AN: Thank you guys SO MUCH for being so supportive and patient with my while I go through school. It's insane and awsome and I love it, but boy does it not leave me with much time to work. Someone actually did fanart of my fic but I CAN'T FIND IT ON MY TUMBLR AND I FEEL SO BAD! I was gonna link it because I love it, too. Enjoy!
The hospital was oddly peaceful as the sun rose over the village. After all the insanity of the past few days, what with Orochimaru and everything that entailed, it felt almost as though it were holding its breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
That wasn't to say it was going to, though. But it also wasn't entirely out of the question.
For team 7, the two days had full of uncertainty and worry. No one had come to ask them for their report. Naruto still hadn't woken up. They hadn't received any news on how the exams were going, if they were even continued at all. Overall, there were too many questions and no one giving them answers. For the two (conscious) time travelers, it was infuriating.
"You're already awake?" A soft voice mumbled by the wall. Looking over, Sakura saw Karin blearily blinking up at them, glasses askew from the awkward position she'd just woken up from. She had stayed both the first night and last night with them, sleeping on a chair next to Naruto's bed. Not that either of the two were complaining. For some reason though she'd refused to leave her cousins side whenever a nurse or doctor asked her too. She claimed she needed to be there for him, that family had to stick together. Which anyone could tell she meant.
But Sakura knew better.
She saw it in the girls discarded headband, and the scars along her skin. She had nowhere else to go. She was all alone.
"Yeah, just woke up," Sakura answered, noticing the girl shift to cover her arm. "You look exhausted," she pointed out. "Are you sure you don't want the keys to Naruto's place? You can sleep and take a shower there. He wouldn't mind."
Karin just grimaced, looking back down at her cousin. Her red eyes were filled with sadness and what looked like regret or grief. It was possible she was remembering something painful. Sakura didn't doubt it. From what she remembered about seventeen year old Karin, she'd had a tough life even before Sasuke. Sakura couldn't imagine what was going through her head at the moment.
"I don't want him to be alone," the girl finally muttered, hands fisting over her knees.
"He won't be. He has us," Sakura stated. "You both do."
A soft blush bloomed across Karin's cheeks, small smile forming on her lips.
"Thank you Sakura," she murmured.
Sakura returned the smile, eyes soft and kind like she knew Karin needed. "Of course."
Then it was quiet for a moment, sunlight from the rising sun spilling into the room and a peaceful silence hanging in the air. Until-
"Jeez, get a room you two."
"SASUKE!"
"EW GROSS!" The girls shreaked in unison at the now awake Uchiha, who was staring idly at them.
"Sasuke, that's disgusting," Sakura gasped. "She's thirteen and I'm-" Seventeen. She paused. "I'm twelve." A small flicker of understanding passed across Sasuke's face, but it quickly returned to its usual passive apathy.
"Th-that's not that big of an age gap," Karin exclaimed behind her.
Sakura had to physically stop herself from flinching. If only you knew…
"Whatever," Sasuke sighed, leaning back into his pillows. "Just stop being weird."
"You're the one being weird, asshole!" Sakura shouted back, veins bulging in her fist. Behind her, a flustered Karin sweatdropped.
"You guys are insane…" the poor Uzumaki muttered.
"Sadly this is nothing new," was all Sasuke said.
Just then, the door to their room suddenly slid open, drawing all their attention. Looking up, Sakura was surprised to see Kakashi-sensei standing on the threshold, body language deceptively relaxed. Immediately she knew something wasn't right.
"Sensei?" She asked, heart starting to beat faster in her chest. "What are you doing here so early?" It was around six in the morning. Not necessarily early for a shinobi, but not really an appropriate time to visit your students in the hospital. Well, not appropriate for anyone who understand social cues, that was.
"Maa, just wanted to pop in and see how my kiddies were doing," he brushed up, eye-smiling at the three of them. Something about it seemed off though… But Sakura couldn't put her finger on it.
"Karin," he spoke up again, turning to the Uzumaki. "Why don't you go back to Naruto's place and get some proper sleep and a shower. I'm sure he won't mind."
Just as she did when Sakura suggested it, Karin's face fell in dismay, red eyes flicking down to her unconscious cousin before going back up to the jonin. "Are-are you sure?" She asked in a small voice. "I don't want him to be alone…"
"He'll have us, don't worry," Kakashi-sensei continued, voice sounding just the tiniest bit strained. Sakura's eyes narrowed in response. "Besides," he continued. "I'm sure he won't mind you using his apartment anyway."
Karin looked doubtful, but didn't contend it. Meanwhile, across from her, Sakura was scouring her sensei to see what his real reason for wanting the girl out of the room was. He might be a skilled jonin, but she'd known him for almost six years. Something wasn't right here. He was tense, despite how he tried to hide it. She could tell in the fact that his shoulders were too lax. Slumped more than usual. His eye was just the tiniest bit narrowed, as if scouring for something. And if she looked closely she could see he was holding on to something tightly in his pocket. And it wasn't his porn book.
