Narumi

It was a painfully quiet walk to the Hokage office for Narumi, who was surrounded by Anbu all around her while both Naruto and Sai were walking in front of her. Naruto already asked one of the Anbu to inform his advisor, Shikamaru, to meet them in his office. After the Anbu left, Narumi couldn't help but chuckle before saying that Shikamaru was her mother's advisor as well. And it wasn't too long before reaching the familiar office doors.

Naruto opened the doors before telling two of the Anbu to guard the entrance and make sure that no one, except those who were ordered to come to the office, was allowed in. The final Anbu followed Narumi inside before the girl felt his chakra fluctuate slightly. She looked over her shoulder as the door closed shut, but the Anbu was gone. She could still slightly sense the man hidden away in a corner of the office before she looked around the large room.

There were shelves and cabinets of scrolls and papers along the walls, as well as piles of reports that were tied together leaned against the right wall, with more and more piles of paperwork covering the desk. Narumi wanted to chuckle as she remembered how the office looked so much like Sakura's office in the early days of her being Hokage. That was before she would use three Shadow Clones to handle the less critical work while returning home in the late evenings. Technically, there would always be someone working in the office the entire day and night.

As she watched Naruto put away some of the piles of paper on the desk, a sad expression formed on Narumi's face as she looked away from Naruto and Sai. She recalled Sakura looking up from her desk with a tired expression sometime within in the first month of her becoming the Hokage. Upon seeing Narumi, a smile formed on Sakura's face before she got up off the chair and then rushed over to the little girl, got down on one knee and then hugged her tight.

"Mama," Narumi would whine before a smile formed on her face as Sakura held her close.

"If Naruto knew how tedious this job is?" Sakura said as she pulled back and looked into her eyes, "then he'd probably open a ramen stall." Narumi recalled giggling with Sakura before she said that she was joking; Sakura said that Naruto would love the work because he was protecting the village as he would his family. "And I'm protecting the village now."

Narumi remembered grinning before saying, "and all of us are your family, mama."

Sakura tapped the tip of Narumi's nose with her finger before saying, "yes, and you are the one I love the most."

"The mostest!" Narumi replied as she held her arms out wide as far as she could by her sides.

Sakura laughed, along with Narumi, "the mostest!" She then bent down and kissed Narumi on the forehead and said, "and how about we get a snack?"

"Dango! Please Dango!" Narumi nodded her head vigorously.

"Dango it is then," Sakura chuckled before they walked out of the office holding each other's hands. A part of her always wondered if her life would be like this if Naruto was alive.

'And now, I'm here,' Narumi thought with some sadness as she pushed that memory to one side while Naruto walked around the table. He then took a seat on the high backed chair while Sai leaned against one of the windows to her right.

Naruto leaned forwards, his arms resting on the table, before saying, "so let's begin with your name."

"My friends call me Rumi," was the reply.

"No Clan affiliation? And if your friends call you Rumi then you must have a full name," Sai said while Naruto stared at Narumi with a quizzical look on his face. Narumi was doing all she could to not say her verbal tick out loud. She knew that this person in front of her was Uzumaki Naruto, but he wasn't her father; there was no need to confuse him. She was still trying to figure out the best option – whether to reveal who she really was or come up with a believable story.

She already surmised from the fact that Naruto's head was where her mother's should be on the Hokage Mountain that she was thrust into an alternate world. That was exactly what she had told Naruto when they stood on the roof… that she was from another world and that she needed to get home. And then, before she could say that she was the daughter of the Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Sakura, Naruto asked why she looked so much like Uzumaki Kushina. Narumi could sense the surprise from the four Anbu and Sai at the question.

And now, after arriving in the office, Narumi was still trying to make a decision about what to do next. 'What do I tell them?' She wasn't sure if Naruto was married; and if he was, she did not know to whom he was married. She didn't know if Sakura married him in this alternate world, or if he married someone else. All Narumi could think was if it would be right for her to tell Naruto that she was his daughter from another world. Would information like that bring about some trouble in his private life? And if she didn't tell Naruto the truth about who she was, then could she explain away the marks on her cheeks or the fact that she bore a striking resemblance to Uzumaki Kushina?

Taking a deep breath, Narumi came to a decision. She couldn't lie to Naruto, even if he wasn't her father.

