Boruto Uzumaki hurried home in a slight panic. Running past villagers and shouting apologies, he finally made it to the place where he could jump on the roofs. He was late to dinner! If he didn't slide through the door within the next five minutes, his mom was going to kill him. Or worse, pull the disappointment card.

Seeing his house in the distance, Boruto sprinted to the finish line. Opening the door, he quickly checked the clock. 7:29. One minutes to spare. He fist pumped into the air.

Mission accomplished.

"Boruto?" His mother questioned from the kitchen.

"I'm home!" yelled Boruto as he quickly took of his shoes.

Hinata appeared into the front hall. "Welcome home." She smiled. Her eyes noticed something however as her face morphed into annoyance.

Boruto luckily caught this change. And racked his brain for what he did wrong again. Did he smell? No. Forgot to brush his teeth? Nope. Come home late? Almost, but no. Put his shoes in-

"Ahhh!" He exclaimed. He quickly picked up his haphazardly discarded boots and put them in a neat pair away from the door. He looked back at his mom.

Sure enough, the annoyance disappeared, his mom's warm smile returned. He patted his chest in relief.

"Where is Sarada?"

Boruto gave his mom a confused face, "She's practicing with Auntie Tenten and Rashi tonight."

Hinata's pearly eyes widened, "Oh! That's right it's Thursday today huh?" She huffed, "I totally forgot to pack her a dinner."

"Don't worry about it, mom. She said Uncle and Auntie give her lots of snacks to eat afterward, anyways."

Hinata nodded, "Well then, go wash up. Dinner's ready." She laughed, "You better hurry, Hima might not wait."

Wondering what was so special that Hima, his usually patient sister, couldn't wait, Boruto raced to the washroom. Entering the kitchen, he was hit with a wave of heavenly goodness.

Ramen!

Or more specifically his mom's ramen!

His mom's ramen was the best ramen in the world, but she only made it on very rare occasion due to too much ramen being "bad for your health".

With ninja speed, he soon joined the table and with a short burst of thanks, he took the first delicious bite. Paying no mind to the usual empty chair that was his father's. He and Himawari proceeded to have a race to see who would be the first to get seconds.

Hinata watched this commotion with a light smile on her face. Waiting until Boruto got seconds before she spoke, "So Boruto, how was your mission with Konohamaru?"

Slurping the golden noodle goodness, Boruto swallowed before he replied, "Fine. It was just a lame D-rank mission." His eyes lit up, "But Konohamaru-ni got into a fight with a pink kunoichi and-"

Her smile dropped, "Hang on, a pink kunoichi?"

"Well her hair was pink, and she was wearing these super old worn clothes."

"Pink?"

"Yeah, I've never seen hair like that and we found her afterward, said her name was

Saki? No. Sauke. No, uhhh..." he trailed off.

"Sakura?" came his mother's whisper.

Taking another bite of Ramen, Boruto shook his head, "Yeah! That's it! Everyone apparently knew about her. Something about dying in the war, but that's wrong since she was breathing and everything."

Hinata folded her hands on her lap, trying to stop her old habit of twiddling her fingers. There was no way. A pink haired kunoichi. Named Sakura? Impossible. Her friend had died sixteen years ago. There was no way.

"SAKURA!" roared Naruto Uzumaki. Raw pain and sadness laced in his voice. The consequences of war finally catching up to the Nine-tails Jinchūriki.

"I'll never let my comrades die!," taunted Obito Uchiha, "Look around you and say it again!" He continued to reason with Naruto as the Jinchūriki looked around him. She could see hope fade from his eyes as desperation set in.

It was a look she wanted to erase immediately.

"Join us, Naruto."

A look that she never wanted to see again.

So with confidence she didn't know she possessed, she grabbed Naruto's attention by cupping his cheek. "I'll never let my comrades die,"

His bright blue eyes widened at the statement. His full attention on her, looking to her for guidance. An answer to the pain.

"That desire to not let your comrades die...Is not a lie!" fierce determination etched on her face, "It's not just you, Naruto, who share these words, these feelings." She glanced at her friend. A friend who encouraged her. A friend who saved her life.

