They were almost home. Sakura could see the gates and she wondered about Danzo's role in this life. Itachi had told her just before she turned time back that he had been under the Root leader's orders to massacre his family. And that he had bargained for Sasuke's life to be spared if he took the blame and kept Konoha's hands clean of the bloodshed.

When she first found out, she was utterly shocked, disgusted with her home, and then pissed because that was what drove Sasuke to attack the 5 Kage Summit. And then to follow Danzo and kill him on that bridge. The same bridge he tried to kill her on. And threatened Kakashi and Naruto.

Danzo paid his dues in her old life, in her opinion. But in this one, she hasn't even thought about him. The Uchiha Massacre didn't occur in this life- but she should have realized that the police station being attacked specifically was most likely related to Danzo.

If there was still a push for a coup, Danzo would have taken action. Even if that meant hiring the Akatsuki and she knew Obito held as much resent for his clan as he did the entire shinobi world in his old life. And quite frankly, Obito was one of the few people who could take on an entire force made up of Uchiha and come out of it unscathed.

So what was Danzo planning in this life? All of this time she was worried about Obito and and the Akatsuki- but not the threats within her own home.

Sakura sensed chakra signatures behind them, and she thought she was misidentifying them because Sasuke wasn't supposed to be home so soon. She stopped and turned around, focusing on the group of figures. They seemed to be huddled together and she knew something was wrong."

She could sense the two chakra signatures clearly but there was one that was a bit muddled and it took her a moment to place the name to the signature. She should have known it immediately, but sensing it in broad daylight, outside and now confined in a hospital room had thrown her off.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto questioned, pausing in his own steps and followed her gaze. "Who is it?"

"Sasuke-kun and Shisui-nii," Sakura whispered, before her breath caught in her throat. "And. . . Itachi-nii."

She stood numbly for a moment as she tried to assess his chakra. She wasn't as great as Ino when it came to sensing chakra or anything like Karin's abilities in her old life, but she recognized the conflicting nature of Itachi's chakra.

She knew something was wrong.

Sakura took off running towards the trio. Naruto called out her name before he followed her as well.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked as she skidded to a halt in front of them. Itachi was being supported by both Sasuke and Shisui. She didn't bother even responding, instead solely focused on Itachi.

His skin held little color in it and he looked almost frail between both Sasuke and Shisui. He didn't seem fully aware of everything around him either- which meant he was an idiot and took the very thing she gave him for emergencies only.

Then it dawned on her that he hasn't had a treatment session with her in over three weeks. But he hadn't taken any strenuous missions- so what happened on this one that pushed him to his limit?

"Did he take a pill?" She questioned immediately, looking at Sasuke who was too surprised by the fierceness in her tone to respond.

"Yes," Shisui answered and she looked towards him. "He collapsed this morning when we were traveling."

"Sakura, you knew-" Sasuke realized and she shook her head, as if she were just asking him not to start that conversation now and held a hand up to Itachi's forehead.

"Shisui-nii," Sakura requested and he nodded before she had to say anything else. He placed his other hand on her shoulder and the three of them disappeared from the road.

Naruto and Sasuke stared at the empty spot for a few moments before they looked at each other.

"What happened to Itachi-nii?" Naruto asked slowly and Sasuke's expression was a mix of confusion and rising anger.

"He's apparently sick," Sasuke said through clenched teeth. "And I get the impression it's serious."

"Since when?" Naruto questioned in a concerned tone. "Sakura-chan looked really worried."

"She's probably known about it since it started," Sasuke said bitterly and he closed his eyes and tried to sort through his memories. "That was the medical emergency when Shisui and I just got back. Sakura's been treating it this whole time."

"Then we shouldn't worry," Naruto reassured him. "If Sakura-chan is the one taking care of Itachi, then he'll be fine, ya know? Tsunade-baa-chan says she's close to surpassing her in the medical field."

"Have you noticed Sakura keeps a lot of secrets?" Sasuke asked in annoyance.

"Yeah," Naruto answered, tapping the ground with the tip of his right foot. "But it's not like, secrets she wants to keep from us, ya know? It's usually because of orders and oaths, stuff like that."

"She knows more than she says," Sasuke said with furrowed brows. "Itachi and Shisui always know, too."

