Chapter 1: The door opens again.

Akatsuki was tired of seeing their plan to catch the remaining tailed beasts falling through. Pain's last attack on Konoha was unsuccessful as Naruto Uzumaki defeated him and Konan. But the worst part was that Nagato offered his life to revive all the victims in the village. Luckily, Konoha was still affected by the aftermath of the battle, and it will take some time to recover from it.

The other headache for the leader of Akatsuki was that they were a little low on their numbers. After Itachi's death and Konan's defection, only Kisame and Zetsu were still alive from the original group. They had Sasuke and his group as allies, but they failed in their mission to capture the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

Akatsuki couldn't continue this path and its current leader knew it really well. Tobi, who pretended to be Madara Uchiha for the rest of the world.

"This isn't enough. There are only two-tailed beasts left and we can capture them. We can't be this pathetic" told Tobi to Zetsu

"Maybe some external help could be useful in this case, Madara"

"Absolutely. But, there is no one around that can fight face-to-face against the Uzumaki kid. Nagato gave up and I had to get rid of Konan. Sasuke is the only one with the strength and will to do it, nonetheless, they will end up killing each other".

"It's too bad that there isn't another Sasuke to fight Naruto," said Zetsu sitting on the floor of the cave.

Tobi walked around the cave that worked as their hideout, trying to come up with a plan. At that moment, an intense red light shined from a bookshelf. It was a red crystal sphere. But it wasn't any particular object. That sphere was the catalysis used to send Naruto and Sakura to the other dimension. That memory gave Tobi a good idea.

"Maybe we don't need another Sasuke. Instead, we need another jinchuriki of the Kyuubi".

"What do you mean?"

"In the world where I sent Naruto with my Sharingan, there is a powerful opponent for him. He is capable of causing huge havoc where he goes. He is worthy of being an Akatsuki."

"But that world doesn't exist. You created with your Sharingan and the Tsukuyomi."

"You are wrong. My Sharingan allowed me to send objects to other dimensions and this sphere increased my powers and range. However, Tsukuyomi didn't create that world. That dimension was already out there and it is time for us to return there.

Far away from Konoha, Team Kakashi was on a simple mission compared to what they have faced recently. The mission was to deliver a scroll to a feudal lord in a neutral location. The team was only Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura. Yamato and Sai were helping with the reconstruction of the village. The villagers sought Captain Yamato to work with the construction team.

Before Kakashi went to the hotel where the lord was, he told Naruto and Sakura to take a break for a few hours. Kakashi noted a change in his students' behavior since the day that Madara attack them in the village. Since that day, Naruto seems nostalgic with his mind in another place. Meanwhile, Sakura was looking for a way to talk with the blond as if something bad had happened between them. Also, the pink-haired girl was in a family mood as she tried to return home faster to spend more time with her parents. Sakura didn't mention her parents a lot, but now they were a recurring topic in their conversations.

Kakashi's experience was telling him that those two were hiding something. However, Kakashi remembered the day when Sakura confessed her feeling to Naruto. Maybe they didn't have time to discuss what happened then, but this was a topic too personal to tell their sensei about it.

What Kakashi ignored was that he didn't know the full effects of the battle that Naruto and Sakura had with Madara. Since that day, the blond had dreams about having his mom and dad in his day-to-day life. He dreamed about how his life would have been if they were still alive. He imagined experiencing what he saw in the family photo album. Naruto knew that he had a family of his own with Iruka-sensei, Tsunade, and his friends. But the nostalgia about those days with Kushina and Minato didn't leave yet. The only person that could understand him now was Sakura Haruno.

For Sakura, she learned from this experience to treasure more what she took for granted. She felt bad every time she saw Naruto sad. She knew that he was hiding his feeling all the time. However, she knew that the journey in the other dimension had deeply affected the blond. Before her kidnap, Sakura was ready to sacrifice her happiness and her chance to return. It was worth it if that mean that Naruto was going to be happy. If someone deserved the best, it was her blond baka.

