"Medusa Javelin"

By Nes Mikel

Acknowledgment;

I herby acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. Most of the story, characters, place names and other etc stuff in this fiction are copyright Naruto, Kishimoto Masashi, Weekly Shounen Jump, and any others I might have forgot.

For non up-to-date readers, this fiction contains characters and events introduced post-timeskip and spoilers up to Chapter 293. I also humbly suggest reading Garden of Sanctuary first before reading this fiction. Although not a requirement, many things in this fiction will not make sense unless that has been read beforehand. The link to Garden of Sanctuary is in my profile.

With that said, enjoy.

"Medusa Javelin"

"Tell me…"

- Seventh Entry -

"Justice"

Reign of the Sixth Hokage, Tenth year. March 4th.

50 years old.

Sakura never was fond of religion.

It was a given fact that everyone in the Hidden Leaf was religious to a degree. There were the annual ceremonies, the omatsuri festivals, coming-of-age rituals, weddings, and many other celebrations that were influenced by some religious myth or legend. Similarly, many people worshiped or admired a few certain deities they believed that would protect their family from harm or grant them powers to vanquish their foes. And most, if not all, believed in the Shinto aspect of spirituality, which was the belief that within every single object there resides a god within. It actually made quite a convincing argument when one thought about it carefully, since it was possible for any object, inanimate or not, to channel and maintain chakra energy, the basic energy of all life.

Summoned nin-animals that lived in otherworld dimensions could also be claimed as living proof that the gods, or at least a creator, existed. Some even argued that the summons themselves were the gods, although many refuted that theory since the summons made no such claims over their heritage (the good ones anyway – the evil ones tended to gloat over their power) and they were bound to the summoner by a blood contract. If they really were the gods that created this world, then they wouldn't even have bothered to give their subjects such power over themselves. The enthusiasts of the theory argued back that the 'gods' (the summons) were only trying to help their creation by generously submitting themselves to their level. Or so the argument went.

Even though science continued to advance daily in an effort to better understand the world that surrounded them, there were some things that were beyond the scopes of science that simply could not be explained. Religion helped fill in those gaps. Of course, some of them made no sense whatsoever, but even the religious unenthusiastic had to admit that it was better than nothing.

Sakura understood the necessity of religion. She even believed some of it too, Shinto especially. She would be blind if she didn't admit that the world she lived in was rich with myths and legends, inhabited by demons of yore and little fairies of mischief. There were curses and hexes, disasters and miracles. Even the common powers, such as chakra and jutsus – although they were a part of everyday ninja life, there was never a scientific explanation on why there were so many different variations, why it worked the way it did or why it even existed in the first place. There were the Forests of Death. There was the River of Life. There were even the occasional forgotten ruins, full with artifacts that emanated ancient power of unimaginable properties.

And, of course, there were the tailed beasts and their human cages: the bijuu and the jinchuuriki.

Kyuubi and Naruto.

She tried her best not to think too hard about their illogical immortality. She had already long ago accepted that she was going to die before him, not that it made her feel any better. As the years passed by she grew more and more conscious of her age, and while every one of her friends had aged graciously she refused to give in and still maintained her youthful form even when she knew that its overextended use was slowly destroying her within. Her body had already deteriorated enough to a point where her always-worried apprentices convinced her to retire from active ANBU service lest she get herself killed. That was a decade ago, just right after Kakashi was inaugurated as the Sixth Hokage, but the will of fire still burned strong within. She still fought recklessly hard, pouring all of her heart into medical science and the never-ending battle against death, as well as accepting relief missions wherever she could to relish the chances of briefly returning to active duty. Well, it was more like more like annoying the hell out of Kakashi until he eventually caved in to give her a mission, but hey, it got the job done. Even he couldn't deny the fact that she was still one of the strongest ninjas still alive within the Hidden Leaf today.

Sakura remembered Chiyo-baasama and smiled slightly. Perhaps that was how the elderly woman thought of herself back then when she insisted she be taken on the mission when they rescued the Fifth Kazekage Gaara so long ago.

Still, Sakura was not fond of religion. As the leading expert in medical research – the other title she carried nowadays – she found that spiritual beliefs and modern science all too often conflicted with each other. She couldn't even begin to count how many times the ethical barriers, the morals, even downright common-sense people possessed – all influenced by Shinto one way or another – getting in the way of research breakthroughs, hindering progress and frustrating her to no end. Then there were the groups of people who believed in religion all too seriously; so much, in fact, they reached a point where they were ready to declare war on the rest of humanity in the name of their god. And wars, the wars! There were too many people who rationalized bloodshed because they believed that they were conducting a holy war, that killing someone was all okay because the enemy were heathens and the murderers were 'cleansing' them on behalf of their gods.

