Falling.

Falling.

Falling.

Tobirama shot up gasping for air. Frantically, he whirled his head from side to side, disoriented, the world a blur. Two dainty, yet firm hands gripped his arms, forcing him to sit still. Still hyperventilating, Tobirama tried to focus on the person before him.

"Easy there. Do you recognize me?" The feminine voice spoke slowly and clearly.

Clasping onto one of her wrists, Tobirama's blurry vision cleared as he squinted hard at the face directly in front of him. Taking in the woman's milky porcelain skin, knitted and worried pink eyebrows, and sparkling pale-green eyes, Tobirama's senses finally calibrated as he remembered what just happened.

"Where am I?" He suddenly breathed, whipping his head around his surroundings.

"The infirmary," Sakura replied.

"It... it worked! This is..!" This is revolutionary! Ground-breaking! Ingenious! Tobirama couldn't even begin to imagine the inexplicable number of ways this new technique could assist the Senju in fighting the Uchiha. Still grasping Sakura's wrist, he tried prying off the woman's grip from his shoulder. He needed to practice this new move, in order to perfect its use and maximize its efficiency—

"You're not going anywhere. Your chakra is thoroughly exhausted." Sakura's hold on his opposite shoulder tightened, and Tobirama winced. Just how strong was this woman again?

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"I know my body better than anyone, woman."

Sakura raised a skeptical eyebrow. Suddenly, fatigue washed over Tobirama's body as the strain of performing his jutsu caught up to him. If he didn't notice before, he noticed now that his muscles were screaming in aching spasms and his eyes were heavy as his body was shutting down into a lethargic mode with the adrenaline from his rouse dissipating.

"...Fine. Perhaps I'll rest for a little while."

At that, Sakura handed him a full glass of water, which he took and gulped in one take. He didn't realize how thirsty he was. Taking the empty glass and placing it on the small table beside the bed he was occupying, Sakura lowered him back onto the fluffy pillow. Tobirama just noticed that he was changed out of his training garments into a simple cotton shirt and pants supplied by the infirmary.

Sakura checked his temperature by placing a hand on his forehead. Her palm was cool to the touch, and as much as Tobirama hated to admit, it felt nice, reassuring, and kind of nostalgic. It reminded him of when his mother used to do the same when he was but a small child, before she had passed due to illness.

"So. What was that?" Sakura finally asked, determining it the most appropriate time to ask what had been on her mind since Tobirama magically appeared out of nowhere during her teaching session with Hashirama.

Tobirama glanced at her without moving his head.

"I... I had been working on this jutsu for years. I first conceived the idea when I was thirteen, after observing the Uzumaki clan's extensive use of seals quite a few times. The war between the Senju and the Uchiha had begun to escalate at this point, and there was one distinctive battle I will never forget, where the blood of too many of my kin were shed. I hate to admit it, but the Uchiha's defenses were impenetrable. If there was only a way to easily and quickly take down their troops... then I thought, what if I were to use a seal to somehow transport myself from one point to the other? At this point, I didn't know how the logistics would work out. But learning about seals, I realized that seals provide access to completely new dimensions, which is how sealing objects normally works."

"So, the idea is that you open an access point to a dimensional void, enter that dimension, and exit through another access point," Sakura supplied in awe.

Tobirama smirked, refusing to openly acknowledge Sakura's fast-working brain.

"Without any limit regarding to distance," he added, feeling the need to show off a little.

"That's incredible!" Sakura has seen Naruto's father use this exact technique only a handful of times during the Fourth Shinobi World War. But to her, it always seemed like an extremely fast shunshin; she had no idea he was actually teleporting, or as close to teleporting as a human can possibly get. She found a new reverence for the Yondaime Hokage, and an even more profound respect for the future Nidaime, who was lying before her at this very moment.

"There are two catches so far," Tobirama mused more to himself than to Sakura, "one is that I need to place the seals onto the locations I wish to transport myself to beforehand, and the other is that the longer the distance, the more chakra that is drained."

Sakura put a thoughtful finger to her chin.

"Hm... perhaps with control training, the distance won't be an issue. Theoretically, the distance between your starting point and ending point shouldn't have an impact on your chakra usage, since you're activating the exit point seal from the other dimension."

"Which is what I thought."

A wave of thoughtful silence passed over them, and Sakura snapped out of her reverie.

"Well, in any case, I'll leave you to get some rest."

"..."

"But I do have to say, I'm very happy that you confided in me. I'd say you're starting to trust me a little bit more," Sakura smiled gently. A light pink dusted across Tobirama's cheeks in embarrassment

"D-Don't think I don't think you're conspiring with the Uchiha anymore! It's just... you've been a great deal of help to our clan members lately and you're even showing Anija your techniques. It's hard to think a real enemy would do that."

Sakura laughed, "It only makes sense that you're cautious, Tobirama, when your older brother is so overly trusting of people. I would do the same thing as you're doing now, if I were in your position."

