to address him by his full name, putting some distance, at least speech wise, between them and the notion of any familiarity they might have. He was far from pleased that she had come back from her nearly month's long mission displaying such tight camaraderie with him, but that was neither here nor there for the moment.

Maro glanced at he and Izuna, then his son, "I suppose it's no secret, eh? I didn't know he'd be taking part in overseeing the students. Naturally it would raise some concerns about how fairly Uchiha children could expect to be graded."

Haruno's lips thinned briefly, then loosened into a semi-smile. "Actually, Kagami's group passed with flying colors." Manabu's eyes widened, his body trembling slightly. For all his jeering towards Kagami, it was no secret that he envied the boy, the rising star of their generation amongst the clan's youth. To hear his rival had no trouble passing was just another point of contention to antagonize him over later.

"Is…that true?" Maro murmured, gaze flashing to Izuna. Madara took it as his opportunity to step forward, hand resting on his brother's shoulder as he leaned himself between Izuna and Haruno not so subtly.

"As Haruno pointed out, the exercise was about survivalism and cooperation at its core. Perhaps it's better to hold the boy accountable for his own failure to see that, hm?" When he cut a look down to the child, he avoided Madara's eyes, fidgeting in place. Manabu knew he could count on his father to overlook his misdeeds while simultaneously filling his head with notions of the old ways. How the Uchiha stood on a ledge above what any others could hope to reach. And the boy eagerly absorbed those teachings, wanting to feel special.

But he and Izuna never had a problem cutting him back down to size, sometimes disciplining him in place of his father when the situation called for it. He and his friends harming the stray that later became Haruno's cat being a prime example. "If he hadn't been so keen to look for ways to be petty, we wouldn't be having this conversation. If anything, he should apologize for whatever half-truth he's told that's led you to believe this doesn't solely fall on him." The pinkette eyed him, casting him a strange gaze as if she truly hadn't seen him before. Madara resisted the urge to roll his eyes in her direction. Did she think he was truly that insensible? He didn't have the position of clan leader for his good looks. Mediation, while he wasn't always fond of it, was a necessary skill. And so was knowing how to talk down blustering blowhards with their heads up their asses.

Maro blinked, "I see…" he grumbled. "If our magnanimous leader has weighed in on the matter, then so be it. I'll speak to my son privately about accepting this outcome with grace. Thank you for your time gentlemen." Regarding Haruno as an afterthought, he said, "Young lady." They watched as he all but scruffed up his son, steering him away with a firm hand to the back of his neck. Manabu gave them all one last cursory glance over his shoulder, stumbling after his father.

"We haven't heard the last of that." Izuna scoffed after they were out of ear shot, "Ten ryu says it comes up in the next clan council meeting."

"Baseless claim after baseless claim piling up until there's enough of a mountain to make a fuss about, eh?" Madara placed his hands on his hips, thinking. "In the absence of true irrefutable proof to unseat me, I guess that's the best he can manage."

Haruno turned to them, green eyes wide, a piece of hair falling in her face and sticking to her lips. "If it's not too much trouble, would someone clue in the outsider on what that was all about? He came charging over like a pissed bull and started ranting about his son failing the survival exercise. Apparently Manabu's too good to take the extra supplemental lessons he rightfully earned himself when he abandoned Kikue."

"To put it simply, that man doesn't think I'm fit to remain clan leader, Haruno. He and a small sect of others from his generation have been looking for ways to make a compelling case against me since I signed the peace treaty with Hashirama. They think my connection to that oaf means I'm too soft towards the Senju, that I've forgotten our history."

She blanched, taken aback to hear he was aware of plans to depose him in no uncertain terms.

Izuna's brows remained furrowed, "He forgets we were the very same children fighting the adults' war not that long ago. We've lost our brothers to the conflict. Maro lost a son before Manabu was even born, so you'd think he'd want to secure peace for the sake of his future…but the bitterness is steeped too deeply."

Haruno worried her lip, "What does that mean…for you? Should I not have said anything? Did I make things worse?"

"No, he just thrives on provocation." Madara informed her, chuffed to see the pinkette's concern about their clan affairs.

His younger brother nodded in agreement, eyes sweeping over the empty training grounds, "Maro's got a way with words, like it or not. I'd bet he's gearing up to say we've welcomed in an outsider who's in collusion with the Senju to take advantage of the Uchiha."

"I would never do anything like that!" Haruno seethed, balling her hands into fists and stomping her foot. "The Uchiha and Senju have been at war for longer than any of us have been alive! And they finally found a way to secure peace between them. Konoha's proof of that. I'd never try to hurt either clan by conspiring with the other to—"

"There's no need to grow so flustered." Unable to help himself, Madara grasped her jaw in his hand, applying pressure until her lips poked out. "Earnest as you are, collusion of that nature isn't something you'd be able to pull off."

"H-Hey!"

"Well he's got a point," Izuna snickered lightly. "But take it as a good thing."

"I'll take it as being told I'm too transparent to be cunning," Haruno retorted, swatting his hand away. "I get it. I'm emotional and hotheaded, which aren't the best traits for covert work but if I wanted to…"

"There you go again, puffing up." Madara tisked. "I simply meant that you're trustworthy."

All the bluster left her instantly, the pinkette deflating pre-rant, eyes widening in surprise. It wasn't that hard for him to pay someone a compliment. Especially if he found it to be true. She glanced at Izuna, whose eyes shone in agreement. Shifting focus to the ground, Haruno fumbled briefly, "That's very…" The faint pink on her cheeks was telling, "nice. That you trust me. I…I think you should keep fighting against whatever he throws at you with everything you've got. There's no way he or anyone he approves of would be a better clan leader." she whispered vehemently.

It was Madara's turn to suck in a quick, inaudible breath, genuine shock coloring his features at the unexpected declaration. Of course, getting dewy-eyed was Izuna's specialty, not his. "I had no idea you had such faith in me, Haruno." he crowed, " But I'd always guessed you admired me more than you were willing to say."

"Keep dreaming!" She shot back, stepping further away from him, almost behind an amused Izuna. "I…I only meant that you're at least mildly more competent than he is. Marginally! Like by just this much," The kunoichi opined, demonstrating a measly amount of space with her two fingers. "Actually, I take back what I said. If anyone would be the best leader, it's Izuna."

Eyes twinkling at him, his brother's grin grew wide and cheeky.

"Please. You're hardly an unbiased party."

Haruno raised a quizzical brow, replying swiftly, "So? It didn't matter when I was willing to back you."

"Yes, because then your choice was at least based in sound logic and supported by objective fact." Madara explained, "I'm the best."

"That's not even what I said." Haruno denied. "Do you have selective hearing or what?"

"He's always been this way." Izuna put in. "He hears just what he wants."

"You know, Haruno, seeing you at this early hour is interesting." Choosing to ignore them, the older Uchiha circled back to the first mental query he had upon spotting her. What brought her to the clan's grounds first thing in the morning? "You don't have to follow strange tactics just to seek me out."

There was the faint possibility that he fit into that category more than her, but it was neither here nor there.

"You wish." Haruno mumbled, resting a hand against her forehead as she shut her eyes. "Seriously, it's important to have self worth, but in your case I don't think it'd be too bad if you suffered from a confidence deficit now and again."

"Sakura was just returning a book she borrowed from me." Izuna said, holding it up. "I thought you'd be sleeping in, anyway. Your rest has been so erratic lately."

The offhand comment drew a lingering gaze from the pink-haired girl, a touch of curiosity edged in sympathy swirling behind that unforgettable green.

