Chapter 10: Sorry

.:Save Me:.

I hope you all enjoy!

Normal POV

Five Years Later

Konoha is a haven. For as long as its walls have been standing, it's always been a beacon for those seeking sanctuary. A place where the weary can rest and the forsaken cared for.

It's times like these, that Konoha becomes the opposite.

The number of things that changed within the time Sakura Haruno left turned the village on its head. Team 7's first chunin exam less than a year later ended with a devastating blow to the village's defenses. Orochimaru orchestrated a full-blown attack with the aid of Suna led by the infamous sand siblings. Though it was a surprise, the Konoha shinobi fought hard to protect their home- some giving up their lives in the process. Once such shinobi was Sarutobi who gave up his life in order to seal the snake sanin's arms.

From the tragedy came many revelations, however. After Naruto defeated Gaara with the help of Sasuke, the trio laid in the middle of the clearing their fight carved out of the forest disorientated. The incoherent red-haired jinchuriki began mumbling as he lay slumped against the tree he was thrown into after Shukaku's shell was destroyed. Hearing his voice, Naruto crawled closer to the downed sand shinobi enough to hear what he said.

"I can't fail her… I must be stronger… Sakura… I will help you… change everything..."

Naruto's eyes widened, the pain of his injuries fading to the back of his mind as he dragged his beaten body closer.

"Sakura?! Do you know where she is?! Gaara!"

The red head didn't respond, his body was unmoving as he continued to mumble incoherently. Naruto growled, desperately trying to reach him, but the remaining members of the Sand siblings arrived. The eldest, Temari, surveyed the unconscious Uchiha a few feet away, the pure determination on the blonde's face, her younger brother's slumped form, and the approaching team of ANBU.

"We need to go." She tossed one of Gaara's arms across her shoulders while their other brother, Kankuro, mirrored her actions with his other arm.

"Hey- wait! I'm not finished with you yet!" Naruto yelled a shaking arm outstretched to the trio, his blurry eyes glaring unfocused at the trio. Without sparing him a glance, the sand siblings fled deeper into the forest heading back to their village just as Naruto finally fainted from his injuries.

When the two remaining members of team 7 woke in the hospital, Kakashi and Minato were both in the boy's shared room along with ANBU team 1. It was after they relayed their harrowing tale that the young shinobi learned the fate of the late Third Hokage.

With the death of Sarutobi, Minato was named Hokage once again. Given the threat Orochimaru and Sakura posed to the village, the time for mourning was cut short for the grieving citizens of Konoha. There was far too much to prepare for. The first of which, is making sure any possibility of casualties is reduced by having the most efficient hospital as possible. For that to happen, they need someone that is renowned for their medical abilities to head the project. Fortunately, the world's greatest medical ninja hails from Konoha- Lady Tsunade. Unfortunately, no one in the village has heard from her in years. It was then decided that Team 7 under the lead of Jiraiya would search for her.

After nearly 3 months of looking through bars, they found the notorious Slug Princess. It wasn't easy trying to convince her to come back to them. It took a showdown between both groups to do the trick. It also helped that Orochimaru made an impromptu visit trying to force Tsunade to heal him after Sarutobi took his arms. In the end, Tsunade agreed to return temporarily to ensure the hospital is ready for any number of patients they get from the inevitable attack.

Even still, no one was prepared for the storm that came.

With the deadline fast approaching, Minato placed the village on high alert. Security for all entrances and exits were tripled. Few teams could leave on missions at once as a precaution. News of a tailed beast rampaging also didn't help the anxiety that coated the village. However, that didn't stop people from questioning.

Of course, there were disagreements on how the news should be shared with the villagers. The elders wanted to keep it as quiet as possible to avoid a negative image coming to them for not being able to contain a simple genin. In the end, Minato did what he felt was the best option: he told everything.

Initially, no one believed him. How could they simply accept that a demon's child grew up amongst them? Yes, they knew Naruto was the host for the said demon- he isn't its offspring. Naruto isn't inherently a monster. Sakura was born a monster.

It was then that Minato revealed the rest of the story. Mainly, why the nine tails attacked all those years ago.

That's when the outrage came.

Many called for Sakura's exile. Others called for her to be captured and imprisoned. More wanted her execution. The ones closest to her only wanted the chance to apologize.

