Chapter 3

I couldn't believe it. The fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was standing right in front of my own eyes. His face looked angry but when he saw that the two he had protected were okay, his face became softer and kinder. I let out the breath I hadn't realized that I had been holding in.

Kakashi went down to check on Rin and Obito and I followed. When I got to Obito, the fourth raised his kunai and came between the two of us. His face became scary again and I realized that if I moved closer or said something without being asked a question, there was no doubt he would kill me.

"Who are you stranger? I see you have the leaf headband, but not once have I ever seen you in our village. You may have fooled my students, but you won't fool me as to your true identity. Now speak, who are you?"

I couldn't speak, my body started shaking and I broke out in a cold sweat. I knelt to one knee and looked at the ground. I couldn't help it; he was the fourth Hokage, even if he didn't know it yet. My voice came out unsteady and as a stutter but nonetheless, I answered him with utmost respect.

"M-my lord! I-I am S-Sakura H-H-Haruno! I am a Chunin of the village and am a trained medic! Please let me check on the boy's condition, he is still in a somewhat critical condition!"

I looked up and into the fourth's eyes, and I tried to silently communicate the truth and let him know I meant no harm. Minato turned to Kakashi, somewhat upset, and asked, "Why is she with you Kakashi? I know you realized the same thing I did, so why did you bring her along?"

Kakashi was silent for a time and it looked like he wasn't going to answer, and I became scared. Was he really going to let Minato kill me? I looked to him with pleading eyes but he would not look at me. Finally Rin frantically spoke up.

"Sensei, she saved Obito! His body had been crushed by a boulder moments before she came to help. She saved his entire left side, she healed his bones, muscles, everything! Even his left eye, without her, he would've surely died!"

Kakashi looked at Minato and nodded to confirm it. "She came too late though. He thought he was going to die and gave me his right eye, imbued with the Sharingan, and Rin operated on both of us. She is from our village sensei. But the details will have to wait we need to get home quickly to get Obito some proper treatment."

Minato looked at Obito and saw him all bandaged up, and then he looked at me, still suspicious.

"Fine Kakashi but I expect more details when we get back. And you, Sakura was it? You will come with us but you not leave my sight at any point."

I stood up and slowly walked towards them, Rin set Obito down on the ground carefully and I began to re-examine him with my medical ninjutsu. When I finished I carefully picked Obito up and said, "He's still stable, but we've wasted too much time, if we don't hurry his condition may change, and for the worst."

I turned to Minato and said, "I need to get him to the hospital back home and quickly, but I'll need your help. But more specifically, I need your transportation jutsu. Can you transport all of us Minato?"

"Yes, I can. I've set up several of my kunai so that I could take the wounded back to the village immediately, if needed. I will only be able to go so far because I am needed at points in the battle, so I will only be able to take you 3/4ths of the way. Will you be able to go the rest of the way on your own?"

I nodded and looked at Rin and Kakashi who nodded as well.

"Alright then, you'll need to gather close to me. Now this may feel weird but don't worry, I'll get you there safely."

All of the sudden, I felt the same type of suction on my body like when Tobi sent me here but I wasn't scared. This was just a transportation jutsu. We suddenly were transported in a different area, and then to another. We were transported about 4 more times when Minato stopped.

He was out of breath but said, "This is it. Head north and if you hurry, you'll be back in the village in about a day or less." He looked at me and said, "Don't try anything while you're here. Kakashi will be watching you. Make sure Obito gets the proper treatment."

I nodded and reached into my pouch. He instinctively reached for his kunai but stopped when I pulled out a small bag.

"What's that?"

I smiled and said, "It's a bag of food pills. It'll replenish the chakra you used in getting us here. This way, you won't be out of chakra when you return to the battlefield. I have another small bag, so you take this one for yourself and for anyone else who may need them. They also help heal the body faster so if anyone is seriously injured give them at least 2 and they should be able to recover, as long as you have them focus the chakra they receive from the pills to the point of their injury."