Despite preaching love and kindness, it was an undeniable fact that many religions had a long history of holy wars, repression, and intolerance, and Shinto was no exception. She had seen all of this happen through her life and it made her sick to the stomach.

She only tolerated religion because she knew it was necessary. There were the many positive aspects and lessons Shinto taught that aided in the upbringing of a child that could not be ignored. Whole lifestyles were constructed around the religion, and she had seen communities thrive under the guidance of their beliefs. By denying religion it destroyed lifestyles. Sakura certainly loved the cultural aspect of religion and cherished it in all forms – it was just that when people took their beliefs to another level, it never ended well.

And all too often people were stupid like that.

Currently, Sakura was outside, taking a walk. The sun was high and bright, not a cloud in the sky, the scent of spring dancing in the air. Had her objective of this particular stroll had been something else perhaps she would've been cheerful and smiling just like the sunshine. Instead her face was solemn. It mainly had to do with her destination for today's walk. The Shinobi Memorial.

As a ninja, death was a part her life. As a medical specialist, both life and death was a part her life. Being both, she had seen many births but more deaths. And as the years passed by, the numbers of dead mounted. When she took away life, most didn't have to do anything with her, they were enemies that needed to be killed, targets that needed to be assassinated, and criminals that needed to be executed. But when people whom she knew all of her life died… that… that was something she could never get over.

The first 'death' of someone close to her was Naruto. Although he wasn't technically dead and she talked to him in his dungeons almost daily now, he might as well been. Officially he didn't even exist in the records anymore, all traces wiped out clean. The newer generations knew nothing of him, as the village council made it an official rule to never mention the 'demon child' or of his eternal imprisonment beneath the Hokage Towers. When the Village Council first established the law it had gained massive support from the majority of the village. Despite protests from Tsunade, Jiraiya and many others, it proved futile in the end. The people that supported Naruto were definitely in the minority, and with the new law now in place there were simply no other supporters to hope for. Naruto was doomed to fade away from memory.

The next was Sasuke. The most infamous traitor next to Orochimaru himself, he was something of a legend now, his story of tragedy and defection told through the new generations and passed off as something of a lesson to be learned. Although his name was not written on the Shinobi Memorial, he had left a definite mark in the Hidden Village of the Leaf and would live on through folk tales for generations to come.

Then there was Sai. Known now as the heroic Commander of the ANBU forces, he was something of an idol to many young ninja hopefuls. His techniques of ink manipulation were studied and learned, and it became somewhat of a semi-requirement for all ANBU ninjas to at least have the most basic knowledge in choujuu giga techniques. By transforming secret documents into ink counterfeit form, it was possible for information to travel across large distances, avoid enemies, and even intercepted they were able to defend themselves and self-destruct if necessary. His legacy literally transformed the very structure of Information and Espionage throughout the Hidden Leaf.

And her most recent: her parents.

They were ordinary people, her parents. They never really wished for their daughter to grow up to become a shinobi, but she always wanted to make her parents proud and so eagerly pursed the career. They lived happy, comfortable lives and were feverishly proud of her when she had succeeded in her goal and beyond. They were loyal supporters to her cause and helped her from the shadows for many years. They passed away suddenly only a year ago, their time of deaths separated by only one month. They died from an illness she could not cure. Although she knew she could do nothing for them, she blamed herself for not being able do to anything despite her vast medical knowledge. Their deaths had left a large hole in her heart.

Today, she was on her way to visit the Shinobi Memorial to pay respect not only to the three who had influenced, shaped, and sculptured to who she was today (although only one of their names – Sai – was actually written on the stone) and her parents that had brought her up for all these years, but also to everyone else who fell in the aftermath of the Sound-Leaf War. The twentieth anniversary was only a month away, but she didn't want to find herself in such a large crowd to pay her respects to the fallen. Although she herself would no doubt be invited to the ceremonies – after all she was considered the legendary "Sakura-hime", the unaging kunoichi who had once been the partner of Sai and the one who dealt the finishing blow to the evil Snake Sennin to end the war – she wanted a quiet moment of peace to herself before the ceremonies actually took place.

"Ah…!"

Sakura turned a corner in the forest path and almost bumped into someone by accident had she not dodged quickly to the right. She silently cursed to herself for being so lost in her thoughts and hastily looked up to see whom she had nearly collided with.

"Oh, why if it isn't Sakura-hime! How fares our village's most favorite kunoichi! You look beautiful as always! The fire of youth still burns strong within you!"

"Gai-san!"

"Hello Sakura."

"Hey hey, it's been a while, Sakura, how are you doin'?"

"Kurenai-san, Asuma-san! I am fine, thank you. I didn't know you three were back. What brings you here?"

