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Chapter Text

Standing in the middle of the dusty storage room in her family's shop, Haruno Sakura couldn't help but think she should have definitely hired a genin team to deal with this. She'd been stuck in there the whole morning - gathering, throwing away and packing up anything and everything she came across, but at this point, she had to wonder just what possessed her to do this by herself.

It's been a long time coming, she knew. Her parents were gone for months now, attacked on their biannual trip to foreign lands. Rogue shinobi, she was told. Sakura didn't know what they were looking for amongst the wares her parents transported, but whatever it was, it cost them their lives.

Two people she loved above all - gone.

Just like that.

Sakura couldn't even remember what it was that she told them last. She'd been thinking about that for a long time when she first found out about their deaths. She raked her brain, trying and failing for hours on end to imagine the last memory she had of them, but her mind refused.

All Sakura remembered was a hazy goodbye followed by numerous harrowing shifts at the hospital. She couldn't even remember if she smiled at them when they left, if she told them she loved them.

It hurt. Too much.

So, it wasn't really surprising she was putting off cleaning up their shop as long as she could. Every time she entered the small colorful shop, she expected to hear her mother's greeting or her father's laughter. The clinking of the various new things they gathered from all over the nations, or to breathe in the comforting smell of sandalwood incense they loved to burn.

Ino was the one to make her see reason and urge her to clean up the place, and Sakura knew her best friend was right, but it didn't make it any less painful when all that greeted her upon entering the once lively, warm shop was silence and dust and air that has long lost its comforting scent.

"See, this place really does need your magic touch, Forehead. Don't let your parents' effort go to waste." Was what Ino said before she gave her a hug and left for her shift at the T&I.

Sakura was even optimistic at the beginning. Determined to respect her parents' legacy and handle their valuables with care.

Now? Now she was on the verge of just throwing everything away. What in the Kami's name even was all of this?

Sakura always appreciated the things her parents acquired for her but she never knew they were gathering this many useless things.

She reached for a scroll from the huge box in front of her - one that described "culinary delicacies during war time". The next one detailed the different ways of making blankets. And another one, talking about the pros and cons of socks during the years of warring clans.

Was anyone even interested in buying them or were they just gathering all of these scrolls for themselves? Knowing her parents, she couldn't confidently say it wasn't the latter.

"Kami..." she sighed, deciding to just finish this box and then she would go have lunch. Maybe some tempura would be good, she didn't get to eat it much lately. After all, she deserved a break - at least an hour. She'd give herself that much.

With that in mind, Sakura spent the next however long just going through the various scrolls and papers, coming across interesting topics every once in a while, but they were mostly just very old scrolls containing tips and tricks on how to survive a warring clans era if you were unfortunate enough to be born a civilian.

Or maybe they were the fortunate ones? Shinobi of that time were not kind to themselves, let alone each other. Sakura didn't think - no, in fact, she knew - the times before hidden villages existed were beyond brutal. For children most of all.

To be born a civilian, Sakura thought it was a blessing in disguise.

Reaching for the last scroll, she was about to just throw it in the garbage pile without much thought, when the familiar sigil made her pause.

The Uzumaki swirl sat embedded in the sealing wax on the scroll - untouched, unbroken.

Sakura blinked, a little bit surprised to see it in her civilian family's shop. She knew her parents gathered everything and anything, but to see the authentic Uzumaki scroll amongst the heaps of random paper was a little surreal. Konoha would've given a pretty ryo to have another piece of the ancient Uzushio knowledge in their hands, she was sure of that.

In any case, it ought have been one of the most valuable things this shop contained.

Biting her lip in thought, Sakura traced the wax seal with her thumb, itching to open it. She'd never seen an Uzumaki scroll with a blue strap.

She'd seen all the reds and greens and even blacks - Tsunade-sama made her organize and reorganize the Senju library enough times for her to remember all the Uzumaki scrolls collected there- but she'd never seen a blue one before.

She wanted to break the wax, but at the same time, it was never a smart thing to just open an Uzushio scroll. She didn't know if it was a seal - if it would activate immediately or if it would stay dormant. Maybe it was only a theory within or a prototype of some kind. Maybe a water technique, considering the color?

Sakura looked up, straight through her window towards the Hokage mountain. She wondered if she should just hand it over to be analysed and stored away safely. But then again, she was too curious. There was every chance she would not get to see the contents of it if she just gave it away, and besides, her parents did buy it - so, technically, the scroll was hers.

"Soo," Sakura said to the empty room. "Give me a sign if I shouldn't touch it."

She waited exactly a minute before shrugging and reaching to open it.

She didn't know what she expected. Actually, she did know - a flash of light, at least. An automatic activation. A catastrophe for sure.

What she didn't expect, was a summoning contract.

A contract with all the name slots blank.

Did no one ever sign it? Was that even possible? But why...wouldn't they?

Sakura frowned, reaching to flip the scroll once again, and look more closely at the wax seal. The pattern was a little faded, sure, but it was Uzumaki crest no doubt. It didn't make sense that a shinobi clan as powerful as they were would just sit on a summoning contract and never use it.

It begged the question...why?

What if... Sakura's bright eyes focused on the place where a name would have been written in blood.

Could she sign it?

She wanted to, honestly. The curiosity was eating at her but the obvious lack of use made her hesitate. It just didn't make sense to her.

Did they not know about it? Was no one ever accepted as the summoner? Or was it just too dangerous to even try?

She stared at it for a good few minutes before she noticed it - a faint, almost translucent script written at the very edge of the scroll.

Sakura has never seen such language before but she did understand the sentence just bellow. It said 'Tides shall be thy gift'.

Tides? So it was connected to some kind of water creature. She was right about that, at least.

"Well," she took a deep breath. "What's the harm in trying."

With a fast flick of her kunai, Sakura nicked her thumb and without overthinking it, wrote her name down.

She watched as letters changed colors - the crimson of the blood turning brown and then black, sealing her signature into the contract.

The room filled with stifling kind of silence as the last traces of color disappeared into the paper. Sakura's heartbeat thudded in her chest as she waited to see what sort of being would appear.

Nothing happened for a single moment.

Then, before she could even think to move, thick, dark sealing lines spread from the inked scroll taking her hands prisoner. Sakura watched bewildered as markings made their way up her arms, to her shoulders - spreading across her whole body like chains made of ink.

The thrum of vastly powerful chakra began to vibrate, its echo sounding the distant storm in her mind. Sakura froze from within, anxiety bubbling with the condensed pressure that appeared with every inch of her marked skin.

It almost felt like the very chakra of the summoning beast wanted to penetrate her pores and cells - envelop every organ inside her body and devour every ounce of her blood.

It should have made her feel stronger, but all Sakura could feel was the acute sense of drowning. Drowning in the unbearable seas of power and freezing from its ancient touch.

Sakura's breaths turned shallow, sweat going down her temple. She fought with the urge to scream, hoping for a semblance of a clear thought - but the hollow song of the thundering waves had long won that battle.

She wasn't sure if she could even move, the feeling had left her body awhile ago. Only her eyes roamed freely - panicked and regretful- and even they could only focus on where her hands, glued still to the summoning contract, remained bound in place by the damning shackles.