He looked at the bag and slowly took it and put it in his pocket. "Thank you Sakura, but don't think that this changes anything. I won't trust you completely until I get the facts, which will get once I return. Kakashi make sure you keep an eye on her. I'll see you all after this war is over."

With that he disappeared in a flash of yellow light. I turned to Kakashi and Rin, whose faces were completely serious. Kakashi formed a fingering which I recognized as the shadow clone jutsu. He summoned two clones.

"Give Obito to one of my clones, that way you can rest and my clones can keep an eye on him while we focus on any enemies that may attack us."

I nodded and quickly passed Obito to one of the clones and said, "Alright, let's get moving. Let's go home guys."

We began running, and we didn't stop, not for sleep, food, drink. We didn't stop for anything because we knew that if we wasted any time, Obito may pay for it. I looked at Rin and noticed her determination but I also noticed her fatigue. I was almost positive she hadn't rested properly for a few days. I looked at Kakashi, who didn't look tired at all, and I wondered why he didn't speak up for me. I had thought that I had gotten through to him but I guess I hadn't.

Kakashi looked my way and I quickly averted my eyes. Instead a looked back at Obito and noticed something was up with his bandages.

"Kakashi, Rin stop!" I stopped in my tracks as well and had the clone set Obito down. I started taking off some of his bandages slowly.

Rin came up to me and sounded panicky. "What's wrong Sakura? Is Obito okay?

Kakashi came up next to her and also looked worried. "Is something wrong with his wound Sakura? Should we go faster?"

I shook my head and remained silent. I took off his bandages and took out my medical kit. His wounds were still bloody and I hadn't changed them yet. I couldn't believe I had almost forgotten. If I had left his wounds the way they were until we reached the village, they would've become infected and then that could've have killed him. I quickly cleaned his bandages, and when I did I heard grunts of pain come from the boy, which was good because this way I wouldn't have to check if he was still alive.

After I cleaned the wounds, I re-bandaged him and quickly went over his body with my med-ninjutsu. He was still in the clear but I started to mend more of his damaged spine. I wanted to have this healed all the way more than anything else because if it wasn't taken care of before anything else, he would not be able to continue being a shinobi, and I would not let that happen.

After I finished that, I turned to Rin and Kakashi and said, "He's fine, I'm sorry I alarmed you. I had forgotten to clean his wounds with all that's happened and I noticed his bandages needed to be changed. How much longer until we get to the village Kakashi?"

Kakashi looked around at our surroundings then to the sky to judge our position and the time. "Well, it's a little after noon, and judging from where we are, maybe a few more hours at full speed, but we need to rest and to eat. If the enemy attacks us as we are now, we're done for, especially you Rin. You look exhausted, I think you should take at least a nap after we have a meal."

Kakashi got up and started walking away but before leaving he said, "I noticed a river a while ago, I go catch some fish. I'll have my clone get some firewood so Rin and Sakura, you get some rest."

We both nodded and Kakashi and his clone went into the woods, leaving me with Rin, and unconscious Obito, and another Kakashi clone for company. Rin sat up against a thick tree that was close to Obito and she watched as his chest rose and fell.

I looked at her and smiled. "Do you love him Rin?"

She suddenly looked at me, surprised. She began blushing and said, "What? Love who Sakura?"

I laughed and walked over to her and said, "Do you love Obito? I've noticed it for awhile, but you seem to care very much about him. More than a normal comrade love."

Rin continued to blush and she looked at the Kakashi clone that was keeping watch at the opposite side of us. Then she looked at Obito and said, "I don't know if I love him. I felt like I would die when I saw him get crushed by the boulder, and then you came and saved him. Ever since then, I've felt like I wouldn't be able to live if he were to die." She looked up at me and said, "I thought that I loved Kakashi at first but I'm positive that that was just admiration towards him."

I looked up at the sky, and even though she was technically older than me, I felt like I was the older one looking back at a younger generation. "It must be nice to love someone at such a young age."

Rin looked curious now and asked, "Do you love someone Sakura?" She looked down quickly and apologized, thinking it rude of her to poke her nose in my business but I said,

"It's fine Rin. I thought I loved someone, but I'm not so sure anymore. He betrayed my comrades and myself. I still feel love for him but… well it's complicated."