Naruto wanted to apologize for everything that happened. Even though they weren't blood-related, they were siblings. He should have been the main one that made her feel safe and happy. If he hadn't been caught up in his own emotions, he could have prevented all of this from happening.

Similarly, Sasuke felt he didn't do enough either. He's known her his whole life, yet he didn't have a clue of what was happening in her life. He didn't even have an idea of how bad it got between Naruto and her. Sure, he witnessed Naruto say nasty things to her at their mother's funeral, but he didn't know how deep his words wounded her. If he did, he would have tried to be there more. After all, how much did he owe her for the things she's done for him throughout his life?

On the other hand, Kakashi felt frustrated. If he knew what was really going on from the beginning, he could have been better prepared to deal with all the drama that's happened since she joined his team. No, he's not angry with Sarutobi for not telling him. He had good reasons not to, but still. Sakura told him herself that she saw him as the closest thing to her father. The fact that he didn't have the right tools to help her made him frustrated beyond belief. However, things are different now. Now, he has everything he needs to make things right and to prevent something like this from happening again.

On the opposite spectrum of team 7, Itachi feels like he caused so much of the chaos now happening because of his own cluelessness. If he had known he was so terrified of being too weak to keep his promises, then he would have tried to do something different. Then again, would he have even been able to accept it? Without even realizing he denied his emotions so much he ended up creating a disastrous mess. Until he fixes it, he won't allow anything to get in his way. Not his parents attempting to arrange his marriage, nor Izumi trying to get his attention. Nothing will distract him until he makes things right.

No matter what anyone wanted, it didn't change the fact that the day Minato warned them about was coming. More so, that it would happen on a cold cloudy day in the form of three giant foxes attacking the village.

Itachi's POV

Smoke began to fill the air as the sounds of destruction reached my ears. I can see genin teams ushering civilians towards the safety bunkers within the Hokage monument as I speed across the crumbling rooftops. Coming from the Uchiha district, I'm farther from the Hokage tower then I would like to be, but the foxes seem concentrated on attacking the residential areas. The large black fox was the closest to me with the white fox not being far off. A final brown fox was more concentrated to the front of the village making it the furthest away from civilians.

A large black tail swiping across the ground decimating the house I was about to jump to made me jump back to avoid the damage. Dodging again, a strong gust of wind blew across my back as the tail swung back around, hitting a line of houses on the other side of the street. A monstrous roar filled the air as the black fox jumped, causing a miniature earthquake as its massive body landed. A powerful wave of wind that felt like a tornado blasted from its body, throwing me back against a pile of rubble before I could brace myself. Covering my face with my arms, the sound of glass shattering and wood snapping filled my ears before the wind died down.

"Itachi!"

Lowering my arms, Izumi along with two other male shinobi's from my clan dropped down next to me. Their eyes stayed on the black fox as it continued to ravage the neighborhood with its massive paws as it slowly made its way up the main pathway.

"Are you hurt?" I grunted, getting to my feet as I watched the fox.

"We need to stop it." Following its direction, my eyes narrowed as I saw it heading straight for the hospital. "We can't let it reach the hospital."

"We will lead it away, Itachi-sama." One of the other males responded.

"I'll get its attention. Besides, you need to get to the Hokage." Before I could say anything, Izumi sprinted towards the fox, the other two on her heels.

As she reached its tail, the other two split off. Izumi easily jumped onto it's back as it clawed at another row of houses. She maneuvered up it's back and onto its head. Her hands blurred together before a massive fireball covered the fox's face. It reeled back, letting out an enraged cry before whipping its head around. Izumi hung on tightly as the other two males got into position on either side of the fox. Both threw kunai at the beast as Izumi jumped off it's back. With a hand sign from both males, two huge explosions went off bringing another cry from the fox.

Its large red eyes turned to them, a murderous intent rolling off it in waves as it opened its massive jaws. Without warning, dark red flames shot out from its maw. The fire engulfed several buildings, melting them on contact from the intensity. When the flames stopped, Izumi appeared on its head once more, another fireball going off in its face.

They can handle this.

With the combination of the explosions and fireballs, they were slowly leading the fox away from the hospital and towards the forest. With the way they all worked together, they formed an efficient team, watching each other's backs.

They'll be fine.

Taking one last glance at them, I took off once more. Heading for the hospital using the roads since there weren't any rooftops standing anymore. The battle against the three foxes still raged on as I entered the hospital.

"Took you long enough." My eyes immediately found Tsunade-sama.

