perturbation
ˌpəːtəˈbeɪʃ(ə)n/
noun
1. anxiety; mental uneasiness.
"she sensed her friend's perturbation"
()
2. a deviation of a system, moving object, or process from its regular or normal state or path, caused by an outside influence.
"these shifts and swings in wildlife populations are possibly related to climatic perturbations"
()
3. A small distortion (from its normal shape) of an object or of the spacetime curvature around an object.
"her time travel was a perturbation"
Chapter 1 of X / Past Time. / 6YRS 4MNS 16DYS left.
"A Team Worth Remembering"
(please note that this chapter is set after team 7 is formed, two weeks after the return from the Land of the Waves)
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The small, white clock that had been hung up just before I became a genin obnoxiously screams, a slight chattering able to be heard from just outside my window. Children, I can tell they are, probably playing the ninja game that all the boys and some of the girls played when I was their age; they throw paper shiruken and yell and run so unstealthily, pretending to be something that throws shirukens so sharp and real, something that wouldn't dare make a noise as they sneak up on their enemy, something with a stealth so great that it would take mastery to sense it. They squeal so loudly, happily, their voices a light echo brought blissfully by the wind. I can sense where every single one of them are, by their voices and their loud footing and their raw but slight chakra signals, and honestly, it's the most comforting feeling I've had in years.
But fuck.
My body feels so heavy… It's like my muscles are being forced into a containment of skin that's far too thin and feeble for them; my bones ache, as if they've been moulded down into the bones of my childhood, although I suppose they have. Another, more surprising feeling is the one of my heart- it feels lighter, almost wrong in my chest, and it's fluttering is slightly and noticeably faster than what I'm used to. Perhaps, in comparison to the one I usually feel, it's easy to tell the difference, but growing up, it would've easily slipped my mind.
And fucking hell, my head is by far the worst- I think calling it a 'migraine' would be far too generous. I can actually feel the blood pulsing through my head.
Suddenly, there's a sequence of knocking at my bedroom door, causing me to immediately tense, with my heart speeding up even more in anxiety. Now comes the hard part: blending in with little Sakura and her old, girly habits of life. Speaking of, how old even am I? Judging by my body, I think looking down at my hands, probably no older than I was when I first became a genin and, now that I think about it, my hair feels much heavier, meaning that it's probably still long. Casting a glance at my shoulders and becoming conscious of the feeling along my bare arms, my suspicion is confirmed; long, wavy, cherry-blossom locks cascade down me, the feeling sending chills down my spine as if it isn't my own hair.
"Sakura, darling, are you up? You're later than usual," I recognise the now-younger voice as belonging to my mother, her tone slightly stricter than of recent (she lost the habit of scolding me after I became a chunin and stopped listening to every word she said so I could help at the hospital), "I know you just came back from your mission and you're probably tired, but your sensei instructed that you be there for training this morning. Are you doing your hair? Sakura, can I come in?"
God, she talks a lot. Sighing, I force myself to speak in a slightly higher pitch than I'm used to, crawling out of bed and immediately finding myself leaning on my desk for support. Oh, please don't tell me I'm going to have to get used to walking- I suppose I can blame it on this said mission, though?
"I'm up, kaa-san, I'm up," I basically squeal, forcing a giggle of some sort, "You don't need to come in,"
After hearing her receding footsteps disappear almost completely, I throw on my old clothes within seconds, run a brush through my hair and put on my headband. As if stuck in an all-to-familiar routine, I go to stuff my pouch with a few tools, mentally bashing my head against the table when I see the lack of tools I actually have. I'll have to buy some, I make a mental note, if I have any hope of becoming stronger.
I slip out of my room, smiling bitterly at the corridor as I suddenly remember how this house was completely and utterly destroyed in Pein's attack, my heart suddenly dropping into my stomach with some sad emotion that I can't quite place. It's probably longing, though, for my parents to be able to have this house back in my own time, knowing how much they loved it. Losing the house, I think, made them realise the seriousness of the situation I'd got myself caught up in. Forcing myself to brush away anymore thoughts of how things could be, I make my way down stairs, leaning on the wall more than I would normally.