When Kakashi told them about their break, Sakura noted how Naruto walked away with his head down. In the last few days, Naruto avoided talking with his friends or even Sakura, except if it was necessary. Additionally, Naruto and Sakura promise to not tell anyone about what happened in the other dimension. They thought that no one would believe them and that it wasn't necessary. Sakura ran to reach the blond before he escaped between some trees.

"Naruto, wait a sec!" said Sakura seeing how Naruto turned around and a small shine of happiness appeared on his face.

"I always like how Naruto smiles when he sees us" commented the Inner Sakura and Sakura followed up with a simple.

"Not now!"

"Hi, Sakura-chan. What is going on, dattebayo?"

"Just wanted to talk a bit with you if you don't mind?" said Sakura as both of them walked together until they saw a near bench to rest.

"What do you want to talk about?" asked Naruto a little more excited than usual, which draw a smile on the face of the Inner Sakura.

"I saw you acting strange recently. You have not been acting like usual since…that battle with the Masked man. You know that if you want to talk, you can always count on me no matter what and whenever you need it. It's the least I can do after being by my side and saving me all this time. I don't like to see melancholic" said Sakura showing genuine concern for the blond ninja.

Naruto was happy to see that Sakura cared about his well-being even if the ghost of that false confession still lurked in his memories. Sakura was still one of the most valuable people in his life, and it felt good to remember that Sakura still care for him. Noticing that they were alone, he asked the pink-haired girl.

"Do you still think about that world, Sakura-chan?"

"Being completely honest…yes. It has been a little bit more than 3 weeks since Madara created that illusion. However, it seems so real. It was the perfect genjutsu."

"Yes. It showed our deepest wishes. Sakura-chan, I had been dreaming about that world almost every night. It is getting harder for me to remember that was place was false and I have been asking myself: And if it was real?"

"Sorry, Naruto. I don't think so. When I was their prisoner, Madara told me that world a genjutsu" mentioned Sakura putting a hand over Naruto's shoulder.

"I wish it was real. I liked that I have parents, even for a few moments" mentioned Naruto looking sorrowfully at the sky.

"They were incredible, Naruto. Maybe they were not the real ones. But I believe that your true parents will behave and love you as much as them" mentioned Sakura trying to cheer his friend.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan. I want to clear my head a little bit, see you later"

Naruto stood up and walked away. He needed some time to overcome his experience in the fake Konoha as well as to understand his true feelings for Sakura. The sage mode told him that Sakura lied, but she didn't do it all the time. There was some truth in her words. It didn't help for his feelings being next to Sakura all this time and he couldn't decide what to do.

A girl was walking peacefully through the streets of Konoha. The village was recovering from the repercussions of the last attack that they suffer. The center of the village was still the most damaged area, but luckily the residential area didn't suffer a lot. However, some people still died that day and many were still in the hospital.

When she returned from her mission, she was deeply affected by the magnitude of the damages. Nonetheless, she knew that the only way to out of this problem was to work hard in the rebuilding and help those in need. It was the least she can do, as many expected a lot from her. In the end, she was the daughter of a Hokage and her name was Sakura Haruno.

Sakura was returning home after her shift in the hospital and a quick visit to the orphanage to play with the kids. She was tired, but she wanted to see someone else.

Finally, there was some peace for everyone in Konoha as the number 1 enemy, the Masked Man was defeated. What only a few people knew was the identity of the Masked Man. Even she didn't know about it until a few days ago when she went to the Hokage office to check about the moon scroll. In that place, two of the most important ninjas of Konoha told her the secret. They made her promise to keep the secret, even if it was hard to believe.

His best friend, who disappeared, was the Masked Man that destroyed Konoha.

According to what they told her, a strange man corrupted his best friend's body and mind using a dark chakra. Thanks to the work of two mysterious travelers that they were able to stop his friend and turned him back to normal.

