In a Lifetime

by Rose-Colored Amy

There's something wrong with Inner. Sakura can tell that much, but she cannot afford to address it. Not while facing Zaku on the preliminary phase of the chūnin exams. TimeTravel!Sakura / BAMF Sakura Haruno / Darkish Sakura / Rated M for violence, slight gore and sexual themes.

3. Chapter 2: Ash to Ash, Dust to Dust

A.N: I'm genuinely happy to receive feedback from you, it motivates me to keep going and you have no idea how much I appreciate it. Also, I apologize for the late update —I've been undertaking the exam period as stoically as possible—.

So, about the comments I've been reading lately: Sadly, while I think my English is somewhat decent, I'm no native speaker, so there may be times when I make some spelling/grammar mistakes. I was hoping to edit my slipups once I had time to. I've never worked with a beta before, but if someone is willing to help me, please DM me. As for the pairings, while I believe canon Naruhina and Sasusaku are loosely put together, I want to fix that by working on their respective relationships and character development. This chapter is mostly dedicated to dwell into the character's motivations and relationships. The pairings are mainly justified because I cannot bring myself to see Sakura or Sasuke being anything but family to Naruto, and I think Hinata is the only one who appreciated him as a person from the start, even if it was from afar. Also, the decision to go for Sasusaku has more to do with Sasuke's potential changes in characterization than anything else. Please, note that the Sasuke and Hinata I have in mind, while facing the same conflicts as their canon counterparts, may go about it differently. I'll get to it, eventually. For now, I'm in no rush for them to romance. Slow burn has always been my favorite, after all.

And finally, just for the sake of avoiding any confusion:

"Sakura's thoughts"

Past memories

"Dialogues"

"Thoughts/dialogues from the past"

…

Chapter 2: Ash to Ash; Dust to Dust

⁓The hope we summoned pursued us and surpassed this world

The feeling of never giving up had connected our hearts before we knew it

Instead of crying, let's laugh our way to tomorrow

Even if the oath we made hurts and falls

To protect your heart,

I'll stay by your side⁓

"Luminous", by ClariS (translated).

…

Sasuke took after Fugaku in ways Itachi didn't, and so when he was concerned about something, he digested it stoically, deeming it wise not to meddle in what was none of his business. He reminded himself of that while travelling in diamond-shape formation, where Sakura and he were at each side of the road. Though, sometimes, he would steal a peep to his right, unnoticed. Ever since the Forest of Death, Sakura behaved like a completely different person, and it irked him to no end, because he took pride in being observant, and in this case, he had clearly missed something. Simply put, she was being even more annoying than usual. So, while running through bright landscape, trees blurring together in endless streams of green, he frowned, thinking of the boy she killed in the arena and what could've possibly crossed her mind. Sure, he had woken from his tortuous state—courtesy of that damned snake freak— to find her beaten to a pulp, but never had he felt such murderous intent from her like she exuded during her match. He'd guessed, while watching, that it all was for the sake of revenge. That, he could understand. Specially if he were to be humiliated like she had been in the forest. But then she had exited the bathroom, looking sickly pale, and blurted something to the dobe about protecting them. Her eyes had had an emptiness to them that reminded him of… that man. It rubbed at him the wrong way, to think of Sakura—carefree, clueless, smiley Sakura— baring that same infuriating nothingness on her face. Then, there was that strange purple diamond in her forehead and the chakra lines that soared her body while fighting Zaku—he had been watching intently, sharingan activated, to find out what were those—. Still, he didn't have a clue.

Although he had to admit it had been eye-catching, her fierceness, that is. But then again, he had always felt drawn by power, and Sakura's chakra signature had shined unbearably when punching the sound nin to oblivion. It had felt like staring at the sunset, with the sunlight gracing the earth with the intensity of its last breath, before fading again. She had taken on her own image after finishing him off… And Sasuke wondered, while peeking at her again, if she had felt the satisfaction of revenge pierce through her body like those chakra lines had, or just the hideous sense of regret. And if he would feel any of those when he was to avenge his clan.

Of course, he mulled it over out of curiosity alone, not concern. Or so he told himself.

…

"So this is what Sarutobi had in mind… The old man assigned Kakashi to keep an eye on me, because if there was anyone who would likely know if there was anything lewd going on with me, it'd be my sensei."

She eyed him warily while gathering firewood. If she had a say on her situation then, she wouldn't trade her sensei's trust for anything, but it seemed the odds were against her.

"Well, it's not like I was expecting Sarutobi to believe me that easily."

