A Time Unlike Her Own 2

Thank you all for your support so far! 15 reviews and 53 follows for the first chapter is amazing, and I'm so very thankful : ) My birthday is coming up on Monday, so I'm going to try to update as many of my stories as I can as a present to you : ) I'm very excited to continue this story and see where it takes us!

Flashback

The flashbacks will decrease as time goes on, but will still be an important part of this story. I think they add character to the story, and let you see what Sakura has been going through both back in the future, and now in the past.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Sakura had worried her lip until it was bleeding, but still she could not find any relief.

Her previous approximation had been correct, and she had arrived at her destination just before the sun had risen. She was, however, disconcerted to find that her village was actually not there. What she had found instead was a faceless mountain, and a clearing surrounded by trees.

The fact that she hadn't seen anyone else in the day she had been in this world had not bothered her. She had been masking her chakra and had been so focused on getting to the village that she had completely overlooked the fact that she hadn't been able to sense anyone. Now, though, Sakura was left to wonder just how far back the boys had been able to send her.

Before the founding of their village? What was she supposed to do if they had sent her too far back, and Madara wasn't even alive in this time? How would she be able to complete her mission if Madara wasn't even around?

Thoughts raced through Sakura's head, and she worried her lip until she winced. Bringing her hand up, she easily healed the injury before she tried to focus again.

She would not know how far she was sent back until she actually found somebody, anybody really. Naruto was right when he had said she knew history well, because she would be able to give a rough estimate of the time period by observing what people were wearing, and what was going on in the world around her.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura stood up from the forest floor and headed in the opposite direction she had come from… she didn't know what she would do if she didn't find anyone.

XxX

"Is this village the same?" Naruto called as the four surveyed the village their friend had once called his own. It was too desolate and barren for anyone to call home now, and even though they had seen the village at its worst after the Akatsuki had kidnapped the Kazekage, the streets of Suna had never looked so bleak... All the work Gaara had done appeared to be for naught.

"People here are also stuck inside the genjutsu," Sakura had told the other three as she finished checking one of the civilians with her medical chakra. It had been a precursor check; something that showed her that the person's body was still alive, though their brain activity had all but ceased.

"It shouldn't have gone this far," Kakashi's voice was soft, and Sakura worried about the sake of his sanity. After everything her sensei had gone through, would this ultimately be the thing that caused him to break?

"It covered the whole fucking land Kakashi," Sasuke said, his eyes glaring up at the sharingan moon that still blazed brightly in the sky. Oh how they all loathed that moon. "Every single person except us is stuck inside a world of Madara's own creation."

"If you gave me enough time I could try to see if I can-"

"We don't have time Sakura," Sasuke snarled. "You weren't able to break the genjutsu when we were back near the tree, you weren't able to break the genjutsu two minutes ago, you won't ever be able to break the fucking genjutsu!"

"Don't blame Sakura-Chan, Teme!" Naruto glared back at the raven haired male. "She wasn't the one who put us under the genjutsu in the first place. She's trying to be productive and find something that could help us resolve this problem."

"Oh you mean the problem of being one of the only four people alive in the world? Do you know how maddening it is to be left with only you three?"

XxX

Sakura knew that Sasuke had experienced loneliness in the past, both after the passing of his clan and when team seven had been the only people left conscious after the war was over, but she was still bitter all the same. Having to leave everyone that she had left, and leaving everything that had identified her as herself behind had made her truly feel lost for the first time since Sasuke left the village.

Being truly alone was not something she wished upon anyone, and Sakura was sure even when she found others, she would still feel a deep empty numbness inside at being sent into the past alone.

She had not even been able to bring her forehead protector with her for fear of someone finding it and then asking too many questions. In hindsight, it seemed to not matter whether she would have brought it or not, now.

XxX

"Where are you taking your forehead protector?" Kakashi had asked while he had followed her out the door. The tension in the Hokage's office had become too much for her, and instead of listening to Sasuke and Naruto fight over who should be sent back, when she was obviously the only choice, Sakura had decided to get some air. It appeared Kakashi had also finished listening to the two bicker, because he had followed her out of the office rather quickly.

"I… I can't bring it with me," Sakura said, and she could feel tears threatened to fall. It meant so much more to her than just a piece of metal that kept her hair back; it was her symbol of strength, the thing that proved she was an important part of her village, the symbol that showed she was a part of her team.

"Aa," Kakashi said with a nod, "I suppose you can't."

"I shouldn't wear this either, should I?" Sakura said, acknowledging the red shirt she wore. "I… I feel like I won't be able to be me anymore."

"You'll still be you Sakura," Kakashi said as he ran a hand through his hair. Sakura's eyes stayed on her sensei, and it was the first time she had ever seen him look older than his actual age. "Your clothes and forehead protector don't make you who you are, you do.