It was indeed quite rare sight to see these three back in the village. These three were the same teachers that taught the Konoha's kyuuninshuu – the "Group of Nine" – the legendary nine ninjas that turned the tides of the Sound-Leaf war: Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Neji, Tenten, and Lee. They kyuuninshuu were all Sennins now and were scattered all over the world, contributing greatly to the Hidden Leaf's cause and maintaining the peace and prosperity of the Hidden Leaf. Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma, the mentors of the kyuuninshuu, held similar status and kept themselves busy by also traveling around the world.

"Ah, well, it's a special occasion you see." Asuma answered. "It's sort of a tradition we have. We- oh, did I ever tell you that us three were in the same Genin team?"

She wasn't aware. "I don't think so. Really? You were? So today was your graduation date or something?"

"Yeah, well, sort of." Asuma scratched the back of his hair, now gray with age. He looked uneasy and old, so unlike the man she gradually began to be familiar with when she started working as a personal assistant to Tsunade. "We were just on the way back from visiting the memorial to pay respects to our teacher. Today's the fiftieth anniversary."

Fifty years ago meant the year Kyuubi attacked the village. It made her think about Naruto again and made her uncomfortable. She was well known among the older generation as the 'sympathizer of the Kyuubi' with her daily visits to the dungeons. "Oh, I see." She said flatly.

Kurenai must've noticed her unease. "She didn't die from the Kyuubi attacks, Sakura, our teacher died from an unfortunate accident seven months prior. No need to feel guilty. We know you only care for Naruto and not the Demon Fox within him."

She immediately felt awful for having doubted these three. "Sorry, Kurenai-san." She apologized.

The old woman gave her a warm smile. "Don't be. I know you are still working hard to free Naruto, You always will have our support, Sakura."

"Yes, never fret from your goals Sakura-hime!" The eccentric green-spandex man exclaimed. "Hard work will always prevail! I am sure you can achieve your dreams!"

Sakura smiled and bowed deeply. "Thank you… so much."

When she came out of her bow, she noticed that Asuma looked at her with narrowed eyes. It wasn't a look of suspicion, but that of concern. "You going to the memorial too by the way?" He asked.

"I was planning to." She replied.

"Mm… listen, you might want to wait around a bit. There's a missionary from the Capital holding a small speech there."

Her brows rose. "A Shinto missionary from the Capital? Here, in Konoha?"

"Yes, the gentleman just got here today!" Gai said. "Actually, Sakura-hime, while we were there he told us that he was looking for you! Do you require an escort?"

She knew Gai meant no harm and was clueless with Sakura's resentment towards the missionaries, but Sakura frowned anyway.

Noticing this, Asuma stepped forward and held an arm to Gai's chest. "Wait, Gai." He turned to Sakura and looked at her sincerely. "You dislike them."

She nodded.

Asuma shrugged his broad shoulders, lowering his arm. "Yeah, I understand." He said gently. "Heard you were at odds with them for a long time… that's why I warned you."

"I have an idea." Kurenai said as she lightly clapped her hands together. "We were about to have lunch, so why don't you come with us to the teahouse to kill some time Sakura? I'll treat you some dango, if you'd be willing, of course. How about we do some catch-up for old times sake?"

She considered the offer for a moment. It was true she did want to avoid confronting a Shinto missionary anytime soon, but it was also true that she had to meet them head on sooner or later. And she did not like the idea of having to postpone a visit to the memorial just because someone who belonged to an organization she disliked was there first. It was like admitting defeat. No way in hell. She was not going to run away.

"Thanks for the offer Kurenai-san, but I think I'll go to the memorial anyway."

The older woman smiled at that, albeit she still looked worried. "Alright, take care then. Make sure you don't break the poor old man's bones or anything."

The two women laughed at the small joke. When the laughter died, Sakura quickly bowed at the three and resumed her walk towards the memorial, waving her hand as she bid her farewell to the three elderly ninjas.

"You know." Asuma said suddenly as soon as Sakura turned a corner in the forest path and disappeared from view. "Has it ever occurred to you guys that she's kind of similar-looking?"

"Hm? Who is it you speak of?" Gai asked, curious if anything.

"She is." Kurenai said, understanding immediately of whom Asuma was talking about. Then she added, "Odd. I never really noticed the resemblance until you pointed it out."

"It's the eyes that are different." Asuma noted. "Sakura's are green while hers were white. That alone changes the impressions of a person by quite a bit I guess."

Kurenai nodded. "I suppose. But still. As far as I know only those two had that color of hair. It's not like a light shade of pink is common."

"Oh, you two speak of Sakura-hime and that of our mentor!" Gai exclaimed, finally getting it. "Yes, yes I see the resemblance quite clearly! Her voice, her chin, her hair, very similar looking yes! Even height too! I still remember the times when we all celebrated the day when we all outgrew her height! Why, I can still vividly recall that time at the sake bar when we all-"

Asuma interrupted his old friend with a light growl. "Gai, please don't remind me."