"I ran into some roadblocks." She grunted in response as the doors burst open behind me.

Team 7 stumbled in along with Kakashi and Minato. They looked frazzled as their eyes scanned the room.

"Have you seen her?!" Naruto shouted much louder than he should be in a hospital.

"If we had, do you think we would be standing around here?" Tsunade retorted. Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but a strong quake shook the foundation-shaking the hospital. A deafening roar resounded, causing the windows to shudder.

"That sounded too close," Kakashi grumbled before we all rushed outside. Sure enough, the white fox stood before us. It's head low and its hind legs tense to pounce straight at the hospital.

"Shit!" Tsunade cursed.

Within a flash, she bit her thumb just as the fox lunged. A puff of smoke covered the area for only a few seconds before clearing. The sight of the fox's claws buried deep into the slimy flesh of Tsunade's slug summon, Katsuyu could be seen. The fox let out an angered screech as it snapped its jaws at the slug. Dodging the first bite, Katsuyu inhaled deeply before spewing out a powerful jet of slime from her mouth shoving the large fox backward.

"Find that brat and put an end to this!" Tsunade commanded from her position on top of Katsuyu. Naruto took a step forward, a torn look on his face.

"We can't just leave-"

"I'll handle this- now go!" His eyes narrowed slightly before nodding firmly. Making eye contact, he nodded to me, Minato and the rest of his team. Taking to the few remaining buildings, we raced away from the battle going on behind us.

"Where could she be?!" Sasuke shouted, his Sharingan scanning what it can from around us.

"She isn't with any of the foxes," Minato added, his eyebrows pinched.

"She must be using them as a diversion from something," I stated, my brain running through a thousand different possibilities. Silence covered the group as we continued to search.

"The Hokage tower," Kakashi grunted. We stopped as we all turned to him. His eyes were glued to the untouched mentioned tower still standing amongst a sea of devastation. "It's the only building they never touched." Without a second thought, we all raced towards it.

The door to the tower was blasted open when we arrived. A foul stench and a sense of dread radiated from inside making my senses scream at me to run the other way. Sparing a glance at the rest of the team, I can see they all felt it too. With a nod from Minato, we cautiously entered.

An excessive amount of blood staining the walls and winding staircase was the first thing we saw. As we moved up the stairs, we found the bodies. Deep gashes and scattered limbs littered the staircase as well as the hallway leading to the elder's office. The strangest thing about it is that none of the mutilated bodies belonged to any shinobi I've ever met.

"Root." Minato announced bringing our attention to him. He sat on his hunches in front of a body missing its arms. Forcing open the cadaver's jaw, an intricate seal was stark against its tongue. "Sarutobi-sama told me about this group." Letting out a deep sigh, he released his grip and stood. He opened his mouth to say something, but a piercing scream sent us all sprinting through the hall once more.

When we reached the source of the scream, we found ourselves standing in the broken doorway to the elder's office. Minato shoved the door to the side revealing a sight that made my stomach churn.

Homura was strung up from the ceiling by his wrists and neck with wires. They cut into his skin so deep that blood poured from the wounds. From the looks of things, he was tortured for a while before he died as most of his toes were also missing.

Against the wall behind him, Koharu's lifeless body lay slumped. A massive hole was blown through her chest. Her eyes were wide with horror, her mouth agape in a silent scream as she stared at Homura's dangling body. What was happening in the middle of the room is what made that feeling in the pit of my stomach worse.

Danzo was flat on his back as Sakura straddled him. Her form was soaked in blood as a disgusting squishing sound came from her hunched form along with the continuous screams of Danzo. Whether or not she knew we were here, she never stopped in whatever she was doing.

"S… Sakura-chan…" Naruto breathes in disbelief, his eyes wide with horror. It was then that Danzo's screams reached a higher pitch with a sickening pop echoing in the room.

"This was the last one." She nonchalantly said. Danzo's ragged breaths filled the room as she slowly stood, looking at something in her hand.

"Sakura, what do you think you're doing?!" Sasuke shouted, anger and confusion causing his voice to rise. Again, she took her time in facing us.

The blood smearing her face doesn't sit right with me. Neither does the hazy calm covering her demonic eyes as she watches us.

"He's been stealing these." She held out her hand, her eyes still watching us. A lifeless eyeball baring the Sharingan stared unnervingly at us.

What the hell?!