Naruto opened his mouth to respond but seemed to come up with nothing to say to that. The blonde forced a chuckle and turned back towards the village.

"C'mon, Sasuke," Naruto said. "Tsunade-baa-chan needs our reports."

"You don't write reports," Sasuke retorted and Naruto grinned.

"Course not," He answered. "But we've got good intel to relay."

Sasuke then thought back to the Akatsuki members and their current assignments. And the apparent reveal that the masked man was Uchiha Obito. He let out a breath and nodded. "Yeah, so do I."

"Oh, Itachi-nii," Sakura whispered after she set up his IV. "I said emergencies only. Not wanting Shisui-nii and Sasuke-kun worrying does not count as an emergency."

"It's mutated, hasn't it?" Itachi whispered and she frowned.

"Yes," She confirmed and glanced towards Shisui, who had remained silent the entire time. Even when she healed every cell individually, which took almost three hours to do, he hadn't uttered a single word. "It's time to tell them."

"The odds?" Itachi asked and she couldn't help the tears forming in her eyes.

"At the current rate, if I don't find out how to cure it," She said in a low tone. "You might be okay for two years. But that's if you didn't use the mangekyo sharingan, which you know causes an overflow of chakra. This would be so much easier to handle if I could constantly keep healing chakra around your lung tissue and blood cells."

She thought longingly of her Byakugou again. If she could summon Katsuyu and just keep a mini fragment of her on Itachi at all times, that would be possible. But she didn't have her mark yet.

She'd have to use the time before she could do that figuring out a cure to the disease. Perhaps she could pick Tsunade's mind again, though she wasn't sure what they would come up with that they haven't already tried to do.

"But for right now," Sakura said softly, trying to muster a smile. "You need to rest. This is going to put you to sleep, okay? I'll be here when you wake up to check on you."

"Thank you, Sakura-chan," Itachi whispered and she managed a somewhat genuine smile as she slipped the needle into his skin.

Within ten seconds, Itachi was slumbering peacefully.

Sakura breathed out deeply, placing a hand on her chest as she did.

"Sasuke tried to kill you," Shisui said abruptly and she turned to him in shock.

"What?" She asked and Shisui looked at her with sad eyes.

"You were going to kill him to save him from himself," He continued. "Because Sasuke had fallen into darkness. But you didn't get the chance when he tried to kill you with your back turned to him. And then, you tried again but couldn't. Kakashi and Naruto are the only reason you're alive."

"How did you-" Sakura started but Shisui shook his head and she let the words on her lips die.

"I saw parts of your past," Shisui answered tearing his gaze from her and looking out the window. "You weren't kidding when you said this was the best hand you could be dealt, imouto."

"The scroll-"

"Worked," Shisui confirmed. "But it worked too well. When Itachi said your blood was needed to stabilize the jutsu, we didn't anticipate that we'd also see images from your past."

She moved from the bed side and leaned against the opposite wall. She looked out the window and at the bustling life of Konoha. The sun was just starting to lower itself and the lights in the market portion of the village were beginning to light up. She never expected to be having a conversation like this with Shisui- or anyone for that matter. Not in this life. She was- she didn't expect to unveil her own past. Just the portions that were vital for this time. To help her change the outcome of this life.

"What else did you see?" Sakura asked in a hushed whisper.

"The brat knocked you out too," He told her in a bitter tone. "When he left the village and aligned himself with Orochimaru. Naruto promised you that he'd bring him back."

"I did say we had a complicated relationship in my old life," Sakura said quietly. "Sasuke-kun was so broken. He was so warped by revenge and hatred. Naruto and I really tried. But it was the fact that we got through to him that made him leave."

"He didn't deserve you or Naruto," Shisui stated, looking at her. She sighed.

"You sound like Shikamaru," She shook her head. If there was someone outside of Team 7 that knew how much Sasuke's desertion affected her and Naruto, it was him. He said their determination and loyalty to Sasuke wasn't logical- actually he said they were idiots for chasing after him for so long.

But that didn't deter either of them. It took the kill order for her to even question that loyalty. And even then, she was doing it because she loved him. She did it to stop him from damning himself even more. Before he could thoroughly erase the kind-hearted soul she knew he was.

