Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor any of its characters.
Frustration! That's how she felt. How could she not pass the preliminaries for the third round of the Chunin exams? Both Naruto and Sasuke, her teammates, had done it again; they had successfully left her behind. She merely lacked the strength.
The twelve year old pink haired girl walked through the streets of Konoha. Her hair was shorter now than about a month ago before entering the prestigious rank up exams. Even though her crush, Sasuke Uchiha, supposedly liked longer hair, she didn't pay much heed since she had discovered something better than appearances. Resolve. Resolve to sacrifice herself for the sake of her friends.
For once, it was her job to protect her teammates, even at the cost of her life; something that they had been doing for her ever since. Thankfully, she gained allies on her side and with their help, she managed to make it through with her teammates in one piece.
(Flashback)
"Hey, Sakura!" Sakura, who knelt beside her immobile teammates on the ground, looked up to see Shikamaru and his lazy eyes.
"Ah! Shikamaru! Thank you very much for your help. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't gotten here." The girl with a disorganized bunch of pink hair said with all the sincerity that she could muster.
"Don't thank me! Instead, it was your resolve that we, or rather Ino, admired." The incarnation of laziness replied to the girl kneeling beside her comrades. "Having resolve is good and all, but do you have the strength to meet its expectations?"
"What do you mean?"
"Ahh! It's troublesome to explain, but in short, you can't fight a losing battle when you know that you're the last final shield." Shikamaru tried to explain. "A Shinobi who fights with resolve, fights to win. If not, he fights to help his comrades escape or to gather information about the enemy for his comrades who would take him on later…"
"...In short you have to be strong. There! I've said it. Ahh! Troublesome"
(End Flashback)
"The resolve! It's too heavy!" The one named after the cherry blossoms of spring told herself as she approached her house. "Without strength, my resolve is useless. I have to get stronger to protect my friends."
Sakura had just reached her front door, thinking out loud placing out her arms in front of her when her mother appeared from behind her.
"Sakura? Are you okay? You've been standing there for a while!" Mebuki Haruno, Sakura's mother, looked around for any signs of people. "Is there someone you're talking to?"
This Genin in particular had immense trouble sitting with her parents to discuss her personal matters let alone Shinobi issues. Her mother always yelled at her for each and every thing she did wrong whereas her father always seemed to see reality as a big joke; for he could not say a single statement without making a joke or a language pun.
"No, mom! Nothing's wrong!" The cherry blossom, with an excuse for a smile, replied. "I'm very fine!"
No more than a mother can recognize something called a fake smile. The girl had battled any matter related to Shinobis without much difficulty, of course only during the pre-Genin days. After graduation, she was faced with so many irregularities that she began to question the very syllabus. In short, the difference between the real world and the books was massive.
"Sakura! You can talk to me!" Mebuki touched her daughter's shoulder and rubbed it. "I only want the best for you."
"I said nothing's… nothing's…" the poor girl couldn't help but break down in tears. Her mother pulled her into a deep hug. She let it all out without restraint. She couldn't hear herself despite the loud sniffs and gasps of air she let out.
•••
"Pathetic, aren't I? I've been calling myself a Kunoichi, yet I can still show my emotions this visibly!"
Sakura sat at the dining table with her mother across.
"And you intend to hide them from me! Ha! Sakura, I'm your mother." Mebuki fired back. "So, what's the problem?"
Sakura almost bit her lip in frustration. " I'm not strong enough! I'm always protected by Naruto and Sasuke-Kun. But when it comes to my turn to protect them, I fear that I might fail them. Besides, I don't want to be left behind. I want to become a Kunoichi who can fight beside them."
Mebuki totally understood what she meant. She folded her arms in frustration that she couldn't help as much. Her daughter competed with the other students at the academy from noble families and managed to best most of them which made her proud, but the reality nonetheless didn't take too long to surface.
"Sakura, I believe that you can do it. Look back at the days of the academy, eh! Best kunoichi of your year, right? I'm sure you can even become the best kunoichi in Konoha some day." Mebuki talked to her daughter with a calm voice. "What you've done so far, I've never been able to do. That's why I look at you with pride and Kami knows how I'd feel if you gave up."
"Just keep on to that feeling, and get stronger!" Mebuki continued. "For the sake of your friends, rise! Don't give up!"