"We're one day away from our destination. We'll camp here and take off in the morning." He dropped unceremoniously in front of the pile of twigs and opened his beloved book, ignoring Gai's attempts to compete over who would set up tent faster.

"Where are we headed?"

Sasuke ignited the firewood exhaling a tiny fire ball from his lungs through his mouth and sat beside her, still at a considerable distance, charcoal eyes paying close attention to the creaking flames as they drew shadows of smoke along the dancing grass.

"There's a village in the south-east. It's called the Ashen Village. They have no shinobi, so they often ask for Konoha's services. We're taking on a C-rank mission while in training."

"Hn."

"The Ashen Village…" Sakura muttered under her breath, an image of a small town surrounded by greyish dread, malnourished children looking fruitlessly for something to grace their lips. Eyes too full for such boney faces, stomachs too rounded crowned by see-through ribs. The smell of rotting corpses with no place to find piece by a measly pit. One step too close to the huge overture in the ground and the smell of untreated infection and putrid skin crawled your nose. Piles upon piles of bodies mixed together in an unrecognizable mass of limbs. Sakura didn't know their names.

"Just tell me your names. A whisper will do. So that I can take them all to my grave."

"Well, I'm not surprised my cute little bookworm knows about it." Kakashi pulled her out of her divagations in one stride. Viridian eyes encountered a lone grey orb, and they stayed like that for a second.

"I read once about a legend… That's why it rings a bell to me." It wasn't completely a lie after all. She had read about that legend in her previous life before going to the actual village during war for medical support. She just never expected to find the similarities so appalling.

And though he seemed to try and hide his apparent interest, it was clear to Sakura that Sasuke wanted to hear about it too; he had never taken too kindly to be kept in the dark. She was positive Kakashi knew of it —he was a freak who liked to have everything under control, and she could perfectly picture him doing research behind everyone's backs before setting foot on new territory—. Regardless, she began to tell a story that wouldn't have been anything but a tale had she not met its protagonist in person.

"There was once a celestial princess who was born from a moon teardrop and descended upon the land in ivory glory. A farmer from the Ashen Village —its previous name I don't remember right now— found her nested in a curved tree branch. She carried with her the key to survival, the power bestowed by nature…"

She could tell she had picked her teammate's interest. He had completely turned to her. Go figure; one mentioned the 'p' word in front of him and suddenly you had him. Had she known when she was really twelve and infatuated and things might have turned differently between them.

"The valley in which the village was settled had always been blessed with fertility, but those were hard times, and war between neighbors had tainted the earth with blood, making it barren. And so, the goddess took pity on the man who received her among her family and grew a forest out of pure will. It provided for the villagers and, in exchange, the goddess asked not to go near the tallest tree and not to eat of its fruit—"

"But they did." Sasuke chimed in.

Sakura nodded. "Thirsty for power, the farmer's children betrayed the goddess, and in return, she unleashed her fury upon the land. Her touch burned to the ground any remnants of fertility, as everything turned to ash and the land became cursed, forever doomed to never flourish again." She breathed in the smoke and took into the full moon. Her eyes narrowed. "And then she turned her back on the valley and never came back."

"Quite the narrator, aren't you, Sakura-chan?"

"What can I say, sensei? I'm a sucker for dramatic effect."

"Yeah, but I wonder what that fruit could have had to make her so mad about it." Gai, who hadn't said a word in a while, looked at Sakura with an easy smile, as to chase the ominous tale away.

"Power, knowledge… I don't think it was really a fruit."

"If she didn't want them to find out about it, she shouldn't have mentioned in the first place. I'd have done the same." Sasuke shrugged, as it all was very simple and logical.

"Of course you would…"

But she refrained from voicing out her bitterness, because as much as she had come to resent Sasuke's decisions over time, she was now as power-hungry as he had been, only for completely different reasons.

She would never look at the moon the same again, knowing what laid dormant in there, a power so great it went beyond comprehension. They had been living under it all along. Before that, she had associated it with her broody teammate; while Naruto was her sun, Sasuke had been her moon, too ethereal and beautiful to look elsewhere. Now that she was aware of its possible threat luring over her head, it felt wrong finding solace under the moonlight. She laid down, ignoring her teammate and sensei's gazes set on her and stretched her hand towards Kaguya's cradle, covering it with her palm to her green irises.

"I'll see to it that you never wake up, Kaguya."