"It's nothing that slows me down," To illustrate his point, Madara clutched his dominant arm, stretching it until his shoulder gave a satisfying pop. "I'm in rare form."

"Right. When aren't you?" Izuna said under his breath.

Again, he was gracious enough to let his little brother slide with only a cutting side eye. "Since you're here, Haruno, let's do something we should have done long ago."

A quick tug of her hand and they were brought chest to chest, beryl orbs staring up at him beneath full lashes, something between a pout and a protest on her lips. He suddenly recalled the rush of surety from his dream, heart sent thumping wildly at the cognizance of her body against his. 'Fascinating,' was all that came to mind.

Haruno could not have possibly looked more baffled. "I—"

"Dance with me." he challenged, releasing her. 'Then…then I'll know.'

She squinted at him as though he didn't have all his mental faculties, but it was hardly the first time. "Are you asking me to fight you? Now?"

"Too sudden?" he taunted, "Going up against an opponent like me could give even the most seasoned shinobi pause. There's no shame in—"

"You're on." Haruno answered, cracking her knuckles with a menacing smirk. "Let's just hope you've had enough time to get ready for me."


Sakura hardly understood what was going on, let alone what was running through his head, but that was nothing unusual. As they stood facing each other, taking up ready stances, the kunoichi would have expected to see Madara with a certain expression on her face. One full of self confidence edging on the line of conceited.

Instead, his gaze was so deep a shiver ran down her back, the bottomless depths of his eyes giving the allusion that he could see through her. Sakura cocked her head, not at all sure what had gotten into him to issue a challenge so suddenly, then stare at her like he was fighting to meet his destiny. "It should go without saying, but this isn't a clash absent of handicaps. I can't have the compound reduced to its smoldering foundation."

Sakura slanted a brow. "You think I'm the one that needs that kind of reminder? You live here, so keep that in mind for your own sake."

"Don't worry. If things look like they're taking a turn for the chaotic, I'll step in." Izuna pledged from the sidelines. Sakura graced him with a reassured smile.

"Stand down, Izuna." Madara's steely gaze didn't leave her, holding a gloved hand out as if in invitation. "Come Haruno, let's start our dance."

He was so calm and focused, he gave off a completely different energy than the man who exuded such a chaotic presence most of the time. 'He's got to be up to something.' Sakura concluded. Well, obviously he had to be.

The sudden insistence that they fight was suspicious enough, but Madara wasn't being his normal self either. Keeping in mind that tearing the training grounds apart with her fist wasn't an option, Sakura began weaving a set of hand signs, though the speed at which the Uchiha's own hands flew through a counter-jutsu rivaled her own.

'That's gotta be a…!' The kunoichi hardly had time to process the thought before she was ducking low and simultaneously rolling out of the way to evade a stream of fire. Having her hair nearly singed clean off her head made her feel next to no guilt about what she had planned, the pinkette gathering her chakra and expelling one of the devastating water jutsu Tobirama had taught her so long ago. Steam hissed as the jet of fire collided with her torrent of water, Sakura using the lowered visibility to move in closer, intent on a sneak attack.

Sure-footed and silent, the kunoichi crept within striking distance, fist poised and aimed at Madara's back. One clean hit could knock him out and then it'd be over. That was the plan at least. But in all her haste, Sakura had forgotten who she was dealing with.

A short gasp was wrenched from her throat, head whipping to the side as Sakura found herself yanked backwards, flipped to the ground in quick succession. Madara kept her pinned with a hand on her shoulder, the other placed beside her head. "Sloppy Haruno. Very sloppy." He droned, sounding bored. Gritting her teeth, Sakura brought a knee up and into his abdomen, hips slamming into his as she broke free.

The Uchiha hissed, eyes wide with disbelief. "W-What are you—" Legs tight around his waist, the pinkette easily used her core strength to lift and slam him, cutting the question short.

"You were saying?" She smirked, staring down at the dazed Madara who wasn't even trying to break free. "Done already? Guess you don't have the stamina to last as long as you thought you d—"

Her taunt ended in a breathy squeal, heat searing down into her core as teeth sank into the meat of her thigh. Maintaining eye contact, Madara laved his tongue over the spot his mouth was still attached to, Sakura's legs instantly fluttering open.

Finding her limbs no longer had the strength to squeeze, the man had no trouble escaping the grapple. He descended on her before the fog in her brain had lifted, securing both arms above her head by the wrists, planting a knee firmly between her legs, the Sharingan's sinful red replacing smoky onyx.

Sakura shut her eyes a blink too late, a world of illusion rippling over reality. Despite being prepared for it, ready for whatever pain Madara was going to use in order to fold her mind into submission, when he approached, she couldn't hide the tiny flinch, "Do you really assume I'd treat you like my enemy?" he asked, dodging the swift punch she threw. "There's more than one way to get submission out of a target utilizing genjutsu." Here a wide, devilish grin broke out across his handsome face—one she absolutely did not trust. "I believe stamina was called into question…" he trailed off, another copy of Madara materializing beside the first. "Something cheeky about me not having enough to last…?" The duo circled her predatorily, one always edging into a blind spot no matter how much she turned. "But the real question remains to be answered, Haruno. If I assault your senses, subject your mind to sensations so realistic your body can't help but succumb…can you last?"

Restraints burst from the ground, causing her knees to buckle as they clamped tight around her ankles. "What the hell is this?" She snapped, "Stop toying with me!" The chains doubled, a new set latching onto her arms, dropping her to her knees as she tried lunging for Madara.

His body shook with laughter, and she was ashamed to admit the rich note of it made fizzy warmth burble and burst in her belly.

"Toying with you, eh? You really do say the most tantalizing things." he commented.

"And all without even trying." The second Madara added. "Though I should warn you, it's much harder to lie in this genjutsu world."

Sakura stared between the two of them, brow furrowed in consternation.

"Releasing yourself requires willpower, which I know you have to spare." Madara explained. "But…you haven't made an attempt to break the genjutsu."

The other Madara made a show of stroking his chin. "Could it be that you trust me when I said I wasn't out to harm you?"

"It's very hard to make your mind escape an illusion when your body's convinced you aren't in immediate danger." The Uchiha finished, kneeling beside her. Still restrained, Sakura watched through narrowed eyes as he placed a hand under her chin, the heat penetrating the leather of his gloves. "Prove me wrong." He challenged. "Break free and let's resume the fight in the real world."

"Unless…you'd feel more comfortable here, vulnerable to any mental assault I can conjure up." Before the pinkette could ask him what his angle was, the ghost of a hand against her arm drew her attention from his eyes, only to find nothing there.

Then, there was a touch at her neck, although the two Madara were in plain view, neither standing behind her. She slowly began to squirm, invisible fingertips brushing everywhere, even if they were nowhere. Her face, neck, arms, legs, back, sides…nowhere was safe.

Even though she was still fully clothed in this dreamworld of Madara's design, the caresses felt as if they had slithered beneath her clothes, slowly becoming firmer, calloused roughness kneading supple skin. Of course, the whole point of genjutsu was psychological warfare, but this seemed a touch too far. The Madara she was certain was the original pulled her into him, chest to chest, as they had been one too many times before. The second quickly crowded her from behind, and Sakura found herself encircled in two pairs of identical arms.

"You're not even bound anymore." A voice rumbled against her ear.

"It just proves what I said. You enjoy this game of ours as much as I do. With just the two of us here, it's safe to admit at least that much."

"You're so full of—oh!" The hand smoothing down her nape got a little more insistent, the briefest squeeze, and without her say so, Sakura's body was putty.

