Note: Set in the Japanese Imperial Era during the Heian Period, under the reigning Emperor Murakami-tenno. Some of the events are from real occasions that occurred during the said Era, however, most of which are purely fictional.

Based loosely on the hit Korean Historical Series Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. But if you have not watched the series, you can still read this story.

A Naruto Historical/Time Travel AU.


Chapter 3


What a perfect collision

of star it was

that came together

at just the right moment

at just the right time

to build the incredible thing

that is you


The Imperial palace that he used to call home, ironically, is also the place that brought back many unpleasant memories that he had long since buried down the depths of his mind, the memories that are now resurfacing like a lulled ocean being awakened by a storm, the roaring waters slamming on rocks and it brought upon him a certain contradiction. Does he want to stay, or does he want to leave? The Imperial palace that he used to call home. He remembers how warm it felt before, like a small abode, securing him from the monsters conjured by the mind of a four year old. But all along the monsters were not dark and hideous beings that he thought they were. All along, the monsters were the ones he knew all too well.

"Tell the Empress, her son has returned," Sasuke spoke, carrying an intimidating tone with each words as the head court lady of the Empress, his mother, kept her head inclined, her gaze never leaving the ground.

"At once, Your Imperial Highness," she said, turning around as she made her way inside the Empress' chambers.

Uchiha Sasuke stood outside, as patiently as he can, like an obedient child. He has always longed for his mother's love and affection, something that was never given to him as much as to his two brothers. But he will not stop until he received the same, or perhaps even more. How much of a fool the fourth Prince is, behind the frightening mask and his intimidating personality hides a child who yearned for his mother's favour.

The court lady came back after a while, she was running down the stairs as if she was afraid the fourth Prince had waited for too long and he had ran out of patience. But fortunately there were no blood or head rolling down the ground, the fourth Prince remained stoic as if he had been waiting patiently.

But to only hear such thing.

"The Empress is not well and had gone to bed," the court lady said, her voice shaking a little and her head still inclined. She has heard about the rumours, about how the fourth Prince never hesitated to kill. And the rumours that he had murdered the Fuma Clan in Kumo, although mere hearsays do not prove anything.

"Is that so?" Sasuke asked, his gaze flickered to the chamber ahead. He contemplated whether to burst inside, see if his mother is really asleep. But he decided not to do such thing and risk angering his mother. After all, there will be many chances when he will be able to meet her.

Instead, he turned around and left. The head court lady released the breath she was holding when the fourth Prince is gone, relieve that her head is still connected with her neck.

Sasuke is not too pleased to hear such a blatant lie. He knew very well that his mother does not wish to see him. Even after years of being in Kumo, not once had she visited him in that accursed household. Sasuke thought, had his mother known of the things they had done to him, will her heart soften just for a little? But the thought was gone as fast as it invaded his mind, like a petal being carried by the zephyr.

As he walked through the familiar corridors of the palace, he saw the tall pillars that he used to hide when he was a kid, thinking that he would not be seen if he hid behind one, Sasuke could not help but reminisce about the past. Something that he almost never did when he is in Kumo, but now that he is back, it seems reminiscing about the past has become inevitable as much as it is intolerable. He remembered the young boy, no more than four years old, witnessing his parents fighting over something he could not understand then. Sasuke think it was the time he realised he was not just a normal young boy, it was then he realised his mother is the Empress and his father is the Emperor.

His mother was trying to stop his father from marrying another woman from a powerful Clan. His father said it was a marriage that will help prevent a possible war, especially after the Nation had been united as one. The Clan was a powerful one, willing to send over their local army once they are made in-laws, securing their ties with the Imperial family. His mother did not want that, either out of love or out of jealousy. But in the end, the Empress could not do anything. Sasuke wondered what it was that brought upon such hatred towards him, he was so young to even comprehend it. All he could remember was the pain and blood dripping down his face.

A gust of wind suddenly blew by, the smell of nostalgia being carried away to the far north. His hand went up to caress the mask hiding his past.

"How…" he trailed off. "..annoying," and then he continued to walk, unaware that behind him stood the Emperor, his father.


Sakura is still processing everything she has heard, her mind whirling to what could possibly be real and not. She has lived a life of logic and objectiveness, she is not someone who easily believed in otherworldly occurrence unless it has been proven by a logical fact. And at this moment, everything she knew could not possibly prove how and why she is inside another person's body.

Haruno Sakura.

