A couple days passed. As the sun rose on the horizon, bringing light to a new day, the birds began their song to welcome the fresh start. Shinobi and civilians alike woke to a cup of coffee or tea as they planned their day, intending to make it a good one.

But it all came to a screeching silence -even the singing birds- as a chakra signature fluctuated dangerously as it approached the village at an alarming rate. The whole village knew what that meant.

Uchiha Sasuke was back.

And he was pissed.

At the village gates, Kotetsu and Izumo shuffled awkwardly while shooting hesitant glances back and forth, unsure of what to do. Should they just steer clear of the gates and allow Sasuke to go right in? Should they greet him as he came? Should they-

A gust of wind blew leaves into their face as a something blurred passed them. Sasuke had shot straight passed them without a word.

The two shinobi released a breath they hadn't realised they'd been holding.

Problem solved.

As Sasuke entered the village, every Konoha citizen felt the on their body stand on end as his chakra washed over them as cold as winters' dawn. Cold and unforgiving. And then it was chased away by a chakra spike as warm as Suna's desert.

Naruto...

Sasuke pinpointed his chakra and found himself before the hospital in an instant. Naruto stood before the hospital doors by way of greeting. Before he knew it, Sasuke had Naruto by the collar, Sharingan and Rinnegan blazing angrily.

"You were supposed to protect her!" He hissed.

"Well you could have stayed!" Naruto barked back.

Unable to retort, knowing Naruto was right, Sasuke threw a punch which made contact with the Hokage's jaw. Naruto allowed his anger and guilt to fuel his leg as he brought his knee up into Sasuke's stomach. As the two brawled, their friends gathered, having sensed Sasuke's approach but knowing better than to get between the two.

But not all spectators knew better.

"Stop it!"

It was none other than the Hokage's son. Bolt glared at the two best friends that glowered at one another.

"You both suck!" He declared before turning icy blue eyes on the Uchiha patriarch. "Are you going to visit Meinu or not, you teme?"

Sasuke scowled but entered the hospital, seeking out his daughters' chakra but it led him to Shizune and Kakashi who stood between him and Sarada's room. As he paused, Bolt had pushed passed and entered the room but the two adults kept their ground before the Uchiha.

"Get out of my way," he demanded.

Shizune was ready to tell him where he could shove his threats but Kakashi interrupted her.

"We will, Sasuke," he placated. "Just as soon as we warn you of her injuries."

Sasuke inclined his head in acknowledgement but as Shizune listed off her every wound, every injury, he found himself regretting his decision. Finally, Shizune turned and entered the room, leaving the door ajar behind her as Kakashi stepped aside.

But Sasuke didn't enter.

"Sasuke?"

"I don't...deserve to be here," he murmured.

It was so quiet even the Hatake Kakashi strained to hear it. But hear it, he did.

Sasuke felt a hand on his shoulder and raised his eyes from the ground.

"I may not agree with your actions, but I do agree with your intentions," Kakashi stated. "What Sarada needs now is to know that you love her, Sasuke. You've been away from home for too long."

With that, Sasuke turned to the open door and slowly entered. As he finally entered the room, he took in the room that was bathed in the golden light from Bolt and Sarada's bedside tables, despite the rising sun behind the closed curtains. His eyes immediately found Sarada, all covered in bandages and hooked to many IV drips.

Though his anger burned within him, the guilt and shame won over, leaving him to feel powerless.

Tsunade -who had moved to stand between Sarada and Bolt's bed to record Sarada's condition- ruffled Bolt's hair before moving to the foot of their beds and pulling them together again. She would move their beds apart only when she had to take down Sarada's vitals and the like.

When Tsunade turned to spot the Uchiha, her eyes swam with hatred and sympathy.

"Uchiha," she greeted as Shizune began to examine Bolt.

"Is she..." he cleared his throat that had gone dry. "Is she alright?"

"She died numerous times," Tsunade answered bluntly, causing the Uchiha's heart to plummet into his stomach. "She is currently in a coma due to the trauma of the attack."

"How did this-...why was she-...what happened?"

Tsunade glanced over the Uchiha's shoulder before shaking her head.

"You will be filled in on the details but right now, I think it's best that you spend some time with your daughter."

As she walked away, he couldn't help but pick up her parting words he wasn't sure he was meant to hear or not.

"Kami forbid you act like a father for once."

Sakura stared up at the roof of her prison. Her eyes were blank as she tried to repair the damage done to her mind but more importantly, the memories Kuromaru had warped.