Bringing up Sasuke was painful, not just because he had tried killing me but because he was another reminder that I was in the past. I would have to get over that though, because right now, for whatever reason, I was here and Kakashi's old team needed me and my medical knowledge.

"I'm happy I found you guys Rin, if I hadn't who knows what would've happened."

Rin looked at me and smiled but then she frowned and said, "Where did you come from though Sakura? I don't remember ever seeing you in the village."

In my mind I began panicking. I hadn't told her yet and I had a feeling I should only tell a few people. I had already told Kakashi even though he didn't believe me, and I would also have to tell Minato and the third Hokage. I had to quickly think something up, and then it came to me.

"You've mostly never seen me around because when I was at the academy, I was trained for being a medical ninja. After I graduated, I continued my training and until this war began, I had rarely been sent out on missions."

I came up with this quickly only because I knew this was the same situation Sai had come from, so I used his story as my cover story. God I missed him, and his fake smile. He had been getting a lot better before I left them. I noticed I began tearing up and I quickly blinked them away. I looked at Rin and said, "You probably never even heard of me from other genin because I went to private classes that are kept I reserve for those who are adept at controlling their chakra from an early age and are scouted as medical ninja."

Rin nodded and said, "Yeah that makes sense now. I think we have at least of few other ninja like you that I may have seen once ore twice now. Well I'm glad we met and that you saved Obito; I just wished you could've made it sooner. I operated on the both of them and transferred Obito's right eye to Kakashi's."

I looked at her and said, "To tell the truth I would have made it before I had but there were ninja that were preparing to attack you and I knew I had to take them out first before I could help you guys. If I hadn't done that you all could be dead right now."

Rin looked surprised and I heard someone behind me and noticed that both Kakashi's had returned and I sure one of them overheard us. I didn't ask but I did help set up the fire for the fish. Kakashi began the fire and Rin oversaw the cooking of the fish. I took a small bowl and made a liquid out of the food pills I had and some water. I took part of the fish and began pounding it in the liquid so that it could turn into a mushy substance. They both looked at me confused as to what I was doing.

"It's to help Obito eat, as long as he is unconscious he can't eat on his own so I made the fish into a edible mushy substance mixed with some food pills and water so that he won't get dehydrated and his chakra will become somewhat replenished."

I began spoon feeding Obito but Rin came beside me and offered to do it instead saying she couldn't let me take care of him all on my own.

"After all, he is my teammate. You can cook the fish with Kakashi while I watch over Obito Sakura."

I thanked her and went over to the fire and sat next to Kakashi. We remained quiet as the fish continued to be cooked, it finally finished and I brought some over to Rin, who had finished feeding Obito and had been watching him rest for the past few minutes. I walked back over to Kakashi and ate my fish in silence.

I continued to think of Naruto and all my other friends and comrades. It felt weird thinking of the older Kakashi when his younger form was right here next to me. I finished and looked over at Rin who had fallen asleep, and was startled when I heard Kakashi speak.

"Is it true?"

I looked at him and asked, "Is what true?"

"That you defended us from the enemy before you came to help Obito?"

I nodded and then I asked, "Why didn't you tell Minato that I wasn't the enemy? You must have felt his killing intent if I had. Tell me why Kakashi."

He looked at me surprised and said, "I thought you had already figured that out. I was protecting your so called secret. I figured you only wanted a few people knowing about you if you had to even tell anybody. If I told my sensei the truth Rin would have found out and she doesn't need to know about you being a fake."

Now I was mad. How could this guy be so stubborn? Had I not done enough to prove myself?

"What is wrong with you?! I told you the truth; I even helped your team out! What more do you want from me, how else can I prove that I'm telling the truth to you?"

Kakashi turned to me and said, "If my sensei becomes the fourth Hokage after this stupid war ends, then I'll believe you. No sooner before that and I will also apologize and properly thank you."