Sakura widened her eyes as she absorbed her mother's words. Tears trickled down the young girl. She tried so hard to stop them, but no! They wanted out.
"Sakura? What's wrong?"
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" A large genuine smile appeared on her face. "I'm just happy. Let's keep it at that."
"I'm home!" The door opened immediately and a knock was heard revealing a man with uniquely styled dull pink hair. "What did I miso? Got it? Because we'll be having miso tonight!"
The newcomer gallantly laughed at his own terrible joke, earning a disinterested glare from his other family members.
"Nothing! Just saying that this time we're all going to cook together." Before anyone could retort to that, Mebuki added. "And I'm not receiving any complaints."
"What's the occasion?" Kizashi Haruno looked over to his daughter who simply shrugged.
"Anyone who refuses will not get dinner." Mebuki's remark made both Sakura and Kizashi rush in the kitchen while laughing to their uttermost.
Mebuki was glad at the sight that she hadn't seen for a long time in her family. However, something else pained her heart.
Whether I've sent my daughter to a bright future or a suicidal one, I simply told her what she needed to hear. May Kami guide her way. I only wish the best for her.
•••
"Sakura!!! Wake up!!!"
The pink haired girl could only groan while twisting herself in bed. It was a routine for her to hear her mother's call every morning. It annoyed her to no end since she always wanted to sleep for longer.
Ugh! And here I thought mom was cool for a moment. The girl thought as she lifted the blanket to cover her head.
The golden morning light could be seen through the window, though most of it was trapped by the thick curtain.
"Chotto, Sakura!!! Wake up!!! It's late already."
"Hai, Coming!" Sakura rubbed her eyes as she sat up on her bed. She scanned her room as a habit and caught a blurry sight of something unusual. Rubbing her eyes again, the Cherry blossom saw a man lying unconscious in her bedroom.
"Wha—?"
Flinching back in shock she wondered who that man was and finally concluded that she didn't know him. He was a young adult, possibly in his early twenties with short blonde hair, a black top and orange pants. Judging from his hitai-ate, he was a Konoha ninja.
Who is th—
"Chotto, Sakura! Hurry up and—"
"I said I'm coming, SHANNARO!"
Sakura sat beside the bed that the stranger in her room was on in the hospital. She had come to check on Hinata who had been savagely wounded by her cousin out of beef for the head family of the Hyuga. The nurses had told her that nothing was wrong with him, no external wounds or any sightings of mental damage.
Suddenly the man jumped into a sitting position yelling someone's name, clutching nothing but air in front of him.
"Kuramaaaa!"
"Oh! Thank goodness! You're awake."
"Sakura-Ch—"
Huh! Does he know me? Sakura wondered as she eyed the man suspiciously.
•••
What the heck is going on? Why is Sakura-Chan small and young? The young adult thought in confusion. Genjutsu? No! Kurama should have seen through it!
"Excuse me, mister! Who are you? And how do you know me? Depending on your answer, I might have to report you; as a stalker, that is." Sakura spoke out to the blonde.
"What? A stalker? You don't know who I am? And besides, why do you look like that? Did you use Baa-Chan's Jutsu to reverse your age by that much?" Naruto asked while poking her cheek.
"Stop that! It's annoying!" Sakura said as she slapped the man's palm. "One last chance. Answer my questions. Who are you and how do you know me?"
"Sakura-Chan? So you have amnesia. We have just seen each other a while ago. But why do you look like that?"
"Look like what? Is that your way of saying that I'm ugly?" The interrogator's eyes turned glowing red. An angry tick surfaced on her forehead as she held her fists up against Naruto.
"N-no! That's n-not it, 'ttebayo." Naruto closed his eyes to protect himself from any possible loose punches.
"That's it! I'm going to report you to the ANBU." Sakura rushed towards the door as Naruto yelled out her name, telling her to wait.
Hardly had she slid the door open when a man in a black hooded cloak outside the room grabbed her by the waist and held her mouth to prevent her from screaming before disappearing from sight.
"Sakura-Chan!!!" Naruto yelled out as he rushed to the door, not making it in time.
Placing a clone in the hospital room to collect natural energy, he searched manually through the hall until shortly after when he entered Sage Mode.