"My full name is Uzumaki Narumi," she said to a surprised Naruto as he stood up while Sai pushed away from the wall and leaned forward as if trying to make sure he was hearing things correctly. Narumi hoped that with what she was about to reveal, it wouldn't cause Naruto and Sakura any problems in their private lives. "My mother is the Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Sakura." Naruto gasped as he stepped back in surprise, the back of his legs pushing the chair to the side. Narumi glanced at the look of surprise on Sai's face… she hadn't ever seen Sai this surprised about anything… and then she looked back to Naruto.

"And… and your father?"

Narumi took in a deep breath once again and said, "Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto gulped, his eyes locked to hers. Narumi could feel a rising tension in the room before there was a knock on the door. Everyone remained still for a few seconds staring at each other… well, Naruto and Sai were staring at Narumi and the latter was staring at the two adults.

"Hokage-sama?" one of the Anbu guarding the door knocked again, "Shikamaru-san is here, as you ordered."

"Shi… Shi…" Naruto was mumbling incoherently as he stared at Narumi.

"Hokage-sama," Sai, who returned to reality, said. Naruto turned his head towards him, "Shikamaru's outside. He may want to listen in." Narumi turned her head towards Sai who was now looking at her without any expression on his face. "There are still suspicions. There are still things that need to be confirmed."

Narumi formed a small smile on her face as she thought about the Sai of her reality; he was the Commander for the regular Anbu, husband to her Aunt Ino, and father to Inojin – one of her best friends. And that is what she told the stunned Sai, "I take it you married Aunt Ino?"

Sai nodded his head just as there was another knock on the door.

"Hokage-sama?" Shikamaru exclaimed.

"Come… come in," Naruto said as he placed his hand on the desk, his body leaning forward as he did so. Narumi turned to see the door open and the familiar face of Shikadai's father walking into the office, the door closing behind him. He was wearing casual clothes which suggested to Narumi that he was on some down time with his family when he was called. Shikamaru tilted his head questioningly at Narumi before looking over at the still stunned Sai and Naruto.

"Naruto, you called?" he said as he stopped next to Narumi with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"Yeah," was the soft reply as he looked away from Narumi before he reached behind him and pulled the chair closer. After taking a deep breath, Naruto took a seat; he then placed his arms on the table and then slowly repeated what Narumi told him and Sai earlier. Narumi looked up at the expression of surprise on Shikamaru's face before he looked back down at her before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Troublesome," he then said. Narumi couldn't help but chuckle before saying that he sounded like the Shikamaru she knew back in her reality. Shikamaru then shrugged before taking a few steps back and saying, "that accounts for the marks on her cheeks." He then looked back towards Naruto before saying, "there could be another reason for her sudden appearance."

Now Narumi was curious; what theory did Shikamaru have? Not that she blamed him. It was, after all, understandable that he would question her sudden appearance on the Hokage Tower roof with a story that she was the daughter of Naruto and Sakura from another world. However, there was a part of her that was impatient to continue onto the part where they help her get home.

'I need to check the library for that scroll,' she thought to herself as Shikamaru rubbed the beard on his chin.

"It's possible," Naruto, the tone of his voice echoed that fact that he was still in shock, "but Kurama said that he sensed his chakra in her."

'Kurama,' Narumi thought to herself, 'the name of the Kyuubi locked inside both this Naruto and my Papa.' Before she started to wonder what it would be like to have a biju sealed inside her, Shikamaru said that it supported one of his theories.

"Oh?" Naruto and Narumi said together as they stared at Shikamaru who arched his left eyebrow at the both of them. After all, he had only just met Narumi, 'that's Uncle Shikamaru for you. Mama always did say he was the smartest person she ever met.'

He then sighed before saying, "Naruto, when you were taken by Otsutsuki Momoshiki, you said that you were unconscious."

"Yea?" Naruto replied while Narumi wondered what they were talking about.

"Who's this Otsutsuki Momoshiki?" Narumi asked to the surprise of Naruto, Sai, and Shikamaru, "I only heard about Otsutsuki Kaguya and her sons."

"You said that I died in the fourth Shinobi War, right?" Naruto spoke up. Narumi nodded her head before he continued, "the war was against the Akatsuki and the Otsutsuki clan." Narumi furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She knew the war was against the Akatsuki and their quest to capture the last two remaining Bijuu. Later on, students were taught that the war was to bring forth the ten tails and the Moons Eye Plan that would place the entire world in a genjutsu. They were also taught about Kaguya and Hagoromo from what little the veterans who fought the war could recount.