Sakura closed her fingers and noted they were still soft, not calloused from workout and war. Suddenly, someone cleared their throat, forcefully getting her out of her daze. She propped herself up to a sitting position, cross-legged. Kakashi's lone eye was focused on her face and she didn't find it in her to fake a smile, so she simply tilted her head, being aware of Sasuke's fixation on her features.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan? You seem… Distracted." His voice held a warming tone, like a tranquilizer, but it filled her with dread, because she missed her Kakashi, the one who had eventually learned to lean on her. He was no more, though, and this one, while trying to be supportive, maintained a safe emotional distance despite the attempt to care.

"Am I okay?"

"Are you asking because you really want to know or because lord Hokage requested it of you?" She could be distant too, if he wanted to keep things that way, regardless of how hard it was. That would lessen the problems she'd go through while successfully infiltrating the village if he wasn't around to meddle into her business.

By the widening of his lone eye, she could tell he didn't expect her to lash out at him, and that he realized she knew why she had been sent with them. However, there was a glint of sadness behind the shock that made her almost regret it. Kakashi recovered instantly, his experience at disguising his emotions were astoundingly impressive for someone as Sakura, who was comfortable with wearing them on her sleeve. However, she had learned over time to interpret the subtle gestures of his only visible eye. It was impressive, how a single feature said so much about someone when a face completely uncovered could sometimes tell so little, like Sasuke's. "Maa, maa, Sakura-chan. What has Lord Third to do with me caring about my favorite female student?"

"I'm your only female student, Kakashi-sensei." The mood lightened instantly, and she heard her sensei chuckle for the first time since travelling back in time. It felt almost right. Almost like home. After all, he had been the only one who stayed, the only one that, during her strenuous training with her shishou, had made the effort from time to time to check on her. Even if it was just by asking how her day had been or taking her to Ichiraku's and skipping on the bill. He had cared, and showed her in his own disheveled, aloofly way. The only one who'd realized he had neglected her and asked for forgiveness.

And the first one to leave her behind.

"Sakura?" He turned serious all of a sudden.

…

Tsunade approached her while she tended the wounded. Shinobi of all ranks were spread along the makeshift camp. Some were fast asleep after a particularly difficult procedure, and others were moaning or screaming in pain. In the distance, the slug queen spotted a struggling group of nurses grabbing a distressed patience whose leg was being amputated by another medic, chakra scalpel slicing though flesh and bone.

There was a genin resting under Sakura's glowing hands. The girl couldn't be any older than twelve; a brat fresh from the academy, probably. She could sense the tenderness pull of her student's chakra. Even though she had told her she must keep a professional mask when treating any patient, she knew the pink haired kunoichi had a soft spot for children, and it showed in the motherly smile crossing her face whenever a child recovered under her care. That and the green flow of her hands while healing them; it felt intimate, like a mother's embrace.

She waited until Sakura was done, knowing her student had picked on her presence. After Sakura made sure the child was properly resting, she turned to her mentor, her head tilted in curiosity. "Shishou?"

Tsunade hadn't said a word yet but was already regretting what was about to escape her mouth. She knew the quiet tenderness in Sakura's demeanor would turn into hot despair and unabashed sadness, as if someone had turned a switch. And it had to be her, she was the one who had to tell her. She owned it to her.

"If there is one thing I hate about war is to rely on children, even if they are supposed to be soldiers…"

Sakura nodded in understanding. "They are soldiers, yes, but only allegedly. Most of them still remain innocent…"

"…"

"What is it, shishou?" She sifted uncomfortably under her mentor's intense stare.

"Look, Sakura, there's no good way to say this, so…" Tsunade's expression turned sour, and in an instant, Sakura had fully turned toward her, her eyebrows drawn together in worry.

"What is it, shishou?! Is Naruto alright? Does he need my help?! Do I have to pack and go to t—"

"There're news from the frontline." She interrupted her, wishing to get it over with, take her student to the nearest dumpster and drink their asses off —because there was really no other way she knew of dealing with loss—.

"My Kami! Shishou, what is wro—"

"Sakura, Kakashi is dead."

Kakashi is dead

Kakashi is dead

Kakashi is dead

And she hadn't even been there for him.

…

Sakura closed her eyes, dispelling the gruesome reality of her memories and forced a reassuring smile that felt fake even to herself. "I'm fine, sensei. Just tired."

"And I'll make sure you'll be fine as well. I promise."

"It was your fist kill after all, fair lady. It is only natural that you feel strongly about it." Gai stepped in, a sympathetic look on his face.

"Just call me Sakura, Gai-sensei."