At the third training ground, huh! I'm coming, Sakura-Chan!
"Sakura Haruno! Who knew that the strongest medical ninja in the world was once this weak. Tell me your ways." The rough voiced man mocked his captive as he removed his hood to show his scarred face.
They stood by the river passing through the training grounds. Sakura started breathing fast and her heartbeat picked up the pace too. She thought of screaming out for Sasuke-Kun or Kakashi-Sensei who were training somewhere far away. Her thoughts came back to Naruto who was training too… but she couldn't see herself calling Naruto of all people.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Sakura swallowed her nervousness leaving a confident mask as expected of a Shinobi.
"Me! Let's say that I'm your executioner, Jun Akira, even though you don't deserve to know my name. I've waited for this for a long time." The man grew a smirk on his face that sent chills down the pre-teenage girl.
"What did I ever do to you?" The female Genin asked him. I've got to buy time. Someone might—
"Sadly I cannot answer all your questions, let's get this over with." Jun said as he entered his fighting stance with his short sword. "This'll be an easy kill considering the fact that you're not yet that strong."
This is bad! My body! I can't move… I can't move... MOVE, Sakura!!!! The girl was so intimidated by the man's presence that she stayed rooted at the one lllace. She watched in horror as her attacker sped towards her.
Somebody! Somebody, please… Help! Sakura thought in desperation, shaking all over. Unconsciously, though logically, she called out to the person with the highest chance of responding to her call of distress.
"NARUTOOO!!!"
Two metals hitting each other was what she heard next. She had closed her eyes, bracing for impact, having a kunai in her arms. Had her kunai taken a chance to connect?
Slowly opening her eyes, the blonde man that she had talked to in the hospital, stood right in front of her, blocking Jun's attack with his own kunai. The two parties then separated backwards from each other, sending themselves hateful glances.
"Don't worry Sakura-Chan. I won't allow him to lay his hands on you." The wide smile of the blond could be seen as he tilted his head partly to the side. Sakura couldn't help but recognize that particular smile.
"Naru..to?"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto made five clones that stood in front of him. Jun, on seeing the number of his opponents, got a scroll and summoned a rope completely made of wire strings. He allowed his chakra to flow through them allowing them to behave against the laws of physics.
Two clones ran towards Jun with their kunai aiming for the flanks, one on each side. The remaining three attacked head on in an aeroplane formation. Suddenly, Jun whipped his rope around himself covering a maximum radius of around five metres. The clones at the flanks parried the metallic rope that continuously grazed their kunai creating sparks at the point of contact.
Meanwhile, the three clones continued their approach straight to the scar faced man in a triangle form. Since the two clones at the wings kept the rope occupied, the ones in the middle would have less resistance when getting nearer, or so they thought.
"Hmm!" The revenger gave a triumphant smirk.
Two more ropes of the same make emerged from the Shinobi at the center of the field, one of them stretching out towards the middle replication team and the other assisting the rope on his left. The ropes violently whipped on all sides causing the fake Narutos to acrobatically dodge and parry continuously. It wasn't long when all but one clone disappeared from view. The remaining clone managed to find his way to Jun. He pierced the enemy in the belly with a kunai only to feel nothing but metal.
"Try again!" Jun scoffed before eliminating the clone with his own ninja sword.
"W-What is that?" Sakura gazed in shock, thinking that her savior had won only to see his kunai bounce off of Akira's body.
"Don't tell me that the hero of the fourth great ninja war, the strongest ninja in the world, cannot overcome a simple me." The man with a scar across his face grinned evilly.
"I just want to give you breathing space, and possibly teach you how to fight, 'ttebayo." The tall blonde closed his eyes in utter seriousness. "Now explain to me, what is going on?"
"You're not that smart, are you?"
"I just need confirmation!"
"Then, where do you think we are?"
(Flashback)
'What is Kakashi-Sensei thinking? The stone has moved into his hands!' In the sixth Hokage's office, Naruto thought as he stood on guard, waiting for his Sensei's order. 'I can feel chakra welling up in the stone!'
"Time Travel, huh?" Kakashi exclaimed, totally catching Naruto totally off guard.
