Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

note1.: This came out much later than I intended. Thank you all to those who reviewed, favorited, and alerted! It was much appreciated.

note2.: Some have mentioned this, so I'll say it now: there will probably be no romance.

The White God

白神

02. drown in the naka river

"How can I trust you?" Sakura murmured. Her eyes narrowed at the whiteness of his robes. It was too clean, the way a fresh coat of paint was. Once the new coat was knocked off, the cracked and yellowed paint was visible under.

"Ah, you are not so stupid, then." The man said. He sat on the edge of the table facing the window and tilted his head to look directly at the moon. "It is understandable that you are wary of me. Your life has not been kind, after all. You are very different from when you were twelve—even from when you were sixteen, eighteen. Perhaps you are wondering this: why would a God help me? What powers does he have? How is this possible? What is the truth in his words? And—the question you have just asked me: How can I trust the White God?"

There was a pause as red irises scanned Sakura quickly for a response. Sakura glared. The man smiled.

"Well, I suppose I shall answer. I help you because of the contract with the Uzumaki Clan that binds me. I am powerful. Gods are very real, just as real as your chakra, which is just as strange. I do not lie. I am a God; the White God. And I do not need you to trust me."

"How do I even know you're really a god? I've never heard of the White God; my family is civilian, too, so we did celebrate festivals. And if you're not a god, then you might lie." Sakura said, looking down at the letter. "And then why should I say yes? And it seems you want me to."

The White God looked at Sakura. His red eyes almost glowed. "I do not need you to trust me."

"Then I w—"

"But, it would be easier if I did this." The deity raised his hand eye level, index finger pointed out at Sakura. A small white flame appeared and he created a straight line down.

The line sprouted more lines and those made more and they all became one cohesive body of white fire. Then in the center, the substance hardened into a smooth and shiny surface. A mirror, Sakura thought. But she did not see herself. Instead, there was a white world.

"This is called Seirei no Kagami—Mirror of the Spirits. You are the only human to have seen this and survive."

Curiosity niggled, knocked on the door, and barged into Sakura's home. She was, after all, an intellectual. Momentarily forgetting that she should be wary of the White God, she asked, "What does it do?"

The White God tapped it lightly. A ripple went through the mirror and the flames shuddered.

Sakura gasped, because there was Naruto in the mirror.

"Genjutsu: Release!" Sakura shaped her hands and molded her chakra, but nothing changed and Naruto remained in the mirror.

"He is dead, but his soul is still within this reality." The White God said. "By contract, I cannot let the other gods take him away to use a soul as pure as his. He is the Uzumaki heir, after all.

Sakura's hand moved to touch the mirror and caress Naruto who was walking in the white world. But the mirror was not tangible to her, a human.

Sakura was silent for a moment.

"Why?" She asked quietly. "I don't understand why you would do this for me."

"You wished for this, did you not?" The White God asked. "And I have a contract to fulfill."

"But I'm not even an Uzumaki!" Sakura said, exasperated.

"But you are the strongest bond Uzumaki Naruto has." The White God said. "Besides Uchiha Sasuke, that is. He does not count, for he has no grief. You have the strongest grief, the greatest weariness. That allowed you to activate the seal."

"I don—"

"Do not stall any longer, Haruno Sakura. I can see your hesitation, but this is dragging out too long. Ashes and dirt can only retain me for so long and I do not desire to be sealed again."

Sakura clenched her jaw.

The White God sighed in an annoyed manner. "You are wrought with hesitation and world-weariness. I can see why, for many are dead, you have a job forced upon you, Uchiha Madara is destroying this world, and Uchiha Sasuke is missing. You are bogged down because you are tired of everything, but you also have an obligation to Uzumaki Naruto. So, while it is understandable that you are wary of me and are not sure of what to do, don't all these tell you to seize the chance? To change reality?"

Change reality? What did that mean?

"It means I erase the 'time' that has occurred in this reality. A clean slate, if you will. But you will not be changed."

Sakura shot her head up in surprise, but for the first time in a while something bloomed in her chest. A clean slate. Yes. That was all she needed. There were so many mistakes that she wanted to fix.

She was so tired.

What was there here?

Most of her friends were dead, Sasuke was missing, Madara was killing them all slowly, and the snow came too early in autumn. Everyone who remained was depressed, Kakashi was slowly becoming more reclusive and there was not enough happiness in the life she and her friends had led.

There was nothing to lose, if that meant saving Naruto, if that meant getting Sasuke, if that meant shaping a more beautiful life for all of them.

She was the Seventh Hokage, after all. Her duty was to shape the best Konoha possible.

"A clean slate?"

The man smiled at the tone and waved his hand. The building melted and the surroundings formed into the Naka River.

"What?" Sakura got up, startled.

"I transferred our location. I already know your answer, Haruno Sakura." The White God conjured a white umbrella to block the rain. "It is the only acceptable one, and we must go now."

Sakura's hair clung to her face as the rain started soaking her. A strange determination gripped Sakura stubbornly, and Sakura vaguely remembered February, when Hinata came out of mourning with a face expression Sakura could feel on her own face. "Yes. I will accept your offer—"

"—and challenge fate." The White God finished. "Very good."

The White God walked over to the raging Naka River and tapped the surface; foam bubbled up and molded itself into a boat. He gently pushed Sakura into it.

The White God looked at Sakura. "This reality cannot continue without Uzumaki Naruto. While the contract binds me, this reason also prompted me to appear before you, Haruno Sakura. It is fortunate that you accepted."

Sakura looked at the God, eyebrows cocked.

"In a few months time, this reality would have been destroyed by Madara."

Sakura reeled at this information and the boat started moving swiftly. "Wait, what?! Tell me!"

The river was too fast, though. The rainfall had turned into a storm and the droplets started to hurt. Sakura desperately looked back at the White God who was smiling again.

"I shall see you again soon in our new reality, Haruno Sakura. You may ask me there."

The white foam bubbled up again from the boat and the water and swallowed her whole, and all Sakura could remember was the feeling of drowning in the Naka River.

.

.

.

Blackness.

But there was the smell of the Fire Country, the sound of a stream, and the warm breeze of mid-June. Sakura opened her eyes slowly and saw the million shades of green in the trees and the strangely beautiful sky.

This was the Konoha of her childhood.

The sunlight was warm again and Sakura laughed for the first time in many months.

afternote1: Well, that was a slow chapter. Sorry, I know some probably wanted Sakura to meet someone but I cut it off there because (1) I couldn't decide how old she would be, though I have now; and (2) there was a gross amount of talking due to my horrible attempt to philosophize and convince Sakura to accept the offer of the White God. She is Hokage, after all. She's not going to just accept a weirdly positive offer.

I am an evil author who will hoard. I love reviews! I see you all reading this... so, please review!