It had been so long since she had seen him. She couldn't help but tear up at the thought of being reunited with him again. Beside her, Naruto appeared, smiling at her as they sped towards the village gate. Kakashi had sent them a messenger hawk telling them of Sasuke's approach only moments before. She barely gave herself enough time to get changed since she was in the middle of her shower, having forgone the chest wrappings.

Now, as she ran atop the buildings, she couldn't help but cross her arms, feeling her breasts bouncing unrestricted. Looking up, her blond teammate winked. He knew. Of course he knew. He was Jiraiya's pupil after all.

Despite the blush that painted her cheeks and neck pink, she carried on with a smile. But as the gate came into view, her smile dropped.

Sasuke stood there with his hand impaling Kakashi's chest.

She skidded to a stop but Naruto continued on as Rasengan formed in his hand.

'This isn't right.'

She watched as Sasuke approached her frozen body, stepping over the corpses of her friends, her parents, her mentor. His scarlet eyes seemed to glow brighter as he came closer. As he reached for her, she couldn't even scream as his hand constricted around her throat. Her body felt like lead, refusing to move or struggle, even as she failed to inhale much needed air.

"S-Sas...suke..." she gasped out.

She stared into his terrifying red gaze that watched her without emotion. A cruel smirk took over his lips before his hand clenched shut, crushing her windpipe.

"-uka! Sakura, snap out of it!"

Karin panicked when she entered the dungeon only to find Sakura having a seizure. She had entered to hear a strange gasping cross choking sound. She had immediately looked for Sakura's silhouette in the dark, finding it laying down and shaking erratically. Quickly lighting some of the candles around the dungeon, she gave light to the dark, revealing Sakura's shuddering body.

Her eye lids were fluttering rapidly as her arms and legs contracted almost painfully and Karin had the quick thought to restrain Sakura further by pulling her chains tighter, allowing her very limited mobility, rendering her pregnant belly safe from harm. The pinkette foamed at the mouth but Karin tried to pay attention to the babies, hoping Sakura's body wasn't crushing the placenta but her special sight granted her a view of Sakura fluttering chakra barrier which warped and flickered but remained mostly intact.

After what seemed like hours but was most likely between five to ten minutes, Sakura's body stopped shaking uncontrollably, her gasps and choking coming to an end.

Even after Sakura's shuddering stopped, her stomach still shook. Karin rested her head against it, sobbing softly to herself.

It had been days since Sasuke moved from his seat on the other side of Sarada to Bolt's bed. He had fallen asleep in the chair, eyes closed and head bowed slightly.

There was the softest whimper that escaped Sasuke's ears, but Bolt, who happened to be sleeping practically on her bed, heard and he raised his head, half asleep.

Long black lashes flickered before her eyes opened revealing the ruby eyes of the Sharingan.

Sarada was awake.

When Sakura came to, the first thing she noticed was that she hurt. Her whole body was aching. There was blood in her mouth and she felt sick. Then the next thing she noticed was Karin bathing her again but so gently, so tenderly, she could swear Karin actually cared about her.

It took her several tries but eventually her tongue managed to form the words she wanted to say.

"What happened?"

Karin looked up at her.

"You had a seizure."

"I...what?" Then her eyes widened. "What about the babies!?"

Karin shook her head. "They're fine. Your protective barrier held up during the seizure. I hate to admit it but your chakra is amazing."

Sakura settled back down.

"Do you know why you had a seizure?" Karin asked.

"I..." she drifted off as she tried to remember and then it all came back to her. "Kuromaru has been messing with my memories as he digs around looking for the answers he wants. I was trying to fix the damage but as I remembered the alteration, I don't know. Things went black."

"That's when you would have had a seizure. Please," Karin pleaded. "Don't try that again, Sakura. It's too dangerous. I don't think your barrier will hold against another seizure."

"So...what? I'm just supposed to let this psycho alter my memories?!"

Karin went quiet. "I don't...I don't know. Can't you hide them some other way?"

'Some other way?' Sakura wondered. 'Like lock them away? I don't know how. If he continues to change my memories-'

'You always did fret too much,' a voice echoed in her head.

But instead of being afraid, she couldn't help but cry tears of joy. Her saviour had come. Someone who could lock away her memories until the time was right. Someone who could defend her mind and keep Kuromaru's mind fucking at bay. Someone who'd always come to her rescue when she was alone and left behind.

Inner Sakura.

The woman in question smiled from deep in Sakura's mind, waving.

'It's been a while, Outer.'

Honestly, my lovelies

It's your reviews that has me continuously writing.

Every time I read a new review, I write a little more of the chapter so keep it up!

I'm lost on what Sasuke's gonna be like .