"…Haruno…are you sensitive? I wonder if you'd be this receptive outside the genjutsu."

A lick of embarrassment turned the skin of her cheeks sunburnt red. Having heard what Kakashi and Sasuke had endured within Itachi's genjutsu world, and also experiencing her death by Chidori due to Sasuke's ocular prowess, Sakura had always assumed if she got caught in an Uchiha's trap, it was unlikely to be pleasant. Especially if that Uchiha was Madara. And yet here she was, hardly putting up much of a fight as he teased her like always. Worst yet, he was discovering weaknesses she wasn't even aware she had! Who knew that when someone squeezed her neck with a dominating hand, it would feel like that? Like she had to clamp her legs together.

The realization that she was all but showing her belly—and that if it were any opponent with the Sharingan other than Madara her mind would be in shambles—allowed her to summon the fight needed to break free.

She jerked from the genjutsu unceremoniously, shoving Madara away immediately as she sprung from the ground. Chancing a peek at the sidelines, she saw Izuna studying them curiously. It had probably only been seconds to minutes, knowing how the Sharingan tended to work. Just to be sure that her head was truly free of any lingering influences from other parties, Sakura gave it a good shake. "I-Idiot!" He had made a total fool of her. He wasn't getting away with that, no matter what a small part of her treacherous mind said about how spending a little longer there wouldn't have been so bad.

Unwilling to delve into that train of thought, Sakura instead focused on a more immediate fix to her mental turmoil. Pummeling Madara. However, it wasn't as though he stood still and took it. As she reigned punches down on him more aggressively than before, he stayed on the defensive, blocking, dodging or countering most. Some hit their mark, drawing grunts from him as he took a particularly rough blow to the face.

But Sakura had to hand it to him for giving as good as he got. He certainly wasn't taking it easy on her, his taijutsu as formidable as she remembered it being during the war. She caught a punishing hit to the stomach that made her eyes water, sweeping his legs out from under him in retaliation. They grappled on the ground, Izuna running over when it became more mindless wrestling than anything. The pinkette could have snorted over the absurdity of her rolling around in the dirt with Madara Uchiha, lazily trying to pin each other. "You'd better not try anything underhanded again." Sakura warned. "What kind of pervert bites someone to get the upper hand?"

"You didn't sound like you hated it." he retorted, reminding her of the embarrassing noise she had made in the moment.

There was surely a set of teeth marks on her thigh now, maybe an incriminating bruise to go with it. Enough to send the entirely wrong idea. Fueled by irritation at the thought, Sakura shoved him down hard on his stomach, capturing his hands and making sure his face was pressed mercilessly into the ground.

"I bet a lot of situations in your life could be avoided if you learned to shut up for five minutes." she grumbled.

Although he couldn't lift his head far off the ground, it didn't seem to deter him. He gave her the same infuriating smirk she was so familiar with, and Sakura just knew he hadn't learned his lesson. "Who says this was a situation I was trying to avoid?"

"You're so incorrigible!" Sakura sputtered, already rolling off him. How could she forget that this was Madara, a man who thrived on this very strange matching of wits and loved to stoke the undercurrent of intimate tension that she had been running from for a while. With varying degrees of success as of late.

Izuna bent to give her a helping hand, and Sakura allowed herself to be hauled up, even knowing she was perfectly capable of climbing to her feet on her own. "Welcome to my life." he chuckled. "By the way, I'd say Sakura wins this one." He told his brother.

"Indeed." Madara surged up onto his feet, "Except that in the grand scheme of things, I got exactly what I wanted. Which makes me the winner in the end." Sakura wasn't too pleased about the telling gleam in his eyes.

"Do I even want to know?" she sighed, brushing any traces of dirt from her clothes.

The older Uchiha seized the hand she happened to be using, using it to pull her so that they were a hair's breadth away. Her mind was instantly sent spinning back to that very…unorthodox genjutsu world. "I'll tell you anyway," he declared. "I believe a shinobi shows their guts most clearly in the heat of battle."

"Isn't that…a given?" Sakura wondered, unsure where he was going.

"That's not all." he said as if he hadn't heard her. "Sometimes other things are shown too. Whether we mean for them to be or not. Isn't that right, Haruno?" Sakura recoiled, face aflame, his implication clear. It was hardly her fault that Madara couldn't keep his hands to himself, even in a genjutsu. "Let's just say that through your display, I was able to glean all I needed to know." He lifted their joined hands, his sleeve slipping down.

The shine of something polished and green drew her attention to a beaded bracelet she hadn't seen in a while. Her heart involuntarily skipped a beat. When she had gotten Madara that epidote bracelet, it had been a reluctant birthday gift borne of guilt, or so she had told herself then.

After all, he was badgering her nearly every day, she was fed up with his impatience, but also involuntarily sympathetic, since him losing his memory was her fault. Having been expected to make an appearance at the Uchiha compound for his birthday, Sakura had simply thought it would be odd if she didn't show up with something to bestow him.

And so she had selected the piece of jewelry the seller had told her was believed to sharpen memory, dispel doubts and bring spiritual clarity, among other things. Of course, being a trained healer, Sakura wasn't gullible enough to believe an ordinary mineral alone was enough to trump her abilities.

But maybe, at the time she had thought…if there was the slightest possibility wearing the bracelet would lift Madara's spirits, it wouldn't be a wasteful purchase. That being the case, the last thing she had expected was that he would still be wearing it.

"We're compatible after all." he said oh so naturally, his thumb running over the back of her hand. Sakura couldn't quite place the look on his face, but if she had to liken it to anything, the Uchiha reminded her of someone who had happened upon an unexpected but intriguing discovery while researching. "More than that, actually…we're—"

Abruptly pulled apart, Sakura staring at the hands firmly placed on her upper arms as she stumbled back into a warm chest. She could feel the weight of a chin settle lightly on her head, Izuna's voice full of quiet exasperation. "I'm sure Sakura gets the point. Take a minute to let your brain catch up to your mouth, and disconnect from whatever primal feelings you have bubbling up."

Madara didn't exactly appear pleased to have his brother unceremoniously cut in on them, but he backed away, flipping his shirt up to wipe the perspiration from his face.

Sakura could feel a bead of sweat trickling down the back of her neck as she watched an identical one traveling the expanse of rippling muscles that comprised his stomach. 'What a show off.' she thought. 'With a collar that wide, what's the point of almost pulling his shirt off to wipe his face?'

"I thought I told you earlier to stand down." He muttered, his shirt falling back into place as the last two words slipped out. "If you keep interrupting, I'm going to take it personally."

"Feel free to do what you must," Izuna still hadn't let her go, his palms lightly skimming her bare arms and going back up in a soothing motion. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you by now that the Uchiha clan are full of passion. It's just our way."

Realizing he was speaking to her, Sakura craned her face around, only to see him staring at her with such unguarded, dreamy eyes she got a little light-headed. "Y-Yeah, I've noticed…" she whispered, hoping he didn't notice her heart rate doubling in speed. It wasn't her fault. Any girl would go weak in the knees if Izuna stared at them so tenderly.

"My father once told us that our natural body temperatures even run hotter than average, though who knows how true that is." Interesting. It'd be intriguing to study that little tidbit of information and see if there was possibly some link between—

"There aren't many things that get us more hot-blooded than battle, so you'll have to give my brother a minute to compose himself. Sorry if he startled you."

"No more than usual." Sakura replied. "I'm practically immune to it by now." That…wasn't entirely true, but for the sake of the conversation, she would

pretend it was.