"Ah, my apologizes! But you have to admit, Asuma, that it was a very memorable incident!"

Kurenai grinned mischeviously. "He has a point there."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up."

The three friends continued on, walking out of the small forest and into the streets of the village. As the other two headed for the nearest teahouse, Asuma paused and took a casual glance back at the forest Sakura disappeared into and tried to conjure up the image of his teacher in his mind.

They were similar. Haruno Sakura and Hyuuga Setsuka.

Can they be…?

Asuma shook the thought away from his head. What he was thinking of was impossible. It was an undeniable fact that Hyuuga Setsuka had died fifty years ago.

Yet, he had to admit the resemblance was striking. Perhaps they were related somehow? But if so… why did the Hyuuga clan make no such claim over Sakura's heritage?

Ultimately, however, he decided not to find out.

Ah, to hell with it. Rather than sticking my head into someone else's business, having tea now sounds much better anyway.

She found the place was quieter than usual when she finally emerged out of the forest path. Usually she found the practice arena bustling with small activity; wither it be ninjas in training or the birds and small squirrels chirping happily at spring, she always found the place resonating with a touch of volume. Instead, what met her in the clearing of training area was a silent small crowd with a single, clear voice, speaking softy and steadily above them.

The Shinto missionary was standing directly in front of the Shinobi Memorial, hands spread wide, smiling. Before his massive figure there were people, mostly civilians but a few young Genins and Chuunins among the crowd. They were all sitting on the dirt ground, squashed together due to lack of space. There were perhaps thirty of them.

The missionaries were a small but prolific group of preachers that had completed their studies in the Shinto's most holy city known only as the Capital. The city was so ancient no one knew its true name anymore, but the significance of its existence was still grand. Located in the center of the five Great Shinobi Countries, within the Capital there resided the Emperor, who, albeit unofficially, held absolute authority over all known land in the world. Acting out the will of the Emperor were the three groups of Chrysanthemum Guards, 'Twilight', 'Midnight', and 'Dawn'. Shrouded in mystery, they were a group of highly skilled ninjas that one group alone were said to rival the power of a single ninja village in any of the five Great Shinobi Countries. In fact, only the Emperor held the authority of naming a ninja village worthy of the "Kage" title, and recognition meant immense status in world politics. Although there were many self-proclaimed "Kages" living in the lesser-known villages, if you didn't get recognition from the Capital it meant jack squat.

However, by no means the Capital ruled the countries with an iron fist. Instead they were rather lax, letting the countries be and they rarely got themselves involved in wars or other forms of inter-village politics, such as the times when they didn't even lift a finger when the three Great Ninja Wars were fought. On the rare occasions they did get themselves involved, however, issues were usually resolved very swiftly and resolutions followed without question. No one, not even psychopathic evil villains like Orochimaru, had ever dared to go against the Capital. The Capital was the icon of absolute reverence and absolute authority.

Therefore, any person or any group associated with the Capital and the Emperor held high status among all lands, and the Shinto missionaries who spread the word of the Emperor's religion were no exception. They were treated like nobles and were respected in kind.

Sakura was different; instead she held feelings of distaste for these holy men and women, as she believed that many were corrupt and only existed to abuse their power. While it was true that some acted for the betterment of all, many others behaved as if the very power of the gods had rubbed off on them. The ones she met all acted arrogantly, frequently sticking their heads into issues she studied and cautioned her and her research team that in pursuing knowledge they were conducting heresy.

Sakura was not a non-believer by any means, but she was not a full-fledged believer of the religion either. She felt an importance balance between the two was necessary, and so she disliked the missionaries who tried to impose their absolute beliefs on others in order for them to further their position of reverence among the masses. Just like Asuma said earlier, she and the missionaries were at odds with each other and had been for a long time.

As Sakura approached the Memorial Stone the audience began to take notice of her presence, whispering to each other about her prestigious status in the Hidden Leaf and how she opposed the spreading of orthodox Shinto beliefs. The missionary noticed her too, and Sakura thought he acknowledged her with a wink. The crimson-robed missionary clapped his hands together and got the attention of his crowd.

"All right, I think that is enough for today. Remember your lessons well, and may the gods watch over you all."

The crowd dispersed, many bowing their heads to her as they passed her by. Soon they thinned, and were eventually gone, leaving her and the smiling missionary all alone in front of the Shinobi Memorial. She crouched down in front of the stone and laid down a single lily flower in front, white in color. Her hands came together and she sent off a quick prayer to the fallen before she turned to the attentive man standing behind her.

The large man spoke first. "Sakura-hime, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I am from the sect of 'Dawn'. My name is Kumano, alias San."

She allowed herself to look a little surprised. "You are from the Chrysanthemum Guard? I didn't know they allowed Shinto missionaries within their ranks."