Sakura shook her head to stop thinking about the Masked Man when she arrived at the Namikaze-Uzumaki household. She knocked on the door a couple times until a really familiar face for Sakura welcomed her.

"Sakura-chan! Glad to see you again, dattebane" answered Kushina Uzumaki, Menma's mother, inviting her to enter.

"Good afternoon, Kushina-san. How has he been today?" Sakura mentioned a little bit of worry about her friend.

When Kushina heard the question of the heroes' daughter, the redhead lost all her happiness and cheerfulness. Kushina guided the pink-haired ninja to the living room and both of them sit there.

"He has some good days, but he still doesn't want to go out of his room. At night, he still has nightmares and wakes up screaming. At least, they are less often." Kushina mentioned noticing how sad and worried Sakura was looking.

"Kushina-san, is there any problem if I talked with him? I would like to see if he wants to walk with me around the village.

"No, sure. Go ahead. Both of two has been together since you were little, you don't need to ask my permission. Don't lose time with me" said Kushina recovering her enthusiasm. While the pink-haired advanced to her boy's room, Kushina thought:

"I trust in you, Sakura. If someone can help him overcome this experience, it has to be you. Also, it's clear like water that you and Menma shared a REALLY special bond.

Menma was hiding in his room. He didn't want to go out as every damaged building, and every injured citizen reminded Menma of the destruction that he made while he was using the mask. It was his hands the one tainted with blood despite he wasn't in control of his body. He was responsible for the deaths and the pain that many suffer, especially his family. What was worst for him was that he killed his godfather, Jiraiya. Thinking about the Toad sage and what he did while using the mask was restraining him when he was training. To make it worst, those nightmares could resurge if he went on a mission.

Menma reacted when he heard a couple of knocks on his door and said "Come in". Instead of seeing her mom or dad, there was his favorite pink-haired kunoichi.

"Hi Menma"

"Sakura-chan, what are you doing here?" answer back the blond completely surprised of seeing Sakura in his room.

"Well…if you don't want me here, I can let you alone forev…"

"No, no, no…don't get me wrong…I didn't mean that, dattebayo" said quickly Menma making Sakura chuckle.

"Haha, I know. I'm just messing with you. You should know it by now since this has happened since we were little kids" said Sakura causing Menma to laugh a bit

"Menma, wanna go out with me?" said Sakura bluntly. After seeing the huge blush on Menma's face, she had to clarify as she was as red as a tomato, like the blond boy.

"I mean to go out to talk. I haven't seen you since the incident. When I came to visit you, your mom told me you were feeling unwell." said Sakura playing a bit with her hair without looking straight into the eyes to hide her flush "So what do you say? Maybe we can go for ramen…"

Going out with the pink-haired shinobi and ramen was enough to make the blond get up from his bed.

Sakura and Menma went out quickly, which made Kushina really happy as finally, his son got out of his room. Both ninjas went to Ichiraku first, however, they had to hide for a few minutes. The reason was a certain dangerous, sharp-tongued, and violent girl that also loved Menma. Also known as Hinata Hyuga. If Hinata saw those two together, they will be in a huge problem and maybe won't escape unscratched.

"That was close, Sakura"

"Too close for my taste. You don't have to worry about her, at least she would have dragged you all over the village to her house. Instead for me, she would want to kill slowly and painfully as a warning for every girl in the village."

"Haha you are overreacting, Sakura-chan," said Menma. But after seeing the seriousness on Sakura's face, he thought it was best to just quietly nod in agreement. Sakura was a good and nice girl all the time; however, when she was angry, Sakura can be as scary as his mother.

After eating an order of ramen, both ninjas decided to go to the training grounds. That was the only quiet place in Konoha in those days. That area was empty as all the ninja corps helping with the reconstruction of the village. Menma sat on the ground and leaned against a tree, after that Sakura sat next to him.

"You don't have to lie, Sakura."

"What do you mean?"