"He was going to massacre the entire Uchiha clan to get more. That explains why he did what he did all those years ago." She hummed softly to herself before the eye erupted in flames. After a few seconds, the fire died down, not even leaving ashes in her palm.

"I'll make you pay for this! You monster!" Sakura didn't even pay Danzo a glance as he weakly crawled away from her.

"I killed all of his shinobi. After he's dead, this won't happen again."

"If you're only after Danzo, why did you kill the other elders?" Kakashi asked, stepping forward the slightest. Sakura's gaze meets his tense one before turning to Homura and Koharu's bodies.

"They were apathetic to his crimes. They would have allowed something like this to happen again if it were to come up in the future." Turning back to us, she pulled out a kunai from the pouch strapped to her thigh. "Once I do this, then my purpose will be done."

"What does that mean?" My hands balled into fists, the sinking feeling intensifying. She didn't look at me, keeping her attention on the ceiling.

Danzo felt that was his moment to get away as he twisted to his knees. Cradling his arms against his bloodied chest, he lunged for the window. Twisting on her heels, Sakura reached out for his collar. As Danzo glanced back, pure horror filled his eyes as he scrambled faster. Right before Sakura could get her hand on him, Minato's larger hand gripped hers tightly. Her head snapped to his, anger causing her red eyes to shine.

"Let me go!"

"Not until you explain!"

"I have to-" The glass of the window shattering cut her off. All eyes turned to the broken window, Danzo nowhere in sight.

Normal POV

Snatching her arm from Minato's grasp, Sakura gave a frustrated growl as she lashed out with a high kick. He evaded but stayed close to her. Sakura jumped to the window, her eyes scanning the streets below. When she didn't see a single sign of Danzo, another frustrated growl ripped through her throat as she whirled on the group.

"You let him get away! I almost-"

"Explain, Sakura." His hard gaze made her pause. Taking a deep breath, she pushed down her anger.

"I expected you to figure it out by now."

"Sakura," She didn't even flinch at Minato's warning tone as she tilted her head to the ceiling.

"There are people in this world that want to kill you." Blinking, she lowered her gaze to look at everyone in the room. "I can't protect you from all of them, and you wouldn't be able to defend yourselves from them either. However," Sliding her eyes closed, she let a small smile appear on her face. "If you are strong enough to kill me, then you'll be ready to protect yourselves." a long silence blanketed the room as shock marred the faces of the five shinobi.

"Are you crazy?!" Naruto was the first to yell. His teeth clamped as he glared at her. "We would never do that!" Opening her eyes, the smile never left her face.

"You have to, Nii-kun. It's the only way I know you'll be safe from him."

"Him?" Itachi spoke again, his eyes narrowed. "Danzo?" Sakura didn't respond. Her smile only widened slightly as she shook her head.

"It doesn't matter what backward logic you want to use- we aren't killing you!" Sasuke added.

"I'm not losing my student again." Kakashi sinking into a battle position.

"You don't have a choice." Her eyes opened, showcasing her red demonic eyes. "This is the final selfish thing I will do. To repent for everything, I've done."

"You can quit saying that right now!" Naruto shouted; his hands balled into tight fists. "We aren't doing that!"

"Who said you had a choice?" With that, Sakura took a step back, crouching into a fighting stance.

Sakura's hands flew through hand signs before she slammed them on the ground in front of her. Her eyes seemed to darken as four of her tendrils became visible to the other five members of the room. They watched in silent awe as the tentacle-like summons morphed into human-shaped blobs. Seconds later, carbon copies of Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Minato stared back at the group. The only thing that distinguished the real ones from the fake is an ominous purple mist surrounding them.

"Now, come at me!" Without warning, Sakura and the four copies lunged at the group.

The four copies went after their counterparts while Sakura lunged directly for Itachi. Sparks flew as blades connected. Bodies turned into blurs as the copies matched move to move of their counterpart. Even Minato's infamous flash technique was used against him as his duplicate appeared before him with each step he took.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke decided to tag team their copies the moment they lunged for them. With the amount of time the duo has spent sparing each other throughout the years, they know better than anyone the other's weaknesses. Who better to exploit it than someone who fights against it every day?

With Kakashi, it wasn't so much a struggle of going after his copies weakness, but rather finding a way around his own defenses. For years, he's built up strategies and techniques to cover his own weaknesses, now, he must figure out ways around those. To say it's a pain in the ass would be the understatement of the century.