"Ummm, at the end… the Jyuubi was locked away by Otsutsuki Hagoromo," Narumi said before continuing with highlights of what she learned in the Academy. The face of the three people in front of her showed how confused they were at what she was taught, "after the Alliance won, Uchiha Sasuke attacked the remaining forces with his Taka forces."

Naruto opened his eyes wide and said with a quivering voice, "your… your Sasuke did what?"

"Attacked the survivors," Narumi said before looking away from Naruto as she remembered the story Sakura told her, "papa and…." Narumi rolled her hands into fists before looking up to glare at Naruto and continuing, "the Uchiha went to the Valley of the End to fight. He ordered Orochimaru, Juugo, and the others to kill as many people as they could in the Alliance, but he wanted to kill Papa."

"Your father… your Naruto died… that's what you said…" Shikamaru said with a look of disbelief.

"Mama followed the two of you before Tsunade-baa sent Grandpa Kakashi to back her up," Narumi said, her eyes fixed on Naruto, "the battle was over by the time mama found papa. The… Uchiha…"

"Sasuke killed me… killed him… I mean the other me," Naruto whispered with eyes wide open, "didn't he?".

"He wanted to kill everyone else," Narumi said as she shifted her weight onto her left leg, "use them as his Paths."

Narumi closed her eyes as did Sai who shook his head while Shikamaru was rubbing his forehead. Naruto was leaned back against his chair in disbelief as Narumi continued.

"Something happened between Mama and Papa before he left for Turtle Island to train," Narumi whispered as she remembered the look of sadness on the pink haired beauty's face whenever she would recall Naruto and their first kiss. Narumi didn't want to reveal that story, and so she skipped ahead, "something that deepened her feelings for Papa and… and when she arrived to the valley and saw Papa dead…"

Narumi looked at Naruto who was still looking straight at her in surprise. She sighed before saying, "Mama knew he was a danger to the village."

"No," Naruto whispered shaking his head.

"Papa had a nightmare that he was going to die," Narumi said as Naruto's jaw dropped and he leaned forward in utter shock. Narumi didn't think much of it as she continued, "he asked mama to protect the village if he died. He asked her to become the Hokage and protect us all." Narumi looked over at Sai, "Mama loved him.. and when she saw him dead…" Narumi looked away as she recalled the sadness on Sakura's face as she continued, "she knew the Uchiha was weakened… she did what she had to do to protect the village. She killed him… after that the war ended." Narumi then sighed in the quiet room and said, "This Otsutsuki Momoshiki person, I have no idea who he or she is… I just know what Mama and the Academy taught me." She shrugged and then said, "and I read books in the library."

Shikamaru shook his head before turning his head towards Naruto and saying, "even so… even with a story that's so different with what happened… we'll still need to make sure she's not an Otsutsuki, or a White Zetsu construct, or one of the projects that Kabuto carried out using the Hashirama cells."

In her history class, she and the other students were taught about the Fourth Shinobi War and the forces that Obito, Madara, and Kabuto had at their disposal; mainly the White Zetsu's which were augmented by the cells from the Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama. She was taught about how powerful and deadly the White Zetsu were and how they could take on the appearance of any Shinobi including their chakra.

'Shikamaru-san thinks I'm a White Zetsu clone created through grandma Kushina's DNA somehow?' she thought before deciding to speak up.

"I'm not a White Zetsu clone," Narumi said just before she felt everyone around her tensing up. She was looking up at Naruto who narrowed his eyes at her before glancing at Sai as he reached for the pouch on his hip. She then looked back at Naruto and said, "test my blood. Have Aunt Ino go through my memories; I'm telling the truth."

"And if you are not?" Sai asked.

"She is," Naruto said before taking a deep breath and closed his eyes as everyone turned towards him, "the day before leaving for Turtle Island, I did have a dream… or a nightmare… whatever it was, it was really vivid." Narumi's eyes opened wide in surprise, as did the eyes of the other two in the room, "Sakura-chan was crying… I think she was holding me and… and there was blood across her face."

"That's the story Mama told me," Narumi said as Shikamaru approached Naruto's desk.

"What happened next?"

"It was a dream... I mean it was a vivid dream that shook me up a little. But it was just a dream," Naruto said as he stood up and turned around before walking towards one of the windows and stared out at the lights of the village, "if Narumi is some kind of a White Zetsu clone, then how could she have known that story."

"Did you share it with anyone?" Sai asked.

"I didn't tell Sakura-chan… I thought she'd call me an idiot if I went up to her apartment and told her about it."

"And Hinata?"