She stood up from the chair she was sitting on beside his temporary wooden bed. She began to turn toward the door but hesitated. Looking back down at him she opened her mouth slightly and paused, as if unsure if she should say what was about to come out of her mouth. Tobirama's red eyes narrowed inquisitively, silently urging her to go on.

"It's just... I think we started off on a bad foot, and I kind of just wanted to start over, hoping we can truly become friends." Sakura slowly held out her hand, "Hi. My name is Sakura. Not 'Woman,' not 'Girl,' not anything else. Just Sakura. It's nice to meet you."

Tobirama blinked.

He would have laughed at how absurd this situation was, but he before he realized what his body was doing, before he could slap away her ridiculous hand, he found himself reaching up with his own hand and grasping Sakura's. Perhaps a part of him wanted to get to know this mysterious, strong, powerful woman before him, perhaps a part of him felt guilty for pinning nonsensical accusations onto her.

He scoffed, averting his eyes.

Sakura grinned.

Ever since Sakura's "truce" with Tobirama, life began to settle into a daily routine on Senju grounds. There hadn't been any signs of any Uchihas planning any attacks ever since Sakura was found by the Senju—both sides must have sustained huge blows in terms of forces and supplies and were laying low until they could replenish both.

At one point, Hashirama claimed he went on a "reconnaissance mission" and reported that the Uchiha were not missing any female clan members or allies, strengthening Sakura's position as someone unrelated to the Uchiha clan. Sakura noticed that Hashirama was being shifty about the whole thing, but decided not to comment since his statement only served to help her case. Tobirama also began to relax around her a little more after hearing this.

By this time, word had gotten out about Sakura's proficiency in healing, and soon enough, Sakura's status in the Senju settlement rapidly escalated to that of a celebrity, much to her chagrin. Not long after, people from all over the settlement (the Senju clan was huge, nearly the size of a small village) with ailments of varying degrees began paying her visits, hoping she'd be able to heal them or prolong their lives a little longer.

Since money wasn't even a concept in this time; after all, a self-sustaining village had its villagers live off of bartering rather than trading money for goods, Sakura received a lot of rice, food, and other materials for her services. Initally, Sakura refused, as she was just happy to help, but her visitors insisted. So Sakura only kept a bare minimum and gave the rest to those who needed it more than her. She visited the local orphanage more often than not, getting to know those who lost their parents in the ongoing war and donating her excess food and materials. Pretty soon, the children looked up to her as an older sister figure and couldn't wait for the days she visited just to play with them.

A good two months had passed since Sakura's arrival at the Senju settlement. Finally, finally, it felt like Sakura was starting to get used to a normal life.

Of course, this would never be Sakura's real life; Sakura's real life would always be as the daughter of Haruno Kizashi and Haruno Mebuki. A member of Team 7 under the tutelage of Hatake Kakashi, teammates to Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. A law-abiding citizen and shinobi of Konohagakure. The sole student of Senju Tsunade. A key contributor to the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Sakura would never forget her true identity, even if she'd never be able to talk about it with anyone around her. The Sakura of her past (or would it be future?) life was what shaped Sakura to be the Sakura she was today. Sakura would always remember this.

So even if this life wasn't her real life, Sakura would still live it and bear with it, to ensure that her future self gets the opportunity to do what Sakura herself couldn't. So in order for that to happen, Sakura still needed to make sure that nothing too drastic was changed in this time. At the very least, she needed to make sure Hashirama and Uchiha Madara found some sort of peace with each other, enough to create the village of Konoha. Because without Konoha, there would be no future.

But how? What could a mere girl like her do that wouldn't cause the butterfly effect to spiral out of control? Was there really nothing she could do? Perhaps it was better for her to sit back and let things unfold without conscious interference. Was she really supposed to continue on with this life, a life that she felt completely fake in, and just live the rest of her days becoming old and crippled in this time?

Sakura supposed that was all she could do for now, until she heard any news about the Uchiha. She sighed. If only there she had a comrade, a friend, who would understand and listen to her burdens. But this time, she didn't have a Naruto to complain to. To laugh with. To cry with.

I miss you, best friend.

"Nee-chan? Are you okay?" A tiny pale blonde child tugged at Sakura's leg and looked up at her with her big chocolate brown eyes. Sakura almost gushed at the child's cuteness.

"Yes, I'm quite alright. Now where were we? This monster is gonna get you! Roar!" Sakura clawed both of her hands and chased the big group of orphan children around the orphanage's big yard.

"You're too slow! Hah!" One of the children called out. Sakura smirked.

"Oh, am I now?" And she pounced like a feral cat, right on top of the child, rolling on the grass and tickling him. He giggled and screamed at the same time.

"AAH! I—HAHA—I take that—HAHA I take that back! HAHAHA, please! HAHA—please stop!" And Sakura let go, laughing at the child, who gleefully ran away. Sitting up, Sakura suddenly saw a flash of white in her peripheral vision and a gush of wind as Tobirama materialized right next to her. The orphan children screamed in surprise and scattered away once they realized it was just heir clan heir.

