Chapter 35: Before the War
Sakura sat on the head of the fourth Hokage watching the sunset. She was dressed differently though similar. She had the same red top she always did, this one having short sleeves. Black tight pants and her blue sandals along with her belt and black elbow covers. Her hair was down her back, and her left hand held the charm of her necklace.
The previous owners of the necklace included the first Hokage, Tsunade, Naruto, Sakura herself, Naruto again, and back to Sakura now. But her mind wasn't on the necklace's past, but on the village's future. She was many years older now, many years wiser.
A man stepped up behind her, but she ignored him, this was her time now. Once the sun had set Sakura got to her feet and faced the man. It was an old man in black clothes. His white beard reached his chest and his hair down his back. It was a man she'd never seen before, but she wouldn't show her fear.
"He's gone you know. Beyond your reach this time. You won't see him again," the man said with an expressionless face.
x-X-x
"Aahh!" Sakura yelled sitting up suddenly.
It was dark, but she could see that she was in her room, it had all been a dream. She was covered in a cold sweat and she pulled the covers off her. She was about to get out of bed when her door opened suddenly.
"Sakura what happened? I heard you scream," a woman asked at Sakura's door.
"Nothing mom, it was just a bad dream. Sorry I scared you, but I'm okay," Sakura said standing up.
"Are you sure?" her mother asked.
"Yeah, I'm just gong to get a drink and go back to bed," Sakura said.
Her mother nodded and went back to bed while Sakura headed to the kitchen the dream still vivid in her mind, the man's voice still ringing in her ears. 'This is the second time I've had this dream. What does it mean? …maybe Tsunade-sensei will know…' Sakura thought as she got a drink and headed back to bed.
x-X-x
The next morning Sakura had told Tsunade her dream and asked her opinion. She had told her that it was the second time she had the dream, and it was identical each time.
"I'm sorry Sakura, but I can't say what it means. I'm not all that good at translating dreams and that's a pretty difficult one," Tsunade said.
"It's okay," Sakura said slightly defeated.
"You could try asking Sage. If I understand the extent of his abilities correctly, then he should definitely be able to tell you exactly what it means," Tsunade said.
"Sage-sama? From the Twelve Terrors? Naruto brought them all back?" Sakura asked.
"Yes, though I believe it to be more out of interest in him than anything else," Tsunade said.
Sakura raised an eyebrow, "what do you mean?" she asked.
"Something happened while they were out there. I know part of it, but they won't tell me everything, and I'm pretty sure Naruto doesn't know everything," Tsunade said with a sigh.
Sakura was silent for a moment. Then she looked Tsunade in the eye, "where're they staying?" she asked.
"Check the hotels, I didn't give them any particular one. Your best bet it where Nomad stayed when it was just him," Tsunade said.
Sakura nodded and left the office. She was hoping he'd be there, especially since the only one of the twelve she knew by appearance was Nomad. Luckily though, she did know the hotel that he stayed at before. She entered the hotel and saw two men she'd never seen before. Throwing caution to the wind she went up to them.
"Excuse me, but are either of you Sage-sama?" she asked.
"No, he's still in his room, who are you?" one of the men asked.
"Oh, sorry, I'm Sakura. I was wondering if he could help me," Sakura said.
"Frost go get Sage, tell him he's got something to do," the man said and the other left, "I'm Strag, by the way."
"Nice to meet you," Sakura said bowing.
A few minutes later Frost retuned with Sage. "What is it that I'm needed for?" Sage asked.
"I had a dream, and I was wondering of you could tell me what it means," Sakura said.
Sage nodded, "we should go someplace more private, Strag, you come too," Sage said.
Strag and Sakura nodded and followed Sage back to his room. Once there all three sat down and Sakura told them he dream in its entirety. Once she was finished Sage and Strag were silent for a time. Finally one spoke.
"Has this dream occurred before?" Sage asked.
"Yes once," Sakura said.
"Is there any possible link to them through reality?" Sage asked.
"Not that I can think of…" Sakura said.
"You had this dream last night correct?" Sage asked and Sakura nodded, "did anything substantial happen yesterday?" Sage asked.
"Naruto came back from getting you. And he was promoted to jounin," Sakura said.