"They call the Nara kid a genius for a reason, imouto," Shisui told her, the slightest bits of disapproval leaking in his tone. "I'm. . . I don't understand how you could still love him after that. I could feel those emotions in your memories. They say that the Uchiha love like no other, but I think you give our clan a run for our money."

"I love Sasuke-kun so much that it hurts," Sakura confessed, acutely aware of the present tense of her words. "It's funny, actually."

Shisui blinked. "That you have horrible taste in men?"

"Huh?" Sakura looked away from the window and arched her brow. Shisui cracked a small smile and she huffed out an amused chuckle. "No. Most of the things I fell for with my old Sasuke-kun are just normal things for this one. He's just not adamant with pushing us away like my Sasuke-kun was. He loves us and doesn't fight it."

Shisui frowned. "I can't even look at him right now without seeing a chidori lighting up behind your back."

"You can't blame him for that," Sakura insisted, crossing her arms. "Sasuke-kun hasn't been through all the trauma my Sasuke-kun went through."

"His trauma and anger doesn't excuse attempting to kill you," Shisui stated firmly, his small smile falling into a thing line.

"I'm not excusing those actions," Sakura said carefully. "But you saw the lowest point in Sasuke-kun's life, Shisui-nii. Everything was just so complicated at that point. Obito was whispering things into his ears. Danzo had put a kill order out on him. Sasuke-kun found out the truth behind the massacre- the list goes on. He wasn't justified in his actions against Team 7 that day; I know that. But I wasn't just a victim. I went to that bridge with a poison I created specifically to kill Sasuke-kun. We both did things we regretted."

She never would forgive herself for falling to that point. Her faith in Sasuke's redemption had been pushed aside for what she knew had to be done. What Shikamaru knew had to be done. She stupidly made a rash decision when all she had to do was believe in Naruto. In his determination to save Sasuke, because so long as Naruto was alive, Sasuke could still be saved.

"Imouto, you were trying to save him," Shisui denied, his features scrunching together. "What I said earlier about the Uchiha clan loving like no other- that's true. But the thing about loving something so deeply is that you can only hate something as much as you loved it. If Sasuke's love turned into hatred, there was essentially no way back for him. That kid feels a lot for someone who can't properly articulate those emotions into words."

Sakura smiled, staring at the clouds in the sky as the hues deepened slightly. "Naruto was his way back. Because he did come back to us, Shisui-nii. Naruto paved a road for Sasuke-kun to walk down should he ever decide to come back. And it led him back to us- his found family. It's the reason we managed in the war for so long. Because the three of us were together again."

"You really loved them," Shisui said softly, his features matching hers. "I could feel that too. Stopping the coup when you travelled back wasn't your motivation for befriending Naruto and Sasuke early. It was for them. Your Naruto and Sasuke."

"And myself," Sakura added, nodding her head. "It was the first change I made. And because of that, my boys aren't exactly like the ones that died protecting me. But at their cores, they're still my boys."

"Your love is truly something else, Sakura-chan," He shook his head, closing one of his eyes for a moment before reopening it. "It's enduring and patient. This Sasuke doesn't even deserve it. I don't think anyone ever will deserve it, honestly."

"Shisui-nii," Sakura pouted. "I'm the one keeping things from Sasuke-kun in this life. If anything, I don't deserve him. You can't place blame onto him for actions he never committed. Besides, you're overly biased."

"You are my family, imouto," Shisui admitted with a small smile. "Seeing Sasuke try to kill you. . . I'd be lying if I said I didn't immediately want to deck him in the face when the jutsu faded. Honestly, I still kind of do."

"Challenge him to a spar," Sakura suggested. "It's what Sasuke-kun does whenever he wants to punch you."

Shisui actually laughed at that, the sound somehow dispelling the tense and almost depressing atmosphere that settled in the room.

"The little shit broke three of my ribs because I pointed out how much he liked you and was mad I was right," He shook his head in disbelief. "It's not like everyone couldn't tell when we got back."

Sakura stilled. "Wait, what?"

Shisui winked and waved. "Gotta go report to the Hokage, imouto. I'll be here afterwards making sure Itachi can't keep another life threatening disease a secret from me."

Sakura didn't get to respond as Shisui vanished from her sight. She held a hand up to her forehead and groaned.

"So much to assess and predict," She muttered, casting a look towards Itachi. "I sorta wish I could pick your brain right now, Itachi-nii. But you need to rest."

