Sakura POV
The wind whipped through my hair sending the scent of fresh rainfall spiraling through the air. The trees around me were familiar, but for some reason I could not place where I had seen them before. The landscape before me was a far cry from the beauty of the ocean I had grown accustomed too, but these woods held an ethereal beauty in its own right. The ground beneath my feet was wet from morning dew as I aimlessly wandered through the foliage. Something guided my footsteps, I seemed to know where I had to go. Soon enough the thick foliage gave way to reveal a small waterfall cascading down from the rocks above. Birds soared and screeched in the air above enticing me closer to the clear, cold water running down the bed. The grass swayed enchantingly as I allowed my feet to lead me to the side of the reflective pool. A sudden feeling of unease sat in my stomach as I hesitantly leaned over the edge to peer into its depths.
"Hello Sakura," I gasped to be met with the image of a man staring back at me with the light purple of the rinnegan. A long white cloak obscured most of his ashen body away from my sight, but the necklace around his neck gave his identity away immediately.
"You are the sage of six paths," the edges of his mouth lighted just slightly in what I might've been tempted to call a smile if it had lasted longer. Even from his mere reflection I could feel the chakra that emanated within him. Long light, brown hair fell into his eyes as he stared at me.
"You are quite observant, but I am afraid we do not have much time for pleasantries. I have been watching you. I have seen you and the oldest Uchiha stumble along," I had long ago learned to stop asking questions when the unexplained ended up on my doorstep, "but if you both have forgotten there is war being waged, and I fear the leaf village will fall. Even if you save Sasuke there is not point if you do not win this war," in the rush of everything it was easy to forget what was going on outside of Itachi. A pang of guilt hit my chest thinking about Naruto, Kakashi, Tsunade, and everyone else I had left behind. I could only imagine what they must be thinking happened to me. I studied his face for a moment before speaking again, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat.
"Surely you did not go through all of this just to tell me we are doomed. Do you have a plan?" I gritted my teeth when he scoffed and rolled his eyes in what seemed to be an over dramatic gesture.
"You mortals are always busy to try and find someone else to solve your problems. I came here to guide you on the right path, Sakura. Naruto and Sasuke are both precious to me and you are the key to keeping them alive through this war, that is why I have appeared before you. Now listen carefully," I leaned forward slightly to hear the conversation, "you and Itachi have to return to the leaf village, but before you do I need you to acquire something of great power. Within the mountains of the land of iron there is a book hidden beneath the earth that has within it a jutsu so powerful that it will be able to turn the tide of the war," my ears suddenly piqued up in interest, surely there cannot be one jutsu with the ability to defeat an entire army.
"What is this jutsu exactly, and how will I know to use it?" I struggled to stop my hands from shaking as I felt the weight of responsibility once again crash on my shoulders.
"Only one who wields a sharingan may use the jutsu, you will know when the time is right Sakura," a wave of panic set in as his image slowly began to fade from view, "I have placed the location of the book in your mind, you have to move quickly. I cannot help you from here, good luck," then as quickly as he had come he was gone without so much as another word.
Itachi POV
Had it been years or hours? Time here was strange, seemingly somehow disconnected from reality. The air around me was so black that I feared death had me in its grip once again, but the occasional flicker of light kept me pushing forward. I could not leave a second for doubt, there were too many lives depending on me to second guess myself. The sickness settled heavier in my bones with each movement.
"You have lasted longer than I would have thought," a loud voice boomed from the darkness. I activated my sharingan as I jumped back into a defensive position, but I could not make out a single chakra signature.
"Come before me if you are going to speak," my muscles tensed in anticipation as I heard the unmistakable grumble of laughter. Then in a flash of light the blackness before me melted away to reveal water all around me, but I could still breath and my clothes were unblemished. My eyes flickered to the large white form in front of me, and my breath almost caught. Before me stood a large man with a billowing white robe, his ashen hair was tied back loosely at the nape of his neck. The horns that protruded form his skull made me all the more aware that he was not any simple human. I would've recognized the marks around his neck anywhere, the sigil was undeniable. I fought to keep my face impassive.
"At last I see you in this world, kinslayer," my fists balled in anger, but I knew better than to attack blindly. Even I knew that I did not stand a chance in my current condition. Beneath my feet the sea churned violently sending the wildlife darting for cover, but I stood amazingly unmoving.
"I have not come here to play games," poison laced my words as I followed his large frame as he stared off into the endless sea before us.
"Nor have I Uchiha. I do not have much time here, and you will do well to listen to what I have come here to tell you. Your brother will die," I clutched my chest, it felt as if a knife had been shoved straight through the flesh, "unless you change the tide of this war. For once, do not be selfish, you must put the good of the village before anything else. If the village falls you will all be slain," the thought of pink hair and blood flashed through my mind and that dagger seemed to dig in even harder. Had this been anyone else, I would of thought them to be a liar, but the sage of six paths was not a man to waste his time on bedtime stories.
"Then I will save the village," I put the authority into my voice, "you give me no other possible course of action. Although I am not naive enough to think that I can do this alone. What would you have me do?" I did not move as he approached me ever so slowly, the rinnegan scanned my every feature within the blink of an eye.
"Do what you should've done in the first place, trust your people and step back. The story of Itachi Uchiha is dead as far as everyone is concerned, just as my story has been sealed. Sakura saved you from the brink of death, but you spent so many hours circling the passageway it left its mark on you," a cold hand shot out from beneath his robe and found its way on my chest, "I will take you from the grip of death once more, but the grim reaper will not be cheated again," I nodded in understanding as I felt the weight in my bones lift and all but disappear from my body.
"Thank you," my body felt renewed, I almost had forgotten what it felt like to be healthy. I knew his help did not come without a cost.
"You would do well to listen to your medic, and when the time comes speak the words and save them all. Not many men get a chance to fix what they destroyed. Farewell, kinslayer," I opened my mouth to object, but a strong force pulled me from the bubble of air I had been occupying. Suddenly the water closed in with a deafening roar, and the world faded to black as I saw his form vanish beneath the waves.
Sakura POV
I shot up from the bed in a cold sweat, had that been a dream? I tried to shake the thought out of my head, but still his words hung on tight to my thoughts. The moonlight poured in from the tiny window in the cottage, the waves pounded against the rocks just outside the door. We had to save the village, we had to do it to protect Sasuke with or without his help.
I grabbed my coat and headed out of the cottage for a walk alongside the beach, Itachi's absence was beginning to make me restless. The sand was cool on my feet as I dragged them through the tiny grains. I moved my eyes up to take in the shoreline when I saw a collapsed form on the shore. My legs moved with impressive speed as I came up beside the shivering man. Itachi sat clutching himself tightly his eyes staring out before him, what had happened to him? I put my hands on his shaking form and he snapped his head to look at me. I barely had time to react as he wrapped his arms around me as if he was scared I would run away.
"We are going to save the leaf and Sasuke, I promise," he whispered to me, and I brought my hands up to return his gesture. The smile on my face spread as I could find no trace of the illness in his body, whatever he had done had worked. The world melted away as I held his shivering form close to me, but a war was coming for us and we had a lot of work left before us.
"We need to go to the land of iron," I sputtered out. His grip did not loosen from around my shoulders, but I could feel him nod in understanding. I could only hope we had the strength left in us to make the journey.