The first and only thing I focus on is the vivid image of my mother; her dark blonde hair is tied up in a small ponytail, a pale yellow apron- one that I'd seen her wear so many times in my childhood- is thrown over her usual magnolia qipao dress as she makes her awful pancakes. She's never been able to cook, my mother, but she always tried and, every time she did so, I'd shut her down saying that I was getting too fat or that her food was repulsive. I'd take it all back if I could, honestly, I'd sit down at that table and I'd eat her awful food for hours on end just to be with her.
But I can't.
I may have travelled back in time, but I still need to make myself seem as me-like as possible. For the sake of the mission, I can't tell anyone, that much is obvious, and I really shouldn't draw any unneeded attention to myself. I should be Haruno Sakura, young and squeaky and ignorant.
But, for some reason, I find myself sitting down at the table anyway, the intention of rejecting my mother's cooking is pushed far behind the thoughts of being with her for just one, single moment before I have to focus solely on the mission. Waiting patiently, drumming my fingers (which I know notice are painted a very lightly cherry-blossom pink) on the table, I notice her melodic voice humming an old nursery rhyme she'd sing me to sleep with when I was very, very little.
'Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Blanketing the countryside,
As far as you can see.
Is it a mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the morning sun.
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Flowers in full bloom.'
"Oh!" The blonde exclaims, nearly dropping the pan, clearly shocked to see me staring at her almost expectantly, "Sakura, sweetheart, you were quick. Well, you look a bit messier than usual. Why haven't you straightened your hair?"
I shrug, unable to bite back a smile, now my own humming subconsciously finishing the song.
'Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Across the Spring sky,
As far as you can see.
Is it a mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the air.
Come now, come,
Let's look, at last!'
"I just didn't feel like it, I guess," I eventually answer, not putting much thought into it, "What's for breakfast?"
"You want breakfast?" She stutters, surprised at first. Seemingly deciding not to question it any further, the woman pops some pancakes onto my plate, "Pancakes, like always! You know my pancakes are the best~~"
Instead of answering anything back, I just nod curtly, pleased when she takes a seat in front of me. Her eyes, almost identical in appearance to mine, seem to be echoing the huge grin on her face (if that's even possible) and she seems to be positively beaming in absolute bliss.
The kitchen seems foreign to me yet also unmistakably familiar; like, I know the little white plates are in the third cupboard across from the wall, their rims designed with intricate patterns, but, somewhere in the back of my mind, I feel like I need to confirm it anyway. The house, despite feeling very real at the touch of my bare feet and slender hands, seems like it's just a part of a hazy dream I'm having- I'm sitting in the house I grew in, was raised in and took for granted; I'm sitting in the house that was destroyed beyond simple repair, enjoying a nice breakfast with my my mother who's taken back that I even decided to eat with her.
It's surreal.
"Your father won't be back until Wednesday," Okaa-San suddenly informs me, putting a mouthful of slightly undercooked pancake into her mouth with a basic-enough-looking fork, "He's being escorted to Suna, hopes he can sell some of the recent goods his company has made,"
Of course, how could I forget? Oto-San used to run a small-scale company with some other non-ninjas in the village; for some reason, both sets of my grandparents had decided against their children being ninja, although I'm relatively sure that it was because a ninja war was being rumoured at the time and they didn't want their children to be a part of it. It's a logical excuse, I guess, although my parents actually had never even wanted to be ninjas in the first place- It had taken me months of crying and begging for them to allow me to even attend the academy. If they had any idea about what my life would become because of it, they probably would've locked me away and never even allowed me to know what the word even means on a litertary scale. I have the most overprotective parents of all time and, although it annoys me at times, I love them for it.