"Even if no one will know who you are from the future," Kakashi continued on, "You'll always know who you are, Sakura. You'll always be you."

"…Thanks Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said after a moment. Even if part of her wasn't sure she fully believed him, she was thankful for his words all the same. "I needed that."

"Now let's go get you some new clothes," Kakashi said, and she could see the smile in his eyes. It wasn't enough to bring back his usual youthful demeanor, but it was enough to lift both of their spirits. "I know a good shop that has a lot of kunochi attire, and I don't think the shop owner would be too upset if we borrowed a few items…"

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said with a nod, and she followed after him.

XxX

She had not been able to see a single person in the past three days, and she was starting to wonder if there were any people to actually see. The population had been increasing over time, but were there really so few people in the past she was in?

Stopping momentarily, Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated on the world around her. She wasn't a sensor by any means, but that didn't mean she wasn't able to sense other people's chakra. Being a medic allowed her to be sensitive to different chakra, though that only gave her a slight advantage.

As it was, Sakura still could not sense anything other than the wildlife that surrounded her. The wildlife was becoming more accustomed to her presence, it seemed, because they were no longer hiding from her.

She may not have found anyone, but the clearing she was in would be as good as any to rest for the night. Part of her, the part that reminded her of Sasuke, screamed at her to keep going; Madara Uchiha wasn't going to kill himself you worthless bitch. Though another part of her, the Naruto part, reminded her that she hadn't eaten in three days and you need to take care of yourself first, and then you can focus on finding Madara.

She decided to listen to the Naruto part of her, because it was Naruto, and Kami did she miss him. She missed all of her boys, even Sasuke, who seemed like he could never stand her presence.

She had figured she deserved it, or at least deserved some of it, for the way she had acted when she was younger, but she was sure she didn't deserve all of the rage and blame that seemed to be thrust upon her… Naruto had it worse though, the two constantly bickered and Sasuke seemed to take it out on him more than he did her.

It was like he was blaming them for everything that had happened; blaming them for not being strong enough to protect the world, even though he hadn't been strong enough to either. She had no explanation other than Sasuke was Sasuke; nothing she could have or would have said would have changed anything, no matter how much she had wanted it to.

Worrying her already raw lip, Sakura unsealed a scroll that had been in her pouch and got to work on creating a fire. Fire jutsu did not come easy to her, but after the war Sakura had learned to adapt to the world around her.

She had learned basic fire jutsu from Sasuke, though he hadn't intentionally taught her. She had learned by watching and observing him, and after a few tries it had come almost as easily as breathing did. Kakashi had said it was her chakra control that had allowed her to perform it so easily, though, it did expend more chakra for her than earth jutsu and water jutsu did.

Sakura was sure Kakashi had meant it as a compliment, though Sakura didn't take it as such. It had only made Sakura think how much stronger she could have been if she had worked more on elemental jutsu before the war had started; would she have been able to make a difference in the war if she had been able to utilize the elements more than she was currently able to?

Sakura ignored the prepackaged ramen in front of her and resealed her scroll. She was past the point of hungry, but she didn't think she could stomach anything. She was tired, and emotional, and felt worthless… Kami did she feel worthless.

Blinking at the fire in front of her, Sakura decided it was time to rest. It had been three days since she last slept, and even though she was not sure who, or even what, was around this area, Sakura felt safe enough to close her eyes and rest for the time being.

The only sounds that she heard as she closed her eyes were the soft breaths that she took in and out, the crickets that were chirping behind her, the fire that was crackling in front of her, and the owls who were cooing above her.

A second later, however, Sakura heard movement that had her eyes springing open. It was slow, and whatever, or whoever it was, wasn't trying to be subtle. The constant crunching of leaves and twigs could have easily been avoided by a ninja. This, whatever it was, obviously wasn't worried about being caught…

Sakura slipped up the tree she had been in front of, and crouched behind a branch of leaves. She held her breath and slowed down her heartbeat to decrease the amount of noise she was outputting, and waited. Just as her lungs began to scream at her in protest, Sakura saw a figure trip into the clearing.

The figure landed on the ground a few yards away from her fire, and for a moment, Sakura wondered if the person was dead. The shuddering breath he took was enough to quell that thought, though Sakura knew he wouldn't live long, not with the way blood was beginning to pool on the ground below him.

It was a person, the first she had seen in this time period, though it wouldn't last long if she continued to allow him to bleed like that. She was unaware of what the person looked like, though she did know he was a man by the stature of his build.

His breathing appeared to be haggard, and from where Sakura stood, she was unaware of where the injury was, and if the man was still conscious.

She could not sense anyone else near the clearing, so it meant the man had been traveling for a while, not that she was sure she could rely on her sensing abilities anymore. She hadn't been able to sense the man before her in the first place… was his chakra really that low, or was he able to mask it like she could to hers?

