Time

A nightmare most foul returns to the mind of the dreamer

Five years have passed since the disappearance of Naruto Uzumaki but the only thing on the minds of the students of Konoha Shinobi Academy are the upcoming Genin Trials.

The classrooms are abuzz with the excited voices of students, the shops and stores are open to the public, offering discounts and freebies to future Genin and in Konoha Central, Sakura waits in the lobby, nervously bouncing her leg and fidgeting with the pouches of a red utility belt sitting in her lap.

"Sakura."

She looks up, seeing Shiba, hands in the pockets of her white coat and smiling. "Today's the day, huh?"

Sakura smiles back, standing up and giving her a hug, which she returns briefly.

"I'm so proud of you." Shiba says, ruffling the girl's hair. "All these years…it's been a journey. I don't really know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything. You believe in me and that's all I need."

Shiba looks her over; black shorts and red shirt with the Haruno Clan insignia printed on it, red belt tied around her waist with the left side carrying the pouches and a mesh armor running under her clothing, capped by black bands just above her elbows and ankles.

"You're missing something." She says, reaching into her pocket and taking out a green headband with a blank metal plate attached, handing it to Sakura.

"Huh, what's this?"

"It's yours. Engrave it with whatever you feel like but don't put it on until you pass your trial."

Sakura nods, smiling proudly and Shiba watches as she leaves, a smile plastered on her face before heading back to work.

The bell rings at the Academy as the students quiet down and take their seats, eager for the assignment of teams. Sakura takes her seat next to Sasuke; a boy the same age as her with loose black hair hanging over his face. She gives him a quick once over, his deep blue Uchiha shirt almost haunting as his dead eyes with dark bags under them. His arms hold up his head, fingers interlocked and wrists covered tightly in white bandages. Sakura thinks back to when he first showed up at the hospital; Shiba had treated him herself but didn't want to discuss it with her and Sasuke left with those bandages, coming back every now and again to replace them. She finds herself entranced by-

"You're staring." Sasuke glares at her, his voice tired and irritated.

"Oh, sorry." She replies, looking away and blushing from the mild embarrassment.

Sasuke puts his arms in his lap, brow slightly furrowed in agitation as he seems to examine the desk. Teams are called, the day moves on and Sakura and Sasuke are the only ones left waiting for their Jounin sensei and third member to show up. Sakura studies the clock sitting over the sliding door, watching it tick and growing more impatient by the second.

'It's almost two and that idiot still hasn't shown up. A Jounin is supposed to be reliable, damn it!'

As if on cue, Kakashi in his green flak vest slides open the door, leaning against the nearby wall and reading an orange book.

Sakura jolts up, slamming her hands on the table. "You were supposed to be here at twelve!"

Kakashi disregards the girl's anger and replies in a nonchalant tone. "Sorry I'm late. I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life."

"That's not an excuse." Sakura replies, still annoyed but quieter about it.

"Sure it is." He looks over the nearly empty room. "Where's your third?"

"Hasn't shown up yet."

A ghostly pale boy wearing a black shirt and pants walks in, giving Kakashi a short bow. "It is an honor to meet you, Hatake-sensei."

"I'm not your sensei yet." He replies, not looking up from his book. "Why don't you say hi to the rest of your team."

He turns, giving another short bow. "I am called Sai."

The two look at him, Sakura confused and a bit concerned, Sasuke giving his typical stoic look, leaving her to speak for both of them. "I'm Sakura, that's Sasuke."

"I've heard good things. You two are the top of your class, right?"

"Yeah. Speaking of, how come I've never seen you before?"

"Training ground 2." Kakashi interjects. "Don't keep me waiting." With that, he leaves and the trio makes their way to the training ground, no Kakashi in sight. Sasuke resigns himself to sitting in silence and Sai takes out a notebook from a gray bag on his waist, drawing to pass the time. Sakura, having nothing better to do and wary of starting a conversation with either of her teammates, goes through her pouch belt, taking inventory and occasionally glancing over to Sai's drawing. An hour passes and still no Kakashi; Sakura paces back and forth while Sasuke rests against a tree and Sai stares at the sky.

Sakura stops pacing, catching Sai's attention as Kakashi arrives, an hour late.

Sakura jabs a finger at him, livid. "So much for taking your own advice! What's your excuse this time, huh!?"

"A black cat crossed my path and I had to take a different route. But that's not important right now." He reaches into a pouch on the vest, taking out two small silver bells connected by a red string.

"Bells?" Sakura asks, not noticing Sasuke rejoining the group.

"Most shinobi nowadays are more focused on gathering information than anything else." Kakashi continues. "So, If the three of you want to become Genin, all you have to do is take these bells from me."

Sakura scoffs, smiling confidently. "This'll be easy."

"What's the catch?" Sasuke asks.

"You'll just have to figure that one out for yourself." He flickers away into the nearby trees and goes back to reading his book, looking over to see Sakura waiting for him, arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"You know it's not going to be that easy, right?"

"I know."

Hearing the sound of chakra being weaved, he turns to see Sasuke behind him and jumps into the air, just barely dodging a burst of fire. A white tiger leaps into the air, attempting to bite Kakashi, who flickers away and back into the clearing. Sasuke and Sakura rush towards him, delivering a flurry of taijutsu. Sakura flickers away and another tiger takes her place, throwing the Jounin off his game and allowing Sasuke to land a kick to his chest. He goes for another and Kakashi catches it, taking him by the leg and throwing him towards Sakura, dispelling the tiger with a single kick. Sakura blitzes Kakashi, going for a punch which he dodges, redirecting the chakra powered strike into the ground and sending a chunk of earth upwards with Kakashi on it. Sasuke jumps up and lands a kick to Kakashi that sends him flying back to the ground and soon after regaining his footing, finds himself bound by a pair of white snakes holding him in a scarecrow position as Sakura and Sasuke take the red bells.

"I'm impressed." Kakashi says. "There's even explosive tags on these snakes so I wouldn't try and escape. Your teamwork is nearly flawless so…" He smiles proudly. "Congrats, you three are officially Genin."

Sakura yells in excitement, Sasuke smirks and Sai remains stone faced, releasing his new sensei.

Menma makes his way down one of the Hidden Leaf's many roads, keeping his head down and ignoring the noise of the locals. Black jacket, blue shirt, black pants; something ordinary, inconspicuous. A white eyed girl in a beige jacket walks by, swearing she recognizes him from somewhere but he doesn't notice, staring up at Hokage rock, the uncanny visages of the Village's leaders watching over it.

"Hey." He says to a stranger walking past.

A bearded man turns to face him, cigarette smoke wafting through the air. "Yeah?"

"That's the Hokage, right?"

The man looks up at the monument, taking a second to go over the stone faces. "Yup. All four of 'em are up there. Are you new here?" He asks, half joking.

"No. It's just been a while." Menma puts his body on autopilot as his mind wanders back to a familiar place.