"Ah, I see," I nod, completely unaware of the date (it could be Tuesday for all I know) as I chew on a plastic-tasting lump of chocolate, before abruptly standing up and shoving my plate into the sink, "Sorry Kaa-san, I have to go,"
With that, I kiss her cheek and walk out of the house, rendering her speechless.
;.-.;
I arrive at the training ground in roughly twenty minutes, trying my hardest to ignore everyone and everything. At the same time, I feel an overwhelming sense of nostalgia that almost brings me to tears, but I ignore it, only to almost choke on that very thought when I come face-to-face with someone I haven't seen in weeks.
Naruto.
His golden hair is just as untamed and messy as always, his blue, blue eyes brighter and happier than I've seen them in years despite the annoyed expression plastered on his face. I'd forgotten how obnoxiously vibrant his orange-and-blue jumpsuit had been, and seeing him so short and loud almost causes me to break down; he's alive, he's safe and he's ignorant to the cruelty that is to come. My best and most important friend, protected by the sweetness of naïvety.
"Sakura-chan!" He stops his conversation when he sees me, the brightest smile in existence replacing his scorn and I feel my stomach knot in heartbreak.
"Hey, Naruto," I greet back, a little bit breathlessly, forgetting how strange it was when I didn't refer to him as '-kun', too occupied with keeping my emotions in check. In fact, I feel like I'm doing something else strange, too... Like I'm ignoring something... Something very important.
My eyes widen.
Oh, fuck me.
Like a knife plunged straight through my gut, I see it. I see him. Uchiha Sasuke, with his expressionless face and seemingly bored eyes, is standing right in front me, young and innocent and here. Not in the clasps of Orchimaru, not murdering my own allies, not shattering every bond he's ever had; here, as close to happy as he's ever been in his entire life, quiet and kind. Here, in front of me, without any intention of driving a lightening-charged katana straight through my heart.
"S-Sasuke!" I gasp, unable to control any more of my burdening emotions, his presence just being far too much for me to handle. I don't cry, I can't even bring myself out of shock to do that, but I feel so close it that it's almost unbearable. For the first time in years, his gaze holds no real malice or pure evil- he isn't even capable of showing anything even remotely similar to what he becomes, at the moment, the only emotion I can see in his deep, dark eyes being confusion.
Fuck.
"Sakura-chan?" It's Naruto that snaps me out of my pathetic state, his fingers coming to rest on one of my shoulders, "Are- Are you okay? You're acting a bit-" he hesitates, "Well, weird,"
"What?" I fumble, immediately realising how intently I'm staring at Sasuke and how grounded I look- The twelve-year-old Haruno Sakura, because that's how old I am currently, would of course stare at him and squeal, but she would never give him the look I just gave him. I could feel it when my eyes locked with his, the shock on his face and the utter fear on mine. He isn't the Uchiha Sasuke I'm used to, and yet I'm treating him as if he's the same, twisted man that ruined all of the purity I regarded love with.
"Are you feeling okay?" Naruto asks again, his kind heart immediately taking action, and, although I know he's only touching my forehead to check my temperature, I can prominently see the blush on his cheeks. Out of the corner of my eye, as I'm facing Naruto with Sasuke now slightly behind me, I can see the complete and utter speechlessness on the young Uchiha's face. I'm being unfair, I know, but I just can't help it. All the unmeasurable amounts of affection that I once felt for him is now non-existent, instead, in its place, is terror and fright.
Not really wanting to but knowing that I have to, I push Naruto's hands away from me, throwing him a faked look of disgust before inhaling deeply.