"What the—, did you put a seal on me when I wasn't looking?" Sakura demanded. Tobirama nonchalantly shrugged.

"That is a total invasion of my privacy, ugh."

"It's for security purposes."

"Security purp— oh you have got to be kidding me." Sakura resigned with a sigh, "So? What do you want?"

"Notice anything different?"

Sakura tilted her head thoughtfully. Tobirama just appeared to her using his new jutsu... oh!

"You're not even the slightest bit out of breath this time!" Sakura exclaimed. Tobirama smirked.

"I finally realized why I was using an impractical amount of chakra every time I used this jutsu. My seal wasn't written to accommodate for chakra efficiency; I figured out a way to write another layer to the seal to require only the minimum amount of chakra needed to activate each seal."

"Oh thank goodness, I was worried you'd knock yourself out every single time you used this jutsu even once!"

"I still think this jutsu is far from perfect, but it's getting there, don't you think?"

Sakura coughed, "Alright, Mr. Show-Off, you're amazing. That's what you wanted to hear right?"

Tobirama ignored the jab.

"I was wondering what to call this jutsu. I thought maybe you'd give me some good ideas."

"I don't know, what about 'Teleportation Jutsu?' It's pretty literal."

"Don't be stupid."

"How is that stupid? It's practical."

"This jutsu is not going to be called the 'Teleportation Jutsu.'"

"Whatever you say."

But Sakura already knew the name of this technique. The real question was: how was she supposed to get the idea of the name into Tobirama's head?

Sakura treaded slowly, "Well... your hair does make you look like a flash of lightning when you perform this jutsu. What about something like Hiraiden? Flying Thunder and Lightning?"

Tobirama paused, thinking carefully.

"I like where this is going..." He closed his eyes for a few moments. Sakura simply stared. Did this man always take such a long time to come up with the names of his techniques?"

He snapped his fingers, "I got it! Because this is a god-level technique and I am a god-level shinobi, I shall hereby name this jutsu, the Hiraishin, the Flying Thunder God."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You cannot just call yourself a god-level shinobi."

"I can if it's true." Tobirama stood up, ready to leave. He looked down at Sakura, "Thanks, Sakura. For your help."

Sakura blinked. This was the first time she'd ever heard him call her by her name.

"Did you just ca—" before Sakura could finish this question, however, Hashirama flickered into existence behind the two from a shunshin.

"Father asked me to find you."

Sakura whipped her head around at the newcomer and looked at him inquisitively.

Tobirama's face also mimicked hers.

"The Uzumaki Clan. They're in trouble."

Without any further inquiry, Sakura raced back to the main compound with Hashirama and Tobirama, to Butsuma's room. He sat writing calmly in a scroll. Hashirama walked next to his father and sat in seiza, tense. A hawk preened itself at the open shoji door, where the tatami floor met the wooden walkway, spilling out to the garden outside.

"Butsuma-sama, you've called for me," Sakura said, slightly out of breath.

"Sakura. I have called you because I am in need of your abilities." Butsuma set his brush down and looked at Sakura in the eyes.

"Our closest allies, the Uzumakis, have been afflicted with an unknown disease. Whatever this disease is, it's eating away at their bodies and their life-force. The Uzumaki clan is closely tied to us, even by blood, dating back to the same ancestor. As the head of the Senju, I vowed to help out our kin in any way possible. As you know, the Uzumaki Clan has always been there to assist us, no matter the situation. Sakura, please, I am lowering my head. Please, help our brethren."

Sakura's breath got caught in her throat and her eyes softened, as she would have never in her life imagined the head of the prestigious clan bowing to her to ask her of a favor.

"Butsuma-sama. Regardless of my relationship with the person, I will always try to help a person who needs it, if I am able to. So please, raise your head. I will do my best to assess the situation and see if there's anything I can do to help."

Butsuma breathed out, whether of relief or anxiety, Sakura couldn't tell. But he wasn't the only one worried about their close allies. Hashirama took this as an opportunity to ask about the situation.

"Father, are... are a lot of the clan-members affected?"

Butsuma considered this question, and immediately knew what Hashirama was attempting to find out.

"Hashirama, you needn't worry about Uzumaki Mito. She is one of the few unaffected by the disease. But the disease seems to have progressed greatly for Ashina, the head of the clan. I am gravely worried for my old friend."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. Of course! How could she forget! Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Mito were supposed to marry sometime before the founding of Konoha! And if Sakura remembered her history books correctly, both Hashirama and Uzumaki Ashina were present at the creation of each others' villages.

It wasn't Uzumaki Ashina's time to die yet.

Sakura would make sure of it.

Author's Note: Had some time during my spring break to write! Take a visit to my profile, you'll understand why my updates are so spaced out.

Soooo y'all think that this disease afflicting the Uzumaki Clan due to the Butterfly Effect of Sakura's presence in this timeline? Who knows, I don't even know~

And aw, Sakura and Tobirama are starting to become friends :)

FINALLY, Sakura's story has caught up to the same time as Sasuke's! We'll hopefully be seeing them meet soon?