And she needed to find a cure for him. And figure out Danzo's entire motivation in this life. And Orochimaru's apparent partnership with Obito. And what Obito was planning and how it differed from her previous life.

She sighed and looked back out the window, the view at least having a slight calming effect on her jumbled thoughts. Suddenly, she knew exactly where to go to get everything organized in her mind.

Sakura didn't frequently find herself atop the Hokage Stone Faces, but that's where she inevitably went after leaving the hospital. She knew she should really go see Tsunade and then her parents, but she couldn't find it in her to do any of that just yet. She wanted to be alone. She needed to just think about everything so far.

And it was so quiet atop the mountain. It was peaceful, serene, and undoubtedly held the best view of the village.

She sat herself down and just let herself be with her thoughts. Or, tried to. She didn't make it very far into that plan when she sensed someone appear maybe ten feet behind her.

"Sakura."

"Sasuke-kun," She breathed out, her head lowering itself as she recognized the particular tone he said her name with.

It seemed Shisui wasn't the only one to end the mission upset.

"Itachi. . ." Sasuke paused and took a deep breath. "Is he okay?"

"He's resting currently," Sakura told him lightly, watching the sun sink lower into the sky. Everything around them was a deep orange- it was rather breathtaking. "When he's released, I'm sure he'll tell you everything."

"Why don't you tell me?" Sasuke questioned and this time, she could hear his irritation.

Sakura frowned, even though he couldn't see her expression. Her eyes trailed the champagne clouds that had started to develop dark undertones. "I took an oath, Sasuke-kun. I refuse to break it. This is not my secret to tell."

"You knew my brother was seriously ill," He inferred and she didn't move a muscle. "Sakura."

She sighed and stood up slowly. She turned to face him and she caught the flicker of surprise and concern on his features before his expression hardened once again.

"Sasuke-kun, I know this is hard," Sakura started in a quiet tone. "I'm trying my best to help, okay? And I have to separate myself from this in order to do my job to the best of my ability."

"Is he dying?"

The look of absolute fear on his features and obvious worry in his tone made her pause. She desperately wished for the tears working their way into her eyes not to swell. But this was Itachi they were talking about. He had died from this disease in her old life, timed perfectly for the end of his battle with Sasuke. She had an idea on how to counteract the misfire in his system but with the mutation. . . she had no idea if it would work now.

She looked up at the sky and wondered if she could go back and apologize to Shikamaru for mocking his hobby. The clouds were soothing and they helped her not totally break down into tears. Because after the last 24 hours- dealing with Orochimaru and finding out about Danzo, Itachi's illness worsening despite her incessant healing sessions, having the worst memories in her old life spoken aloud for the first time since they had happened, and now Sasuke looking at her as though she were a totally foriegn person to him- Sakura just wanted to break down.

But she was not a cry baby. Not in this life. Not since her genin days in her first life. She refused to falter now.

"I'm researching it," She responded vaguely, reciting the oaths she took when she became an official doctor.

"Which means you don't know how to stop it," Sasuke concluded harshly and her gaze dropped to the ground.

"I'm trying," She whispered, her shoulders slumping as the survivability rate of the disease seemed to be in the spotlight in her mind. "I-I refuse for you to lose your brother, Sasuke-kun."

She could hear the trembling in her tone and she hated it. She wasn't supposed to falter. She bit her lip, hoping the slight pain could jolt her back to her senses.

Sakura refused to lose someone she considered to be family as well. Itachi was only 21 now. He was already being proposed as the next Hokage. He had put off asking Izumi to marry him because he didn't want to her to become a widow immediately after. Shisui was preparing to be the Hokage's assistant. None of that would come to fruition if she failed in the one thing she was supposed to be the best at.

She didn't even realize Sasuke had moved closer to her or that there was a fresh trail of tears running down her cheeks. Everything just felt like it was falling apart and she was supposed to be the one who would fix it. That was the sole reason of her being here. To save everyone from the fate that had befallen their world before. And she was failing.

Sasuke tapped the underside of her chin and she closed her eyes for a moment before she looked up and caught his stare.

It looked like he was trying really hard to be mad at her. There was a reluctant softness in his gaze and his touch was gentle as her wiped her tears away. She took a deep breath, trying not to let the action drive her to complete hysterics.