"Right, so, Sakura-chan, if you had to assess yourself now, what would you say about your abilities that's worth mentioning?" At that, Sakura heard a subtle snort to her right and narrowed her eyes at Sasuke, who had his arms crossed above his chest with a smug smirk on his lips. As if waiting to listen what she had to say for herself.

"Bastard…"

Controlling her façade, she smiled to Gai, trying to ignore her egotistical teammate. "Exceptional chakra control, but small chakra reserves. I seem to have an affiliation with genjutsu, but I don't know any good ones, and honestly, I'm not interested as of now. Good at plotting and long-range attacks. My stamina is pitiful, but I want to make a name for myself through chakra-enhanced taijutsu." At the disbelief of those around her, she forced down a snarl and shrugged instead. "Recently, I discovered I can achieve super strength and enhance my speed by thrusting chakra to my muscles and let it flow through my hits. However, I'm still figuring it out, since the bones of my hands often break from the seer pressure. So, it can only mean that I haven't quite grasped the movement my chakra must follow." She made a pause, thinking how much information she could give about her actual abilities. "What you saw in the arena…" She felt Sasuke's chakra spike with slight interest, his body shifting almost imperceptibly towards her. As for Kakashi, she didn't dare look him in the eye. Gai seemed enthusiastic enough, so she settled for him. "It appears I've accidentally triggered a forbidden technique."

"What…?" She heard Sasuke mumble at her side. He took a closer look at her, leaning one of his hands in the ground for support. Sakura flinched at his nearness and the sudden familiar sandalwood essence. Sasuke seemed to notice, because he retreated slightly with a frown.

She pointed to her forehead. "This seal… regenerates my cells and allows me to mend my bones and stitch together my skin. It does nothing for the pain, though…"

"So you really awoke the Byakugou." Kakashi chided in, catching her attention. "If it is a forbidden technique, there must be a catch to it. Did our Hokage said something about it?"

Sakura nodded solemnly, obviously lying. "To put it simple, the more I use it, the earlier I die."

She felt Sasuke stiffen at her side as Kakashi took a deep breath, probably to forbid her from even thinking of using it, when Gai suddenly padded his rival's back and interrupted the tense atmosphere between them.

"Then let's make sure you don't have to use it, Sakura-chan. Just leave it to me!" He smiled and gave her a thumbs up and Sakura had to physically restraint herself from crying her eyes out at the sudden warmth building up in her chest.

"I can't promise you I won't… But I'll try my best not to."

…

"That pervert… I bet he's peeking at women again."

Naruto had been waiting for his new sensei in training ground three for an hour before he decided he had had enough perverted late-ass senseis for a lifetime, so he resumed to find this new one and give him a piece of his mind. If Jiraiya was planning on pulling a Kakashi on him and making it a habit… —Nun-huh— he was having none of it!

As he stepped on the main road, he minded his own business, as usual. He refused to feel intimidated by the scolding glares he received from time to time and enjoyed strolling around, as aloofly as possible. Because if he allowed himself to feel uncomfortable, then it was a win for them. However, as he was about to reach the bathhouse, a soft whimper made him stop dead on his tracks. He looked around, seeing nothing at first and just when it seemed like the sound had been a product of his imagination, another whimper had him glued to his place. Tentatively, he reached for its source in a nearby tree, at the top of a hidden branch surrounded by leaves. It was sturdy enough to support the weight of him and whoever was desperately crying their eyes out. As he landed on it —noisily enough for the other person to acknowledge his presence but still uncharacteristically quiet for him— his blue eyes landed on unfocused nacre.

"Naruto-kun…?" Hinata's eyes widened and it rubbed the wrong way at Naruto; her tear stained face. Her knuckles were muddy, but she kept rubbing her cheeks as if by doing so her tears would stop abruptly. "W-what are you—?"

"What's wrong, Hinata-chan?"

"It's… It's n-nothing, Naruto-kun…" She avoided eye contact, as if he was the plague. Naruto turned his palms into fists, trying to take hold of his crippling annoyance.

"Fine then. I'll leave you alone if you want. You don't have to make that face. I was just worried, ya'know?" He turned to leap out the tree branch, but a firm hold on his forearm prevented him from doing so. Startled by the sudden contact, he faced her with raised eyebrows, as if muttering a 'what is it?' to the air.