'What is Kakashi-Sensei thinking about now? How is that related to—'
"As expected of the genius Hokage. To figure it out with so little evidence. However, my plans remain unchanged." The infiltrator added more chakra to the stone, increasing the brightness in the room drastically.
'What in the world is going on?' Naruto looked at both parties who were being enveloped by the white light. 'Ah! Forget it! I'll just contain him before he does anything dangerous! That's what I can do for now!'
Naruto paced ahead towards the present danger. 'I'll act accordingly when I'm given the order.'
"Naruto!!! Naruto!! Protect Sakura!" Kakashi shouted out.
"Sakura-Chan?" The blond in action turned back immediately on hearing the order. 'Has something happened to her?'
Hardly had he done so when his surroundings turned so white that he couldn't make out anything else. The light was very blinding, but he pushed through nonetheless to get to where his teammate was.
It was impossible. Naruto felt his head crack. He felt his eyes burning so much from exposure to the light that he thought he had awakened a doujutsu. His consciousness faded without him knowing, only having heard something like "that idiot" from his friend, Shikamaru.
(End Flashback)
"It's all clear now."
"Hmm! It seems you're smarter than I thought." Jun replied. "Call me what you want. I'll have my revenge."
The air around them changed; a purely suffocating clash of chakra and emotion. The sentiment of anger, yet love. A rising feeling of bloodthirst, yet a need of protection lurked right behind it. The clash of emotions convinced the young blond to have a reason to eliminate the enemy, that was for the love and protection of his friends.
"You bastard! How low can you get?" Naruto barked at his enemy at hand.
His irises turned glowing red and his pupils reduced into slits. The pebbles around him levitated in the air. The birds in the trees escaped from the area, before becoming like their fallen comrades who dropped from the immense pressure.
•••
Naruto! Relax!
Thank Kami that Kurama was his friend, otherwise he would have used that kind of opportunity to feed his chakra into the seal —which was already open by the way— so that he could weaken it further, making his jail break day closer.
I don't remember you wanting to kill Sasuke because he intended to demolish the village.
But Kurama! He's… Naruto lost what to say against his furry friend.
He's like Sasuke! Show him a better path. Just like you did for Nagato.
Hehe! Thanks Kurama! I can't believe you're saying all this.
Thanks to my jailor here! I feel like we've exchanged places.
For real!
You would have to reduce your killing intent. You little friend there is shivering to the bone.
Ah!! SAKURA-CHAN!!
•••
Menacing, threatening, ominous, sinister! Every word that depicted the worst nightmares on earth or myth described what everybody felt. What monster had come to the Genin's rescue? Even a monster in his presence seeks death as an escape.
Great job, Naruto! Now Sakura-Chan is scared of you. The blond young adult sarcastically told himself.
The pink haired girl had lost all strength to stand. She shivered profusely as she crossed her arms to grab her elbows. Her lower lip vibrated about its position no matter how much she tried to stop it. She exhaled large gasps of air.
"Sakura-Chan! Are you o—?"
Hardly had he made a step when she wriggled back on all fours. The pressure had ceased quite a while ago, but his past teammate was still scared of him. Her shaking increased so much that the blond could hear breaks within her breathing.
"Hey, Sakura-Ch— "
Before he could complete, he witnessed the poor girl holding a kunai, shaking like a woodpecker's beak on a meal. Tears rushed down her cheeks, aware of the evident danger.
"Haha! Seems that the little pinkette is scared of her savior." Jun cackled at the sight of comedy he witnessed. "I don't mind if you come to me for protection."
"Don't get full of yourself, 'tebbayo!"
"And what'll happen, eh? Devastate me like those gods you fought in the war. You and your friends think by defeating the being that threatened the whole elemental nations made you a hero for all and everyone went ahead to forgive your former acts." The man, drunk from the cup of revenge, roared. "Well, no!! At least not me. Haruno Sakura, the girl who killed my wife in cold blood shall definitely die by my hands."
"I give you my word. If you even graze her skin, I'll give you a taste of what those gods that you hear of, experienced." Naruto crossed his fingers readying for his favorite technique.
"Then I'll have to kill her the first chance that I get. I don't care if I die later."
"Shadow clone Jutsu!"
Naruto called forth five clones just like last time. Two clones flanked Akira, one on each side and the remaining three made a head on approach. Jun brought out all three ropes at once this time.