Something was up, and whatever it was, Kakashi-sensei felt the need to discuss it with only his students.
Sakura didn't like where this was going.
"Will you guys be okay here?" Karin asked, shocking Sakura from her inner musings. Blinking, Sakura looked over at the girl, noting the unsure way she held herself. Plastering on the biggest smile she could, Sakura nodded.
"We'll be fine, Karin. Go get some rest."
The Uzumaki blinked, eyes full of uncertainty. At long last, she gave a small nod, mouth set into a firm line.
"Great," Sakura smiled.
Karin, still holding har arm, hesitantly got up. Sakura watched as she walked out of the room, casting a final glance at them over her shoulder before sliding the door closed behind her.
As soon as the redhead was out of sight, their sensei's demeanor changed like a switch being flipped.
"Sasuke," he growled, eye narrowing dangerously. The hand in his pocket shot out and something went flying onto Sasuke's bed. "Explain yourself."
When Sakura saw what it was, her heart stopped.
The scroll.
The scroll depicting Orochimaru's "master plan". The one they forged. The one Kakashi-sensei was now questioning them about.
Her veins had turned to ice, eyes wide as saucers. What did he know?
Unlike Sakura, who was panicking inside, Sasuke managed to keep his cool, face relatively devoid of emotion. "Sensei-" Sasuke started, trying to look calm but confused. Before he could say anymore, Kakashi-sensei interrupted.
"Cut the bullshit," he growled, startling the two. They'd never heard him swear before. At least, not when they were actually genin. He was leaning over Sasuke's bed now, Hands curled around the metal bar of the footboard. "I know you wrote that," he continued, voice low and dangerous. "I've read enough of your reports to recognise your handwriting, even if you did manage to copy it character for character."
Sakura noticed Sasuke's finger twitch.
"Now, I'd like to know how for one, you can copy his handwriting so well without having seen his reports before, and two." He took a deep breath in, hands curling tighter around the metal bar. "How the fuck did you know about Orochimaru's plans?"
Sakura felt her heart jackhammer against her chest, sweat forming on her brow. Her hands were clenching her sheets so hard her knuckles were turning white. Sasuke, while holding a much cooler demeanor, wasn't much better off. His eyes were wider in fear and Sakura could see his adam's apple bobbing up and down nervously, like he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
Like the jonin he was, Kakashi-sensei noticed all of this.
"Look," he started again, standing up straight. "I know you three are stronger than most genin. I know you're more mature than you should be. I know you're different. What I just don't get is why." Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a fearful glance. "You can't be imposters. No one can replicate the sharingan, or…" He trailed off, eye flicking over to Naruto. "And you're still familiar with the villege in a way only shinobi raised here would be."
"So what are you saying?" Sakura breathed, genuinely terrified of her sensei for once.
The jonin's lone grey eye narrowed at her. "I'm saying," he started. "I'm asking," he corrected. "Why do you know what you know? And how do you know it?" He looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment, as if thinking of how to phrase his next sentence. "Depending on your answers, all of this is off the record. But I need to know, are you loyal to Konoha?"
Sakura immediately shot out of her bed, bare feet hitting the cold tiled floor. "Of course we're loyal to Konoha!" She cried, outraged. "How could you think such a thing?"
"You tell me," was all he replied with. Growling in frustration, Sakura opened her mouth to retort but was overcome by a wave of dizziness. Oh, right, chakra exhaustion. Stumbling slightly, she caught herself on the edge of the bed. A hand reached out to help her, and she was surprised to see Sasuke leaning over to help her. When was the last time he had done that?
Blushing slightly from gratitude, she hauled herself back up onto her bed, this time sitting on the edge. The two genin shared a look before an irritated flare of chakra made them look back up at their sensei. Next to her, Sasuke huffed out a sigh of frustration.
"Look," he started, turning to their sensei. "We're loyal to Konoha. I don't know how we can prove it to you, but we don't hold any ill-intent towards it."
Sakura noted the auspiciously missing "anymore" from his sentence.
"And yet here you are knowing the entire terrorist plan of a rogue S-class ninja," the jonin pointed out bitterly. "So sorry if I can't help but wonder."
They were at a loss for an explanation. Really there wasn't any good way to excuse how they knew all that yet hadn't gone to any officials. It's what the law stated to do anyway. So off the bat they'd already commited a crime, time travel be damned.
Sakura felt herself open her mouth to reply, no words on her tongue, but was saved at the last minute by a voice she hadn't expected at all.
"'Kashi-s'nei?"
Sakura froze.
Sucking in a breath, she turned to the far bed to see the familiar blue eyes of Konoha's jinchuuriki cracked open. He was awake.
"Naruto," she gasped, shocked. How was he awake? She and the doctors had predicted he'd be out for a good week at the minimum. Sure he'd been out for two days after Wave, but his chakra exhaustion hadn't been nearly as bad then as it was now. There was no feasible way that he should even be conscious, let alone talking.
Behind her, the rest of team 7 was just as shocked. Kakashi-sensei's eye was blown wide, and Sasuke was frozen in his bed.