"You're n-not bothering me, Naruto-kun…" Her face was so red he could've sworn she was about to drop unconscious. "You n-never bother me…"

He tilted his adorable head, now clearly interested. Much to Hinata's dismay, the gesture was distracting enough to lose her grasp on reality for a few seconds. Because of the following silence, she realized he had asked something again and she had missed on it… "I'm sorry… W-what?"

Naruto chucked, now fully turned to her. "Ya'know, Hinata-chan, if someone or something's bothering you for real, you can tell me! I'll scare the bad guys off!"

And despite herself, even though her Naruto-kun was way too close for her comfort, she smirked; a timid, barely noticeable smile. It was enough to keep Naruto in contemplative silence for a second. She wiped her tears with the hem of her sleeve. "Do you ever feel scared, Naruto-kun?"

He was about to say no when he stopped himself. Then, Naruto thought about it, like… actually thought about it. Had he ever been scared? "Yeah… I mean, aren't we all scared of something? Hehe…" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

The soft dancing of leaves passed through them, each caught in their own thoughts. Hinata had already guessed he was not going to elaborate further, and that was okay, because she wasn't willing to explain that she was both scared and hurting for Neji. He, on the other hand, was picturing the day Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme were to find about the weird ass voice inside his mind. Would they turn their backs on him like every other adult did? He didn't think he would shoulder their disdain the same way he did with strangers.

"But, Hinata-chan… Whatever's buggin' ya, it won't leave. So, sometimes, we gotta fight to make 'em see just how serious we are!"

Just then, Hinata was reminded of why she was so fond of him. He had guts, the guts she needed, and pushed forward against all odds, even if he was hated and disliked by most. Compared to him, her problems were petty —she knew that— yet she lacked half his courage to accept her family's criticism and disappointment. Looking at him, right then, sharing his ever-lasting fighting spirit with her, made her think for a brief second that she could take on Neji, because her cousin was part of her family, and family was not to be taken for granted.

And as Naruto excused himself, shouting out to a lewd man sprinting out the bathhouse while persecuted by many angry-looking women, she thanked him from the bottom of her heart. Even though she still lacked the courage to voice it out.

…

They arrived early to their destination, meaning the mission was delayed until their client arrived to the meeting point.

"Alright, Sakura-chan." Guy grunted, adopting a defending stance she knew all too well, and gestured her to come forward with his fingers. "Hit me with all you've got. No chakra for now." She nodded, though the odds were disheartening.

Sakura was aware of her new body's shortcomings, its flaws and its strengths as well. She was lighter, skinnier, so her body was easier to hide; easier to try and scheme from the distance. Her force, however, was lacking by leaps and bounds—just carrying some huge lodges for the innkeeper had been too straining to admit—, and her muscles protested every time she ran any more than fifteen minutes.

Guy, who had come to the same conclusion, worked for a few days on her stamina without even attempting to spar. Her first three days had been nothing but a full-fledged, slave-driving, strenuous routine in which she rose at five sharp in the morning to have breakfast, then run until her breath became fire and beyond —she successfully managed not to puke by the third day after being done with that—.Then there were the push-ups, the katas, the stretching, the respiratory exercises, the meditation, lunch, stretching again, the punching and kicking of dummies —it did wonders to her frustration—, the throwing practice, the equilibrium practice... By the time Guy was through pushing her to her limits, she was exhausted. However, he stayed with her just to make sure she stretched thoroughly so that her limbs weren't cramped by the next morning.

They were anyway, but she didn't complain.

When their day was over, they would meet Kakashi and Sasuke and stride to the hot springs. They were staying at the outskirts of the Ashen Village, in a nice-looking inn where they were meant to meet their client. Instead, they faced a horde of tourists, and it was clear to Sakura that the Ashen Village lacked ninja and means of production but relied heavily on trade. The inn was located on a slope, where the earth was still fertile and water run deep underground. She'd often take a peek at the valley while training, which was supposed to be the village, and wasn't surprised at all to find it as she first saw it in her past life: greyish, ashen… Only not destroyed. Lines upon lines of white buildings melted with the ashes, and she couldn't help but think that the gloomy atmosphere was a bad omen.

Her teammate and senseis usually left her alone to bathe at the girls-only side of the pool, segregated from theirs by a bamboo wall. There, not wanting to waste a single second of her training, she meditated until her fingers wrinkled. Meditating was simple enough, but it was consuming to say the least. If she had anything to compare it to, it'd be like trying to knead the dough: There was a bundle of warm energy at the pit of her stomach, and it needed to stretch along her chakra pathways. Just that exercise alone consumed chakra in itself, so it wasn't as simple as one would initially think. There was a time when Tsunade would pass along the hospital bedridden patients a quiz about how they were being treated. They had never complained about Sakura —though the most difficult patients would sometimes address her rudeness— and, strangely enough, all of then agreed in one thing: 'When she heals me, it feels good, like water and mint.'