'Aunt Hinata, what does Aunt Hinata….' Narumi's mind froze as Naruto turned around and avoided her eyes. It was then that she realized that Hinata… her Aunt Hinata… must be his wife in this reality, 'oh… I didn't think… I thought that he would be married to mama and… I never thought it would be Aunt Hinata. I hope this doesn't impact his private life. Stupid… stupid me…."

"She doesn't know either," Naruto admitted.

"I… I don't want to interfere in your private life, 'ttebasa," Narumi said as Naruto closed his eyes and shook his head, "but… but look… I found this scroll that belonged to the Uzumaki clan in the library. And…. And I realize it was foolish of me but… but it… it was a time travel jutsu that could bring someone from the past to the present day. After a time limit, they would be sent back without remembering anything about the future."

Sai, Shikamaru and the others stiffened at Narumi's statement.

"That's…."

"Dangerous," Naruto said as he turned around and walked slowly back to the edge of his desk, "why? Why did…?"

"If she's telling the truth, then isn't it obvious?" Sai said looking between Naruto and Narumi, and then back to Naruto, "to see her father."

Narumi nodded her head, "Everyone from Teuchi-san, to Mama to Grandpa Kakashi to Tsunade-baa told me about the kind of person Uzumaki Naruto was." Narumi formed a small smile on her face as she looked down, her hair covering her eyes, "everyone would say I looked like Grandma Kushina, and that I was as active as Papa." She then looked up at Naruto as she remembered the quiets sobs from Sakura's room sometimes and how she would sneak in and then lie next to her mother, "and I wanted to surprise Mama. Even after so many years passed since Papa died, she still cries in her sleep and… and I thought that since I found the scroll, I would study it and then activate the jutsu the day I graduated from the Academy."

"You graduated just now?"

"Yep," Narumi wiped the wetness gathered in her eyes before she exclaimed, "I'm on the way to becoming Hokage, 'ttebasa!"

Naruto chuckled as he sat down while Sai shrugged and turned to the blonde, "well, she's definitely your alternate self's daughter." Shikamaru just had a small smile on his face as Narumi continued.

"I don't know how I'm here," Narumi said as the smile faded, "the Jutsu was supposed to bring papa to my present. I know I did everything right, I know that even the changes I made were correct.."

"What changes?" Naruto asked.

"Papa would stay longer… and he would be able to remember the future?" Narumi whispered with a grimace before looking away at the expression on Naruto's face as he pressed his lips together.

However, before Naruto could say anything, it was Shikamaru who spoke with a disapproving tone in his voice, "that was dangerous. You're lucky you were able to come here. If the changes you made affected the jutsu in any other way, then you would have been sent somewhere else." He then sighed before saying, "or worse."

Narumi knew that Shikamaru was right. She just nodded her head while looking down at the floor.

"But she's here now," Naruto finally said while looking at Shikamaru before taking in a deep breath as he turned his head towards Narumi, "I'm sure your Sakura-chan is searching high and low for you. I'm sure that she's doing everything she can to find you."

"Does she know you're missing?" Sai asked. Narumi nodded her head silently before saying that Sakura arrived just before she vanished and found herself in this different reality.

"I know I'm going to be grounded, 'ttebasa," Narumi whimpered before shaking her head and then looked at Naruto, "so, you believe me?"

"I do," Naruto said, "no one knows about that nightmare." He then looked over at Shikamaru who was about to say something, but Naruto interrupted him, "I know you're going to disagree, Shika."

"We should still take every precaution, Hokage-sama," Sai said.

"Take my blood," Narumi said nodding her head, "in return, I just want help going back home."

Naruto nodded his head, "I think I know someone who could help." Narumi didn't miss the look Naruto was giving Shikamaru and then Sai before turning his head back towards her, "I think he can help you. In the meantime, I think it would be better if you stayed with my family and me, 'ttebayo."

Narumi smiled at hearing Naruto's verbal tick. But the smile faded just as fast before she spoke, "I… I don't think it would be proper staying with you and your family."

"Nonsense," Naruto waved his hand as he stood up from his chair again.

"Naruto," Shikamaru said shaking his head before asking Narumi why she didn't want to stay with the blonde.

"Mama told me that you don't like liars or lying to people, 'ttebasa," Narumi said as she looked at Naruto, "so I can guess you would want to tell Aunt Hinata. I can guess that telling Aunt Hinata the truth about me could cause problems, 'ttebasa. I mean it would be weird having a daughter from someone else staying with you."