Black spots started to appear in the field of her vision as she frantically clung to the familiar scenery.

Sakura thought she could feel tears sliding down her face as she gazed upon the stone faces carved in the distance. As she looked at the monument in silent plea, while the darkness creeped into her vision.

She thought, with the last of her memory - as the thudding of her heart slowed and coldness took place- the sun truly was a magnificent thing.

Sakura only wished she could've enjoyed it a little longer.

And so, just as light turned to shadow, sound turned to silence, and at last - nothingness prevailed.

~

The dripping echoed like a million whispers swirling inside her mind.

She was cold, yes - but not like before.

This feeling felt more...natural. More ... wet?

Was she wet?

A gust of cold air made Sakura's whole body shudder and her eyes instinctively flew open. She sprung into a sitting position, momentarily remembering what had happened to her.

How long was she unconscious? It couldn't have been long, right? Naruto would've thrown a fit by now and Ino would've been right behind him. So, it probably wasn't too lo-

Sakura blinked once. Then twice.

What in the Kami's name...

She was in a forest.

Sleeping.

In the rain.

Why the hell was she sleeping in the middle of the forest in the cold rain? No wonder she felt like a popsicle.

Last she remembered, she'd found that cursed Uzumaki scroll and - instantly, Sakura looked down, tracking the now completely mark-free skin - falling unconscious.

Frowning, she returned her gaze to her surroundings. It didn't feel like Konoha forests. It felt too humid, despite the falling rain. The trees too sporadic and - Sakura's mind completely froze.

Wait, why were her arms so small just now? They were clear of seal lines but they were...tiny.

So tiny.

Impossibly tiny, in fact.

Closing her eyes, Sakura took a deep, shaky breath to try and calm herself down. She probably made a mistake. Her eyes must not have adjusted right away.

Right?

Biting down on her lip, Sakura didn't dare open her eyes. She did, however, run a diagnostic on herself just to be sure and the second she did, she stopped still for the second time.

Her chakra felt different. Her reserves were much smaller yet large at the same time. It felt sluggish - almost the-beginning-of-the-academy sluggish.

Dread quickly replaced the brief relief she felt upon waking. Sakura should've known the scroll's nightmare wasn't over.

She needed to think rationally.

So, she signed the summoning contract, almost suffocated and woke up in the middle of a forest with her chakra and body feeling all kinds of wrong.

The conclusion would be that she was in a summoning realm, but the thing was - it didn't feel like that. Sakura's been to Shikkotsu forest before, she knew to recognize the unmistakable flavour of dense, natural chakra in the air.

This place didn't have that.

However, the contract itself didn't react like others would. She didn't know what those black markings were, but they were bound to have done something.

With another deep breath, Sakura tried once again to circulate her chakra pool throughout her whole body and could tell something was definitely wrong.

It didn't feel like her chakra, and yet it did. Same with her body - she felt this foreign sensation that was so painfully familiar, Sakura didn't know what to think.

After a whole eternity, she finally gathered enough courage to open her eyes once again and examine herself closely. She already knew something was wrong, she just needed to see how big was the damage.

With a sharp exhale, she blinked her eyes open and paused. She didn't have a mirror but Sakura didn't need one to know she was fucked.

Her legs were small and scrawny, her scratched knees all but sticking out. Her arms, Sakura could only stare at the sight of thin, pathetic- looking limbs with absolutely none of the muscle and definition she knew she had not even a day ago.

She was afraid to stand up, knowing with certainty that if she did, she'd be no taller than mere three feet, if a little over.

For once, only silence lorded over her thoughts.

Either she travelled back in time, somehow got displaced in someone else's body or the summoning beast whose contract she signed leaned toward psychological torture.

If there was a logical explanation for this, Sakura couldn't think of one.

Why did she have to mess with Uzumaki scroll? She knew better than that. Hell, Tsunade told her numerous times to be very careful when handling them.

Who even knew what she did to herself, and what was worse, Sakura didn't have anyone to blame for it but herself.

"Haruno Kasumi! What in the Kami's name are you still doing here? I was looking for you for hours!"

Sakura's head snapped up to see borderline angry woman marching towards her. She was tall, with tresses of softest pink falling down her back in a neat braid and sharp, dark green eyes that flashed with restrained mix of concern and frustration. Her simple grey kimono leaned towards traditional, if not completely old-fashioned.

For some unexplainable reason, Sakura knew the particular way the woman's nose twitched meant very displeasing things were about to occur.

"How many times did I tell you to get inside if it starts to rain! You cannot keep doing this - I know you enjoy water, but sleeping in the rain is too much, Kasumi. You'll get sick, and you know the herb supply is low at the moment. What were you even thinking!"

What Sakura was thinking-or, more accurately, questioning-as she watched the young woman blankly, was why did she insist on calling her Kasumi.

Sakura swallowed as she tried to piece together this very confusing scenario. She was small again, lying in a forest, apparently had a habbit of sleeping in the rain and, maybe most jarring of all, had a completely different name.

Haruno Kasumi.

At least a part of her name was still the same. Granted, it didn't help her understand the situation in the slightest. She couldn't recall ever hearing about any Kasumi in their family from her father.

"Well?" mom arched an imperious brow.

...mom?

Mom!

Sakura shook her head, trying to sort her thoughts. She was definitely in someone else's body.

"...definitely." she muttered to herself.

"What is definite, is that you are not getting any treats for the next two days." Sakura's stomach dropped in unexplainable disappointment that bordered despair. She had a disturbing hunch about why that was, but really wasn't eager to think about it right then.

"Um," Sakura blinked. "Sorry? Won't happen again."

"Don't lie to me to my face, young lady. Now come on, it's almost dinner time. Your jii-san will be late tonight so it'll be just the two of us."

Mom - the woman, Sakura chided herself - raised her hand for her to take and smiled gently. "I'll make you your favorite."

Warmth enveloped Sakura and her eyes turned glassy. Her lip almost wobbled and she couldn't help but wonder if she would really be stuck in the body of a little emotional kid.

Sakura hoped and prayed this was all one big, bad dream as she trudged next to her mo- ....the woman.

She really hoped.

~

The village they lived in was small. From what Sakura could see from the area, she would say they were somewhere near coast, nearer to Wave country than the heart of the Fire.

That was the only positive thing she'd learned so far, really- she recognized the area. The implications of it were another matter.

Sakura could safely cross the option of the summoning realm she clung to, which left her with all the ones she didn't want to think about. Unfortunately for Sakura, that particular choice was not available to her.

The first thing that came to her was soul displacement, but summoning scrolls of any kind didn't work that way, she didn't think. Reverse summoning would transport the whole person into the summoning realm, not just their spirit.

So her being in another person's body was out, too.

Not to mention, Sakura still felt like herself, only younger with different set of memories. Almost like she was starting her own life over again and its base was rooted in a completely different circumstance.

That left her with least favourable option - the scroll was some kind of fucked up time related summoning. And not just any kind, but her instincts strongly screamed she was in the past.

"Kasu-chan? Can you go give this to Hinami-obaa while I prepare dinner. Kenji-kun isn't feeling well and he could use something to warm him up." Aya - her mother's name, she'd learned - peaked from behind the kitchen curtain.

