"Hey, I'm kinda lost. Do you know any place where I can find some accomodation?" Sakura stared at the girl curiously. She was around her age with a mane of brown wild hair and red markings on her cheeks. Her skin was a very light tan. She was dressed in a brown kimono with a slit at the side and a black obi. She also wearing shoes she had accustomed to ninjas. "Are you a ninja?" she asked. The girl smiled sheepishly. "Is it that obvious? I'm not exactly a ninja but I'd like to be one," she replied. "Just that my clan isn't too keen on having female ninjas. They want us to be breeding machines, as if I'll do that," she spat out the last part. Sakura observed her quietly. She was thirteen years and she hadn't received any ninja training. But seeing a girl of her age want to be a ninja made her want to be a ninja as well. "I wanna be a ninja too but I have no one to train me," she told her. "Well, if you help me find accomodation, I'll teach you what I know," she replied with a smile. "Really?" the pinkette asked eagerly. She nodded in return.


Sakura's mother wasn't keen on the idea of having an unknown shinobi under their roof. "But she said she'll train me," she argued. "Why would she train you when you have me?" the older woman replied. "Coz you don't want me within a foot of a ninja scroll or a kunai. That's why!" she shot back. "I can't start training you now. We have to disappear for awhile. There are some people looking for us that we don't them to find us," Akarui spoke as she ran a hand through her ponytail. "But I trust Hana. She's just like me, she wants to be a ninja too," the pinkette said as her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Please okaa-san," she pleaded. Her mother stared at her for a long time before agreeing, if not unsurely. "Okay fine. She can stay here and train you for the meantime," she told her.

Sakura would later come to regret that decision a year later when Hina would reveal herself to be a spy and snitch out their location to the Kaguyas, ultimately causing her mother's death and leaving her as an orphan.


She dodged the axe which came flying from her left, focusing on shattering the ground below her. Using the jagged rocks as leverage, she created two clones which moved to knock out the ninken whilst the original would focus on Hina. "I have to say, you have truly improved from the weakling you were. Though you have me to thank for that," the Inuzuka said with a smirk as she adjusted the axe in her hand. "If you mean being responsible for my mother's death and taking advantage of our friendship, then yes. Thank you," she said as she hauled several shuriken in her direction. She made a single handsign and the shuriken multiplied tenfold. Hina's laughter sounded in the area. She had disappeared from view. "Are you still going on about that? You really are a pathetic excuse of a ninja. Only weak ninjas let their emotions cloud their judgements," she said. Sakura dropped to the ground the moment the blade of the axe sliced over her head. She lashed out her leg, swiping the other girl off her feet. However, it was only a clone and poofed out of existence. "Your boyfriend's clone jutsu really comes into handy," Hina said as she appeared on top of a building which was formerly a tea shop. "Just what do you want really? You're not here to chit anc chat are you?" the pinkette asked as she narrowed her eyes. "Ah, you've caught me. I'm not here to chit and chat. I just want to see what kind of person you've become before I rip you to shreds," she said boredly. "You've become really soft Sakura. Are you that same person who put a hand through my chest? If it weren't for the Kaguya and their weird ass jutsus, I'd be dead right but somehow they managed to bring me from the dead," she told her. Then her demeanor shifted entirely. "Where is the real Sakura? The one who doesn't give a rat's ass about anything if you mess with her friends? I was surprised that you actually put a hand through my chest because you wanted to avenge your mother. I understand you, Akarui Haruno was a very sweet woman. And stupid too. I mean, who in their right mind would-" She felt air leave her lungs and was skidding past the roofs before finally slamming into a large slab of stone. Sakura's expression was one of utter rage. "Don't you dare trash talk my mother," she spat out. Black lines were covering her faces and arms. "Now that's what I'm talking about," Hina said as she retracted herself from the stones, her expression crazed with blood running down her temple.


"I never thought I'd see the day where Senju and Uchiha would fight side by side. This is truly amazing," Hashirama breathed out as he watched the battle below. The Harunos, Senjus and Uchihas were on one side and the Kaguyas, Inuzukas and Hyugas on the other. "Really? I thought you didn't like bloodshed," Madara scoffed. "No, I don't mean it like that. But this has never happened before. I feel like something good will come out of this," the brunette spoke with a smile. At that, they jumped down and became involved in the battle.