"I am a special case." The robed man replied. His smile grew larger. "Rest assured, I am capable of fending for myself."

Sakura studied the man. Just like his namesake, his overall appearance resembled that of a brown bear; he was massive, perhaps the largest person she ever encountered. Unlike a normal bear, however, he was quite hairless; he was bald and wore simple round glasses on his face, his blue watery eyes strange as he looked at Sakura with a certain sort of fascination. She guessed his age to be around sixty, judging from the deep pores in his dark, tanned skin. He wore a long, smoothing red robe that reached all the way down to his ankles traditional of Shinto priests and Sakura spotted the man wearing a small ring on his left hand's index finger. Strange. She thought. Why do I have the feeling that I saw something like that somewhere else…?

"Well, Kumano-san, what brings you here to the Leaf? I met Asuma-san, Kurenai-san, Gai-san earlier. I have heard from them that you were looking for me."

"Ahh, yes." He sounded pleased. "I only wanted to meet you for a simple reason, Sakura-hime. After all it is said that one had not lived until one had witnessed the beauty of Konoha's treasured cherry blossom!"

Sakura wasn't impressed. "You flatter me." She deadpanned.

The hulking man winced. "No need to sound so hostile. I meant no harm."

She sighed. "Kumano-san, if you are a member of the Chrysanthemum Guards then I'm sure you know that I share a… uncomfortable relationship with the Capital's missionary sect. I am a medical specialist first and foremost, and I grow tired of their interferences with my research. If you are here to convince me otherwise then forget it."

"You have my word that the purpose of my presence is to not convince you to halt your medical research, Sakura-hime." He assured her. "Quite the opposite in fact. I am here to congratulate you. I bring you word from the Emperor himself that he has expressed gratitude for you dedicated work and has allowed me to tell you that you have his support. You are free to perform as you like without any further interference."

His words didn't register within her for a good few seconds. "…Wait, wait, what?"

"Oh, was I unclear? I said-"

Sakura shook her palm in front of her. "No, no, I heard you fine the first time. It's just this… the Emperor?"

The man's comforting smile returned. "I am sure it is a surprise. But your medicine had recently prevented the death of a good friend of his, and so he expresses gratitude for your contribution to medical science. The Capital as a whole does not frown upon the research of different sciences Sakura-hime, only the most extreme of the religious sect discourage them. The Emperor does not wish to hamper progress by any means."

Just my luck I get all of the discouraging ones, then. Sakura thought.

"I am a student of science myself." Kumano continued. "I believe a healthy balance between the material world and the spiritual world is important in maintaining the balance of lifestyles, and it is my belief that further research in sciences will only prove the credibility of our beliefs."

He had a point there. Science wasn't the answer to everything. "Such as?" She asked.

"Entropy, Sakura-hime. You know of it, of course?"

"Chaos theory. That everything will eventually fall into disorder."

He nodded. "Quite correct. Think of it this way, Sakura-hime; you yourself were in ANBU, so this reference should be appropriate. Imagine it is war. You start off with a hundred men in your squad. You order your men forward and ten die straight away, while another ten are hit and injured in the time the squad accomplishes their objectives. So eighty will move on. The process repeats itself, ten more fall, ten more are wounded… on it goes. This is entropy, everything slowly wearing down, lives being rubbed out." He curled one of his hands into a fist and lightly smacked it into his other hand. "It's relentless. From the moment we're born to the moment we die, entropy is everywhere."

"It is not a cheerful thought." Sakura said.

Kumano tilted his head slightly to the side, his smile downgrading into an easy grin. "You are right, it isn't."

"So what does this have to do with Shinto?"

He lowered his hands. "The thing is, Sakura-hime, we don't accept entropy. If we had, everything would wear out eventually, our bodies will fail from starvation and dehydration, farms overrun by locusts, gardens overrun by weeds, buildings left in disrepair, and so on. What makes the difference is that we try to fix the wear caused by entropy. Sakura-hime, you of all people should know this very well. You try to fight the ultimate form of entropy with your medical science. Death."

Sakura thought she understood where this man was getting at. But she was wrong.

Kumano spoke on. "The sad fact however is that we won't last much longer. None of us will. But our children will survive, and our children's children will survive, until an unending chain of blood and strength forms that will go on forever until the end of time. And… at the end, at the pinnacle of infinity, where all physical matter and spiritual souls converge, when all the people who ever lived, when it all comes together, our descendents will meet – no, become the gods, the Empyreal Virtue. The final thoughts will become coalescent within the ultimate mind, and everything will be cleansed." He waved a hand. "All of this, our suffering, our grief, will pass, for it will have never happened, for the Empyreal Virtue will fix every tragedy that ever occurred."

Sakura frowned. "That is a very radical approach towards Shinto beliefs, Kumano-san. But how do you know? There is no proof to what you had just said."