Before Sakura could think of her actions, she was nodding. "Yes, okaa-san." A flash memory of a sickly blond boy appeared in her mind's eye and she allowed herself to add, "Do you think Kenji-kun will feel better soon?"

True sadness flashed behind Aya's eyes, but the woman masked it expertly and gave her daughter a too gentle smile. Instinct told her whatever she was about to say was a lie - whether that was just her shinobi sense and adult ability to understand people's motivations or a core knowledge this version of her possessed, Sakura was uncertain of.

"You'll be playing by the river in no time, Tama-chan. You'll see."

Sakura nodded, and walked to the kitchen to grab the small package, her sharp little eyes not once straying from Aya's form. The woman continued to cut the vegetables for dinner, humming a gentle melody under her breath - one that sounded almost wistful under the sounds of crackling wood in the hearth.

There was true sorrow there, but Sakura didn't have time right now to contemplate it.

Instead, she picked the parcel from the old, wooden counter and headed for the door. " I'll be back quickly!"

"And no stopping for an evening dip in the river, Kasumi! The northern winds are going to be strong tonight, I don't need you catching cold."

A mere cold wouldn't be a problem for her medical skills, but Sakura could understand Aya's concern. Especially in the village where the best medical advice would be to drink hot tea and hope for the best.

Speaking of colds and medical advice, she would use this chance to find out more about when she was, and if she helped a sick boy or two along the way, no one would be any wiser. She just needed to do it carefully.

As she stepped outside the small house she now called home, Sakura finally let herself relax even if a little bit. There was no scrutiny here, no one watching her every move or monitoring every word, expecting her to behave as a child should. It was honestly only a matter of time before Aya noticed her little daughter doesn't react quite the same anymore.

The instinctual memories and the nature of the child's body helped the act, but the difference would be visible in time.

Sakura walked the streets of the small village, greeting the residents as she passed them - each by their name and with a smile on her face. None of them noticed anything strange and she was thankful for it.

They, however, gave her far more information than she expected. It was all in the way they walked, the way they talked, the way they dressed.

The last one, she thinks, was the most telling. Sakura observed the rough, washed out materials - some were colored in that dark indigo blue, but most were just left gray as they were. Their robes were bound with rope, straw hats on their heads. Some, those who were just returning from their fishing boats up on the shores, even wore their straw capes as a protection from the earlier rain.

In fact, even she herself was wearing the same kind of simple robes wrapped at the waist with civilian sandals adorning her feet.

There was no quality or splendour of the modern times woven in it. Just the utter practicality of it all. It spoke of the people who worked all day for what little things they could get. Of people who didn't have time nor privilege to dress any other way.

Sakura passed a hut after hut, all rather similar to the other and clustered incredibly close. They either had raised floors or stone foundations, with thatched roofs that were in anything but their best shape.

Sakura liked to think she led a humble life in Konoha's civilian district and later in her own shinobi apartment - but she had never before experienced a place quite like this. The fishing villages of her own time were far more developed and comfortable, despite the smells and crowds.

It was truly a glaring difference. Although, those smells haven't changed much over the years.

It was either fish or sault, mixed with horrendous stench of catch gone bad, assaulting her senses no matter where the wind blew.

Her feet splashed across the muddied paths - there was an attempt of a proper stone trail at one point, but even that disintegrated back to mud.

Holding the food package closer to her chest, Sakura let out a faint pulse of chakra through her feet, mapping out her surroundings with difficulty she wasn't used to - searching for any possible threats.

Her control remained untouched, yet the chakra itself felt too slow, too thick. Sakura was used to the light, airy feel of it. Now, it was like it wanted to listen but its consistency prevented its speed. Where it once felt like directing the wisps of lightning-quick water, now it was like dragging ropes of high-viscosity lava that simply did not want to move.

It took a lot more energy from her than she expected, but Sakura didn't mind. She would rather be aware than caught unprepared.

For now, everything was in the clear.

Instinct led her down the main path, around the village's gathering hall and eastwards towards the docks.

Her chakra was still spread out, searching for any indication of a threat, although in a relatively small circle. Soon she'd have to stop it completely lest she wore herself out completely. Four year old bodies were definitely not made for extensive chakra usage. At least when untrained as she was now.

The chilly breeze was stronger in this part of the village, being so close and open to the water. The wooden boards of the docks creaked under its force, the boats around the shore clanged against the posts and Sakura only now realized how much quieter it was. It reminded her of that calm before a big storm, when the air grew heavy and the skies livid, while winds messed your hair and the silence echoed.

Maybe it was because she was hyper aware of her surroundings, or maybe it was exactly that kind of eerie calm that made the hushed voices nearby chime like bells before the evening prayer.

Sakura stopped in her tracks, closed her eyes and focused on the conversation from a nearby hut.

"...glad they didn't come here this time."

"You're too optimistic. Heard a squad of Uzumaki passed just to the north of here not two days ago."

"Aiding the Senju, no doubt. Heard there was some kind of clash between them and Uchiha once again." Third voice added.

"When is there not a clash between those two? If a person hires one clan, you know their enemy is taking the other. Let them slaughter each other, I say - as long as they don't come near us."

A bitter laugh sounded. "You know that won't happen. Shimura clan is circling us like vultures
from the west, Hyuuga don't care either way and Senju all too eagerly take our catch in exchange for their protection. We're just means to an end, and I don't see that changing any time soon."

"Well, at least those redheads are staying out of our business. Do you remember-"

Sakura heard enough by that point, tuning out the men's further discussions. Biting her lip in contemplation, Sakura took a deep breath to center herself.

On one hand, she expected it. On the other, it was bewildering to be proven right.

Somehow, she found herself being a four year old girl stuck in the bloodiest era known to a shinobi, and it seemed there would be no simple reversing jutsu this time.

After a few moments, Sakura looked to the horizon, wondering if she would actually mange to survive the mess she'd gotten herself into this time.

With her team's luck, she wasn't too confident about her chances.

Chapter Text

Night had long descended upon the village, its veil of silence just as heavy as the seas crashing against the shore outside - yet despite all her exhaustion, Sakura could do nothing but stare blankly at the empty ceiling of her small room.

It's been hours since she stumbled back home after visiting Hinami-obaa and the sickly boy she was looking after.

The old woman was kind - just like her memories told her she would be - but Sakura saw the raw inner tiredness hiding behind those soft grey eyes. No matter how much she tried to hide it, the woman wasn't hopeful about boy's recovery and Sakura couldn't blame her.

Kenji-kun, for all that it started quite harmlessly, had developed almost severe acute pneumonia. He was pale, feverish and barely able to breathe without rasping - a stark contrast from what she could remember from the girl's...her own? - early life.

The herbs they had here couldn't do anything to fight the problem at this stage, she knew that. Granted, pneumonia wasn't something she hadn't healed many times before but now...

Her teeth clenched, her small hand squeezing the blanket with all her might to contain her frustration.

Now, she managed to merely soothe the inflammation with her wobbly, untrained chakra before she was all but stumbling on her feet. She apparently looked bad enough when she returned that Aya shoved food down her throat and sent her to bed instantly. It wasn't an experience Sakura appreciated - in fact, being forcefully spoon-fed grated so hard on her, she barely restrained herself from snapping at the woman.