"I'm standing three feet away." Madara reminded them, causing Sakura's gaze to swing in his direction. She had meant to ready a sharp retort, really she had. But then her eyes happened to fall just a little short of his face, stopping at the most telling indicator of just how hot-blooded he was feeling at the moment, tinting his pants.

"You act like that's far enough." Izuna said on her behalf.

Undoubtedly, the pinkette was blushing all the way to her hair follicles, frantically trying to find something else to focus on. Madara was either none the wiser—though how could he not be—or didn't care. Sakura was betting on the latter. He didn't strike her as the kind of man to be coy about it, especially not when he had actually propositioned her before. That morning in her kitchen felt like so long ago, and yet in actuality it was very recent, a perfectly preserved memory.

'And he said we were compatible…what was that even about? He had to mean as sparring partners,' she concluded absently. 'Pretty dramatic lengths to go to just to test that.' Physicality had become an almost expected part of the dynamic they found themselves caught in.

Madara taking every opportunity to try to fluster her, and Sakura rebuffing him as often as possible. Still, anyone who knew her well enough would assume the attempts had been halfhearted for a while. She had been known to break wrists or knock out teeth if someone wasn't getting the message that she wasn't interested. But Madara Uchiha, the man she should want to be touched by least, was unscathed…

Months ago, if she got pulled into Madara's genjutsu there would have been only one answer stark in her mind: break out before he could break her and then destroy him like the villain he was. Except…this Madara was no villain. Brazen, sure. Infuriating, undoubtedly. Seductive…

The brothers talked as she stood in Izuna's arms, deep in thought. She wasn't paying much attention to their words, but the pinkette had an inkling they were bickering over the older brother's usual disregard for personal space where she was concerned. Not that Izuna wasn't ironically wrapped around her himself.

The gentle touch of fingers on her arms sent an involuntary shudder through her system, Sakura considering maybe Madara wasn't the only one feeling a little hot under the collar. When she replayed how their encounters had gotten increasingly personal over time, how she had undeniably let her guard down at some point, something taboo edged to the surface of her brain. What would it be like…to give in? Surrender to the promise of the tempting new world on the horizon of what could only be a huge mistake.

The bite on her inner thigh throbbed, and she could almost see more of them, scattered across the expanse of her pale skin, very visible marks of possession. If she had been sitting down, Sakura would've crossed her legs. This was far from the time—or the place—to get caught up in daydreaming out some sordid scenario to one of her mother's novels.

The reality would always be the same. That line of thinking was forbidden as long as they were, and that would be forever. Slowly stepping from Izuna's grip brought an end to whatever the brothers were hissing at each other about, both of them eying her in bemusement. "If seeing what getting knocked around in a spar with me is like was all you wanted, then you've got your answer, so I should go."

Putting on the most unbothered front she could manage, Sakura stuck out her tongue, saluting, "Let me know if you need to be put in your place again anytime soon and we'll dance again." For Izuna, she managed a softer expression, although truthfully she could do with some distance from both of them. Both brothers presented very different but present dangers. "See you around, Izuna!" She waved, hearing Madara give an agitated grumble about the fact that he hadn't been given a proper goodbye as she ran off.


A fine-weathered spring day normally made her feel like there was no problem she couldn't overcome, so long as she breathed in some of Konoha's fresh air and ate a sweet bun or two. Ah, what a much simpler time. The pinkette really envied the Sakura of springtimes' past. Tearing through the village, head blaring in crisis mode, wasn't as relaxing as one might assume.

She really needed another emergency convening at her house, but in the middle of the day her friends were likely to be scattered across the village, each going about their days perfectly oblivious to the situation she found herself in.

Yes, Madara was always trying to get a rise from her. What else was new there? And yes, it sometimes worked more than she wanted it to. In spite of all his issues, he had a certain knack for being…easy to get tangled up in. The kind of guy Ino would delicately call "really hot and really addictive".

Feeling her head on the off chance she had a fever, Sakura took a sharp left, beelining for the nearest place she could receive help. The academy. Yurine would be there, hopefully on her mid-morning break while her students played outside.

She'd never dream of putting her desire for girl talk above the importance of learning, but stopping in for a quick chat with the most romance-obsessed girl in the village might put her heart at ease. Plus, now that she had seen Yurine interacting with Goemon, she had better leverage to tease back anyway.

Relief welled inside as soon as she approached the building to hear the telltale commotion that could only mean recess. Straight through the gates and she was greeted by a multitude of children, probably from all different classes, chasing each other around the courtyard or hanging on the play equipment.

She paused long enough to let a ball bounce by her, a small cluster of kids in hot pursuit. It was the familiar puppy with them that made her stop and pause, recognizing Yoku Inuzuka's loyal hound Asuga seconds before the exceptionally well-mannered girl ran by. Yoku might not have had the aptitude to learn healing jutsu, but the kunoichi still had a soft spot for her, simply for how polite she was. Watching her not only interact with but get along so well with the grouchy Harihane Kaguya was also a treat. Predictably, the two girls were together even now, the latter skidding to a halt just in time to avoid knocking into her.

"Hey, hey, watch where you're—oh, hey Sakura."

"Hey yourself," she smiled, by now use to Harihane's brusque personality. Rocking back on her heels, the girl folded her arms, lips edging into a curious pout. "So what brings you by? Don't tell me somebody's getting dragged out of the academy cause they flunked that survival training." From her peripheral, the young woman saw Yoku approaching, ball in hand and dog at her side.

"No, nothing that serious." Sakura had to admit, despite the sense of urgency making her heart flutter not ten minutes ago, talking to the academy students she had come to know so well was always a pleasure. They were all growing so capable so quickly. And Harihane had an amazing turnaround from the snarling, sharp-tongued child she had met all that time ago. She could still be rough around the edges, but Jun'ichi had happily told her about how his younger sister was gradually working through her years of pent up anger. "Staying out of trouble today?"

Harihane's face grew suspiciously pink, her dark eyes stubbornly looking away from Sakura. "Tch, barely…" she mumbled, dragging a knuckle across the bridge of her nose.

"What was that?" Sakura had of course heard, waiting warily for further elaboration. Seemingly unwilling to incriminate herself, the Kaguya only stared at the ground, muttering incoherently under her breath. "Harihane…"

Face snapping up, Harihane glared petulantly. "He had it coming, okay?" she said loud and clear.

Fumbling with her hands, Yoku offered an apologetic tilt of her head, wearing a nervous grimace that made her fangs poke past her lips. "Harihane almost had to stay in the classroom for recess today, for continuing to attack Manabu Uchiha even when the sensei called the spar."

Eyes widening, Sakura stared at Harihane for confirmation, though she already knew Yoku wouldn't lie."It's not like he would've cared if Kikue had gotten hurt when he left her behind, so why should I care if I make his face a little uglier. He's still in one piece."

"Not the point." Sakura sucked in a breath, and the lecture on the tip of her tongue with it. Something told the kunoichi it wouldn't do very much good to try laying into her—she would save that for Junji. And it wasn't like where she didn't see where the girl was coming from. In her eyes she was just delivering deserved retribution for someone putting her little sister through pain. "Look, if it makes you feel any better I've already handled Manabu. He's not off the hook for what he did."

Blinking slowly, some of the ire dimmed from Harihane's face, making her appear her age. Sakura couldn't imagine how long she'd had to limit herself to a severely aloof or highly disdainful expression, existing in a constant mode of survival and vigilance even around her own clan. Hopefully in time, with the support of her siblings and new friends, she would continue to blossom into a better adjusted preteen. "Really?" She considered the response as Sakura nodded. "…You know, you're alright Sakura." Holding her chin, she continued, "I guess you were before but…if Junji really had married you when that man told him to, at least I wouldn't have had to do you in while you were asleep."