"You must think about it thoroughly, look closely at me," the woman, Hinata was what Sakura remembered her name was, said. Concern oozing out of her doll-like eyes, Sakura could almost see her reflection in her orbs, a reflection of a girl who looks as if she is in a state of shock and confusion about everything around her.

"You are in Konoha, in Heian-kyo. You are in the eight Prince's household."

"Heian..-kyo…" Sakura trailed off, the word lingered a familiar tone as she searched her memories until she remembered where she heard it from. "Heian-kyo… Tengyo, Tenryaku, Tentoku, Owa.. that Heian-kyo?"

"Yes, we are currently on the second reign of our Emperor, the Tenryaku era."

The realisation could not possibly hit Sakura any better than when she realised she is in another person's body. But hearing the names of the era being spoken, she came to realise she had heard about it from her history professor and the term paper that was given to them that Sakura has yet to even start.

"Who..Who is the current Emperor?" she asked, just to be certain of it. She only paid half her attention during history lectures, telling herself that what is the use of learning what already occurred as if they can change the history. But she is here, with the limited knowledge she has from not paying full attention to class, how will she possibly survive?

"The current Emperor is Uchiha Madara, the man who had united the warring Clans."

And of all the Emperors, it has to be him, Sakura thought. Her shoulders slumping down. She may not know most of the Emperors before, if ask to give ten she would probably be able to give only three. But she knew who Uchiha Madara was.

The Emperor who had always been depicted as wise yet intimidating, sometimes even cruel but most of the works and articles were that of him being judicious. The Emperor who was crowned at the young age of twenty one and was able to unite the warring Clans, making the whole Nation more powerful than anything it had ever been before. The man might be wise and not a tyrant, but he was also known in the modern era as something else.

The Emperor who had so many sons from different women, he can make a whole women's volleyball team out of his harem. It was then Sakura remembered the young men she saw earlier, they must be the Imperial Princes and Sakura knew she is doomed.


The halls were quiet, the deafening sound of silence that if a pin was to drop on the floor, it would shatter the ice cold stillness. Everyone kept their heads incline, eyes trailed down while some were exchanging gazes as to who shall speak first. The Ministers of the Imperial Household, representatives of different powerful Clans and the Imperial Princes were all present in the room and before them, sitting on the golden throne with the sun emblem is the Emperor himself. He had mastered the art of being stoic that one cannot simply tell whether he is mad or not. But this time, everyone is sure of it.

Emperor Madara is furious.

He took a wooden cage before he threw it in front, the cage rolling on the ground as everyone looked at it. The bird that was inside the cage is dead, its body limp and feathers are starting to fall off. The Imperial Princes look at it in confusion, most of them were genuinely confused while there is one who seem to be feigning it.

A few moments of silence passed before the Emperor's advisor spoke. A man who may not seem like he possesses great knowledge of the stars but is regarded as the best astronomer in the Empire.

Master Jiraiya.

"That was the bird that ate the Crown Prince's breakfast this morning. It died even before it could swallow the food. Fortunately the Crown Prince had skipped breakfast because he was not hungry."

Poison.

It meant someone had put poison on the Crown Prince's breakfast. The confusion after seeing a dead bird inside the wooden cage from earlier turned into surprise after hearing what the Master Astronomer said. Someone attempted to poison the Crown Prince and the Emperor is furious.

"The room had gone too quiet, I am starting to think all of you had your tongues cut off," the Emperor finally spoke, his words carrying a dangerous tone as he looked at everyone in the hall, but not one is brave or foolish enough to meet his eyes. "Capture the person who tried to kill the Crown Prince."

In the Imperial Palace, the Emperor's words are absolute and could never be doubted. However, in this very hall, there are people who stand by the Emperor's side and against the Emperor's side. One can never play a game of chess with only one side arranged on the board. There are always the opposition. And the Emperor knew that very well, so he was not the least bit surprise when someone spoke.

"Your Majesty, we must first figure out why it happened," he said, his voice sly and challenging. "What will change just because we capture the culprit?"

Even if the Emperor is enraged, he must at all times maintain his composure that a simple provocation like that can simply be shrugged. He had met a lot too many people in his reign as Emperor, those people who act like his friend in front but a foe once he turned his back. And he will not give the man the satisfaction of seeing him irritated by that lame incitement.

"Master Orochimaru, what is it that you are trying to prove?"

Orochimaru, one of the highest ranking Minister of the Imperial Household, the Empress' brother. He had always been sly and clever and the personality was inherited by the third Prince.