And if those things weren't enough of an insult to her well-cherished pride, Sakura didn't even make a significant dent in her chakra reserves.

She'd become dead on her feet from a barely acceptable usage of medical jutsu and she wasn't even on the brink of chakra exhaustion, yet that was her limit.

She'd really forgotten how much it sucked to be her in this part of her life. She'd been fighting ancient goddesses and resurrected maniacs - who were, incidentally, probably alive at the moment - not even two years ago.

And now she was useless again.

Kami, she really hated her own actions sometimes. Naruto
would've laughed his ass off if he knew - this was the kind of stupidly random stuff that would've definitely happened to him.

Sasuke would... well, he probably wouldn't even notice she was gone for awhile yet.

That sobered her up quickly. Not because of his lack of attention towards pretty much anything, but because Sakura really couldn't remember what had happened after she signed that scroll and fell unconscious.

Did they even know she was gone? Has any time passed...wherever they were now. Sakura couldn't really be sure if she was just back in time, or if this was another dimension completely. She didn't know enough about the now, to be confident of anything.

And however absurd it sounded, after Kaguya and Fourth war, nothing could really surprise her anymore - especially where seals were involved.

Sakura took a deep breath to forcefully stop her running thoughts. Nothing would come of blind guessing and overthinking. She needed to focus on what she could do and that meant, first and foremost - chakra exercises and meditation.

Being a civilian in a civilian village, however, also meant she needed to go unnoticed while doing her training. If caught, there was absolutely no excuse in this world that would explain how a four year old girl knew what to do, and why.

Shinobi techniques being kept within the clans really put a big kink in all of her possible plans.

Creaking of the floorboards had her eyes snapping to the worn sliding doors, alert and listening for any kind of movement.

Aya should've been sleeping by now, and her ojii-san hadn't come home yet - so it was highly probable it was nothing.

Nonetheless, Sakura carefully slid her robe-clad self off her wooden cot and padded carefully towards the door. Concentrating inwards, it took a moment for Sakura to mask her chakra, but she was quite pleased when she succeeded with little problem.

It was something, at least.

As carefully as she could, Sakura slid the door open to the empty main room. There was no one there, but she decided to check the rest of the house just to be sure.

She went to the room next to hers, where Aya slept peacefully, as expected. Their rooms were just partitioned for a little bit of privacy so Sakura would've heard if there actually was someone there.

Tip-toeing across the main room, around the central hearth and the table, she glanced behind the thick curtains of the kitchen and finally reached her grandfather's room.

She knew she wasn't supposed to be entering when the man wasn't present, but that was a rule for Kasumi, not Sakura.

Without further hesitation, Sakura pushed the sliding doors to the side and gently closed them behind her.

Moonlight lit up the space from a small window to the left, revealing worn floors, a low wooden cot - bigger than hers - with a straw mattress strewn atop of it. A small, weathered chest for clothes and shelves upon shelves of random objects and materials. The room looked more like a storage for the man's merchandise than a bedroom.

This sight was the most familiar one she'd seen since ending up here, and it made her heart clench a tiniest bit.

She honestly wanted to peruse the soft-looking materials on some of the shelves but she was once again reminded she was now too short for such things, and there was simply no room here for chakra walking.

Sakura longingly gazed upon them, imagining how much more comfortable her clothes could've been if they were made with that, instead of the rough cotton people here seemed to prefer.

Or more accurately, were able to afford.

Semantics, really.

Sighing, she pulled herself out of her ridiculousness and looked around, wondering what she should do now. There was no one in the house, but just the same, Sakura knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep.

Not yet.

Her gaze caught on the distant part of the beach visible from the window, and with rain no longer falling, she figured there was no better time for meditation.

If she couldn't sleep, she could at least do something useful. She was too used to her days being full that sitting still had become quite an unacceptable feat.

With a last look over her shoulder, Sakura opened the small window and climbed out with expert precision of a person who had done it millions of times before.

Wind blasted her face the moment she stepped out, but she ignored it and turned to close the window, leaving only the slightest of cracks for easier opening later.

And just like that, she was off.

~

Shadows cloaked her tiny form as she moved through the thick, high grass along the sandy beach just a bit further from the village.

When she clocked this place from the distance, it looked much smaller than it actually was, with trees hiding away most of it from sight.

It wasn't much to look at, sure, but Sakura's eyes weren't on it regardless. No, what her sharp gaze was focused on was one enormous rock rising from the shallow water - like a siren's reef in the midst of a tempest.

She didn't care for the tumultuous seas nor the raging wind - her mind had already decided that was the place she would call hers from now on.

So she walked - bare feet trudging through the icy sand while instinct led her closer to the jagged rock. She didn't stop for a moment - not when the sand turned sharp with the broken remains of the seashells, not when her feet met the jarringly cold water, not even while she seamlessly directed chakra to her feet, moving it with the flow of the water.

Sakura expected she'd have to exert some kind of effort to be able to do it, but surprisingly so, it felt like water itself rose to help her stay afloat.

She paused at that, slight frown forming on her youthful features. That...had never happened before. She'd always been water natured, but it never reacted quite like this to her presence.

Tilting her head, Sakura let her control wobble on one side, curious to see what would happen. To her astonishment, the moment her foot started to sink, it was pushed back to the surface as if the sea itself wouldn't allow it.

Stunned, she tried again with the other foot - same thing happened. Even when her control wobbled on both feet, Sakura stayed strongly above the crashing waves.

She couldn't quite let go of her chakra altogether, but if she were to falter - water itself was sure to push her back up.

Sakura was so shocked she could feel her mouth falling open. Was this what Aya was talking about when she said Sakura loved water? Did she have some strange affinity she didn't know about? But it couldn't be, she'd remember it like she did everything else.

No, this was the first time Sakura had ever seen such a thing and it left her completely flabbergasted.

Feeling rather stupid for just standing there, gaping, she shook her head to try and come back to her senses before she hurried to reach the rock ahead.

Once on the solid surface again, Sakura couldn't help but keep glancing back at the place she'd just stood at.

What even was that? Had she tapped into her elemental nature by accident? It was very unlikely, especially in her current condition. She'd sooner blackout on the spot, if she tried it. Not to mention, it wouldn't have worked. Her control was good enough to substitute the lack of developed chakra flow for some basic techniques, but not to that extent.

What just happened, she would have to examine some other time.

Now, meditation was her priority. Nothing could be done until she returned to her previous level.

Taking a comfortable position on the flat part of the rock, Sakura took a deep calming breath and closed her eyes.

~

Whisper rippled through the silence like a rock across still water.

Sakura looked to the left, then right, but the darkness remained unchanged. It stood still, reflective - all-encompassing.

Drip.

She whirled around - a single jerk in an empty void. There was no oxygen, no presence, no ground.

Sakura doubted even she truly existed here.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip. Drip.

Ping after ping. Echo after echo. Ripple after ripple.

She whirled and turned, looking, searching - was it above? Bellow? Behind?

Sakura's mind swirled, her thoughts mixed, her vision became a melody of dancing colors and thundering shadows. Every thought moved, every word clashed, every picture blurred.

They spun like a hurricane.