"Sakura...Sakura believed in these words. It's what has brought her this far. These principals are what make us comrades. The moment we give up and discard those words and feelings that's when your comrades truly die. They cease to be your comrades and Sakura's sacrifice will be in vain."

"Therefore, stand together with me, Naruto...Because never going back on one's words is my Ninja Way too!"

"Mama?" question Himawari.

"Hm?" Hinata looked up, greeted with the sight of her children's concerned faces,

"Ahh, it's nothing." She picked up her chopsticks once more and resumed eating.

"It probably wasn't that same person that saved your life, right mom?"

"C'mon, Hinata!" the medical ninja chided lightly, "Where's that confidence I saw a couple hours ago?" They were standing one of the few trees left after the attack near one of the new construction sites. Naruto was lifting wood and helping build the newest academy building and Sakura was trying to get the two to talk about a certain confession.

"S-Sakura-san, I-I already told him that I l-loved him during Pain's battle... I don't thin-"

"Hinata," Sakura huffed, "That boy probably doesn't know the difference between loving Ramen and loving friends and your romantic 'I love you' declarations. He's a simple guy. You have to tell it to him over a nice warm bowl of Ramen, not in the heat of battle."

"I think I'll wait in my own time, Sakura-san. Thank you, but there's a lot of work to do in the village, I should be going."

She must have looked miserable or something because her persistent friend let up. The medic ninja gave her a quick hug.

Sakura sighed, "You're lucky I'm not Ino-pig. She would have dragged you out there." Her eyes darkened at what Hinata guessed were bad memories between the two best friends, "But hey, if you're not ready, you're not ready. I'll still be here to support you."

"Thank you, Sakura-san."

She nodded, hopping off the tree. "I'll leave it to you, then. See you later, Hinata!" She waved, sprinting off no doubt to check in on Tsunade's condition.

"Thank you." Hinata repeated as the medic-nin disappeared from view.

It couldn't be.

"Hinata, I leave it to you."

Her last words. Her final goodbye.

"Right, mom?" Boruto repeated.

It couldn't be.

Sakura Haruno felt herself wrapped in another hug. How many she was given in the past hour she wasn't so sure. The hugs seemed to never stop. A normal teenager would have complained about how many embraces she had received. But medical ninja found that she didn't care at all.

After the shock wore off, her tear eyed mom guided her (more like yanked her) to their new apartment (well new for her, apparently they had lived here since she "died"). She was met with a shocked father and was embraced tightly for the third time that day.

After about an hour or so, Mebuki decided to make one of her favorite dishes in celebration. Her father went off to help as well. She too was going to help but her father insisted that she stayed on the couch.

"Must be tiring coming back from the dead y'know. Rest. Mom and I will handle this battle field!"

So her parents were now in the kitchen, preparing what sounded like a feast. Sounds of washing and cutting filled the silent house. But every three minutes or so, they would come in the living room to check and see if she was on the couch. That she was still there.

She gave no explanation

But her parents needed none.

She did not prove her identity to them.

Her parents did not need her to.

They knew. Somehow they always knew.

She found out that had been gone for almost sixteen years. Her parents, her friends thought she was dead for that long stretch time.

She had missed so much.

Heck, she was gone longer than she had been even alive.

It had been a blink to her.

But it had been ages to them. They looked different. They had gotten older. She noted. Wrinkles adorned their faces, (signs of spinal arthritis in her mom's posture and Asthma development in her father...she would have to check them both out later), but they were the same people that she remembered.

If the happiness radiating from her parents was a light bulb, she would be blinded ten times over. They were so happy. They had a bounce in their step and a huge smile on their faces. She didn't know she would be that missed. It made her insides twist and simultaneously filled her with warmth.

While she was grateful that she was still in the land of the living, it didn't stop her questions. How was she still alive? How the heck did she get into the future? Was there something that she was supposed to do here?

You won't remember this place or this conversation.