"Gee, Naruto, don't touch me, you idiot. I'm fine," I hiss, not an ounce of my heart in my words, complete guilt shattering my heart when I see the hurt look in his eyes, before throwing away all of my dignity and squealing, loudly: "I was just shocked with how amazing my Sasuke-kun looks today! Gah~~"
At this, Sasuke only rolls his eyes and Naruto seems to slightly relax; despite his evident crush on me, he managed to be so selfless and care only about my feelings without feeling an inch of hate towards Sasuke for my currently-faked crush on him. He's always the same Uzumaki Naruto and I feel so stupid for not having realised how great he was when we were genin- I really, really love him and I'm going to try and start our friendship much earlier on. I can't do it straight away though, because that isn't how friendship works, and I have to do it without drawing any suspicion, as sad and cruel as that sounds.
"Why are you so late today?" Surprsingly, it's actually Sasuke who asks this, brushing off my teenage attempt at flirting, the very suspicion I want to avoid very clear on his face. Taking another look at his features, to reply, I brush away all panic and alarm that I feel towards Sasuke, almost forcefully. At the same time, though, instead of seeing the bloodthirsty and inhumane monster I've come to associate the very man in front of me with, I see a small boy just wanting to avenge the death of the people that matter most to him, hurt and alone and very, very broken.
He was once like this, just needing guidance yet far too proud to ask for it, instead hiding behind a mask of being this untouchable and unreachable prodigy- Just like me, his stomach twists at the thought of murder, his bones shake at the very thought of it and yet, somewhere in the back of his head, he knows he has to do it. His goal is to kill his brother and he will do everything he can to do it, despite not even wanting to. The difference between this Sasuke and the slightly older Sasuke is this supposed 'want', the Sasuke I know laughs at death as if it's a game and as if every life he kills is truly irrelevant, like a point system almost. The Sasuke I know is the definition of evil, yet this boy- This Sasuke- looks at me with eyes that convey nothing even slightly close to that.
"My hair took extra, extra long today~~" I giggle, twirling the said hair, causing him to narrow his eyes in what seems like disgust. Figures, I'd be disgusted too.
"It looks nice," Of course, it's my knuckleheaded best friend that says this, his cheeks more scarlet than his mother's hair, his fingers fiddling with the hem of his jacket, "It looks really, really nice, Sakura-chan, like always,"
Oh, Naruto. What were you back in the day, hey? Now, you don't even have the time to consider any form of romantic relationship, the only thought ever on your mind either being victory or bringing your best friend back.
"Well, hello there," An all-too-familiar voice chuckles, causing me to whip round to face the new figure. Not surprisingly, it's our sensei, regarding us with love that doesn't even hold a candle to the love he has for us in the future. Kakashi-sensei, with his silver hair and mask, stands with that stupid book in his hands, his eyes smiling more than his mouth will ever to us.
The training ground, the same one we became a part of Team 7 on, looks just as I remember it; there are three logs in the middle of this field, surrounded by an array of beautiful, stunning trees with patches of grassless land amongst the very grassy areas. I almost didn't notice the feel of the bright, glorious, yellow sun on my pale complexion, the clear, cobalt-blue sky sparkling marvellously against it. Summer, I breath in, the fresh air (thankfully and incredibly ash-less) feeling so right and so good in my lungs. Sasuke stands leaning against the end right pole, Naruto in front of and between the other poles and me between them, Kakashi-sensei, who's now dropped his book down to his hips, is just a little in front of all of us.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're late again!" Naruto yells in a childish manner, completely forgetting any concern he had for me moments ago, his finger pointed at the oldest of us, accusingly. Sasuke, who is as silent as he always was when we used to train together, also offers a glare to our teacher but he characteristically refrains from making a moment, although his annoyance is vivid.
"Well, you see, I was-" The man begins one of his usual lies, causing all of us to roll our eyes simultaneously, making me chuckle inwardly. Despite our dark, dark future, we still managed to be so close in our own little weird ways, although we'd definitely deny it if anyone asked. Behind the petty arguments and the sour expressions, we were truly the closet team of all time; not even with Sai or Yamato did we work better than we did with Sasuke. Woah. I just realised- Sai! He's probably still in ROOT at this very moment, miserable and emotionless, his life nothing but a board game controlled by Danzo. Oh, that's right, Danzo still exists too... How joyous.