Drip.

Like a wild sea.

Drip.

Like a shattering earthquake.

Then...it all stopped.

And the eyes of sea-foam green met hers.

Sakura's mind quieted, her heart stuttered and she watched her own self stare right back.

The woman that she once was, tilted her head to the right, short hair falling gently across her cheek. Her expression was of amusement and mischief, one Sakura used many times before - one that said she knew something others didn't.

Sakura frowned, looking up at the reflection beyond the rippling surface, not understanding why she appeared. What was it that she didn't know? Was it connected to the blank time frame in her memory?

"What happened to me?" Sakura dared to say.

The woman beyond just grinned, shaking her head 'no' - her gesture mocking, but somehow not cruel. She would've called it teasing if it weren't for the flicker of coldness in her sharp gaze.

"Answer me! Why am I here?"

The grin broadened, but the answer never came.

And then, drip.

Invisible ropes pulled her to the right and there, another reflection appeared. This one was of a red-haired girl, the same age she was now. Their features weren't exactly the same but she could recognize the traces of Haruno genes in her. If her hair was a little softer shade, they could've passed as sisters.

There was one glaring difference though.

Who...?

"Why do you look so confused Sakura-chan? Do you not recognize me?" the girl's voice was soft, but just as before, it held distinctive teasing lilt to it. "Am I that different? They do say memory gets worse with age." she giggled.

Sakura stared stupefied. There was something she was missing. Something very important, and it was driving her up the wall. Where was her big brain when she needed it.

"Ah, don't worry, Sakura." More mature voice interjected - her voice. She looked back to see the older version winking at the smaller girl. " A person has to lose to gain. I did. She did." The woman nodded towards the girl, before smiling that mysterious smile. " And it appears that you have as well."

"What do you mean by tha-"

But she didn't get to finish her question. The two reflections began to blur, as if drawn together by an invisible force.

And then there was a third reflection.

One of a girl with long pink hair, elven face and most glaringly purple eyes she'd only ever seen once only moments before.

Sakura shifted minutely, and the girl mimicked the movement. Every motion, every breath, every twitch - it was the same.

And when their eyes finally locked together in a battle Sakura wasn't quite ready for, a flash of something serpentine entered the girl's amethyst gaze.

Something old.

Something powerful.

Then, the her lips pulled into a saccharine smile and the world turned to black once again.

~

Sakura opened her eyes to the rising sun and calm waters. She blinked herself awake from the depths of meditation, stretching her neck left and right to get the kinks out.

The gentle splashing against the stone and song of seagulls above made her want to just lay down, right then and there, and enjoy the rising dawn.

Sakura could already hear quiet moving of fishermen down by the docks and the clanking of nets and other equipment against the wooden boards.

The village was waking, and that meant she ought to head back before anyone noticed a child sitting alone in the middle of the reef, but Sakura just didn't want to.

She felt exhausted, physically and mentally, and besides - she trully loved feeling the warmth of sun shining upon her face, warming her up inside as the morning chill lingered in the air.

Not to mention her peculiar dream. Vision? It was a strange thing - meditation usually emptied her mind not filled it with more overthinking material.

She wanted to just become one with the rock and leave all the big and small worries to the world.

Knowing that wasn't in her cards, unfortunately, she sighed and with great difficulty stood up to leave. She needed to be back in her bed before Aya woke up, or ojii-san came home.

Was it strange that she kept calling a man she'd never met ojii-san? Yes, it definitely was - but Sakura decided to choose her own battles and that one just wasn't worth the effort.

So, with great reluctance, she headed back towards the house as leisurely as she could've managed. There was little she could do about her lack of sleep at this point, and pretending she'd actually be able to catch some by hurrying home would be silly.

If she was lucky, maybe she'd have some free time during the day for a nap. For a moment, she thought she sounded remarkably similar to Shikamaru and she didn't know if that should worry her or not.

"And just where have you been this early, Kasumi-chan?"

Sakura paused in the middle of climbing through the window, one foot on the sill, the other still hanging in the air.

She tilted her head, feigning confusion wondering what she should say to the man standing little way away from the front door, watching her with expectant brow raised.

She blinked once, and gave the most blinding smile she could manage. "Ojii-san! You're back early!"

"Apparently not early enough." the older man sighed, tracing his hand through his long, messy hair. He looked at her with kind, amused - if a little exasperated - expression and waved her over. "Come here."

Not being able to really refuse, Sakura jumped back down and ran into the man's arms. If she felt a twinge of strange comfort, she ignored it.

Haruno Kazuo patted her head gently before looking her over carefully. "Now, if you tell me where you've been off to, I may be persuaded not to tell you mother about it."

Kami, Sakura really didn't miss meddlesome guardians, but on the other hand, it was nice. Having someone worry about her well- being first, instead of the other way around, felt a lot more comforting then she would ever dare admit.

She let her childish instincts take over for a moment, not stopping the pout that overtook her features. "I couldn't sleep, and the water looked nice."

Kazuo glanced down towards her sand-covered feet and wet sleeping robes and shook his head in what should have been chastising manner, but Sakura caught the beginnings of a smile her tried to hide.

"Terrible dilemma, indeed." He chuckled, his eyes wrinkling a little at the corners, reminding her of her own late father. "But you must understand it is not safe for you to go off on your own at this hour."

Sakura decided to act stupid and groaned. "But why? Everyone was asleep anyway."

"I don't even want to know how long you spent out there if people were still sleeping. But besides that, there are some bad stuff happening near our village. You wouldn't want to be caught up in them, would you, Kasu-chan?"

So...skirmishes, most likely. But so close to be considered a risk? Sakura couldn't remember if she ever read of any bigger clans having conflicts this far out.

Extending her arms for Kazuo to to lift her up, Sakura asked, "What bad things?" She paused, her doe eyes widening. "Did you have to fight bad men? Kaa-san called them shi...shino-" she made a face as if unable to remember the word.

"They are called shinobi and no, Kasu-chan. I didn't have to fight anyone - if I did, I'm afraid your ojii-san would be on the losing side. Now, let's go inside and I'll show you what pretty things I got for you this time."

What he got..? Sakura's eyes flickered to the whole travelling cart filled with various valuable things and she had to wonder just how tired she was if a whole horse cart managed to slip her attention.

Unbelievable.

~

It was a funny thing, having a silent breakdown at the breakfast table while your mother prepared the food and your grandfather sipped his tea, all because of a mere mirror.

A mirror.

One that Sakura hadn't had a chance to look into before now.

A mirror that showed her a spitting image of a girl with long pink hair and amethyst purple eyes.

The same full lips, same bridge of the nose, same arch to her eyebrows.

And those damned purple eyes.

What...did that mean? Why did she have that vision? And why was the girl hiding ancient, serpentine eyes staring back at her.

Flashes of that too sweet smile filled her vision and Sakura couldn't shake the dread that suddenly overtook her.

"It seems you quite like your gift, ne, hime-chan?" Kazuo teased with a smile. "I snagged it at the capital, thought of you the moment I saw it."

"Thank your grandfather, Kasumi." Aya interjected from across the table where she sat turned to the side while cooking breakfast over the hearth.