Kumano didn't seem disturbed. Rather, he looked as if he understood her doubt. "Of course not. But past and future is not fixed. In fact, it changes. Do you believe in fate, Sakura-hime? I, for one, do not, for I believe that the future is shaped by our collective thoughts and actions. Past too can be changed; history is written and rewritten all the time. It is distorted, but the important thing is to know which past we learn from and which mistakes we try to correct. This ultimately will change the course of future. So if history can be changed, then it's not much of a leap of faith to imagine that someday someone will make a purposeful change and wipe away all of our tears, no?"

"It sounds like wishful thinking more than anything."

Kumano laughed out loud. "Perhaps. Nonetheless I think it is an interesting observation. You are a clever woman, Sakura-hime. I'm sure you will someday understand the truth."

She shrugged. "Maybe. I kind of doubt- ah!"

Had she not been so attentive to her surroundings she would've missed hearing the chirp of the messenger bird circling high above her head. She signaled to the bird and allowed it to come down onto her shoulder. She quickly untied the small piece of paper on its leg and read its simple message.

It was from the Sixth Hokage.

"Sakura, need to talk to you. Come to my office."

She looked up from the note and bowed apologetically to Kumano. "I'm sorry, but I have been called. I actually enjoyed talking to you, Kumano-san. Perhaps we can meet again."

The large man smiled warmly. "Please, do not let this old man's presence keep you. It has been a pleasure meeting you, Sakura-hime. Do take care of yourself."

She bowed once before she flickered away in a blink of an eye, leaving behind a single petal of sakura floating in the air.

Kumano stood in front of the Shinobi Memorial for a little while longer before he crouched down and brushed his fingers against the white lily flower Sakura had put down in front of the stone just earlier.

"You'll eventually understand." Kumano said to himself quietly. "Setsuka."

His face was neutral as he stood up tall, hands coming together in a seal, erupting into a cloud of white smoke. When it cleared, his appearance was now different; the color of his skin changed into something more pale, his new silver hair slicked all the way back, and he had discarded his red robe in favor of a large enveloping cloak with the pattern of swirling red clouds.

Within the Chrysanthemum Guards, there were three different sects: the 'Twilight', the 'Midnight', and the 'Dawn'. While it was true that this man belonged to the 'Dawn' sect of the Guards, they were also known by another, more infamous name.

The Akatsuki will not end. We will continue to exist in the Shadows. We are the dawn, and forever will be.

He was not Kumano any longer. He was now Hidan, the San of the Akatsuki.

He soon disappeared from view in a rush of dead leaves.

The office of the Sixth Hokage was unglamorous. It was nothing more than a small room with a desk stacked full of papers, two chairs – one behind the desk and one in front – and a bunk in the far right corner implying that the Hokage had sometimes spent entire days cooped up in the office. The only luxury in the desolate office seemed to be a coffee machine in the left corner, and even then Sakura sometimes wondered if that coffee machine was more like a necessity rather than a luxury in order to keep the Hokage constantly awake with a dose of caffeine. How thoughtful.

After Tsunade had retired from Hokage duties ten years previous, her mentor had left the Hidden Leaf along with Shizune. As far as she knew her shishou was traveling all over the world in her usual gambling spree with Shizune helplessly trailing after her and covering her tracks in avoiding the debt collectors just like old times. Tsunade had declared it was 'retirement privileges' but Sakura knew that Tsunade simply didn't want to stay in the village where the ever-corrupt village council that had imprisoned her last hope ruled any longer. Kakashi was a strong Hokage during his years in office but that still didn't deter the powers held by the elders of noble clans gathered from all around the Country of Fire. Even after Fifty years the memories of the Kyuubi attacks lived on strong in their minds.

Most of Kakashi's support came from Jiraiya, who was the very man who had recommended him to the title of the Sixth in the first place. He had convinced Tsunade and the council that he was one of the strongest and most experienced ninjas alive, and with his experience as a diplomat during his long-term mission in Cloud he was skilled in negotiations as well. Jiraiya was a strong persuader if he really put his mind into it. Unfortunately, he still wandered about the lands in the name of his 'research' and wasn't frequently present inside the village boundaries. There was no telling which bathhouse in Fire Country he would next show himself in.

When she entered the office she found him standing, pacing about as he stared at a few pieces of paperwork. When he noticed her coming in he waved her into a chair as he sat himself down in the opposite.

"Sorry to drag you away from his lecture." He said, and then chuckled. "You don't need to look so surprised. Of course I know about the man from the Chrysanthemum Guards. He was the one who came to me first and asked permission if he could see you and if he could hold a small speech at the memorial." He leaned back in his chair. "So what did you think of him?"

"He was… peculiar."

Kakashi's lips grew into a grin behind his mask. "You know, the missionaries, they're all not bad. Their talks comforts people."