"Water and mint..."

Tsunade had laughed at her puzzlement. "Sakura, our chakra has a feeling to it." She'd said. "Like our personalities, it has a sense of its own. I've felt your chakra before, and I can assure you, it does feel good."

And while she was feeling it making its way through her system, she relinquished on the taste of it for the first time. Sakura discovered —not without mirth— that her pathways were feeling fresh, like your throat would feel after chewing on mint. It burned and soothed at the same time. It was pleasant yet intrusive. It lingered.

She tried to picture how her shishou's had felt but, just like a face or a feature, it had vanished along the flow of time.

Sakura exited the warm water, but just as she was about to get out the onsen, her stance wavered. Abruptly, she grasped one of the wooden pillars and held her own weight on it. Had she spent too much time by the heat? It had to be it. That, or she had severely exceeded her chakra reserves. Sakura waited a few seconds before regaining her vision and slowly but surely made her way to her assigned room. She shared it with Sasuke, since they were teammates and was kinda common for genin to share everything. She didn't have the heart to mind, though. This Sasuke wasn't half bad yet. Sure, he was still an asshole, but at least he hadn't passed the point of no return. Just thinking of the psycho freak he was to be… It made a shudder run down her spine.

To her surprise, said soon-to-be psycho was still awake in his own futon. He turned to her, frowning like usual, a question painted on his face. She ignored it royally and propped herself on her own futon, without attempting to cover herself under the mattress or changing into her pajamas. She stayed in her yukata, still mildly wet. It felt good, the night air against her skin. Just when she was about to lull into sleep, somebody cleared their throat.

Sakura turned her head towards Sasuke. He was still frowning. "Hm?"

"Hn. You're acting weird." She guessed it was meant to be a question but sounded more like a statement.

"Hn." At her response, she swore she saw his brow twitch, so she willed herself not to smile.

"Don't mock me."

"I'm not mocking you, Sasuke-kun. I'm just tired."

"I don't mean just today..."

"You mean since the match, don't you?"

"Hn."

"Well, like I said, I had my motives... But I'm grateful." She was met with silence, so she turned to him again, and she found a face contorted by young curiosity. "Had I not met Zaku, I would have probably continued denying reality, like a child. And also, he reminded me of why I'm here."

"Why you're here... You mean the reason you decided to be a shinobi?"

She nodded.

"And why did you?"

"My, my, aren't we talkative tonight, Sasuke-kun? Are you finally showing interest in me?" Sakura made sure her face went according to her faked mellow voice, eyebrows winging and everything, and she got her wanted reaction from her teammate. He flinched, as a cat which had been thrown water, and scowled even deeper.

"As if." He turned his back on her, and that was the end of the conversation. She suppressed a giggle.

"Still predictable and naive, Sasuke. I only I could preserve that a little longer..."

She fell asleep to the thought, picturing a life when he never left and Naruto was truly happy, because he had his brother. She dreamed of two boys training, one of them happily eating his ramen afterwards while the other brooded about being there, never really leaving. She dreamed of a not-so-old grey haired sensei being dragged from the memorial stone and coerced into training by those two —the blonde one doing the dragging and the silent one following close behind—, so that he had an excuse not to be there alone. She dreamt of a blond old maiden, finally giving up and embracing a long-lasting life, giving love a second chance. And then a third and a fourth. And then maybe at the twentieth she would settle for the man she swore she would never fall for. She dreamed of an emotionless painter who eventually met an overly emotional blonde, and she turned into his inspiration because his art was all about feeling. She dreamed of a generation into the future, where the broody man met a woman and they restored a clan, and the rusty compound was suddenly filled with endless children with a fan on their backs, playing with enthusiastic blondes of all ages. And she dreamed of a familiar face, eyes all blue and slightly older, a ray of sunshine above his head, bearing an attire only meant for the Hokage.

And it was a good dream indeed. So good it never crossed her mind the morning afterwards that she never —not once— appeared in it.

…

Side note: As you can see, this entire Ashen Village arc is gonna be part of the series, and it'll cover the month before the final stage of the chunin exams. Hope you liked this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, please leave a comment. If you didn't, please comment as well. I appreciate constructive criticism.

With love,

Rose-Colored Amy.