"Thank you, ojii-san." She forced a bright smile. Sakura traced the intricate detailing on the handle and added. " I love it!"

"Think nothing of it. Ne, I was thinking," he paused to sip his tea, "would you like to accompany me to the village market later today? I have things I need to deliver and you can be my little helper. What do you think?"

Before Sakura could confirm, Aya turned, biting her lip worriedly. "Are you sure, father? New Senju guards are coming in today and you know how these markets work - there will be others miling about. I don't think Kasumi should-"

"You cannot keep hiding her here, Aya. She will stumble upon them sooner or later, and besides, it's just a Sunday market. We're not even leaving the village."

Charged tension took over the room as two adults had a silent conversation. Sakura' s gaze danced from one to the other wondering what was that about. She could understand Aya's reluctance and reserve when shinobi were in question but it felt like more than that.

"Father..."

"If any of them show up, I will return here with Kasumi. Nothing bad will happen."

Aya shot her one last uncertain look, before she turned her frown to Kazuo. "If you catch sight of any of them-"

"I know, Aya."

The woman nodded and tried to smile but it was beyond forced. Her grandfather, on the other hand, shook off the worry easily and turned a bright smile at Sakura once again. "Well? What do you say?"

Sakura was nodding before his question was finished. She was curious to dig up the answers to this little dramatic moment, and besides, she would take any exuse to leave the house and learn more about this time - even if that something was Sunday market.

After they'd eaten, Kazuo retired in his room for a short nap and since it was still early, Sakura decided to do the same. Aya gave her a very suspicious look when she said as such, but didn't argue.

Three hours later, Sakura may not have been as rested as she would've liked, but at least she felt a fraction better than before. She dressed in her new black robes and pants, made of finer material that, for once, didn't irritate her skin. It was the closest she got to true comfort since she got there, and she cherished it greatly.

This gift was a lot better than that mirror.

A lot.

"Kasu-chan, are you ready?" Kazuo's voice sounded from the other side of the sliding doors and Sakura wondered if she should've quickly tied up her hair, but decided not to.

"Coming!"

The man smiled when he saw what she was wearing but didn't comment further. They said their goodbyes to Aya - who was still so tense, Sakura thought it unhealthy- and left for the market.

"Ojii-san?"

Her small hand in his, Kazuo looked down expectantly as they walked the crowded streets. Unlike last evening when streets were all but empty, this morning everything was bustling with movement and noise - from the clusters of people actually shopping, to vendors selling fish, vegetables or just unique shell-made objects, to friends chatting and enjoying the sunny morning.

Sakura gave her grandfather a once-over, focused on his empty hands and frowned. "Where are the things you're supposed to deliver? Are we not doing that anymore?"

"We are, but these are only letters so no need to worry about it."

"Mhm." She nodded and refocused on the crowd.

What did Aya say, new Senju guards were coming today? She couldn't see any shinobi but that didn't mean they weren't there. Even still, she masked her chakra just to be sure. Any shinobi passing by shouldn't sense more than a mere civilian child, but Aya's wariness put her on higher alert she normally would've been.

Though now that she thought about it, her reserves did feel vastly larger then they ever were before when she was a kid.

It didn't matter, large or not, if there was something deeper beneath Aya's fear, Sakura would rather stay unnoticed a little longer. At least, until she fully understood the scope of her situation.

Haruno Kazuo turned out to be rather popular amongst the villagers. There wasn't a single stall they hadn't stopped by to chat - conversations ranging from a polite inquiry about health to full on gossip sessions.

Kazuo liked to include her in their chats and Sakura was milking it for every last drop of insignificant information.

Thus far, she'd found out the prices of fish were on the rise, Daimyo's wife was rumoured to be expecting a baby after almost seven years of being unable to conceive, one of the village's boys was getting married and what intrigued her the most - shinobi without any visible insignia ransacked a nearby village not even a week ago.

"My friend was there a little less than fortnight ago, visiting his sister. He did mention there was a bigger flow of shinobi at the time, but I didn't think something like this would happen."

Kazuo frowned. "I heard about it - was travelling not far from there at a time. There are rumours Shimura clan is using mercenaries as of late, think they could be somehow involved?"

The vendor in front of them, an older man called Iori, scoffed. "Wouldn't be surprised, but what in the world would they want in Tanikura. They're all farmers there, I don't think there's much of anything to take."

Sakura seemingly busied herself by looking at delicate handmade necklaces, ear on the conversation at hand while her eyes roamed the crowd.

They went from one face to another, observing the way they moved, how they talked and where their attention was directed at.

She was starting to think Aya was worrying in vain when a seemingly ordinary man snagged her attention. There was nothing particularly strange about him, but to Sakura's shinobi eye - the learned infiltration techniques were as obvious as they could be.

Everything about the man screamed too calm, too predictable, too innocent. He may have blended in naturally with his short stature and clothes - but the way his eyes reacted just a mere moment after his face did told her he was focusing on something else.

Someone else.

Sakura followed the path of his gaze, clocking another one - this one taller, with a long, dark ponytail falling down his back. Just like his partner, he seemed occupied with sampling sea food delicacies from one of the vendors on the other side of the market.

Sakura didn't dare let her own out, but she did feel the pulses of another's chakra rolling beneath the ground's surface.

They were searching. For what? She didn't know.

Yet.

Pulling her grandfather's hand, Sakura tried to look cute as she asked, "Ojii-san? Can I go try those?" she pointed towards the sampling stall.

"Oh, you like Matsu-san's cooking?" Iori asked her, bending down to directly look at her. "You should ask for her hidden specialty - she'll give you double if you compliment it, too."

Sakura giggled and looked to Kazuo. "Can I go? "

He turned to look at the stall in question, probably weighing if letting her on her own was a smart decision. It wouldn't be, if she was any other normal child.

Sakura watched as his gaze just flew over the shinobi still positioned there, and she knew in that moment, Haruno Kazuo truly would have lost if he ever had to face a shinobi. It wasn't meant as an insult to the man, but in times like these, Sakura was reminded just how reckless and lax civilians really were.

"Stay in my sights and don't go anywhere else, okay?" he finally said.

With a quick nod and a bow to the other man, Sakura ran with childish joy towards the vendor across the market.

As she was nearing it, she stumbled on purpose, crashing gently into the mysterious man himself.

Let's see how strong was his facade.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, onii-san!" She bowed deeply, then grinned. "I was so excited to try obaa-san's food I didn't really look where I was going." She paused for a moment, waiting to see if he would say something.

When he didn't, Sakura pushed further and leaned in on her tippie-toes, her eyes betraying her curiosity. "What are you eating, onii-san?" Then she turned to the kind-looking older woman who watched the scene in amusement. "What is he eating, obaa-san?"

Matsu-obaa chuckled. “I’ll let the kind man tell you."

"So?" Sakura urged, eyes locking with the man. He was younger than she thought - brunette with hazel eyes, and with no clan insignia in sight. "What is it? Is it good? Should I try it?" she all but started hopping.

"It's good." He responded, barely. Sakura could tell he didn't want to talk to her but she wouldn't have that.

"Really? Can I try some?"

"No."