"You have never been a good liar, or let me change it, I always find out when you do it. You want to ask me how I felt. Come on, my mom saying that I'm "unwell" is just as probable as Kiba loving the dogs" commented Menma making Sakura sigh.

"I wasn't lying about being worried about you and that we are friends, right?" said the pink-haired girl making both of them laugh

"Of course, I know Sakura-chan, dattebayo."

"Menma, I don't know what happen while I was away looking for clues about the scroll. I only know what your parents told me after all they have taken care of me since my parents…" Sakura was talking with sadness in her voice until she felt Menma hand over her own.

"Thank you, Menma. I believe that you were not capable of doing those things"

Sakura waited a couple of seconds to hear her best friend answer. Nonetheless, Menma was looking down to the ground with his face full of shame and grief. He was trying to find a way to tell her the truth as she was the only one that didn't see him as that devil.

"Sakura-chan. It's true. I was the Masked Man. I did all those terrible things"

"Menma listen to me. Your parents told me about what they saw that day. You were not responsible, someone used you. You are good. And, if someone knows really well about it, it has to be me" said Sakura while she was trying to make eye contact with Menma.

"Even if I was under the control of someone else, I still do it. I killed Jiraiya with my own hands, I attacked the Hokage, my parents, and the village. If it wasn't for those travelers, I don't know what I could have done"

Menma was trying to hold his tears, but some of them escaped in the end. He felt Sakura releasing his hand and he thought that she was afraid of him. But then Menma opened his eyes wide open when Sakura hugged him tight and rested her head over his shoulder. Menma's heart was beating faster but he felt how Sakura lifted a small part of his guilt over his shoulder. Menma and Sakura kept the hug for a few minutes, they felt comfortable being with each other this way.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan, I really need this. You know…the only thing that I'm glad is one thing"

"What?"

"That I never hurt you while I was using the mask. If I did that, I will never forgive myself"

"I didn't think that we were that important for Menma." Sakura thought really surprised.

"Finally, you realized about it. I was always right" replied the Inner Sakura.

"Now that I helped you, you can clarify something for me. Who were those travelers?" Your parents didn't find a proper way to describe them, only they mentioned that they were around our age. A boy and a girl, who were brave and capable. They seemed nervous when they described them." mentioned Sakura to Menma while she returned to her place without releasing Menma's hand.

"You won't believe and I don't want to sound crazy. Maybe it was the effect of that dark chakra"

"Menma, I had seen you made a lot of crazy stuff in your life. Nothing can surprise me, believe me".

"Ok, I think I saw those travelers in my nightmares. They were us. They looked exactly like you and me, they could pass as our twins."

"Look like us?" answer back Sakura recalling a past experience "Menma, I believe you".

"Really, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes. When I was out on my mission, a strong light pulled me into a void. I think that I had some amnesia so everything was a bit blurry. However, I remember something really well. When I returned to the village, I saw everyone whom I think they were our friends. They seem physically exactly like our friends, but they act and dressed completely differently. I remember an extrovert Ino that dressed just as provocatively as Hinata. But the most important difference was that my parents were alive." said Sakura showing Menma his cherry blossom necklace that belonged to his dad.

"He even had my pendant"

"Sakura-chan, but your parents…"

Menma stopped talking when he and Sakura heard someone clapping in the shadows.

"That was a pleasant surprise. Congratulation on returning from the other dimension. It seems that I wasn't the only one that did it. Hope you remind me, Menma".

Menma and Sakura stood up when they heard that voice. In front of them, was the man responsible for creating the Masked Man. The leader of Akatsuki in Naruto's world, Tobi, or as he called himself, Madara Uchiha.

It took me a lot of time to translate the first chapter as I had to change my laptop for a PC and install everything back. Hope you enjoyed the story and leave a comment about what you think. I'm not a native English speaker so maybe there could some translation issues but you can let me know to take it into consideration for the next chapters. Also, if you want to read it in Spanish, I have that version in my profile with more chapters there.