"Thanks." There was just an edge of sarcasm there, just a smidge of mortification in her eyes. Sakura was aware this was how Harihane did sincerity. "I'll let you get back to playing, but Yoku, would you do me a favor and keep an eye on her? The day's still not over."

"Y-Yes," Yoku bowed instantly, the determined little smile stretching her tattooed cheeks. "I'll use utmost vigilance, Sakura-san! She won't have a chance to find trouble."

"You sound like you're a prison warden trying to keep me from getting rowdy."

The Inuzuka tittered daintily into her hand. "Those were your words, but they're very accurate to the situation."

Surmising that Harihane was in the most capable hands she could be, Sakura resumed her trek to Yurine's classroom, the sounds of play fading away as she stepped into the quiet halls of the academy and shut the door.

ASiT

The classroom door was cracked, just a smidge, Sakura able to sense the presence of someone inside. Her fingers reached for the sliding wood panel, itching to pull it back and burst in, but having a meltdown spurned by a revelation was no excuse to abandon all civility. Yurine might be inside talking to a student or colleague. There were multiple voices, now that she stopped and listened. One of them definitely belonged to her friend, and several others also sounded recognizable.

Not sure what prompted her to try being sneaky, Sakura edged close to the gap of space and squinted through the opening. Yurine was indeed inside, speaking to Kureno, Susumu and Shikamarin. The conversation seemed well underway, the blonde kunoichi gesticulating passionately like she often did when worked up. "…Seriously, Kureno, think about it logically. How are we going to be able to ensure the princess's safety if she comes? I mean, I doubt anything would happen to her in a village full of shinobi but still, everyone's going to be busy, you know, making sure this goes off without a hitch."

Budding curiosity began to surface in the pinkette, solving her own dilemma temporarily moved further back on her priority list. Princesses and something going off without a hitch…?

"I get that!" Kureno huffed, sweeping hair from his eyes, "I'm not saying she'll need a whole security detail. She can stick close to me all night if she comes. But Tsuguko-hime's been so down in her letters about the unrest happening in the capitol and her father being imprisoned. I just thought…maybe visiting would lift her spirits a little. She's never been to a ninja village."

"Of course not, she's a noble!" Yurine said in clear exasperation. "Why would she have? Anyway, we're tabling that for now. It's not the focus." Turning to the soft-spoken purple-haired herbalist, the female Yuhi adopted a much nicer tone. "Susumu, any word on if we'll have enough lanterns? We want to fill the whole wide sky!"

Sakura watched as Yurine stretched her arms and twirled, her beautiful hair flowing, but not as much as the thoughts running through the hidden kunoichi's head. What…were her friends talking about? And why hadn't anyone already filled her in on it?

"That seems like it's objectively impossible." Shikamarin commented, leaning against a desk. "We only need enough to make a good spectacle. Anyway, I spoke to nearly all the vendors in the market district. I'll be done with my list by tomorrow. They're all on board. Guess they figure the turnout's gonna generate enough extra revenue to more than cover the cost of switching up their normal wares for the night."

The bemusement was so strong it was practically an itch in her throat, and Sakura was torn between announcing herself and outright questioning them, or staying where she was and seeing if she could piece it together herself.

"Great!" Yurine chirped, clapping her hands. "Good going, Shikamarin."

"No need for praise." The Nara's expression got a little dreamy. "All that limited edition food…and I don't have to wait for the New Year to have it."

Kureno considered her a minute before chuckling quietly, "There's always that hidden angle with you, huh?"

Rolling her eyes, Shikamarin shrugged unapologetically. "Hate to break it to you, but there aren't that many altruists out there. Most people are just skilled enough to put on a good show."

"Call it whatever you will. But I'm glad it's coming together. This afternoon we'll meet up with Naoko to see if she needs any help." Beryl eyes narrowed at the figures conversing in the classroom. Naoko? Just how many of her friends were getting together about planning this yet to be revealed event? The need to know finally winning out, Sakura made a show of knocking, no longer bothering to hide her presence as she'd been doing.

"Hm? Who's tha…Sakura!" Yurine's eyes widened suspiciously as soon as she turned around. "Wha…what brings you by?"

Aware her friend was nervous (for some reason), the pinkette smiled sweetly as she walked into the room to join them. "Nothing much. I just had some free time today and thought I'd come ask if you'd had lunch yet. I didn't know you'd be occupied though. Sorry if it's a bad time."

"N-No, it's fine. We're just wrapping up!" Yurine assured. "R-Right?"

The others were quick to nod and join in with agreements, except Shikamarin, who merely shrugged, face cool and unchanging.

"Great time if you ask me." The Nara put in, "What's your preference in firework colors?"

Sakura didn't even have time to puzzle out why she was being asked that out of the blue before the others whirled on their chronically sleepy friend. "Shikamarin!"

"Just a general innocuous question." she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "No need to jump down my throat."

"Um," Sakura pointedly let her eyes dart between all four of them. "Are you all…planning something? If you need any help I could—"

"No, that's alright. No extra help required right now!" Susumu interjected this time. "And I wouldn't say it's anything large-scale."

"Uh huh, exactly. Kind of the opposite. Just a tiny, forgettable kind of get together we're having cause of…a few of the kids in Yurine's class." Kureno added.

Yurine looked a little too frazzled as she nodded along. "Yep, to celebrate the students who've been getting consistently perfect marks all term."

"Oh," Some of Sakura's skepticism eased. Yurine, Susumu and Shikamarin were all academy sensei, after all. Kureno being Yurine's henpecked older brother was a likely candidate to be dragged into helping.

Then again…she was technically an academy faculty too, wasn't she? Sure, her lessons were a bit more infrequent since she only came when she had the time, but nonetheless, she would have gladly been involved in setting up something to reward the diligent students.

"Which students?" she asked, "I'll have to congratulate them."

"Save the congratulations for the big day!" Yurine insisted, "You don't wanna tip them off, right?" Strangely, her gaze was aimed at the other three as she hissed through clenched teeth.

"I guess not…" Truthfully, she still thought her friends—save for maybe the ever unruffled Shikamarin—were acting odd. All this secrecy for an academy celebration? Something else was going on.

Outside, the gong rang, signaling the end of the break. Sakura supposed that heart to heart talk with Yurine and the others would just have to wait. "Sounds like your students should be heading back in any minute, so I won't keep you."

Yurine moved forward, enveloping her in a hug. "You came all this way to see me and we didn't even get in a real chat. Sorry about that…"

"It's okay," Sakura hugged her back, the scent of jasmine filling her nose. "I'm the one who popped up on short notice. That just means next time we catch up, you'll bring the snacks."

"It's a deal." Her friend giggled easily.

The door to the classroom was wrenched open, sweaty but satisfied looking children filing back inside.

"I should be going too then," Susumu excused, carefully squeezing past the children continuing to flood into the classroom. "Shikamarin," The slouched girl hadn't moved very much, except to slide out of the way of the student whose desk she was leaning on. "Your lesson starts soon too, doesn't it?"

While initially refusing the invitation to teach (and probably with good reason with how often she fell asleep), Shikamarin had been convinced late last year to teach advanced trap-making in a part-time position that suited her just fine. She was still more often than not late for classes, sleeping soundly in the break lounge without a care in the world.

"I'm moving, I'm moving," she groaned, dragging herself out of the room.

That left the pinkette with the Yuhi siblings, who both gave her some very conspicuous thumbs ups. Yeah, something was absolutely going on they didn't want her involved in. It left her a little pouty inside. She couldn't stand in the middle of Yurine's class in sulk on it though. "Sakura? What're you doing here?"