Itachi's case is much different from the others. Instead of trying to counter himself, he must fight off the volatile daughter of the nine-tailed fox. For every move he made, she was close following with a ferocious counter. Blow for blow, they matched each other. Even when Sakura pulled out a blade, Itachi brought out his own. Sparks flew as they connected, each shoving against the other trying to gain the upper hand.

"You don't have to do this," Itachi said as he pushed back against Sakura's blade. "I can help you." Sakura blinked, her eyes distant. After a second, a thoughtful glint covered her eyes.

"Have you ever wondered what it would've been like?" Taken aback, Itachi lessened his strength, allowing Sakura the opportunity to shove him enough to slash at his midsection.

Jumping back, Itachi blocked her next slash to his arm. He slashed back, gripping her wrist when she parried and tossed her to the wall behind them. Her back hit the wall, but she brought her kunai up just in time to block the slash from Itachi. Again, they were locked in a clash of the blade, both trying to gain the upper hand.

"If I wasn't my father's daughter- if the nine-tailed demon wasn't my dad, would you still think of me as a monster?" Itachi opened his mouth to respond, but Sakura didn't give him the chance.

Using the wall, she shoved Itachi back. Dropping low, she swiped his legs from beneath him, sending him to the ground. Before he could react, she jumped on top of him, her knife against his throat while her other handheld his shoulder down.

Itachi gripped the knife with one hand and braced his other on her shoulder, tensing his muscles in preparation to shove her off, but a cold wet splash on his cheek made him freeze. His own red eyes locked with Sakura's as silent tears continued to stream down her face.

"Why, Itachi?" Another tear splashed on his cheek. He didn't move even with the sound of battle still raging around him. "Why couldn't you see me as more than a monster?" Her voice hitched harshly; the hand wrapped around his neck shook as it loosened. "All I ever wanted was for you- all of you to be happy. Why couldn't you just accept me?!"

Her words hit him harder than any of the attacks she's thrown at him. They cut far deeper than any slash he's ever received in his years as a shinobi. It hurt because the truth reveals something far worse about himself that burns him to his core. The night she saved him from committing the worst atrocity he could imagine is when he first realized it. When she attacked Izumi is when it settled deep into his brain and showed him what he really is: a coward.

Itachi Uchiha is a coward. He knew from the start she wasn't evil. From the day he met her he knew she would never harm anyone she loved. In fact, when he saw her, all he could think of were the glowing red eyes that saved his life when he was a child. Yes, Itachi Uchiha has always known Sakura was not a monster. For years, he's never been afraid of who she is. On the contrary, the only thing he's ever feared is himself.

What if the day comes that someone wants to kill her? Can he be strong enough to stop someone with the power to go against a tailed beast? Is it even possible for him to be that strong? Or worse, what if one of the hidden villages wanted to get rid of her? Could he be able to protect her from an army of shinobi?

He wasn't strong enough to stop the attempt on his family's life. Yet, she was. He couldn't prevent her from attacking Izumi. He was barely able to stop the truth of the incident from spreading. So, how did he handle this? By avoiding her.

Instead of pushing himself to become strong enough- instead of building up his weaknesses, he abandoned her. Like a coward, he ran.

Now he's tired of running.

"It's my fault." Her eyes widened, shock clear on her face. "It's my fault for not speaking up sooner, but I won't let you be punished for my mistakes. I'll make this right even if it kills me." Before Sakura could react, Itachi shoved her back, rolling to his feet.

Lunging at her, they fell back into a flurry of attacks with Sakura only being able to dodge. Even with the others and their copies, their intense struggles from before started to lessen as their copies were forced on the defensive. Out of the four, Minato was the first to get passed his copy and dissipate it. Kakashi's doppelganger fell next, then Sasuke's, and, finally, Naruto's. As each one was destroyed, a new wave of exhaustion covered Sakura as her movements slowed and the strength drained from her strikes. Sensing this, Itachi was able to break through her defense and land a powerful blow to her stomach. The force sent her slamming into the wall next to the broken window Danzo escaped through.

Panting, Sakura tried struggled to stand as her energy was drained. Even the destructive foxes rampaging outside seemed to ease as she slumped against the wall. Glancing up through her hair covering her face, Sakura watched as her precious people created a line in front of her. Their attention solely on her, determination catching their eyes on fire.