"It seems that you never learn! Just bring out that beastly power you showed us there."'
This time round, one of the center clones moved towards Jun's left. In the center, there remained two who approached Akira in a zigzag way.
Instead of parrying the metallic ropes, all the clones sliced through them like they were made of butter. None of the ropes even grazed him because of the high speed he exhibited. Jun's right flank was completely dominated by one clone and his weaker left by two of them. One of the clones in the center reached close to him again that terrified Jun greatly.
He'll definitely stab me this time. Akira thought, remembering how easily he cut through his ropes.
Jun leapt back only to notice a smirk on the clone infront of him.
Bastard! He planned all this!
Another clone shot out of the ground and waited behind him. Akira grunted and turned midair to face the new threat that had appeared to his rear. He brought his ninja sword towards the clone's neck. The Naruto look alike dodged back, made a backward somersault and kicked his sword out of his hand.
"Ahh! Damn you fre—"
Before he could finish his statement, the Naruto behind him on his right slid and tackled his right knee, sending him kneeling on the same knee.
"U—"
The one in front of him appeared right in front of him, gave him a good kick beneath his chin and sent him a good distance upwards.
"Zu—"
The next one sommer saluted in front of the first and leapt to his current height, giving him a knee to his stomach sending him farther up.
"Ma—"
Two clones launched one other in the air, consequently spearing him in the gut.
"Ki!"
The final boss flew atop the brown haired man. Before he gave his final hit, Akira released his rope that wrapped tightly around him.
"Not this time!" Jun grunted as he fell from the sky with his captive.
"Think again! Chronicles should always have a befitting ending, Dattebayo!" The captive spoke up before disappearing in a plume of smoke.
Another Naruto showed up behind the smoke with an axe kick already in motion.
"Naruto Ninja Chronicles..."
Akira tanked the full force of the kick on his shoulder that almost sent him unconscious. Not allowing himself to lose, he shot out yet another segment of rope towards Naruto, who slipped to the side dodging it in the process.
Naruto grabbed the thick metal wire, pulled him back up just before he hit the ground and formed a Rasengan in his other hand within a fraction of a second.
"... Version 2: Rasengan!"
The blue ball of violent whirling chakra on his hands sent Akira back down the ground with lethal spinning force, unraveling all the strings of metal wire on his abdomen and forcing its way into his flesh as well.
Akira couldn't do any better other than spit blood and bleed from his belly. He lay nigh unconscious in a miniature crater below him.
"Y-you! Why.. didn't you… fight like this... from the... get... go?" Akira asked him with difficulty.
"I only fought you at your level! If I accidentally killed you, I would have no way back home." Naruto declared as he stood above him in triumph. "Now tell me! How do we get back?"
"I-I'm… not… telling y—"
"SAKURA-CHAN!!!"
The defeated man was interrupted by an annoying loud sound. For the first time, Naruto thought of something as annoying.
"Who the heck is—" Naruto's eyes widened in shock at the sight.
"SAKURA-CHAN!!! Are you okay! I heard you call me. Did you feel that gloomy aura? What's up, Dattebayo?" A short blond boy with spiky hair, wearing an orange jumpsuit with matching trousers approached the pink haired girl, who was at least relieved to see someone that they recognized.
That's me? That's me! The older Naruto looked back at the commotion behind him revealing his past image.
"Oi! Sakura...Chan? You're crying? What happened, Dattebayo?" The pre-teenage blond worryingly asked his teammate.
"Nothing, Naruto. Don't worry ab—" Sakura said only to cut off her statement in a late realization.
Dattebayo? Sakura pondered. Of course she'd heard the verbal tick a number of times but not much intently for a long time. The young Naruto has used it so much that listening to it was nothing special.
"IS THAT THE GUY WHO MADE YOU CRY?" The younger Naruto pointed at his older self in fury. "YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO TO SAKURA-CHAN! "
The little Naruto ran towards the large blonde, only to be stopped by a hand in front of him. An ANBU operative knelt in front of him and faced him saying, " Leave this to us, Uzumaki-Kun."
"EH! Why?" The small Naruto cried out. "He made Sakura-Chan cry. Wait, is he an enemy?"
"That's a secret!"