There were arms clinging to her in a tight hug suddenly, Sakura staring down at the top of a brown head. She reached down, fingering a streak of white that stood out among the darker tresses, the substance coming away on her fingers. "You're a little too young for gray hair, aren't you?" She couldn't help but joke, able to identify the flour on her digits.

Kagami and Chisato, always with their rambunctious friend, also had it streaked on their noses and in their hair. The Uchiha turned away to sneeze, sniffling into his sleeve. "Yeah, I got permission to go home during the break and help Tobaa with the Bakedown to Spring!"

"We helped." Chisato stated, raising a hand.

"Bakedown to Spring?" Sakura repeated. "What's that?"

"Apparently a cooking contest the Senju hold every year about this time of year." Kagami wiped his face off on his sleeve. "Reira asked us to help, but um, there was an incident with the flour…"

"We barely cleaned up and made it back in time!" Reira admitted, slumping in exhaustion. "Anyway, Tobaa's probably still there doing her best. Thanks to me, she'll need more help."

That was all Sakura truly needed to hear. She was pretty restless from this morning, Yurine wasn't available, and doing something with her hands would prove a good distraction. Not to mention she was fairly handy in the kitchen if she said so herself.

"Leave it to me!" she said, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. "And…" she brushed flour from Reira's cheekbone with one hand and cleaned Kagami's chin with the other. "After class you may all want to go wash up. You missed…a few spots."

As the very last of the kids trickled in, the young woman ushered the trio to take their seats. Bidding one more farewell to Yurine and Kureno, who were talking near the blackboard, she tried to depart for her destination without too much of a skip in her step.

ASiT

The warm scent of cinnamon and apples greeted her all the way from the front gates, which were noticeably without sentries. This Spring Bakedown must have been no joke to the Senju. Sakura figured she was at least familiar enough with the clan to wander in without arousing concern, especially since she was there to help a friend anyway.

Toka didn't strike her as the kind to get caught up in a baking contest, but she was steadfast in everything she did. If Reira had convinced her to take part, no doubt she would take it seriously. 'But where would she be?' From previous visits, the pinkette was aware that the Senju had a large main kitchen and banquet hall. Toka might be there, among dozens of her clansmen, cooking up a storm with single-minded determination. Then there was also the possibility that she was home in a quiet area where she could concentrate. Knowing Toka, Sakura thought it was better to try her house first.

The streets were fairly quiet, only a few people milling around who didn't bat an eye at her presence. Everyone must have been dead focused on their prepping and baking. Who knew cooking was such a unifying force for such a large clan.

Maybe it was that strong silence that made the knocks on the Senju's front door all the louder, but it wasn't long before she could hear a calm murmur from within, stepping back as the door swung open.

Toka stood before her with her shirt sleeves rolled up to her elbows and the thick bang that normally fell into her eye clipped back to give an unobstructed view of her forehead. The scent of dough clung to her, and the cozy fragrance of fresh-baked bread curled out the door around them. The sharp slant of consternation to her brow gave way to mild surprise as soon as she laid eyes on the younger kunoichi. "Sakura." she acknowledged. "What a pleasant surprise."

Rubbing at her arm self consciously, Sakura couldn't hold in the nervous chuckle that bubbled from her lips. She felt like a bother to her friends today, for some reason. They all had their own lives, every bit as intricate as hers. They weren't always available at a moment's notice, nor did they need to be. She strongly hoped they didn't find her too needy.

"Has something happened?"

"Ah, nothing serious…" she trailed off, flustered at the prospect of telling Toka about the visit to the Uchiha compound that had her heart aflutter all morning. The knowing expression in the brunette's eyes let Sakura know she didn't buy it for a minute.

"Inside." Toka commanded, moving aside to permit her entrance. "Whatever it is, we can talk it over with some tea if you'd like." Again, a stab of guilt hit her directly in the chest. She wanted to be heard, but she didn't want anyone dropping whatever they were in the middle of to do it. Why did her hot and cold emotions make her so complicated, even to herself?

"That's not really necessary, honest!" Sakura protested meekly, although she did come in and slowly begin to remove her shoes. "Reira told me you're baking for a clan competition. I was going to see if I could offer any help."

"Hm, I wouldn't mind an extra set of hands." Sakura perked up, happy she hadn't been turned away. "As it stands, the one I have is…"

"Oh Sakura, lovely of you to drop by!" The pinkette did a double take, not at all expecting the sight of Naoko, stirring a mixing bowl full of some chocolate concoction by the oven.

"N-Naoko?" she sputtered, stopping short as Toka breezed by, ignoring Naoko to resume putting several trays into the hot oven without sparing her a glance. "You're…here too?" she finished, lamely.

"I'm always interested in helping a friend in need. Toka pleaded with me and I came right ov—"

"That's enough." Toka butt in, clicking her teeth as she closed her eyes and shored her patience. "She only recently stopped by, shortly after Reira and her friends returned to the academy. We had a matter to discuss, and she insisted on staying. That's all."

"I don't like the way you retell stories." The Uchiha whined a little, "It sucks out all the fun,"

"Apologies." Toka said unremorsefully.

"T-Then I guess three cooks in the kitchen is one too many…" Sakura winced.

"Nonsense, as I said, the help I have now is questionable." Toka smoothly handed her a tube. "You can add the sweet cream to the finished batch of pastries if you want to."

"Sure," Sakura was ready to wholeheartedly throw herself into the task, doing exactly as her friend instructed and finishing up the first row in no time. Toka and Naoko resumed talking, the majority of the conversation consisting of the Senju telling the Uchiha not to be so distracted and focus on the task at hand. To Sakura's ears, it sounded almost like Naoko was flirting, but Toka didn't notice or wasn't taking it seriously. Either way, she didn't balk or slow down at all.

Sneaking glances at the duo over her shoulder, Sakura couldn't help but grin at the natural synergy they emitted, shuffling around each other even as they 'squabbled'. It was sweet…domestic.

In some way, she supposed they reminded her of herself and Tobirama whenever she tried showing him the proper way to make his meals more than just nutritious, but actually flavorful. He complained, but did what she said nonetheless.

They bantered, bustling around each other, the sky changing from the bright blue of afternoon to the multitude of colors that marked the arrival of early evening before they realized it. As of late it had become a routine of sorts, and Sakura had to admit, she had fun. Never in her wildest dreams, when she had been reading about him at the academy, did she think she would be telling the man to season his wagyu steak a little more thoroughly.

In fact, all the adventures she had been on were supposed to be bringing her closer to home, but they had also drawn her deeper into the lives of the people around her. People she was never supposed to meet. Now, truth be told, it felt so natural, every day something new, the loneliness she had initially suffocated in subsiding greatly. Sure, at first the secret of being from another time in the distant future choked her. Sakura told herself it was better to carry out whatever hairbrained duty Mizuchi expected of her and hope the goddess kept her word.

It had been long months since she had found herself here, in a place so familiar but so new at the same time. Her birthday was approaching, and if things continued on, a whole year would have come and gone in a handful more months. Returning to her time was no less appealing but also, as she had realized while with Izuna and Madara, frighteningly more complicated than it used to be.

Everything she had gotten used to, and everyone she now held dear belonged to a time she couldn't stay in. They were never supposed to cross paths, but now occupied such a big space in her heart. Putting things right always meant that leaving them behind was the looming inevitability.

That meant no more late night girl talks with her friends, or teaching students like Biwako medical ninjutsu at the academy. That would also mean no more watching Reira bounce around energetically or having sisterly moments with the young Senju.