"And on other occasions Naruto returned from missions has this dream happened?" Sage asked.
"No, he's come back several times, I only had it once before," Sakura said.
"What happened the day before the other time?" Strag asked.
"It was the final test of the chuunin exams," Sakura said.
"Anything substantial then?" Strag asked.
"Only Naruto's fights, and making chuunin," Sakura said shrugging.
"I believe we have our connection. Naruto was elevated in rank each time you had the dream," Strag said.
"How many ranks are there? How does it work?" Sage asked.
"When we graduate and become ninja we're genin, then after the chuunin exams, if we pass we're chuunin, and after doing well enough on special missions we're jounin," Sakura said.
"How long ago did he become a genin?" Strag asked.
"Seven years, but the dream I had after becoming a genin was different, I can still remember parts of it," Sakura said.
"Naruto became a genin the day after everyone else. I've read his reports," Nomad said entering the room.
"Were you listening the whole time?" Strag asked.
"Yes he was," Sage said with a slight grin, "now Sakura, try and think back, did you have this dream that night? The night after the night you became a genin?" Sage asked.
"I don't think so, I hated Naruto back then," Sakura said shaking her head.
"Naruto isn't in the dream. The only link to him is the necklace, but then it would've been just another necklace to you," Strag said.
"Why does this really matter? Why can't you just tell me what the dream means?" Sakura asked.
"The meaning will be different if you had it three times as opposed to two," Sage said.
Sakura sighed and closed her eyes thinking back. This was a lot harder than one would think. Remembering what she did that day was hard enough, but the dream that night, it would be nearly imposable. She thought back to that day, what she did. Then it hit her, the memory of waking up in fear that night, having a nightmare. Telling her mom about sitting on the Hokage's heads, an old man talking to her…
Sakura's eyes shot open, "yeah, I did have it that night," she said slowly.
"Yes, I thought you did," Sage said nodding.
"Well what does it mean? Back then I didn't even know Naruto became a genin, what does this all mean?" Sakura asked.
"The dream is a look into the possible future. It's triggered by an external force masked as another. The mask is Naruto going up in ranks. I'm not sure on the real force though. What would the next rank up be for Naruto?" Sage asked.
"ANBU, but I don't think he'll get that. Or even want it, he could turn it down. But Hokage is after that," Sakura said.
"Perhaps it is something that will happen when he gets to Hokage rank, as she is sitting on the Hokage monument," Strag said.
"No, it is something beyond that. I do not think it has anything to do with Naruto, he is merely a mask of the cause. In one possible outcome of life, the rout there determined by factors you can't control, you will spend a lot of your time on the monument.
"Someone close to you will be dead, and you may spend your time on the monument thinking of a way to get them back. The man tells you that you can't. Whether or not he will exist or just represents a part of your subconscious I don't know. But that is what the dream means," Sage said.
Sakura was silent for a while, "who will I lose?" she asked.
"There is no way to tell. There is also no way to know what will happen to lead to that future or how likely it is to happen," Sage said.
"Sorry for the depressing news. It could turn out the knowledge of this will avoid it," Nomad said.
"Yes, but the returning of the dream means that from seven years ago, the events that took place could still become that future. If it comes again than we are still on a path that could link to it," Sage said.
Sakura nodded silently and slowly. She got to her feet, thanked Sage and Strag and left the room. The worry and fear she now had because of the dream was nothing compared to what the three others had.
"What do we do?" Nomad asked.
"Tell the others, as soon as we can," Sage said.
"War seems to follow us," Strag said.
"It makes me feel sorry for Edge," Nomad said rising to his feet to get the other members of the Twelve Terrors.
"Any ideas?" Sage asked once Nomad had left the room.
"No. for once in my life I'm face with a major problem, and got nothing to say about getting out of it," Strag said.
"You know Wiseman's plan though," Sage said.
"Yes. It worked on the tailed demons, but this is further up the chain," Strag said.
"What was you're plan with them, the demons?" Sage asked.
"Run. But I know it won't work now," Strag said.
Sage smiled, "the first time Wiseman's plan worked and he didn't need saving from you," Sage said.
"I hope this will be a second time for that," Strag said.
"Yes, me too," Sage said, his smile fading.