The ANBU? The future Naruto shot an alarming look to his little self and the masked man beside him. I'm officially in cow dung, 'tebbayo!
"You are needed by Lord Third. If you do not comply, we shall retaliate assuming you're an enemy of the leaf despite your possession of a konoha hitai-ate." One of the four ANBU surrounding him alerted.
Hokage-Jiji?
"I'll comply! Let's get going." Naruto turned to face the kids when his smaller self started wriggling in pain.
"Arghh! It hurts~!! ARGHH!!"
The boy went on his knees, crying with his loudest voice. His irises showed a fluctuating change in blue and red colors. Little Naruto finally fell on his belly, unconscious.
"Naruto!!!" Sakura mustered all her strength towards her teammate. She knelt in front of him, on one knee holding a kunai in her hand.
"Why are you doing this to him? Just leave!"
The big blond didn't know what to feel. He wanted to be happy since his younger self had someone who cared about him, but also at the same time, there were those kinds of eyes that haunted him, that showed him that he used to be loved by none.
The four ANBU brought their ninja swords to the blond's neck menacingly. The Uzumaki clad in a black top placed his hands up, a signal that he hadn't done anything, nor did he mean any harm.
"What did you do to him?" The leader of the squadron of assassins questioned Naruto.
"Nothing!"
"Stop deceiving! There's certainly someth—"
"Can we go already? I thought that was your mission to take me to the Hokage." Naruto spoke out with intention to leave the two kids, since the outlash of the boy was due to his mere presence.
Oh Kami, Kurama! You were such a pain back then! Naruto thought as he left in the entourage of the four ANBUs, leaving one behind to help out the kids.
Hmm! Blame it on that Snake's sorcery on your seal.
But it's still your rampage!
The large furry fox didn't reply this time, but just grunted. Within a few minutes, they had already reached the Hokage tower.
With a hand signal from the old man who sat in his chair facing the window, all the ANBU present in the room disappeared without a trace.
"What a period it's been for me!" The old man started the conversation while still looking through his window. Naruto, for starters, remained quiet.
"Organizing the Chunnin exams, with a homicidal brat participating." Naruto flinched at the statement, but the man kept going. "One who hears ghosts that tell him to eliminate, justifying his murders.
"Orochimaru decides to attack one of my Genin, marking him in the process with a painful seal."
The old man turned his seat slowly, the legendary pipe coming from his mouth. Most of his face was shielded by the Hokage hat.
"I then receive information about a band of misfits trying to capture his teammate for the sake of, as they dubbed it, peace!" The Third's voice became more fierce by the second.
"And now, you! You masquerade into Konoha with her prestigious hitai-ate, to hunt down the female teammate of the former. You and your crazy sidekick out there."
Naruto swallowed a huge lump of saliva! When exactly had he ever seen this man so angry? He possibly wouldn't forget this.
"And then you finally threaten my village by summoning a looming bloodthirst over the whole place." Lord Hiruzen stood up, walked to the side of his desk and raised his eyes to meet the blond's in his presence. He placed his pipe that he always had, in his hands.
Fury! Simply fury emanated from the old man. Just like any other Kage, Hiruzen did not treat any malice against his village, Konoha lightly. The presence that he had felt earlier was greater than anything that he had ever felt, actually reminding him of the day of the nine tails attack on the village.
"I'm giving you one chance to explain yourself." The Hokage spoke to the blond man. "I know that you're a Jinchuriki, so you can skip that part. What I want to know is why you give off the same presence as my precious child."
"Like you said, Hokage-Sama! I'm a Jinchuriki." Naruto spoke up, realising who he meant.
"Don't play games with me, kid! I've met the Jinchuriki of the Sand, the Bloody Mist and of the Cloud and believe me when I tell you that they all give off different auras."
The elderly man didn't leave any room for crappy responses. He wanted the reason, in its truth.
"So I'll give you another chance to explain yourself…
…Why are you so similar to Naruto?"
(And cut!
Hey guys,
This is chapter 2, please review. I need to see whether I'm going in the right direction.
I have the major events in check but I feel like the story could be too short just from writing only those. So I'm working on brainstorming the middle parts of it.
However, please tell me about your thoughts on my premise and what you expect to see as well, as it might give me some ideas.
This is all from me for now.
Peace Comrades!)