Harumi's head was buzzing with many questions as she was led to a different area. Many dark-haired shinobi with similarly dark eyes appeared all around them and ushered them to another safe place. "Wait, there are supplies at our safe place, the one which was destroyed. We need to retrieve them," she told Kagami. The curly-haired boy turned to the man beside him. "Hikaku-nii, she says she has to fetch supplies at their previous safe place. Can I accompany her there?" he asked. The young man sent a fleeting glance at Harumi. "How will you carry them if it's just the two of you?" he asked. "They're mostly in scrolls," she spoke up. Hikaku sent her a slight glare at the interruption but waved them off to come back before they were attacked. They were walking back to the previous safe place with Harumi's directions. "How old are you?" she asked. Kagami sent her a questioning look in return. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me. Just curious," she said cooly.

"I'm eight years old," he replied. "Hmmm, you're really young then," she said offhandedly. "Look who's talking," he chuckled. "H-Hey, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, I'm also young but you're also young so we're both young," she blabbered. "You look around five years old," he supplied. She nodded. "Are you the one who made those trees? The ones which killed all those shinobi back there?" he pried. At that, she immediately tensed. "No, it wasn't me. I don't know who it was but I'm grateful that they did. It was very scary and I j-just feel relieved. There was so much b-blood," she hiccuped as her tears started to fall. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to make you remember. Just forget about it, don't cry please," he said in alarm. She inwardly sighed in relief. She hoped that he bought her act. She wasn't ready to tell anyone about it yet, even though most of her clan members had already seen it. She doubted that they would remember it anyways.

They arrived at the safe place. The sight was gross. Many dead bodies scattered the entire area, both Harunos, Inuzukas and Kaguyas. The unnatural shape of the trees which was covered in blood and gore made it even worse. The five-year old wanted to vomit but she clamped down the urge to do so by clenching her jaw. "Ah, you can remove those rocks covering the entrance. They're inside," she told him. He told her to move back a little. "Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" He blew out a large fireball which completely obliterated the rocks at the entrance. Harumi could stare in shock as the fire enveloped the entire entrance, the heat reaching even to where she was standing. "How did you do that?" she asked in awe as his jutsu died down. "It's a simple fireball jutsu, though I just happen to do it better than the others," he said as he blushed at her awestruck expression. "Please, teach me. Teach me how to be a shinobi like you," she said as she took her hand in his. "Don't worry. I'll teach you after all this is over. Now then, let's get those supplies before Hikaku-nii comes to drag our asses back."

After collecting the supplies, they went back to the current safe place. "Naori-nee, how's the battle? Any news?" Kagami asked a certain teenage girl. She was dressed in a high collared navy blue battle kimono with a slit that showed the dark pants she was wearing inside. She had a sword strapped to her alside. Harumi looked at her curiously. She had purple hair, she had never seen anyone with purple hair. And she was pretty too. What was she doing here in the middle of a war? "It's a stalemate. Neither sides are winning. Honestly I don't know why they keep on fighting this stupid war. It all leads to despair anyways," she said with a huff. "Why is there a war in the first place?" Harumi asked her. The purple-haired girl looked down at her. "Who are you?" she asked her. "My name is Harumi Haruno," she replied. "Too much Haru- in a single name," she muttered. "What your name?" the five-year old asked in return. "Naori Uchiha," came the reply. The dark-haired girl looked at Kagami who was standing beside her. "Why does she look like a split image of Tobirama Senju?" she queried. Kagami shook his head.

She turned back to her. "The whole reason they're fighting a war is that since time immemorial, there has always been a feud between the Senju and Uchiha clans. I don't really know what happened but all I know is that the Senju are our enemies and vice versa. Soon, it spread to other clans as they got caught in the crossfire. Now, we don't really know why we're even fighting. Children get sent to war at very young ages and don't come back," she told her grimly. "So it means they need someone to knock sense into their heads?" Harumi spoke with a thoughtful expression. Naori nodded. "Hmmm. Then let's stop this war," she said with a determined expression. "Kagami, could you please take me to the battlefield?" she asked. His shock was evident all over his face. "Are you crazy?! You'll get killed!" he exclaimed, suddenly feeling very protective of the little girl. "Just trust me, okay? We can even take Naori with us. I have a plan," she told them. The two Uchiha looked at her quizzically then at each other. "You better prepare an explanation for Hikaku-nii."