"Mhm, you're right." she nodded solemnly. "I wouldn't want to share my food, either." Then, turning around, she perused the foods in front of her, not really looking. All her focus was on the person next to her. "I was told to ask for your hidden specialty? Can I have that, obaa-san?"

The woman's expression narrowed playfully as she muttered about foolish old men, before she busied herself preparing the order nonetheless.

Sakura leaned back on her heel, looking aimlessly around. She wondered what was the man's purpose here exactly - there was no way he bothered to mask his presence just so he could eat.

There was a shift to his stance, and Sakura caught glimpse of a black booklet tucked at his waist just waiting to be snatched. Tilting her head, she looked up, "What's your name, onii-san? I've never seen you here before."

"That's because I'm not from here."

"Mhm, mhm." She nodded quickly. "And where are you from?"

"Fire."

"Where in Fire? Is it nice there? Do you have beaches like we do here? I like beaches. They are nice. Water is nice too."

He let out a heavy sigh, one that bordered on annoyance yet he was still there. In position. What was he waiting for? There was no way a normal person would just stand there enduring this particular brand of interrogation without having to.

"Look kid, eat your food and shut up."

"Oh, well." Without him even realizing, she managed to get into his personal space, close enough that his little booklet was within reach. "It's okay. Not all places can have beaches. Or the sea. Or boats. Have you ever been on a boat, onii-san?"

Without stopping her questioning rant, Sakura took the small plate Matsu-obaa handed her. She didn't know what it was exactly but it looked hot and green.

Bringing it closer to her nose, she pretended to enjoy the scents while looking for any indication of poison being mixed in. It wouldn't do to be so focused on one thing only for her to meet her end because of pure inattention.

When she was sure it was fine, Sakura took a bite and groaned, leaning on the man's side. "Want to try it?"

His facade cracked and the grimace appeared on his handsome face. Really, it was more of a sneer. "Why would I want that. Now get off me."

He pulled away abruptly, making Sakura feign another stumble. Her arms reached out in order to steady herself, her hand conveniently landing on the booklet while her food flew all over his robes and pants.

Lightning quick, she pulled the book out and tucked in in her sleeve and then immediately began to back up.

Her amethyst eyes filled with tears of embarrassment and regret, as she started bowing her apologies.

As soon as the crowd began paying attention, she slipped into the mass, disappearing from sight.

It was only as she neared the stall where her grandfather still stood talking to Iori-san, happily oblivious to what had just happened, that she opened the intriguing little thing.

Drawing of a red haired man with dark blue eyes greeted her. Next to it, there was a name - Uzumaki Akito, age 19 - and a Shimura clan stamp.

Order: Capture, alive or dead.

Sakura smirked.

Bingo.

Chapter Text

Ninety-eight..

Ninety-nine..

A hundred.

Sakura flopped down, belly first into the soft grass as she tried to catch her breath. Sweat poured down her face, catching at the edge of her lips before dripping on the ground.

It may've been that her memory was just a little hazy, but she didn't remember doing a basic workout was this draining. All she'd done was a warm-up running and strength training, not to mention she didn't even start on her katas.

How was it possible it was still this hard after almost two weeks of everyday practice? Sakura had really been spoiled by her monstrous strength before. She'd all but forgotten what it was like to slave away during training without it.

Well, she'd have to suck it up. Just like everything else these days.

With a heavy sigh, she stood up and began the most basic of kata. Her body needed to get used to moving like this again, to form a muscle memory that currently existed only in her mind.

Sakura had learned the hard way that just because she knew what to do, it didn't mean her body would follow that easily. It couldn't, really. Not as weak and untrained as it was.

So, the academy kata it was.

She moved with newfound precision, twisting and twirling, trying to learn the right balance in this much shorter body.

It wasn't easy - during the first few days, she'd stumble over her own feet every so often, reminded again and again that she needed to adjust her own movements to fit her current size.

If anyone was there to see her during that time, she feared her pride would've been seriously wounded.

She'd sneak into the house every morning before dawn, sweaty and dirty, trying quietly to wash off and catch what little sleep she could. If Aya or Kazuo noticed her limping from time to time, or her arms shaking from straining her muscles, they didn't say anything.

So far, her nightly escapades went unnoticed by her family and the village. She feared the Senju guards would be able to sense movement in such close proximity - the little forest she'd picked as her personal training ground wasn't too far outside the village borders - but they didn't really bother with her.

Sakura was sure they noticed something, but they let her be. Seemed like the guards only paid attention to their immediate job and nothing else. A lone stray child running wild in the woods wasn't a concern for the village security.

Thus far, she wasn't impressed by them. Sakura expected shinobi of this era to be more suspicious, more alert - but it looked like standing guard at the ordinary fishing village required not even a bare minimum.

Senju Hiroshi and Senju Satoshi were twins, as it turned out. At seventeen, they seemed quite young in her eyes, but in reality, she was sure they felt ancient. Every time she glimpsed their weathered features, she'd wondered when was the first time they went to battle? At four? Five?

Even the thought made her stomach churn. All she knew at that age was how to make a flower crown and cry.

She glanced at herself at that moment - at her calloused hands, battered clothing and bare, raw feet and realised they may have felt just like she did right now. Except, with far less understanding of life's workings and too much blind clan pride.

She could feel that importance bleed from the two boys - men? - every time she saw them.

Deciding to take a small break - she still had about an hour and a half before she needed to be at the house - Sakura jumped onto the thick branch of a tree where she stashed her things.

She munched slowly on an onigiri she snagged from dinner, listening to the calm sounds of the night. She liked it there - it let her pretend she was in her own time, just lazing around and enjoying the early autumn evening in Konoha's forests like she did many times before.

She still didn't have a concrete plan, but the booklet she snagged from that mercenary came in handy at least. And speaking of the booklet...

Sakura rummaged though her small sack, taking out the black bind and opening it in her lap. She'd thought at first it was something like a bingo book, but it was more of an assignment collection?

Each page was bound separately with thick rope - every assignment different from the other, each carrying a personal seal of their own. Some came from the clans, others from civilian nobles or even common folk. The mercenaries didn't discriminate, as long as people had ryo to pay.

The name she thought was only an entry into a list of many other wanted people, turned out to be just the answer she was looking for. However...

However. She had no idea what Shimura clan wanting an Uzumaki clansman had to do with mercenaries being here.

Why would an Uzumaki shinobi linger in a place such as this? Not to mention, she didn't sense any other shinobi except the Senju, ever since that day at the market.

Sakura paused, thinking that thought over, and chuckled dryly. Yeah, because my sensing abilities would be so hard to sidestep with my current skill level.

She almost scoffed at herself.

Her eyes narrowed as she gazed into the darkness ahead. There was barely any moonlight coming through the treetops, making shadows dance in her vision.

There was never really a moment where she dropped her guard completely, but something was ticking her off.

An Uzumaki... there was a rumour about their squad passing nearby when she'd first arrived, wasn't there? Did some of them linger? Was that why those shinobi searched here?

But..why? They were Senju allies. They'd either go straight to their camps to the west or at least make contact with the guards if they were lingering.

Sakura's shinobi senses were tingling but she decided to shelve it for now, and return to her training.

Licking the stickiness off her fingers, she returned the booklet in her sack and jumped to the ground, resuming right where she left off.