"It's no trouble," Naruto said as Shikamaru sighed while his eyes met with a worried Narumi, "I can.."

"It's too risky, Naruto," Shikamaru said glancing at Narumi, "the Hokage tower has guest rooms for VIP's, and they are pretty secure so she'll be safe."

"I stayed there sometimes when Mama had to work late," Narumi said after turning back towards Naruto, "although most times I would stay with granpa and grandma.".

"But…" Naruto was trying to get a word in when Sai interrupted.

"They're right," the pale skinned man said as he walked up to Shikamaru before standing next to him, "even if you did bring her to your home, how are you going to explain the whisker marks. And you said it yourself that she looks like Kushina-san."

"And Hinata's not stupid," Shikamaru said, "she'll know something's up. Especially, like Sai said, since Narumi looks like your mother and she has the whisker marks… just like Boruto and Himawari."

"Boruto and Himawari," Narumi said to herself before asking Naruto, "they're your children?"

Naruto nodded his head before he sat back down again with a defeated look on his face. Naruto was looking at Narumi before saying, "we'll find a way to hide the whisker marks."

"It's better if I stay here," Narumi said; she caught herself before she could even say the words 'papa'.

Naruto then shook his head again before saying, "you won't reconsider?"

Narumi shook her head. No matter how much she wanted to get to know a version of her father, Narumi knew that staying with him and his family would be uncomfortable for her. And if Hinata was his wife, then Narumi was certain that she would guess that there was something familiar about her. After all, when Narumi and Satoshi – Hinata and Kiba's boy - were playing in the Inuzuka compound, she overheard Hinata telling Sakura over a cup of tea that Narumi looked so much like Naruto.

"More like Kushina-san," Sakura had said, "then again, Naruto had Kushina-san's features too."

Naruto

His daughter with Sakura. When Narumi first told him the truth of who she really was, he was taken aback. Ever since he was a child, he thought he had loved Sakura. His Sakura-chan. Of course, he would later realize, ironically with the help of Sakura herself, that the 'feelings' he held for her were just a by-product of the competition he had with Sasuke to out-do one another. They would continue to be friends, and he would go on to find someone who loved him and he loved in return.

But here, standing in front of him was a daughter he could have had with Sakura. From another reality. And the girl was walking away from him after he nodded his head and agreed that she would be staying in the Hokage Tower's VIP guest rooms. After all, she was the daughter of a Kage.

'Sakura-chan being the Hokage,' Naruto thought to himself as he gave Narumi a small smile when she looked over her shoulder after being led out of the room by Sai, 'Sakura and I were together… we had a kid… Sakura-chan and I had a child.' And then it hit him like a ton of bricks, 'he died.. I mean the other me died.'

"Naruto?" Naruto was shaken out of his reverie by Shikamaru's voice. He looked over towards his advisor and pressed his lips together as he continued, "you should go home and sleep, Naruto. We'll deal with this and… and find a way to send Narumi back tomorrow. For now, go home to your children and wife."

"I was outside Sakura-chan's door," Naruto whispered looking over at Shikamaru before he looked away, his eyes were focused on his table, "the nightmare was so real. Sasuke killed me… that final attack that ripped both our arms… he killed me in my nightmare during that attack."

"Naruto," Shikamaru said walking towards the desk, "what's done is done, and… and things turned out differently here."

"I never knocked on the door," Naruto said closing his eyes as he remembered that day. His knuckles were about to tap on Sakura's door but stopped a few inches away. "I thought Sakura-chan would hit me or something… tell me I was being stupid and that I shouldn't believe in that nightmare."

Shikamaru sighed, "troublesome." He then said, "there's no way to know what went differently. But still, I'd never have guessed Sakura would be Hokage."

"She's strong," Naruto said with a chuckle, "she was taught by baa-chan, she saved so many people during the war, she helped seal Kaguya away… she could be the Hokage if… if…"

"You didn't die," Shikamaru reminded him.

'But another version of me did, and it feels a bit…,' Naruto couldn't explain the pit opening up in his stomach as he thought about being killed at the hands of his best friend and leaving a child alone to be raised by Sakura. He couldn't explain that feeling as he stood up slowly and wondered aloud if Sakura should be informed of what happened.

"Better not." Naruto looked up at Shikamaru who reminded him of Narumi's wish before adding, "Sasuke was the one who killed the Naruto of Narumi's reality. What do you think she'd say if she found out that a version of Sasuke was married to a version of her mother?"

"But he's not the one who killed him."