The battle was a stalemate, neither sides were losing or winning. It had drifted until it was at the centre of the Haruno village. Sakura was fighting Hina whilst her teammates were fighting Daisuke, the clan head of the Kaguya clan and Mamura, the clan head of the Hyuga clan. The Konoha founders were mainly focusing on eliminating the Kaguya as they proved to be more deadlier than the rest. Different elemental ninjutsu and metal projectiles were flying in the air. Harumi stared down at the battlefield from the spot she was perched on top. Her eyes remained glued to the battlefield. "-hey. Harumi?" She snapped out of her reverie. Kagami had been shaking her. "It's grotesque, isn't it?" he sighed. She nodded in reply. "If I so happen to die because of this, I want you to know that I'll always love you," he said as he slung an arm over Harumi's shoulder and another over Naori. "Tch, stop being so cheesy," the older girl said. "I'll make sure you don't die. I bet my life on it," Harumi swore. During the small time they had been together, she was going to treasure the friendships she had made. "Let's do this."

They jumped down at the battlefield. "Everyone! Stop this fighting!" Harumi shouted but no one heard her. A kunai flew in her direction but Kagami deflected it. She shared a glance with her friends before she put her hands on the ground. A gigantic tree rose high into the sky, towering over and shattering the ground within a hundred metre radius. Small trees grew in a line on either sides of the trees forming a boundary between the fighting shinobis. Harumi and her two Uchiha counterparts were standing on top of the giant tree. Using chakra to enhance her voice, Naori spoke.

"Everyone, stop fighting! As long as we keep on fighting, this war will never stop. We'll continue to lose our loved ones, denying anyone to live their life to the fullest. We're constantly living in fear, worried whether our village will be attacked or not. But that's not how it's supposed to be. We're all descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, he didn't teach ninjutsu. He taught ninshu, which is peace. Please I'm begging you, let's talk this out. We're all tired of this war. Why are we even fighting anyways?" she spoke passionately.

The battlefield was eerily silent. Harumi decided to speak up. "My name is Harumi Haruno. My mother is Sakura Haruno and I don't know my father. Ever since I was born, I never got a chance to see my father because he's always fighting this war. I'm five years old now. I also have this weird ability to control trees. I can kill all of you if I wanted to. To those who saw the area where there were ninjas impaled by trees, I was the one who did that. And that's only the beginning. I can do much more than that. But I'm not killing anyone, why? Because I don't want this war. Even though I have the power, it's meant to protect, not to destroy. All the clan heads here are aware of the greater need to protect your clan. With great power, comes great responsibility. The reason you have power is to protect, so please. Let's talk this out and have peace for once!" she shouted in the clearing.

She looked down at the battlefield, praying that her points were making sense. She might have exaggerated when she said she could them all but she was taking chances. She was speaking whatever came to mind. "I'm a Haruno but my best friends are two Uchiha, Kagami and Naori. During my mother's travels, she helped to save an Uchiha who had been abandoned after a battle between the Senju and Uchiha. She could have left him but instead she healed him, he's alive today. She also met an Uzumaki and they make a really awesome team. It shows that it's possible to be friends, all of us despite which clan you come from," she added.

Izuna watched the small girl speak. He had to admit, he was impressed. It took a lot of guts to speak in front of a lot of people and even more in front of shinobi, and even more to speak about peace to said shinobi. His eyes wandered to the shinobi around him. They all seemed to be deep in thought. Perhaps they would achieve peace after all. He was tired, of all fighting and emotional damage. He was willing to put aside his differences with the Senju, even that blasted Tobirama for a much needed emotional rest.

He caught the movement before it happened with his Sharingan. He shunshined in front of Harumi just as Daisuke aimed a sharp bone at her in the blink of an eye. It pierced his stomach and he could already feel himself lose consciousness. He had already suffered some injuries during the battle. His mouth tasted of blood. His last thought was asking himself why he had protected her before he drifted into darkness.


So sorry for not updating for a long time, I made this chapter longer than usual. I hope you like this chapter. Any grammatical errors are mine. So Hikaku Uchiha was one of the strongest Uchiha during the founding era, I googled it. Then Naori Uchiha was the first person to use the Izanami. I'm so proud of Harumi though, my girl is grown up and be speaking her heart out in front of scary men and women who could easily kill her.

Enjoy!

Reviews are greatly loved!

Tozoonana

AfricanFire