"I believe in you," He whispered and that completely sent the waterworks over the pathetic dam she tried to establish. She let out a strangled sob before she hid her face in her hands, terrified that he'd see right through her if she caught his stare.

She didn't want him to know that she wasn't just falling apart because of Itachi. She was falling apart because she just didn't know what to do. Her life so far has been easy to manage. Things were okay and she was almost confident of this whole time traveling thing. She had Shisui, Itachi, and Tsunade behind her to help. They were some of the brightest minds in the world and she had them supporting her and helping her. But everything went downhill so quickly at this point in her old life.

Asuma died. Konoha was destroyed. Danzo temporarily became Hokage. Sasuke tried to kill her. She tried to kill him. And then the war- where everyone she loved died. Her boys falling for a stupid trap because Madara was smart enough to use her as the bait. Not having enough chakra to trade her life for Naruto's. Sasuke using the last of his chakra to save her from the genjutsu. Being alone for weeks before Itachi approached her and gave her this second chance.

Sasuke stood before her hesitantly, before he tentatively drew her closer to him. She wondered how awkward he felt. He always hated being touched in her old life and was never usually the one to intiate things like hugs. But she didn't care. She drew her hands away from her face and wrapped them around his body, sobbing into his shirt as everything just hit her. She vaguely felt his cheek rest against the top of her head and she remembered that this Sasuke still had yet to gain the height she was met with when the war started.

She wondered how long she was bottling this bent up frustration within her because by the time she opened her eyes, the sky had darkened immensly, the golden hues now replaced with midnight blues fading into the onyx color she always associated with Sasuke's eyes. The color her old one had before the war, the one the Sasuke still holding her had.

"Sakura," He said softly as she pulled away. "What aren't you saying?"

She sniffled, wiping her face before Sasuke could do it for her and send her into hysterics again. "A lot."

"Then say it," He told her and she stubbornly shook her head. "How can we have your back if you refuse to let us in?"

Sakura sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes as she processed his words.

In this time, she was the reluctant one. She was the one keeping things from her boys. The one who refused to fall back onto them. And she wanted to tell him, she desperately did. But she had no idea how the consequences would play out. She hasn't even figured out how Sasuke's presence at this stage would change the outcomes of Team 7's missions or their training.

Naruto trained and learned Wind style after they got back from Orochimaru's hideout because it had been evident Sasuke was much more powerful than him. But now, what would Naruto's motivation be? He wasn't striving to bring Sasuke back. How did the absence of that motivation affect her best friend? And his progress?

She hasn't even properly thought out those things yet. She couldn't add another thing to worry about to the pile. Not now. Once things changed enough to the point where any past knowledge was useless and wouldn't hurt this time, then she would tell them. But she couldn't now- not when the time was so delicate.

Tsunade also warned her about telling anyone anything more than she had to. Her master had yet to give her reason to doubt her words.

"Shisui and Itachi know," He stated, confusion leaking into his tone. "I don't understand why you can't tell me, at the very least. Naruto's an idiot."

"He's unpredictable," She mumbled and opened her eyes. "I didn't tell them. Itachi-nii figured it out and he tells Shisui-nii practically everything."

"I thought we told each other everything," Sasuke admitted. "You're always saying that we're a family and that we have each other's backs. We can't do that with secrets blocking the way."

"But am I the only one with secrets?" Sakura asked in a hushed tone, almost regretting her words as they came out. "I'm not an idiot, Sasuke-kun. I don't know all the inner workings of clans but I know enough."

Sasuke stilled at her words and let her take a step back. Space was good- space made it easier not to spill things that could have drastic consequences if she didn't think them through first. And she was in no way, shape, or form in the right mindset to determine if she should tell Sasuke that she had traveled back in time because he and Naruto had died and she had no purpose in living until Itachi found her.

"I know that the assessment or whatever isn't just for images and politics," She admitted and didn't dare continue. That was an entirely different conversation they needed to have and she just didn't have the emotional capacity for that today. And if she couldn't handle it, she was sure Sasuke couldn't either.

Sasuke stayed silent and she knew that was his default reaction to things he didn't know how to respond to.

"I'm not going to ask you to explain," Sakura said slowly. "I understand, sort of. I just need you to understand that everything that I'm doing- the secrets, the things I don't say, and the fact that Shisui-nii and Itachi-nii know- they're all for you. For you and Naruto."