"Wha's with the stares?" The blonde asked in a slurred voice. Sakura had no answer for him, instead watching dumbfounded as he pushed himself up some from the bed to lean back on the pillows.
"You're… awake," was all Sakura could manage.
Naruto blinked at her, eyes vacant and glassy. "Well… yeah," he mumbled dumbly. "I heal fast."
"No," Sakura insisted, pushing forward. "Your chakra- the doctors- you shouldn't be awake!" She exclaimed. It was then as he frowned that Sakura noticed something red on the corner of his mouth. Squinting, she peared closer at it.
It was blood… But it couldn't have been his.
Sakura gasped.
"Karin," she breathed. She should have seen it sooner. The exhaustion in her eyes, the way she was hiding her arm… God, how could she have been so stupid!
"Karin?" Kakashi-sensei echoed with a frown.
Next to her, Sakura could see her sensei's confusion reflected on her blonde teammate's face. Poor guy, he didn't even know his cousin had visited him.
"Karin," Sakura started. "She has a kekkei genkai that lets her heal people, but…" She trailed off, thoughts turning dark.
Luckily, Sasuke finished for her. "But at the cost of her own vitality."
In his bed, Naruto blinked in shock, seeming to come to more awareness. "What did she do?" He asked in a croaky voice.
Sakura just shook her head hard in response. "It doesn't matter," she insisted, ignoring the disgust that wrapped itself around her heart. "All that matters now is that you're fine."
No one seemed convinced, but they didn't comment on it. Thankfully.
Unfortunately, Kakashi-sensei dragged the conversation back. "I'm glad you're okay," he said honestly. Then his voice hardened. "But regardless," he dismissed. "I want an explanation. Now."
"Wha's goin' on?" Naruto asked from the side, eyes going back and forth between his team and sensei.
"This," Kakashi-sensei replied icily, holding up the scroll he'd tossed onto Sasuke's bed. Almost immediately, all fatigue vanished from his expression, face falling in recognition.
Oh.
"What do you three know about this?" Their sensei finally demanded.
Silence was the only thing he received.
What were they supposed to do, tell him? Oh hey, guess what, we're from the future and have been this whole time. And guess what, we know secrets you don't, and also, the guy who gave you your eye killed Naruto's parents and is still alive, actively plotting to murder everyone.
Yeah, not really an option.
But not telling him wouldn't go well for them either. They were cornered. He'd suspected something was up with them for a while now, so they couldn't just shake it off or dismiss it. But they also couldn't fabricate a whole lie either. He was smart. He would figure it out in an instant. Besides, they hadn't actually lied to him the whole time they'd been with him. Omitted, yes, but never lied. Hell, Naruto literally shouted out "kaguya" the first time they "met" him.
But telling him the truth… Who would believe that? Certainly not a normal shinobi, even one with a space/time jutsu sitting in their eye socket. Besides, even if they did, they'd have to back it up with facts. Something that he'd never told them in this timeline that he had in theirs, or another piece of info just as coveted. Wincing in realization, Sakura's eye drifted over to Naruto. They could always tell Kakashi-sensei about Naruto's parents…
No. That'd be like open a wound. Too personal. Too painful.
Maybe as a last resort though.
"Well?" Her sensei growled, snapping her back to the present.
Sakura blinked, turning to face him again.
"Do you work for Danzo? Another village? What?" The pointed question stung like senbon.
Sakura prided herself on being the smartest and most rational member of team 7. Having trained under Lady Tsunade for three years, and working her way up the ranks until she was the most respected medical ninja in the village was no small feat. She deserved everything she worked so hard for. So, using her intellect, she came to the only conclusion that seemed to make sense. Even if she didn't like it.
Gulping, Sakura opened her mouth to answer.
"You wouldn't believe us," she said. She didn't see any other option. He had to know something. "But please just listen." On either side of her, her teammates whipped their heads to stare at her, aghast.
"Sakura!" Sasuke hissed. "What are you doing?"
"Do you have a better idea?" She snapped back.
"Well no but-"
"Exactly, so let me handle this!"
The Uchiha snapped his mouth shut in shock, but offered no rebuttal. Good.
With a sigh, she turned back to their frustrated sensei. Next to her, Sasuke was glaring daggers at her, but thankfully remaining silent. On her other side though, Naruto was staring wide eyed, as if unable to believe what she was about to do.
Gathering herself, Sakura took a deep breath in. This wasn't going to be easy.
"Sensei," she started, voice wavering just slightly. "What you're about to hear won't make sense, but please bare with us."
Across from her, her sensei's eye narrowed, grey iris turning icy. Sakura ignored the frantic pounding of her heart and pushed on.
"We don't work for Danzo," she said, earning a disgusted sneer from Sasuke. "And nor do we work for another village." God, this was gonna be hard. Sucking in a deep breath, she steeled herself. It was now or never.
"The truth is…"
Naruto gulped loudly next to her. Sasuke's eyes widened.
"We're from the future."
AN: Thanks for reading! See you around Christmas
To check out this chapters art, just click my AO3 version here!