I sat down and was content with his answer. So it wasn't just stubbornness, he was just agreeing to our terms from the earlier conversation. I began drifting to sleep and I slumped over and fell on something soft. I didn't move because I was so tired but I was curious to what I had fallen on. I completely fell asleep then.

A couple hours later I woke up and noticed I was still on something soft. I sat up and saw that I had fallen asleep on Kakashi's chest. He must've lied down without my noticing moments before I slumped over. I began blushing and I abruptly got up waking him up in the process.

"I-I'm really sorry I fell asleep on you Kakashi!"

He sat up and yawned and said, "Its fine. I tried waking you up but you were completely out."

He stood up and walked over to Rin to wake her up. She looked completely rejuvenated and Kakashi picked up Obito and said, "It's about 3 right now, if we start running towards the village we should make it there before sunset. Now let's stomp out the smoke and head home guys."

I stomped the smoke out, gathered what belongings I had laid out, and we began our last leg home. We were all quiet as we kicked it in high gear. No one had followed us and no one had attacked us so far. That was good, but in this war it seemed too good to be good. After running full speed for an hour or so we had made it so the village gates. I couldn't believe we had made it back so fast but it felt good to be home, even if it was a home 15 years in the past.

We walked through the gates and checked in and immediately went to the hospital where Obito was taken to the emergency room. I knew he wasn't in critical condition but then needed to heal whatever I was unable to before he was able to be put into a normal room. Rin decided to stay at the hospital overnight, so Kakashi and I left.

We walked in silence and then I stopped realizing I had nowhere to go.

"What's the problem Sakura?"

I looked at him and said, "I have nowhere to go. I can't stay with my parents, I haven't even been born yet."

Kakashi sighed and said, "Have you really already forgotten? I offered up my place. I have a nice home right now. It's a nice apartment, I used to live in a house but… well things changed. I'm sure you know about it if you're from the future."

I smiled and said, "Thanks Kakashi. And yes, I do know but I'm not going to pry. I know what I need to but I know something you don't yet. You forgive him, and you forgive him because of your friend Obito."

His eyes widened in shock, but he didn't respond to that. He continued walking and said, "My place isn't far from here."

We arrived at his apartment in minutes, and he walked me in and said, "I have an extra room you can make yours while you're here. This helps since I need to keep tabs on you while sensei is on the battlefield."

I walked in and his apartment space was beautiful. Nice mahogany wood, a beautiful kitchen that didn't look like he used it a lot, and a nice living room space. He took me to what would be my room and I was still impressed. It was nice and spacious, the bed was made, there was a night stand and an amazing closet.

I sat down on the bed and looked at Kakashi and said, "Thank you so much Kakashi. You don't know how much I appreciate this."

"Don't worry about it, just make yourself at home."

I nodded and I did. He walked out and I began putting spare clothes in the closet. I took off my bag and pouches, I put all my weapon pouches and loose weapons on the dresser. I had almost finished when I found something I had forgot that I had packed. My photo frame. It was the picture of when squad 7 was made official. I began crying, and I couldn't stop even though I knew I was being a big baby.

I must've been loud because Kakashi came back in the room and asked, "What's wrong Sakura?"

He came up next to me and saw he picture and that's when I was sure he believed me. "Sakura… What is that?"

I was sure he knew what it was but I answered him after I wiped my tears off and could control my voice.

"Kakashi, this is us in the future. This is our team as Genin. This is Team 7, your team that you lead with me, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha as your Genin. I had forgotten I had packed this, but this is proof that I'm telling the truth, don't you agree?"

Kakashi was still shocked but he reluctantly nodded but said, "I'm still going to wait until the fourth Hokage is named."

I smiled and nodded, knowing that he did believe me now. He left without saying anything else and I finished my unpacking of what few things I had. I put the cloak I had in the closet as well. After I was done I lied down on the bed and before falling asleep, I wished that I would wake up to Naruto, Sai, Captain Yamato, and the real older Kakashi sensei.

Thank you so much for your support! I love how I am having this story come about but if anyone has any requests, and suggestions I am open. Please review and I hope you all love it :D