Sasuke opened his mouth to respond, probably that she was insane or something but she cut him off and continued. "Sasuke-kun. Everything I do is for you two. It doesn't make sense, I know that. But I refuse to let you two. . . I refuse to let you two get hurt."

"For us," Sasuke repeated doubtedly.

"Naruto is the hope for the shinobi world," Sakura told him, not afraid of revealing that in the least bit. "You know that. He's not like the rest of us. He's the key to the future Itachi-nii and Shisui-nii have been working towards their entire lives. He's the key to peace."

Sasuke grudgingly agreed but still didn't look convinced.

"And you, Sasuke-kun," She whispered, placing her hand on her heart and took a deep breath. "You're everything to me." Her fingers clenched the fabric of her shirt and she wondered how it still hurt this much. "It actually hurts. Not just the fact that I know you don't fully trust me anymore. But because I love you so much that it physically pains me to keep these things from you. But I can't. I can't and it's because I'm doing all of this for you two."

Sakura didn't get to see the way Sasuke reacted to her words the first time she confessed to him. He had been leaving the village and her vision was swarming with tears. She just knew her voice stopped him in his tracks and that she had his attention. She knew he heard every word and when he called her annoying, she saw everything he couldn't tell her.

But this time, she saw his reaction.

She wondered if it was the same expression. This shocked vulnerability that made it hard for her to even continue speaking. Because he looked so confused and completely caught off guard. Like he didn't know how to respond to it. His eyes were wide and solely trained on her.

"Why?"

For a second, Sakura wasn't too sure how to respond. But then she smiled gently. "Because of who you are at your core, Sasuke-kun. There will never be a time where I don't love you."

"No," He said in a strangled whisper, hurt flashing across his features now. "Why won't you trust someone you love?"

"Not yet," She shook her head. "There's still too many variables."

"What does that even mean?" He asked, the slightest sliver of desperation leaking into his tone.

Sakura opened her mouth but shut it once she realized how everything that she could possibly say wasn't good enough. She decided to just shake her head and willed herself not to cry again.

Sasuke watched her for a few more moments before his eyes narrowed and his hardened demeanor returned. He disappeared from her sight and suddenly she was alone atop the mountain.

And because life loved to mess with her, she found that being alone was the very last thing she wanted now. When she arrived, it was all she wanted. But now, she just couldn't stand to be on her own. She slowly sat down and looked up.

She didn't move from that spot for a very long time. The sky had darkened immensely and stars were shining through the sky, all of the clouds from the day seemingly gone. She watched the moon and remembered the way it had looked after the genjutstu was cast. She didn't feel nearly as hollow as she had underneath that moon, but she did feel numb under its reflected light now.

"Teme was brooding more than usual, so I figured I would come find you," A soft voice said and she felt him plop down next to her.

"Are you mad at me, Naruto?" She asked quietly.

"I hate liars, Sakura-chan," Naruto told her and she felt tears start streaming down her face again.

"I know," She said, her words barely audible. She saw the moment he first said that to her flash before her eyes and she always wanted her old Naruto to understand that she hadn't been lying. Though, she regretted how it all went down. She made too many mistakes regarding her boys that day.

"But you aren't really lying," Naruto continued, throwing an arm around her and pulling her tightly into his side. "You're not telling us things because you can't, right? It's not really that simple. I don't like it, but I'm not gonna, like, condemn you for it. You've always been really smart about stuff. I'm sure you'll tell us when you can."

"Naruto," She managed to say in a relatively stable tone. "I promise that everything I'm doing, it's for you and Sasuke-kun. It's always going to be you two."

Naruto leaned his head against hers. "I never doubted that for a second, Sakura-chan."

She sniffled again and let out a light chuckle. "Thank you, Naruto." For always being there for me. In this life and her last.

"Say, you think when I become Hokage we can celebrate by coming up here with ramen and sit atop my head?" Naruto asked, patting his hand on the stone underneath them. "Gramps is cool and all, but next time you cry up here, it better be tears of joy 'cause I'm Hokage."

Sakura laughed and thanked him internally for being so him. "Sure, Naruto. Happy tears and ramen for when your face is carved into the mountain. We can do that."

"You're the best, Sakura-chan."