"Alright, so I hoped we'd be able to work on you three- or us four- as a group compared to our usual focus on self-improvement," My black-haired, gone-rogue teammate simply gazes more intently at our sensei whilst justice-crazy Naruto verbally complains, saying he would rather die than work with Sasuke, "Exactly, Naruto- My point is, I want to change that opinion of yours. The reason we're put in teams is to help and be helped by our comrades; this was the first lesson I ever taught you, or have you already forgotten?"
"Sensei, if you don't mind me interjecting," I say, only to retrieve three shocked gazes. Wow, I really am a barrel of surprises... I guess I normally wouldn't ever dream to interrupt a teacher? I can't really remember in detail every habit of my teenage self, which is probably really, really bad, but I have to change things somehow, "I would like to focus on chakra control some more,"
Please, please, please tell me we've already been on to the mission to the land of the waves or else I've just ruined everything...
"Oh, really?" Kakashi chuckles in response, relieving me instantly, "You're already pretty good at that, Sakura, I thought that would be the least of your concerns,"
Please. I'm not stupid, I know how advanced chakra control is in later stages, and I know these later stages exist- I know how to use them brilliantly! Logically, the quicker we look at techniques that I was taught by Tsunade, the quicker I can use my normal abilities without earning too much judgement and curiosity.
"As you said, sensei, we're practicing teamwork. I may be better than most at it, but these two certainly aren't- No offence, guys. It makes sense if, rather than trying to force us to make sense of an instruction as vague as 'work together', that we work on a particular area and try and incorporate teamwork into it,"
That, and I really, really need to test out my abilities.
"Wow, Sakura-chan. You're so cool," The only blond amongst us gushes, almost dazedly, a big pink blush plaguing his face. I forgot how weird Naruto's flirting attempts were, especially coming from his twelve-year-old self; it's flattering, I guess, but I am an eighteen-year-old woman and he's twelve, and as much as I find Naruto attractive (that is, as a seventeen-year-old, muscular hero who is far taller and manlier than a twelve-year-old), his current little body does nothing but make me want to mother him- He's shorter than me right now and, even though you can see the outline of muscles from his relentless training, the only things he and older Naruto share (physically) are his blue, blue eyes and his golden hair and whiskers.
The same could be said for Sasuke, too. As much as his seventeen-year-old self terrifies me, I cannot deny the pure sexiness he has with those cold, obsidian eyes that contrast perfectly against his pale skin- But, as much as I find myself physically attracted to him, his eyes (though indeed beautiful) are emotionless and his expressions are nothing but cruel; he lacks warmth and, despite everything that I used to believe, I need warmth from a person to even slightly like them in any way. Overbearing confidence (arrogance) and an inability to let others in is not as attractive as a lot of people make it out to be, I can say that from experience myself.
But, truthfully, I was never attracted to a completely cold and hard-hearted Sasuke; even though I thought he'd been so cool with that robotic demeanour, by the time I began to get to know him on Team 7, all he ever really showed me was kindness. Naruto, working his usual friendship magic, I think, saved him a little bit, showed him humanity and prevented him from having true and utterly loneliness, just like Naruto has done to countless amounts of people.
"Alright, I guess we can do that," Our sensei nods, flashing what I can tell is a smile by the slight crinkle of his eyes, although I don't miss Sasuke's pointed and suspicious gaze, that lingers just a little too long on me for it to be my own paranoia playing tricks on me. Unable to do anything about it, though, I simply ignore it, casting a fake smile onto my face.
;.-.;
In the end, I was forced to relearn walking on water, although I didn't have to fake finding it too difficult as I have always been renowned for my impeccable chakra control. Naruto, whose future chakra control almost surpasses mine, struggles agonisingly, hissing and cussing repeatedly every time he falls through the water, and even Sasuke, an Uchiha, is finding it pretty hard too (although he refuses to broadcast his frustration as verbally as Naruto). Whilst they try to master this simple technique, Kakashi and I are sitting quite far away from them, dangling our legs into the water as we roll any bottom-half clothes of ours up.