Shikamaru sighed, "she's a child thrown into something that could… or rather has… turned her world upside down. A version of her father is alive and married to someone else. Can't imagine what's going through her head about that." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head, "I think we just leave it for now. I suggest having Tsunade-sama run the blood tests on Narumi before the two of us talk to her about this scroll."

Naruto knew that Shikamaru was right, but there was a part of him that didn't like hiding this away from his family and Sakura. 'I'm the Hokage, so I know there are things that need to be kept secret, but this… Hinata deserves to know and so does Sakura-chan.' Naruto shook his head before saying, "I need to take a walk before going home."

Shikamaru nodded his head before he turned and walked out the office. Naruto was alone now… he could sense the rest of the Anbu nearby and knew they could be trusted with any secret. He got up off his chair and then turned around to face the lights of the village outside the windows.

As he closed his eyes, Naruto thought back to the day he was at Sakura's door. The dream freaked him out…. It was so real that he woke up with a start while feeling for the hole in his chest. He felt Sakura's arms around him while she was crying, telling him to stay and to not close his eyes. Opening his eyes again in his office, Naruto remembered nearly knocking on Sakura's door; he stopped his hand from hitting the door just inches away from the surface.

'I thought she would think I was being weird,' Naruto thought as he turned around and slowly walked around his table, 'I thought she'd say I was being stupid and that I needed to get my head on straight.' Naruto reached the door, his feet shuffling on the carpet the whole time, and then reached out towards the door knob, 'I didn't see her. I went to Turtle Island, and then the war. And then we won… and… and Hinata.' Naruto opened the door with a faraway look in his eyes before stepping out into the hallway.

"This is an SS-Class secret," Naruto whispered at the Anbu guarding the entrance to his office behind him, "is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," the one in the office joined the three outside before pledging to keep what they had seen secret. Naruto then sighed; his heart was telling him to follow Narumi… he knew he wasn't her father, but at the same time there was still a part of him in her. But Naruto followed his head and turned before walking down the other hallway in the opposite direction of where Sai was escorting Narumi.

Sakura; Prime World.

There was a flash of pink and orange as Sakura and Tsunade, the two of them holding onto Naruto, appeared in one of the VIP suites at the Konoha Hospital. Tsunade rushed off to a medicine cabinet to get some IV drips while Sakura placed the blonde Naruto gently on the bed. Standing over him, her hands pulling up the railing on the left side of the bed before locking it with a 'click', Sakura then reached down and placed a hand on his left cheek.

"Sakura," Tsunade said as she started to attach an IC line while nodding at Naruto's body, "start healing."

"Right," Sakura shook her head before lifting her hand from his cheek and then placing it on his chest. Her hand started to emit a green glow before she looked up at a focused Tsunade. Sakura knew this side of Tsunade only too well… it was a Tsunade who had several thoughts running through her head all at once. Sakura then looked back down at the unconscious Naruto's face and pressed her lips together.

While she was ecstatic that the man she loved was in the here and now; Sakura had to contend with the fact that their daughter was missing. And not only that, if this jutsu was a time-travelling jutsu as Naruto's presence would seem to indicate, then what would that mean for the timeline.

'Has anything changed without us knowing? What are the risks?' Sakura looked back towards her glowing hands over Naruto's chest and thought, 'Rumi, where are you?'

Taking a deep breath, Sakura then looked up at Tsunade who had finished the IV and was now attaching leads to Naruto's chest.

"Tsunade-sama," Sakura whispered as the machine began to go 'beep-beep-beep-beep' to the rhythm of Naruto's heart beat, "you need to get Shizune-senpai to check on Jiraiya… or whoever this person is pretending to be Jiraiya-sama."

Tsunade nodded her head silently as she attached a blood pressure cuff around Naruto's arm.

"I need you to observe," Sakura whispered.

"I know," Tsunade replied as she stepped back from Naruto after attaching the pressure cuff, "I'll tell Shizune and then have someone inform Ibiki." Tsunade then turned her head towards Naruto and said, "I'll contact Ino and Owl too, and send them here."

"Thanks," Sakura said nodding at Tsunade before she turned her head towards Naruto. Sakura heard Tsunade's footsteps heading for the door, she then heard the door opening before being gently closed shut. Now, in the dimly lit room, Sakura and Naruto were alone.

Sakura whispered, "Naruto." She then looked away and closed her eyes while trying to sense the Hiraishin marker in Narumi, 'Come on, Rumi. Where are you? Where are you my darling girl?'

TBC.