"Dear, let me handle this," commanded Kizashi, taking the large pot of water and setting on the stove. He grinned, making sure Sakura could see him from the kitchen.

"I wouldn't want you to..." He pulled out what looked like a small plastic model of a spine. He tossed it over his shoulder, "throw out your back. HAHAHAH-ACK!"

His laughter met the unfortunate end of Mebuki's cane.

"Enough with your jokes." She said exasperated. But the large smile on her face told a different story.

"Awwww, come on." her dad rubbed his head. Grabbing the salt shaker, he delivered his classical joke with the broadest grin Sakura had ever seen on his face, "Don't be so salty!"

"KIZASHI!"

I'm sending you back to them. It will be far in the future, however.

Why?

Sakura laughed as her parents comically chased each other around the room. It felt so normal. So right.

You are needed there at that time the most.

My purpose?

She found herself wrapped in another hug. Eagerly welcoming the embrace.

You will know.

After dinner, they began to tell her stories about all she had missed. About her friends and about their lives after the war.

Unlike the time with Naruto.

She was not overwhelmed.

So she sat and listened as her parents pulled out photos and items from the past.

A past that was her future.

You will feel lost and confused.

She saw Tsunade shaking hands with Kakashi as he prepared to receive his title as Hokage.

She saw Hinata and Naruto's wedding, Ino and Sai's, Tenten and Neji's, Temari and Shikamaru's.

The photos went on and on as did the weddings. She was most surprised that Choji and the Kumogakure ninja Karui had got together.

Some of the Konoha 11 were still single apparently. The back of her mind registered that maybe he was too.

They will have moved on without you.

She took a deep breath as she opened a more recent box filled with family Christmas cards sent to the Harunos. Apparently, they never forgot about her parents even after her death.

On top was the Yamanaka family. She was greeted with the sight of a very familiar boy whom she had seen earlier in the day.

"Oh, that's Inojin." Mebuki told her. "Ino brings him around sometimes to visit us. He's such a cute little boy."

Her mother continued her monologue, showing her (when they had pictures) of the kids of her friends. Naming them, then moving to the next one.

When they got to the Uzumaki family picture, she noticed a head of black hair that seemed out of place. It was that girl, Sarada. Rubbing her fingers across her newly formed purple diamond, (It was going to become a habit she knew it.) "Who's this, mom?" She pointed at the girl.

Her mother stopped ranting on about how troublesome Boruto was and directed her attention to her daughter's finger. "Oh..."

Kizashi looked over as well. "Oh..."

Oh? Oh, what? She was sure that Sarada wasn't an Uzumaki. Her features were just to different. It was more similar to-

No.

No.

"She's an Uchiha..." her mother said softly, knowing her daughter's love for Sasuke, "I don't know who the mother is. The whole thing about her is kind of hushed up. Something happened...On the record she's officially a Uzumaki."

She didn't really know what she had expected.

That the powerful Uchiha Sasuke would wait for her.

Like she did for him?

He didn't even love her back then.

Why would he wait for her now?

If they were different before, then they were incomparably different now.

He was middle-age man by now.

There was no hope for them in the first place anyways.

Just a fool's dream.

Still, it hurt.

It hurt a lot.

But maybe this time, No.

For sure this time, she would move on as well.

"Sakura." Her father approached her cautiously.

She threw out a fake smile, "Let's just move on, okay?"

She rather not talk about it now.

He will have moved on. You will have to as well. Let him go.

Her heart would need to recover. But it seemed to be prepared for this. And she knew that she was always prepared for this outcome as well.

She knew she would always love him, but perhaps not in the romantic way. Like she had dreamed as a kid. Like she had hoped as a teen.

Not anymore.

She needed to let him go.

So she did.

It still hurt.

But now she was ready.

You will face many difficulties and challenges with your arrival, but in the end you will make the difference you were always meant to make.

She was ready to face the new and unknown world.

To face her friends.

To find the answer to her questions.

To endure.

Enjoy this opportunity, it has not been given to many.

Sakura Haruno, a kunoichi from the past.

But she was catching up with the times.

It is time. Are you ready?

"Yes."