We're in the same springs that Naruto once told me was where Jiraya first taught him how to do this very technique, and I can't help but smile at the thought; he's so stressed and exhausted fighting in the war and, seeing him like this, also struggling but on a completely different scale with completely different circumstances, is one of the most refreshing sights I've seen in a long, long time. Although I'm fully aware that avoiding Sasuke and his gaze is probably just making me seem even more suspicious to him, I do it anyway, not quite fully able to shake away the image of what he becomes from my mind- He's still Sasuke, despite his age, and the only Sasuke I know is evil.
"Say, Sakura," Kakashi-sensei begins, not bothering to face me as he reads his smutty book (which Tsunade once forced me to read when she thought I had become 'sexually frustrated'-which hadn't been the case, by the way) in one of his hands. The other, the one not on my side, is leaning against the cobblestone floor, his body ever-so-slightly shifted away from me, "What do you think of Naruto?"
... What?
"Erm- pardon? I-I don't know what you mean, Kakashi-sensei," I hear my voice stutter slightly and inwardly groan in annoyance. He's going to misunderstand completely, thinking I'm flustered, I can tell.
"Well, I mean, since the mission in the Land of the Waves, you seem to have started to appreciate him more. You used to be very Sasuke-centric and, although you still are still very… erm- should I say… obsessed with him, you seem to be paying Naruto attention more often than you used to, and I can't help but think of his romantic interest in you-"
"No, not at all," I interrupt immediately, probably much softer than I would've actually done so as a twelve-year-old, realising exactly what he's inferring, "I'm not romantically interested in Naruto, not even in the slightest bit, sensei. He's my teammate, of course I'd pay attention to him- I pay the same attention to you and to Sasuke," I sigh, before allow my mistake to process, and, as quickly as I can, I blurt out a slightly-too-loud-to-appear-normal "-kun"
"That's quite a mature answer," He muses, still not bothering to look up from his book, clearly not registering my own error himself. Figures, he's so obsessed with porn that I could literally straight-out tell him I'm from the future and he wouldn't even lift an eyebrow.
"I CAN'T DO IT! ARGHHHHH! THIS IS SO HARD!" We suddenly hear Naruto erupt, seeming to have finally had enough of his failure. Despite not saying anything, but by the deep scowl embedded on the dark-haired survivor's face, it's obvious that the team's only Uchiha seems to share the blonde's same resolve. Unable to contain a laugh, I stand up with a sigh, finally causing Kakashi to look up from his book and question my motive.
Shrugging, I utter a simple, "I'm going to see if I can help- this is a teamwork exercise, after all," and jog over to my two incapable comrades, leaving the older man (but, weirdly, not by much because I'm actually eighteen) to his porn.
As I walk closer to them, I see that Sasuke and Naruto have changed position now, the louder of the two standing in the shallowest part of the water whilst the other rests an elbow against his knees, crouching into a feet-only sitting position, with his other arm leaning against the ground to support him. The focus on their faces seems unbreakable, both sending a strangely fixated glare to the water, as I approach them, hovering above Sasuke who doesn't seem to even notice me. What's new, am I right? I grimace at my own history with the said boy, unable to stomach my disgusting clinginess to him.
Sorry, Sasuke.
"You two seem to be doing well," I state with a slight chuckle, sarcasm cheerfully slipping into my voice, "Do you want some help?"
"Hell yeah, Sakura-chan! Thanks!" Cheers the blond knucklehead, who's turned around to face me already, at the same time as a bitter brooding Sasuke growls a firm "No."
Thick-headed, proud idiot. You'll be your own downfall.