"I know. That's why they're so successful in the first place, I suppose."

"It's not like they show up around here all the time too, Sakura. Only like maybe once a year or so. "

"I know."

"And the man – what was his name?"

"Kumano."

"Right, Kumano. He assured you that there would be no further interference from the other sects of missionaries now that the Emperor has officially acknowledged your studies right? So why the blue face?"

Sakura was silent.

Kakashi leaned forward. "Look, we allow them into the village walls not only because they are from the Capital and hold the authority, but because it gives people something to fight for. Motivation is a fragile thing. Sometimes the thought of fighting for the sake of the village is not enough. And that man's theory about the Empyreal Virtue-"

"You don't believe that, do you Kakashi-sensei?"

"No, I don't. But I can't deny that it's useful, Sakura. The thought that the Empyreal Virtue exists or will exist comforts people when they fall in battle. I know many, you included, disapprove of such… how should I put it, unscientific thought? But we are ninjas, Sakura. We always will have to fight for our survival one way or another. I'm willing to accept anything if it means keeping morales high."

"But religions in the extreme misguides people."

"Anything in the extreme will misguide people. Look, I don't want to name examples but if you really want to put it that way, you can say that the Hidden Leaf itself is a religion. I mean, people can say I'm the High Priest and the people who obey the laws of the village are the followers. And you know what? They wouldn't be that wrong. There's a fine line to it all, Sakura. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care where their faith lies as long as they do an effective job. And as long as they do, what right do we have to care what goes on in their heads?"

Sakura was still silent but this time she wore a scornful frown.

"Do you think I'm a horrible person?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm having trouble understanding why you feel this way."

He nodded, apparently not offended. "It's not that I don't care or understand. But as Hokage, it is my responsibility to manage ninjas from birth to death and send them into war. It's the distance, I suppose. It's just my job." He sighed. "Allow me to change the subject. If you'd be willing of course."

"Go ahead."

"What do you think about the Sound-Leaf war now?"

"It was a screwup." She said with strong feeling.

"You think so?"

"Of course it was. The initial assault was mistimed and off-target. Our line was broken before we even entered their territory. The reinforcements sent from the Sand were exposed and they walked right into traps. We were lucky to come out of that war with a victory."

Kakashi laughed dryly. "I see that you're a perfectionist. There are always mistakes in war. But the important thing is that we won, despite the mistakes, and you and Sai managed killed Orochimaru at the very end. You just need to have the right perspective, Sakura."

"I was the only survivor in my squad, Kakashi-sensei."

"I'll give you the brutal truth. It doesn't matter how many fall as long as the end justifies the means. And if you didn't act the way you did back then, the losses would've been higher still."

Her head bowed downwards. "I should've died." She said bitterly.

"Don't say that. Sai sacrificed his life to save yours so you in turn could save many others with your medical skills."

"Kakashi-sensei…"

He seemed to suppress a sigh. "The cost of a single life is always too high, isn't it? Even knowing that he was only one person among the thousands of lives lost in the war doesn't reduce the significance of that someone you once knew."

She hesitated before she asked her question. "You feel like this too?"

"No, not anymore. But that doesn't mean that I don't know how you feel, Sakura. Not just about Sai, but about Sasuke and… Naruto too."

She winced. He had hit his mark. The fists resting on her laps tightened. "I… don't want to stop feeling like this."

"If you're smart enough for responsibility, Sakura, then you're smart enough to understand the situation we're all in, and the choices we have to make."

She looked up from her bow. "Responsibility?"

"My job offer from two days ago is still valid, Sakura. Are you still interested?"

"Sakura-chan, you're here a lot nowadays."

She looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eye. "What, Naruto, you don't want me here?"

He shook his head vigorously. "No, no! It's just… I'm worried, you know? I mean… the village…"

She laughed uneasily. "Don't worry about it, Naruto. They don't talk about that nowadays."

His eyes widened. "They don't?"

She grinned. "I'm the Fifth Hokage's apprentice. No one dares to go against her, and so no one dares to goes against me too. Even if they do have something to say." She hoisted her fist up in the air. "Then they'd have to answer to this!"

"Ahhh…" Understanding slowly dawned on him. He shuddered. Women were so scary. Sakura truly was the successor of Tsunade.

Their topics of conversation drifted towards their friends and comrades.

"Everyone's still doing good." Sakura said. "Working hard for the sake of the village."

"Ahh, that's good. Everyone's probably all Jounin or ANBU now huh… did Hinata inherit the Hyuuga House? Or did Neji? Oh, and did Shikamaru get a girlfriend yet?"

Suddenly, Sakura head dropped into the ground, and before he could ask what was wrong she embraced him in a tight hug. "Sa-Sakura-chan?" His startled voice echoed across the walls of the garden.

