Kei-Kei Yuki: So, I'll finally finish with part 1 of Naruto! Yay! I can't believe I made it this far, honestly! Not gonna lie, there were times I had wanted to give up, but I didn't cause I wanted to show my own version of SasuFemNaru! Now, finally time for some Shippuden chapters!

Also, I know canonly, Izuna died, but in this world, he didn't. I also know I created some plotholes that I will need to fill in when I did this, but hopefully, it will all work out! You guys support so far has been awesome, thank-you so much for giving this story a chance~!

Beta: Ana-DaughterofHades

The Path We Walk

Naruko sat with her back braced against the headboard of the hospital bed. The layer of bandages, a change from when she first entered the hospital, was now reduced to only her forehead and arms. Her treasured red ribbons were resting on the counter next to her bed, causing blonde locks of hair to run down a bit past her shoulders and upper back. Eyes that once twinkled with life and hope had lost their usual luster as Naruko stared out the window, reminiscing about the strange dream she had been having since he left.

Every time she would close her eyes to sleep, she could hear a woman's voice desperately calling out to someone. Then out of nowhere, a scene of spring blooming at its fullest would greet her. The sight of it felt so real that Naruko could feel the wind rustling her hair, carrying the sweet smell of flowers. Eyes straight ahead, the blonde saw two people facing each other amidst the lush green field.

Squinting her eyes to get a better look at the two people, Naruko was a bit frustrated when that blurriness did not clear. Nevertheless, she could make out the figure of a short blonde woman talking to a man twice her height with long dark raven hair.

Luckily, Naruko could still hear what they were saying, and from the sound of it, the two were in a dispute with each other. "Amaterasu!" the man screamed in anger, a sense of longing detected in his voice.

"I incorporate your feeling, but you know what would happen if he ever found out about our relationship. Yes, I can accept the punishment, but I couldn't bear to see you hurt."

"I don't care about whatever punishment he bestows upon me, even if I have to go against Heaven, nothing could ever extinguish my love for you!" Such a powerful declaration made the woman gasp, holding a hand over her chest. Naruko didn't need to see her face clearly to know just how deep those words resonated through every fiber of the woman's body. How those words made the woman feel as if she was floating on a cloud of happiness, throwing herself towards the man.

Why? Because every emotion that the woman experienced transferred itself to Naruko. Glancing towards the embracing pair, Naruko wondered why she felt a connection to the couple. But such a thought disappeared when she caught sight of a familiar face standing opposite across the plains.

'Sasuke?!' Naruko couldn't believe her eyes, wanting to run over to him, but suddenly the scene changed once again. The setting was familiar to Naruko, seeing how it was the same place she fought against Sasuke. Rain was pouring from the sky, and standing on her left was the face everyone in the village was familiar with, seeing how her face was the first in line to grace the Hokage mountain.

The symbol of inspiration for kunoichis across the lands held as the first Goddess of Shinobi. Naruko had a hard time believing she was looking at such a huge icon, asking herself why did the woman appear in her dream?

The woman looked so real that Naruko could feel the warmth of her skin and see the steady rise of her chest. She was decked out in full battle armor, except for her face as long brown hair cascaded gracefully down her lower back like a steady river. Face hard, shoulders tense, this woman was the definition of beauty and power.

The tales of battle were etched in her bones, eyes pointed to the man standing across from her. Those cold eyes glared at the woman who stood opposite of him and that was when Naruko noticed how the man shared some resemblance to Sasuke. "I won't chase after you, Madara. If you continue to go through with this decision, then you'll leave me with no choice but to consider you as my enemy." The woman's firm voice echoed across the land, ready to do whatever actions were necessary for the sake of her village. Yet her eyes told a completely different story, especially when the man raised his voice and said,

"That village is not my home! You, the Senju Clan, my brother, my clan, all turned your heads away and refused to listen whenever I speak. So why should I stay?! Huh! Go and live your life with the Uzumaki brat your clan forced upon you and forget me as you've already done!"

Nothing could hide the hurt that flashed across those dark brown eyes of the female shinobi. "Madara, I told you that day in the flower field, if you have something to say to me, say it. Yet you said nothing, you walked away and later deserted not only me but Izuna and your clan! Breaking the vow of peace we made by attacking the very home we built! Past friendships aside, if you dare lay a hand on my home, I'll have no choice but to consider you my enemy, Uchiha Madara!" A swirl of pink sakura petals formed itself into a sword which she held in her right hand and pointed it to the man she called Madara Uchiha.

"Then, from this day forth, I am your enemy," swore the man as the two raced across the land, weapons clashing against each other, both wearing a face of indifference, but once again, Naruko felt emotions that sent her heart into turmoil. It left her breathless and hollow as if someone had taken a kunai to her heart. Once again, the scene changed, and Naruko found herself floating in darkness, a pair of warm ghostly arms embracing her, hearing the voice of the blonde woman from her first dream in her ear.