With a sigh, I send a shrug in his direction, ignoring the fact that I'm supposed to be in love with him, instead walking over to Naruto (walking on water that is, because, unlike them, I can do it- flawlessly), grabbing his hand and pumping chakra into it. Immediately, he floats, standing on the surface of the water, his eyes wider than his own rasengan. Okay, maybe I'm pushing it a little bit, this 'chakra-pumping' being a very complex technique that only the highest level of medical ninjas have the ability to do, but I'm sure that Kakashi is too distracted to notice I'm doing it and most people wouldn't even be able to tell that I am indeed doing it.
Okay, that's good, it seems like I have most of my abilities, excluding my raw strength which I can get back with a lot of training, but I'm fairly certain that my 'Strength of a Hundred' seal is further away from being unlocked than it used to be, which is awful but I wouldn't have been able to conceal that sort of strength so it's also really, really fortunate.
"Sakura-chan?" Naruto calls out quizzically, clearly unsure with this whole 'floating-on-water' thing, "What are you doing?"
"Naruto, can you feel where my chakra is in your body?" I ask, ignoring his question, focusing simply on helping him, "Can you sense the foreign presence that's disturbing your body?"
"You mean, in my stomach?"
Oh, someone else send me strength. This Naruto isn't even fully aware of Kurama yet.
"No, try focusing a little bit more on your feet," With more patience than I was aware I possessed, I instruct him, firmly and as naturally as breathing, as if I'm leading a surgery, "Can't you feel my chakra? You should be able to- erm- see it, almost, like where my chakra is taking up residence, the veins and the pressure points, yeah?"
"Yeah, I do!" He, to my surprise, yells out.
"Good, now channel your chakra to those exact points, evenly," I say, bluntly.
And, with that, I let go of his hand, causing him to topple into the water with a shriek, as I just about- well, more like, as I really easily- leap out of the way of a splash and next to Sasuke. Despite his sudden fall, Naruto seems to perfectly be able to float back onto the water, his focus rivalling that of his future self. He's got it, I can tell, his technique is practically perfect although, to my trained eye, I can tell that he needs to even the spread of chakra just a little bit- But he's got it. Sasuke, who was listening intently, seems to have also gained an idea of how to do it. With a smirk, he places two feet onto the water, flawlessly gliding across the spring, his control perfect, in fact, just as good as mine. That's the Uchiha bloodline, for you- Itachi was just as immaculate, too.
;.-.;
That evening, Naruto insisted on our team going to ramen to celebrate our 'awesomeness as a team', and so, at half eight at night, that's why I find myself sitting in Ichiruku, in between the wall and the teammate I once swore my eternal, undying love to. The me from a few months ago would be rendered speechless at the sight, although I just find it sadly ironic, almost used to his presence but also constantly reminding myself why it's so strange that he's sat next to me. For what seems like the first time today, I digest a very unbelievable piece of information- I'm in the past.
I'm actually in the past.
It is my mission to save the world, as well as another world, and I'm sitting here, eating ramen with one of the most notorious criminals-to-be of all time, who I was once helplessly in love with, after teaching the strongest person I know how to do something as simple as walk on water… I've time travelled, I'm from the future, AND I'M EATING RAMEN. Eating ramen! Erm… what?! What is happening to my life? Out of all the things I could be doing- telling the hokage, training, plotting Orchimaru's impending doom, trying to locate Madara, stocking up on incredibly needed tools, trying to come up with a plausible excuse from my sudden burst in strength- I happen to be doing the most Naruto-like thing in existence; I'm eating cheap ramen.
Thinking about the events of today, it's been so nice to be happy and careless for once, not even bothering to hide my abilities and attitude change, really- I've had a day that I've only ever dreamed about having for the past four-and-something years, and it's been the most blissful feeling that I've probably ever had. Just, knowing that, once upon a time that happens to be very soon, everything will go to absolute shit and not doing anything about it but simply relaxing to the lightest training in the world, is undeniably euphoric. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow, honestly, although I know that I can't put it off for much longer- I have to do something to save the world, I have to find that weapon or locate Madara or become insanely strong or figure out how to get back to my own world or- or just- just- just do something.