"Surrender, Sakura." Minato began, his voice stern. "It's not too late."

"We can help you- no matter what it is!" Naruto spoke up, the hint of desperation in his voice showcasing his desire to save his precious sister. "You won't have to worry anymore! You can just live and be safe and happy!"

"That's what your parents would have wanted for you." Minato gently stated, his demeanor softening slightly. Sakura watched them for a moment, before tilting her head back, moving her hair from her face.

"My parents would have wanted a normal child- not a monster." a humorless laugh left her lips as she slowly pushed herself to her feet, using the wall for leverage. "Even all of you see me as nothing more than a beast. The fear in your eyes is proof enough of that." When she fully rose, she stared at them with unrelenting eyes. "You might as well put me down while you have the chance. Isn't that what the villagers want?"

"The villagers-"

"Wanted me dead or rotting in a cell." She harshly cut off Minato. "I've seen the posters and I've heard the whispers of bounties placed on my head. I've even encountered the mercenaries looking to collect it on more than one occasion." Shock covered the five men. "But it doesn't matter anyway." Her shoulders slumped, her body relaxing. "You're strong enough to protect yourselves now. It's best for everyone that I die now before He can use me against you."

"I don't get it!" Naruto shouted, his teeth and fists clenched. "Who the hell is this "He" you keep talking about?! I'll kill him right now if it means you'll stop doing this!" Sakura only gave him a sad smile.

"It doesn't matter if I tell you now. What's more important is that you're strong enough to face him. All that's left, is getting rid of the last weapon that he can use against you."

Before either of them could respond, she lunged at Naruto while throwing kunai at the other four. They blocked the flying blades while Naruto was able to dodge the fist aimed for his jaw. Gripping her arm, he threw her to the ground. Pinning her to the ground with his knee, he held a kunai to her throat.

"Stop it, Sakura!" Naruto yelled, his eyes pleading with her.

"Then do it! Kill me!" She screamed back, frustration clear in her voice.

"No!"

"Why not?! Didn't you want to when mother died?! It's my fault both of your mothers died! Now it's your time to take revenge!" Naruto didn't even waiver as he continued to hold her down. Even when she started to struggle, he kept a strong grip on her. "It's the same with mother and father. I'm the reason they couldn't stay together! I'm the reason father was locked away! That's why mother wouldn't let me save her! That's why father wouldn't let me release him! It's because they both hated me! They blamed me for everything that happened because they knew I was a monster! They hated me just like you did!"

"Stop it!" Naruto shouted. Throwing the knife away, he gripped her by the collar of her shirt and yanked her into the air. Holding her close to his face, he snarled as she glared back. "Never questioned their love for you- especially Kurama's! They both loved you more than you'll ever know." Scoffing, Sakura gripped his hands on her collar, her glare deepening.

"Is that why father let you think I was a monster for so many years? Is that why mother didn't tell you the truth about why she was dying and blame me?"

Naruto's hesitation gave Sakura the upper hand long enough to twist in his grasp, kicking him in the back of the head forcing him to release her. Landing on her hands, she backflipped, landing across the room from them. As she stood, Naruto rubbed his head but stayed firm as he stared back at her.

"Now, stop stalling and kill me already!"

Her hands flew through hand signs before a wind jutsu blew through the room like a tornado, shooting all the occupants in the wall. As the wind began to die down, Sakura rushed through the powerful attack, her fist aiming for Naruto.

"Just kill me!"

With her fist a hairs width away from Naruto's head, a blinding light covered the room. When it died down, a large handheld Sakura's wrist. A tall man with long red hair reaching his lower back and glowing red eyes glowered angrily at Sakura. The pure shock that filled Sakura kept her body frozen, even as the red-haired man threw her to the ground a few feet away. She didn't even get back up.

"You foolish child." The red-haired man took a step forward, putting himself between Naruto and Sakura. "You were raised better than this."

The confusion from Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, and Itachi was palpable, but the stunned shock from both Minato and Sakura kept them from speaking.

"...Father?" Sakura's breathless words made Kurama stand taller as he stared her down.

"If you choose to continue this, then I'll be your opponent."

Thank you for reading! Again, sorry for the long wait. Also, I wanted to respond to a request from Angie2002-01.

In this installment, you won't really get to see how she advanced her powers but in the next installment, there's a lot of details about it. That part is a subplot to the next one and I think you'll enjoy it! Until then, I hope you all enjoyed!