"Is the Crown Prince fulfilling his duty as the Crown Prince?" he asked, his sly tone of voice is very noticeable. "During the assembly, he only received greetings from the foreign envoys and left right after. He is either at the battlefield or visiting famous hot springs around the Empire."

His provocation did not end there as he looked at the Emperor and continued, "There is also a rumour going about, that the Crown Prince has an incurable illness."

Rumours, but if that hearsay was proven to be true, that the Crown Prince is not suitable to lead an Empire, then the opposition will have a huge opportunity.

"Therefore I, Orochimaru, am making a request, Your Majesty. Please depose the first Prince Hatake Kakashi as Crown Prince. I entreat you to name a new Crown Prince."

A direct and brazen challenge in front of the Emperor, if the Minister is not the Empress' brother, he would have been sentenced to death for treason.

But the Emperor had other things in mind.

"Do you all agree with him?" he asked, looking at the Imperial Princes. "Speak up. Is there anyone of you who is better suited for such position if not the current Crown Prince?"

The Emperor's tone is equally as challenging, no, more than that. He may have asked the question but he left no room for argument. He made it as though he is saying there is no one better here than the current Crown Prince. His firstborn, the Prince whom he shared many scars from the battles they fought and won together. The Prince who was by his side when he is uniting the warring households. The Prince who suffered more than any of his brothers would realise.

The stillness was momentarily shattered when the eight Prince stepped forward and kneeled before the Emperor.

"Please withdraw your words, Your Majesty," Naruto said. "No one amongst us wishes to be the Crown Prince."

He has always been kind and considerate to all his brothers and that very act was followed by the thirteenth Prince, Shikamaru, who also stepped forward and kneeled behind Naruto.

"I must agree with the eight Prince, please withdraw your words, Your Majesty," he said.

It was then the third Prince decided it is time to do the same thing as well, so he would be less suspicious. It's enough that his uncle had the audacity to speak those words in front of the Emperor. Entreating him to name a new Crown Prince and even if he did not say it exactly, most of the Ministers present in the hall will surely think it is Obito whom he wanted to be named as the new Crown Prince.

And it took Orochimaru by surprise to see him kneeling as well.

"Please withdraw them," he said. As the oldest amongst the Imperial Princes present in the hall, his gesture was then followed by the younger brothers and they kneeled as well, begging the Emperor to withdraw his words.

The Emperor seem quite pleased to see the gesture and he turned to Master Jiraiya who was about to doze off but when he felt the Emperor's gaze on him – as he possesses such a sensitive sense – he straightened up.

"Master Astronomer," the Emperor said and Jiraiya cleared his throat.

"Master Astronomer Jiraiya, shall relay the will of the heavens to everyone who is present in this hall," he started before he stepped forward and lifted his hand dramatically before he continued. "Crown Prince Kakashi's star is the royal stars decorating the heavens, the first amongst the five northern stars and it shines brighter each day along with the Emperor's shining palace of Konoha."

Then he turned to Orochimaru. "That means he is not lacking as the Crown Prince," he said as if he is talking directly to the man who just said a while ago that the first Prince is not suited to become the Crown Prince.

Seemingly satisfied with the Master Astronomer's words, the Emperor stood from his throne. "During the ritual, the Crown Prince shall be the one to chase the evil spirits. He shall be the great Moon god, Tsukuyomi."

All along, the Crown Prince himself was behind the doors, listening to every word spoken inside the hall before he turned around and left.

Haruhi Sakura, who woke up in the body of a sixteen year old girl one thousand years back in time, will now has to live as Haruno Sakura. Only then she has not the slightest idea that she will not just live in this period and era, she, as well, has to survive. She never really did pay attention to her history lessons before so she missed quite a lot of important notes. One of which is the fact that during the reign of Emperor Madara, when the powerful Uchiha Clan controls the Imperial Palace, it was also the era when the most blood was shed.

Blood of brothers who killed each other for the throne.

And Sakura will witness it all unfold before her eyes.

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Characters:

Haruhi/Haruno Sakura: A girl who was transported back to the Heian Period. She occupied the body of Haruno Sakura, a young 16 year old girl who lives a carefree life in the household of the Eight Prince's wife.

First/Crown Prince: Hatake Kakashi

Third Prince: Uchiha Obito

Fourth Prince: Uchiha Sasuke

Eight Prince: Uzumaki Naruto

Ninth Prince: Inuzuka Kiba

Tenth Prince: Akasuna Sasori

Thirteenth Prince: Nara Shikamaru

Fourteenth Prince: Uchiha Shisui