The mujina who entertained her with their shenanigans while keeping her on her toes would also have to stay in the past more than likely. And Usamaro…oh, Usamaro. She couldn't selfishly abandon him when he had been her companion, her secret keeper, her furry protector…chasing out her loneliness before she was even able to give voice to the grief in her heart. But would time traveling be too much for his little body to bear?

Then, of course, there was the matter of…them. In all the people she had found space in her heart for, they were perhaps the most vexing, the most enthralling, the most dangerous. Not even a month ago she had made herself a vow. At any and all costs, she would keep them from reaching her heart's innermost corridors, push them out and away, kill any budding attraction in its cradle if necessary.

That…wasn't working as Sakura had intended. If she was serious about keeping a tight rein on something that could only spell disaster for all of them, she'd keep her distance entirely. Treat them as acquaintances at best and coldly at worst.

Yet another side of her argued it would have been all but impossible to stay away from them anyway. Hashirama was the Hokage, so at some point or another she'd be bound to cross paths with him due to receiving and reporting missions. Tobirama was her intellectual match, and objectively speaking, they made a good team. Izuna was her dear friend, and it wouldn't be fair to him to suddenly give him the cold shoulder when he hadn't done anything wrong. Madara was…Madara. Which meant he wasn't going to leave her alone and that avoiding him was a futile endeavor. She'd wake up one night and find him standing over her bed.

'It's…more than that though. It's been more than that for a while.' she considered, finally allowing the acceptance of what she hadn't dared even voice in her head.

Hashirama wasn't just the Hokage, but an earnest person with an admirable amount of goodwill toward each member of the village, and even strangers. At first impressions he was charming, idealistic and sunny to a fault. But he could also be shrewd, determined, authoritative and stubborn.

Going back to a time and place when his granddaughter had inherited his title meant she would never sit under the stars with him again and inaccurately guess the constellations.

There would be no more regaling her with tales of Madara and Tobirama in their youth, or the sound of his boisterous laughter that filled every corner of a room, not to mention the light in his brown eyes when something intrigued him. They wouldn't gamble their way through an impressive winning streak together, or share a bag of candy on the road home after an eventful break.

He wouldn't tell her so tenderly not to marry until she found someone who would place her at the center of their world, or hold her close to his broad chest where she felt like she already was, even if it was all for show in the end.

And Tobirama. Needless to say, there wasn't an easy replacement for him either. They had started off on such rocky footing, what with him finding reasons to distrust her at every turn.

Then came The Under, though Sakura wanted to think he was loosening up around her even before that. Regardless, forced to team up and fighting for their lives together in a dank, terrifying realm of monstrosities and constant danger changed a lot between them. Sakura found he wasn't just pragmatic, sardonic, and distant. When someone earned his trust, the younger of the Senju brothers was also dutiful, helpful, protective and patient.

They had come so far from where they were when he'd dragged her from the river that day and scoffed at her pink hair. Tobirama saw her as trustworthy; he invited her into his space and he respected her input on everything from scientific discovery to new ways to cook a stew. As an added bonus, in his own dry way, the man was pretty funny.

The Senju weren't the only ones she had unexpectedly found herself spending a lot of time with. The Uchiha, a clan she only remembered seeing fleetingly before the tragedy of the massacre, were alive and well. There was an undercurrent of guilt never far from mind at first, seeing them in all their glory and interacting with them when Sasuke had been deprived of having his family at such a young age.

Yet she had met Izuna, who very nearly could have passed for Sasuke's doppelgänger. Or perhaps Sasuke could have been his. Whichever it was, she now knew Izuna as more than a young man who was polite, charming and a touch mysterious. The relationship had come so naturally. Sakura never felt the need to try impressing him or vy for his attention as she once had with Sasuke.

Instead he gave it to her wholeheartedly and without conditions, sometimes leaving her feeling as if one day he would see she was nowhere near as amazing as he was. Not only was he loyal, grounded, just and supportive, he was so beautiful with his lush lips, dreamy eyes and long black hair, tied and down his back.

The twelve year old girl who had been searching for the prince to sweep her into a fairytale couldn't have asked for better. Except therein was the issue. It was real life, not some fairytale. Izuna was sweet, but he wasn't going to look her in the eyes and give some poetic confession or declare her forehead's size only made it more kissable, the way her foolish younger self had once wanted Sasuke to say.

And while she was doing all this contemplation on Izuna, who could forget the Founder she had originally hated with a passion? Madara Uchiha. The warlord, the would-be tyrant, the heinous villain. How could she feel anything but contempt for the man when she'd watched him decimate the shinobi forces and selfishly try ruling over the lives of the living despite having been resurrected from a time since passed to do it.

Those memories weren't fond ones, and they certainly didn't endear her in any way to the Madara she encountered upon arriving. It took a lot of convincing, but Sakura eventually became sure he wasn't evil. Yet. No, he was just cocksure, wild, and intolerable. She had no trouble imagining how a supersized god complex had taken root when she observed his attitude. Was there bias playing a factor in her feelings? Of course there was. And no one could blame her.

She never asked him to take a boulder to the head for her, on the record. If she didn't know better, she'd think he planned it to force close proximity. Because that was the end result. Playing his personal healer strictly out of a sense of obligation while he was injured ended up creating an offbeat dynamic, in which she kept noticing things she didn't want to notice.

Madara could be passionate, vulnerable, discerning and persuasive. He was forever chaotic, but even that managed to have its own pull after a while. And when he turned up the dial on the seduction, Sakura felt like a rabbit that had been cornered just outside her burrow by a large, hungry hawk. He acted like he wanted to devour her and savor each bite.

Normally she would brush it off to the best of her ability, send him a clear message where he could put that seduction. But that message had gotten murkier over time, and now her resolve was wavering.

Perhaps it was the remnants of the heartful dreamer in her, or the youth and inexperience, but Sakura didn't want to give her body to someone her heart didn't love. Giving it to someone she did have feelings for was a scary enough prospect actually. She didn't love Madara, or anyone else. Couldn't. Wouldn't. But she did care about all of them, and she would miss all of them when she was gone.

The remains of the cream in the tube spurted out when she squeezed too tightly, splattering with such force it got all over the counter and her hand. Jumping at her own show of unintended strength made Sakura knock the tray, nearly toppling the pastries if not for her reflexes. Safe and pushed far enough onto the counter to not be in danger, the flustered girl searched for something to clean up her mess. "Sorry, I don't know where my mind is. I…"

"Sakura," Toka whispered ever so gently. She stopped panicking momentarily, turning to find Naoko and Toka regarding her with twin expressions of worry. It was the Uchiha who advanced on her with a handkerchief pulled from nowhere, dabbing carefully at the corners of her eyes for her. "Take a deep breath." she instructed.

Only then did Sakura realize she was weeping silently in earnest.


Toka looked on as Hashirama absorbed everything he'd heard. Namely, that Sakura was cottoning on fast. Not that it was entirely unanticipated. This was Sakura, after all.

Toka's concerns lay with an entirely different matter centering around the pink-haired girl they all cared for. One that had to do with whatever was disrupting her mental state. Several days ago, Sakura had shown up at her house, obviously holding in something that was on her mind.

After being unusually quiet, the poor girl had been overtaken by a bout of tears, giving rise to concern that the depression Reira had told her about was worse than she had originally thought.

After allowing her time and space to calm down, the pinkette had thanked them, then tiredly said something about how she had been thinking a lot about her old home as of late. It tracked with what her niece said, and it made her all the surer that in planning this surprise for Sakura, they would give her something to show her just how appreciated she had become in Konoha.