'Do not let him go. Break this vicious cycle that has bound us for a millennium. This bond between you and that boy must not be broken. Go to him and save him. Please reunite my soul with -!'

For two weeks, Naruko would hear those same words repeated in dreams, yet the name that woman shouted out to her was always met with only silence. Leaving Naruko to contemplate the woman's words, aware of how her words hinted towards Sasuke, but... 'Why did she sound so desperate? Who does she want to be reunited with?' Naruko was interrupted as a voice called out to her and saw Jiraya sitting on her window sill.

The toad sanin was in the middle of talking about Sasuke when Sakura came for her daily visits. Usually, she would run into Hinata whenever she came to visit her blonde teammate. But lately, Hinata had not been showing up, and whenever she did, the girl would be covered in bruises, which alarmed Naruko the first time both of Hinata's hands were covered with bandages. Sakura, sitting next to Hyuuga heiress, felt uneasy whenever she saw the girl smile and reassure the blonde with the excuse of overexerting herself with training.

Sakura felt Hinata was telling the truth, but something had changed with Hinata. The way she carried herself was different from before; another fact Sakura had noticed is that the girl barely stuttering anymore while in the presence of others besides Naruko. Whatever change that took place, it gave the once shy girl who would hide behind Naruko an ominous feel.

Overhearing the words Jiraya had to say about Sasuke, a downcast expression overcame the young kunoichi's face. She has been trying to heal from the heartache, grateful for Ino's concern and care, spending the nights with her, but it was more than heartache. Guilt ate at her each day whenever the pinknette came and visited Naruko and saw her small athletic build covered head to toe in white bandages.

It spoke of the severity of the struggle she went through trying to save and bring back Sasuke. It nearly broke Sakura, the day she first visited Naruko and saw how those vacant blue orbs turned to her and apologized for being useless.

'Ha, those are the words I should be saying,' Sakura told herself, knowing that Naruko had nothing to be sorry for; if anything, Sakura should be the one groveling at the blonde's foot. Yet the only thing Sakura could do was run towards Naruko and hug her tightly, apologizing in her heart.

"You can't save everyone, Naruko. Forget the Uchiha brat. He's too far gone." Jiraya's words came from the experience he went through with Orochimaru, not wanting to see Naruko risk her life for someone who did not deserve it. Hell, Jiraya was furious when he found out what took place between the Uchiha brat and the girl who was secretly his goddaughter. The sanin had wanted to race to that old snake hideout and tear the brat apart but contained his anger.

"Damn it, I may not be able to save everyone, but I can at least try. If I can not save at least one person who's important to me then my dream has no value. So no matter what, I'll never go back on my word. Just watch, I'll bring that teme back kicking and screaming if I have too," swore Naruko; a bit of light had finally returned to her eyes as she made this vow. Such words Sakura found fitting coming from Naruko's, relieved to see the blonde was finally starting to return back to her normal self.

Sighing, Jiraya told himself that Naruko definitely inherited Kushina's stubbornness. "If you wish to bring back the Uchiha, as my official disciple, I'll train you into a fully-fledged shinobi in three-years. If you want to bring back that Uchiha, you'll need to get stronger. There's also another reason, but we'll speak more on that subject while on the road. So what do you say, chibi? Do you accept my offer?"

Naruko focused her eyes on her lap, pondering the decision Jiraya gave to her. Sakura, standing in the room, couldn't believe Naruko was given such a rare offer from one of the three legendary sanin. A part of her felt happy for Naruko receiving such an invitation, but another part felt sad at the fact that if Naruko accepted, Sakura would be losing another teammate.

"I'll go, but give me three months. There's things here I must do; besides I don't want to leave Sakura-chan so soon. Once three months are up, I'll follow you." The blonde's words caused Sakura to widen her emerald eyes in disbelief, unable to believe that a part of Naruko could sense Sakura's worries and wanted to be there for her.

'Naruko, you truly are selfless.' Overcome with emotions, Sakura knew it was time for her to stop watching on the sidelines and finally step up to plate. She wanted to be a true kunoichi, someone who could stand proudly at Naruko's side. If Naruko was going to bring back Sasuke then she wasn't going to do it alone.

True to his words, Jiraya allowed Naruko to stay in the village for three months, during which Naruko's bonds with the rest of the rookie nine had become stronger- she even befriended all the members of Team Gai and the other two Sabaku siblings. When it came time for her to leave, all of Naruko's friends were there to send her off, including Iruka and Kakashi. Saying their goodbyes and wishing her well, Naruko took one last look at the place that was her home and promised that when she returned, nothing was going to stop her from bringing back Sasuke.

'Just wait for me, teme. I'll bring you back.'

End of The Path We Walk