"Today was pretty sweet," Naruto announces suddenly, slurping his sixth bowl of ramen up in an almost animalistic fashion, pausing his eating to speak, "Thanks, Sakura-chan, it's all thanks to you, although Teme here is far too stubborn to admit it,"
I giggle at the comment, which has caused Sasuke to look even moodier than usual, his glare meant to murder an oblivious Naruto, and I just can't help but smile whole-heartedly. Although I dare not say anything about it, I don't miss the slight curl of Sasuke's lips as he clearly half-heartedly rolls his- now that I think about it- warm eyes. For the first time today, all trace of suffocating fear for the boy beside me has vanished without a trace, his inhumanity forgotten for just this instance. I'll cower in fright tomorrow, no doubt about it, but, for now, the initially faked look of fondness I send to him may not be so faked after all.
And, just for this single moment, I'll pretend that my dysfunctional team are simply misunderstood and that, when tomorrow comes, everything will be fine and simple and, even though it's wrong for me to even want it, that I'll have a normal day with my genin team.
;.-.;
I fall onto my bed at about ten o'clock, exhausted. My muscles ache, my mind is scrambled all over the place and I have mountains-worth of problems to sort out, problems that will no doubt take years' worth of struggle to even begin to become understandable. I have so, so, so much to do and, I fear, nowhere near enough to time to even start it, despite it being essential that I complete it let alone 'start' it. Tomorrow, I'll shower in the morning, pop out to a few ninja shops to stock up on equipment and then take a trip to the achieves and see if I can find anything of my three subjects of research- Returning to my word, this so-called mystical weapon that will save said world and the location of the mastermind known as Uchiha Madara, because that son of a bitch still exits.
Then, now that I think about it, I'd really like to save Sasuke, so I'll do some research on Oto and the cursemark- Maybe I can figure out a way to rid people of it? Or, maybe, which surprisingly seems less probable, I can just kill Orichimaru? Well, if I can manage to kill Uchiha Madara, I doubt Orichmaru will be that hard; I'll just have to train an impossible amount for the next few months leading up to the chunin exams. Fuck, how much time do I even have?
We just came back from the mission that was held in the Land of the Waves, so I doubt much time at all- Maybe a month? Maybe two? Fuck, why is everything so impossible to achieve? I'm going to have to blow the cover of immature, fangirl Haruno Sakura, though, because there is no way in hell I can keep up with acting and being careful not to say anything about the future. Like, imagine if I leaked out, to Sasuke, that his family were killed because of Konohagakure and not because of Itachi's cruel ways?
Yeah, goodbye annoying fangirl.
You won't be missed.
And that concludes Chapter 1! ~
This was slightly more rushed than I would've liked it to be but some family drama decided to pop up and so I have to get on a plane first thing tomorrow morning, and I didn't want to leave huge gaps between updates. I'll try to update at least once every two weeks, but it'll probably be weekly anyway.
Also, I would like to note that, even though this chapter may seem very light, it is for the purpose of simply setting up Sakura's longing of this nomality she had as a genin and the fact that, although she knows she has a very important mission, she cannot control herself. It is also, more so, the calm before the storm. And that's all I'm really going to say on that matter- I don't like spoiling anything that is to come, but I can promise you that this is going to get hella complicated. *smirks*
I hope you're enjoying this! Please, give feedback! I want to make sure I answer any questions of confusion, as I know that how I'm setting the plot up could be easily misunterepted or I've probably missed out a few vital facts that are just simply floating about my mind. Also, criticism is very much welcomed, please, rain it down on me!
Okay, so until next time. Goodbye, my lovelies,
- Karamel xox
(also, I fear that the pace is too quick? Agree or disagree?)