After giving her input, that Sakura had been restless and was possibly more homesick than they all assumed—after she and Naoko calmed her down, the youngest kunoichi enveloped them both in a big hug, thanking them for being there for her with so much sincerity it was a bit heartbreaking—they were left in a conundrum. Was she that scared of returning to a loneliness they were all just starting to scratch the depths of? "Poor Sakura!" Yurine bit her lip, beginning to pace in front of the Hokage's desk. "What if this ends up backfiring and we make her feel more isolated? Or, what if she figures it all out before we're ready? She's catching on quick..."

"It wouldn't be the worst thing if she guesses we're throwing her a surprise party, will it?" Kureno wondered, only to have several voices shout him down at once, making him protect his head as he flinched.

"Yes!"

"Haruno being too clever for her own good is the first thing that should have been taken into consideration. I cast blame at the feet of those among us who should be aware how quickly her mind works." Madara announced, pointing his chin to Tobirama.

"That would be all of us." Izuna rolled his eyes. "All of us know how smart she is. So what should we do? It's a matter of time at this point."

"Send her away." The white-haired Senju directed the command at his brother. "Any mission that will be time consuming and extensive will do."

Catching on instantly, Toka found herself nodding in agreement. "Yes, that could work. That should give us just enough time to finish the preparations." They had four days, so time was of the essence, and they couldn't afford Sakura getting any closer to the truth.

Hashirama bent his head and began shuffling through a moderate stack of mission requests from clients looking to hire the village. Some he passed over without reading, and others he studied briefly before crinkling his brow with a shake of his head and moving on. "If it's a mission we need to buy us time, a mission it is. The only problem is my clone seems to have been a bit too effective at assigning the available missions suitable for higher ranking shinobi. I'm concerned any of these would be easy for her to breeze through. They were set aside as low difficulty starter missions for academy students who may be ready to test out and graduate early."

"Then, let me offer up a suggestion, Hashirama…" Toka couldn't help but narrow her eyes in Madara's direction. Far be it from her to think disparaging thoughts about one of Hashirama's oldest and dearest friends—to be fair she didn't know him overly well, thus she didn't hold nearly as much contempt for him as Tobirama did—but it was plain to see he was up to trouble. Her protective instincts flared to life. If Hashirama kept him close then surely this man was reliable as a confidant. He wouldn't scheme something to inadvertently harm Sakura, right? She wouldn't allow it. 'It seems I owe Reira an apology for dismissing her claims before. He truly does have something of a villainous face, doesn't he?'

"Ohoho…I don't suppose…you're thinking of the infamous Sky Ridge Run?" Naoko's devilish grin appeared and the alert radar inside ratcheted up again. Funny how it wasn't nearly this precise before she began cavorting with Uchiha. Even all the years of raising an active child like Reira didn't do this.

"The one and only." Madara confirmed.

"No one's completed that since you were a little thing," the female Uchiha cooed, clapping her hands. "It's perfect for our adorably indomitable Sakura."

"Can someone fill the rest of us in?" Shikamarin grumbled from the back. "Sky Run what?"

"Sky Ridge Run." Izuna corrected, "It's an old right of passage for Uchiha children, but there are plenty of adults who wouldn't be able to pass it either. Essentially, the challenger has to climb to the top of a mountain before midnight."

"That sounds…kind of boring, doesn't it? Sakura'll be done with that in an hour." Kureno stated, and Toka had to agree. Any shinobi could climb a mountain.

"It's not nearly so simple. Izuna-chan simply left out the best, and most crucial parts." Toka's ears reddened as Naoko leaned against her, wrapping an arm about her shoulders. She could feel the press of the other woman's plush bosom against her arm, something only she seemed to care about. "The constant lightning storms and the vicious giant eagles who nest on the mountain. They're extremely agitated around this time of year, because it's their nesting season."

"So they'll attempt to swoop in on anyone who gets close and knock them from the mountain. If the lightning storm doesn't waste them first. Of course, there's no calling for help. The noise drowns out the sound of your terror." Madara finished, a manic gleam in his eyes.

The room was suffocatingly silent, until someone coughed abruptly.

"Here's to hoping there's never a child born with the misfortune of calling you their father." Tobirama deadpanned.

"Are we sure this is…the only way to distract Sakura-chan?" Hashirama looked all but desperate for someone to suggest something else.

"I'm not very keen on the Sky Ridge Run either. Let's…try that as a last resort." Izuna suggested.

His brother puffed up, looking quite put out that his idea wasn't unanimously agreed to.

"It looks like we're back to square one." Susumu's soft voice reminded them all.

"Last resorts and first choices are more or less the same in the right context." The pouty Uchiha said under his breath.


Sakura held out the yukata she was preparing to pack in bemusement. Usamaro sat on her bed and observed, head twisting and big eyes focused directly on his owner.

"I can't tell if this is what Izuna meant when he said 'mountain attire'. The whole thing was really abrupt."

Usamaro trilled in support, scooting over as Sakura tossed the outfit down, surveying what she already had on. Her battle outfit should do nicely, wouldn't it? Mizuchi had boasted it to be nearly indestructible and from what it sounded like, Izuna surmised the favor he'd asked her to do in the mountains shouldn't take more than a day and a half tops.

Weird timing, she supposed, but if it got her out of the village and kept her distracted when…her birthday arrived then she couldn't really complain. Sakura had already decided to spend the day as lowkey as possible, without moping around in solitude. Who knows, maybe she would come back a little early and her friends would be around to talk to. They could go out and have a few drinks, share a little gossip. Everyone knew she liked sweets anyway, so if she ordered a slice of cake, no one would assume it was for any special occasion.

"Hey, you wanna come with me?" she asked her cat, who instantly hopped up, meowing heartily. "That sounded like a definite yes." A little companionship didn't hurt. Strangely, none of her friends had time in their schedules to accompany her. Not even Izuna himself, who had said he was leaving the day after she did on a mission of grave importance relating to clan matters. Sakura didn't want to pry. It wasn't as though she was an Uchiha, so she would never deign herself privy to any classified information.

Her friend had said that the giant eagles that made their homes on the mountain peaks were very important to the Uchiha clan, and it was normal to survey the nesting grounds every breeding season. She was a little skeptical, but given that Izuna had helped her out again and again without hesitation, also willing to lend him a hand.

"You're going to have to stay close." She told Usamaro, who leapt from her bed to the floor as she tucked away the last of the things she intended to take. "I know you're feisty, but if the other raptors there are the same size as Madara's summon, they're going to look at you like a tasty morsel."

Usamaro's pensive meow made her smile, mood lifting. What could go wrong about a small trip to the mountains? Just her, her cat, and some much needed peace and quiet.


I can't say I know why I put Sakura through so much shit emotionally. Perhaps I just find that side of her really compelling and fascinating. The very trait that's supposed to be the downfall of a shinobi is something Sakura embraces and succeeds in spite of. She's an emotional girl, which beyond Naruto is so often seen as a bad thing in real life and media and equated to someone who can't get things done or stand as an equal to someone (normally a man) with "more composure". Anyway, these POVs where she's angsting come so easily and I live for them. Happy birthday to her, hoping we'll all be able to come together to celebrate her with content and fond recollections of her canon feats and favorite moments for many years to come~Also, I won't lie…when I'm writing chapters centered around someone's birthday I never even get close to posting on the actual date sadly. This year was so lucky! Yes the events of the celebration itself are next chapter, but I'm just so happy I have something to show on the 28th.