"D-Don't…"

Naruto waited. Perhaps she was about to tell him what was bothering her now. "Sakura-chan…"

She slowly got off him and stood up, leaving behind a confused Naruto on the ground. "…No, it's nothing. Sorry."

Nodding once in understanding, they went back to staring at the moonlight at the ceiling. After she seemed to have calmed down a bit, Sakura returned to the conversation topic. "The Hyuuga House… was inherited by Neji just the other day. Shikamaru apparently does have a girlfriend. You'll be surprised who."

"Who?"

"Temari."

That was a surprise indeed. "Wow… not Ino?"

Sakura nodded. "Ino's dating Chouji. They'll probably get married."

"Wow, really? Chouji's a good guy, I'm sure he'll make her happy!"

"Yeah…"

A rather awkward pause settled over them. They continued to lie in the middle of the moonlit flowers for a few hours.

Without warning, Sakura suddenly gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Good night, Naruto."

Before he knew what had just happened, she had already closed her eyes and was fast asleep next to him. Naruto, smiling, softly covered her with a blanket and watched her sleeping face. The faint moonlight illuminated her figure, and he had truly thought right there that she was beautiful. He backed away from her, not wanting to ruin her peaceful slumber.

"Good night, Sakura-chan."

She dreamed good dreams that night.

She dreamed of her scene with Kakashi in his office, accepting his offer of taking up the title of Hokage.

She dreamed of her inauguration.

She dreamed of her rise into power.

She dreamed of disbanding the village council.

She dreamed of freeing Naruto.

And in her dream, Naruto was happy.

But she…

She was sad.

She was still going to age.

She was still going to die.

When the dream ended, she only realized that the rip between her world and Naruto's world had already grown impossibility wide.

And in the corner of her mind, she muttered a silent prayer to the Shinto gods, wishing, hoping, that the Empyreal Virtue the man had preached – were real.

But that hope too, soon faded.

- Seventh Entry -

"Justice"

Reign of the Sixth Hokage, Tenth year. March 4th.

50 years old. Year 35 of Imprisonment.

I told Naruto that I still was the apprentice of Tsunade-sama, although I have long since learned everything from my shishou and had even taken up students of my own.

In his mind, he and I are still 25 years old after all.

He talks a lot about his friends he made during the Genin days nowadays. Although he had gone through harsh times, it was probably the best days of his life.

He then asks about the Hyuuga family and if Shikamaru had a girlfriend. I felt really sad then and reacted in a way I shouldn't have, because out of all of my friends I was the only who still yet to have any family of sorts, although I'm already too old for that. My students, and Naruto, are the only things closest to a family that I'll ever have.

After I had calmed down I told him that Neji had just inherited the house, and Shikamaru and Temari were just seeing each other along with the revelation that Ino and Chouji were dating. The truth was, the Hyuuga just exchanged another set of heirs and Shikamaru and Temari had been happily married for over 25 years, while Ino was still the same love-struck lovebird with Chouji and had been married just as long as the other couple. The oldest kids from each of their families were planning on attending the Jounin exams this year.

Kakashi-sensei approached me the other day asking if I was interested in taking up the job of Hokage. He seemed old when he talked, but he was still the same man I knew since I was a child. He still had that damned mask on his face and I still have yet to see his true face. I agreed, perhaps as a Hokage I could arrange something to help Naruto out. It was going to be busy again.

-END-

Author's Notes:

That was perhaps the oddest chapter that I had ever written. It actually took me some decent research to write this all out, too.

Since religions were never really introduced within the canon Naruto world, the many different aspects of Shinto introduced in this chapter were made up. I even had to introduce the semi-OC Akatsuki member (I only say semi because the character itself actually exists, except we're not privy to the real details yet) to explain a few things in order to allow the smooth flow of the story. So although Shinto is actually the name of an actual Japanese religion, do note that the Shinto in this story is different from real-world Shinto, albeit many parts are based on the real religions from bits and pieces I remember in my mind.

I actually have had doubts if it were a good idea to introduce this religion aspect in this story since I'll bet many people wouldn't be interested in the technical philosophical mumbo jumbo scattered about in this chapter. Actually, I guess this chapter is kind of like filler since this chapter explains things more than anything. Sigh. Need more action. Rest assured, however, all this explanation will have a point. Eventually.

About the next chapter: it actually occurred to me recently that I had absolutely nothing planned for development for chapters eight and nine, so do expect delays – not that I have been keeping with my deadline as is, through. Just don't expect the next chapters to come out anytime soon while I think of something to do for those chapters… I mean, I do have a vague idea; it's just that I don't know what to write to fill up the gaps that needed to be filled since I never really described in detail the entries for chapters eight and nine in 'Garden of Sanctuary'.

As always, thanks for reading!

- Nes Mikel