What was she going to do? The medic and human in her couldn't walk away from someone on the ground, bleeding out, dying before her very eyes, but there was a very real possibility that this person could be dangerous, and ultimately harm her.

It was a chance she would have to be willing to take, Sakura thought, because she couldn't just watch as his life faded away into nothing.

Jumping down from her hiding spot, Sakura wondered if maybe she was helping him because she was lonely, and this was the first person she had been able to see since she had come back in time. If he lived, would he be willing to show her where other people were? Was that the reason she had decided to save him?

No, she decided, her morals had been instilled upon her at a very young age, and they were way too strong for it to only be loneliness that caused her to want to heal this man. It was her compassion for life; her compassion to fix things that were broken that had healing chakra already coating her hands as she leaned next to him.

She couldn't really see him clearly with the dim lighting the fire provided, but she didn't need to be able to see him to heal him. Her chakra was already coursing through his body, and she had already found the problem.

He had a near fatal sword wound on his stomach. It was in a place that would definitely have left him dead if he had passed out in any other clearing; she wasn't sure what the medics of this era were capable of, but she doubted anyone else would have been able to save him.

She pressed down on his stomach, healing both the great and small intestines, and the stomach as she went. The two belts that were wrapped around the dark cloak he was wearing did little to prevent her chakra from coming inside, and she wondered if the bulky clothing was the only reason he was alive; it had probably kept him from bleeding out.

All of the blood reminded her of the last time she had healed someone who had been so close to death.

XxX

Sand was beginning to make her knees bleed, but she didn't dare stop what she was doing. She was kneeling next to a body, a body that should still be breathing, still be moving, still be alive, but Kami, it wasn't.

Her hand was in Naruto's chest, the only thing that was keeping blood pumping through his body, and the only thing that was giving him a semblance of life. She had never truly been this scared before. The war was still going on around them, it hadn't stopped when Naruto had dropped to the ground, and it would never stop if she wasn't able to bring him back somehow.

Madara had been able to draw the kyuubi out of Naruto, and now Naruto wasn't breathing, and his heart wasn't pumping, and how were they ever going to win without him? Tears clung to her eyes as she squeezed his heart in a rhythm that would match his regular heartbeat.

"Come on Naruto," Sakura breathed out through the tears. She could feel Gaara somewhere behind her, flying them closer to where the real battle was being held, but she steadily focused on the blond in front of her. He had never given up on her, so she would never give up on him. "Come on Naruto."

XxX

She had been able to save her teammate, just as she had been able to save the man before her. She had carried him closer to the fire once she had finished, and had fallen asleep immediately after. After expending so much chakra, and not resting well, she knew she shouldn't blame herself for her exhaustion, but when she awoke to the sun shining high in the sky, Sakura was still disappointed in herself.

Her clearing remained untouched, even through her long sleep. The man had not stirred yet, though she doubted he would anytime soon. The wound had been deep, and it would keep him unconscious for at least another day. He was probably weary too, and would need to sleep off some of his exhaustion and fatigue.

Now that the sun was above her, and she had light on her side, Sakura took time to carefully scan the man's body to try to decipher what time period she had been thrust into.

The robes he wore were a dark blue, and were tailored to fit him perfectly. They were of a higher quality, and Sakura would have to guess he came from a well off clan. He was obviously a ninja; the belts that ran across his torso were pouches that she assumed held ninja tools, though she had not gone through any of them. The cloak was nothing special, as everyone was partial to wearing cloaks throughout time, and she did not recognize the belts from any of her history books.

He had a sheath on one of his belt, though his sword was missing; probably from whatever battle he had come from. Though, she doubted the sword would have enlightened her any. His clothing gave her little idea of what time period she could be in, so, with little else to do, Sakura found her eyes wandering to the man's face, and she immediately froze.

His features were sharp and smooth at the same time, and he had a strong jaw. His skin was on the paler side, and was only intensified by the dark raven color of his hair. He was handsome, and was someone she could have seen herself falling for if she had been younger, and if she hadn't already fallen for someone who looked the exact same.

It wasn't the light of the sun that made her think that this man looked like Sasuke; the resemblance was uncanny. There were two stark differences, though, that reaffirmed the fact that this was not Sasuke. Sasuke's jaw had been more round, where this man's jaw was more angular, and Sasuke's eyes were a hint more almond shaped than this man's were.

That, and she knew Sasuke was dead.

Shaking her head as she tried to clear those thoughts, Sakura lifted her eyes from the stranger. She was glad she had saved him, not only because he was the first person she had seen, not only because she had a moral code of ethics that made her want to heal everyone she could, but also because she would have never forgave herself if she let Sasuke die twice…

Even if he only looked like Sasuke.