~

"Kasumi-chan? Did you listen to what I said?"

Yawning the sleep away, Sakura blinked slowly - so slowly - as she sat slumped before the warm hearth. Aya was gently braiding her long hair - something she surprisingly loved having again - and the rhytmic movements of her hands put Sakura in the state of half sleep.

"Sorry, kaa-san. I think I dosed a little."

Aya bumped her on the nose and
chuckled. "You need to turn off that little brain of yours during the night and actually sleep a little. That way you can answer me when I ask you if you want to come with me to a little herb gathering expedition."

Perking up, Sakura turned her head to the right so she could see Aya from the corner of her eye. "Herbs?"

"Mhm." Aya nodded, turning Sakura's head back around so she could resume braiding. "I don't know how much is there to find right now, but we could make it a picnic, ne?"

A picnic did sound nice. Flashes of joyful afternoons spent in Konoha's parks with her own mother smiling at her from the picnic blanket crossed her mind, mixing with images of Aya lying in the grass, smiling and singing a melody she was sure she'd heard before.

Sakura swallowed a longing sigh that wanted to escape her chest. These feelings, this...affection, she had for the woman she felt like she barely knew confused her immensely.

Every time she looked at Aya, she was fighting between pure adoration and unfamiliar distance. Some days it felt like she was just pretending the bond, the others she could swear it was as tangible as it was real.

Nonetheless, Sakura nodded in confirmation. She didn't have the heart to refuse, and what was more - she didn't want to. "But can we make tempura for lunch? I haven't had it in ageeees." She groaned, the inner child escaping her at the thought of her favorite food. Sakura had only now realized she never got to eat it that day she signed the scroll.

"Only if you help me make it." Aya said through a smile, kissing her head lovingly. "Your hair's finished. Now, I'm going to the market to get the ingredients we'll need and you, little lady, are going to help your ojii-san with organizing the new things he brought. Deal?"

"Deal."

Several hours later found the two trudging through winding forest trails and overgrown hedges a little bit further from the village.

Aya carried the picnic basket filled with

Sakura's favorite foods as she hummed the same melody she distinctly remembered echoing in her memories. Both in this life and her own. It was so familiar, tickling her brain in most intriguing yet frustrating way.

She knew it. She just didn't remember how.

"Can you find me some more hawthorn berries or nettle, Kasu- chan? We have enough of everything else."

"Sure." Sakura immediately went looking, singing quietly to herself.

"But be careful with the latter, okay? Use a cloth to pick it up."

"Yeah, yeah." She muttered, already aware of how to pick a stinging nettle. Besides, she could always stimulate her chakra to serve as a thin barrier between it and her skin.

Spending her time doing things she was familiar with brought Sakura a sense of balance. She could still remember days and nights spent trying to learn all the different herbs and their uses, only to find herself avoiding Tsunade-shishou's sake cups when she got even a single one wrong.

Most of her pay check back than went into buying the woman new sake sets. As shishou would often say, if Sakura hadn't made a mistake, she wouldn't have broken her cup.

The woman was truly a menace.

One that she missed dearly.

Lost in thought, Sakura continued walking, her feet carrying her on her own as she picked and plucked the flowers and leaves she found useful. If Aya asked about them later, she'd just pretend to have heard about them from an obaa-san in the market.

However, her step suddenly faltered as she sensed something she definitely didn't expect. Pretending she stumbled, Sakura felt the ripples of a gentle genjutsu prickle her senses.

The chakra didn't try to invade her mind, it was more like she'd just walked into it.

A scenic genjutsu, then.

Sakura turned her head back to see if Aya was anywhere near, and seeing that she was still long way away, she closed her eyes and continued to hum gently in case anyone was watching.

Disrupting her chakra, Sakura instantly narrowed her eyes in the direction of a small cave opening. She didn't even notice it, but her gaze had previously simply slid from that particular place as if compelled. The sounds of chirping insects quieted and instead, male voices echoed clearly against the stone walls.

"...just a kid picking up herbs. Ignore it."

A pause.

"So, you think he'll come tonight?"

"If not tonight, then tomorrow. We need to keep watch a little bit longer."

"You sure Isamu gave you the right intel? If we make a move early and reveal our hand, the Senju will have time to send reinforcement squads. We need to time it perfectly."

"Don't worry. The old man is back in the village, it's high time he makes an appearance."

"Remind me why don't we just go straight to the source?"

"Because we don't know what we're searching for, idiot. Keep the Senju bastards occupied tonight, I'll scout around to see if he appears."

"Fine, fine." A heavy sigh. "Kami, these fuckers better pay all the money they promised. I cannot endure this place any longer."

She heard a crack behind her and straightened, running happily towards approaching Aya with small basket full of herbs and berries. "Kaa-san! It's time for lunch! Lunch!"

"Why don't you find us somewhere nice to eat, then?" She answered through laugh, slowly arranging everything Sakura's given her.

"Right this way!"

She didn't give her a moment to talk before she dragged the woman far away from that cave.

Far, far away.

~

The Senju twins were more disappointing then she expected.

Sakura watched from a distance, sitting casually on a little bench pretending to be engrossed in a nearby gossip.

She didn't know what was the best way to leave a message, but she figured using the old Uzumaki-Senju code she'd learned while stuck in the Hokage's archives doing Tsunade's work for her, was the best option.

She'd bet on the Senju shinobi being more open to an intel from another allied clan rather than a simple civilian. She had not, however, taken into consideration the fact that they would take the note, read it and brush it off with an eye roll.

Sakura could practically feel her eyebrow ticking in irritation as they chuckled. Was there something funny in 'confirmed infiltration in the next 24h from the east - be alert for decoy' that she didn't get?

Taking in a deep breath to calm herself, she stood and headed in their direction with all the barely contained fury of a four year old girl. She tilted her head, well - almost five.

She was almost upon them when the slight distortion in the air froze her mid step. Her eyes raked over her surroundings - every corner, roof and alley.

Nothing. And yet...

Shivers went down her spine that she couldn't throw off. She wanted to let her chakra out, to search for whoever was watching, but that would give her away. If she didn't already give herself away somehow.

"Fucking Uzumaki, they are so dramatic." Sakura's head tilted to catch the guards talking. She wasn't sure which one of the twins said it, but she didn't really care.

"Right? Confirmed infiltration? What for? There is nothing here to find except the heaps of stinking fish."

"But maybe we should check it out? To be sure."

"I'm not doing it." One twin shook his head, Sakura thought it was Satoshi - he had a small beauty mark beneath his right eye if she wasn't mistaken. "The last time we recieved similar warning, I went without sleep for three days for nothing. False alert, they said."

Sakura took that moment to insert herself in a true kid fashion. "What is a false alert, shinobi-san? Is there a false alert now?"

Hiroshi looked at her, ready to just brush her off but paused with his mouth half open. His dark eyes narrowed, blond hair almost falling to his eyes. He just stared, puzzled - as if wondering if he was seeing things.

"Are you alright, shinobi-san?" Sakura tilted her head, this time genuinely confused.

Blinking a few times, he nodded. "Right. There is no alert, so run along kid."

"Does that mean no bad men are going to come?"

Satoshi sighed and crouched down. Soft spot for children, it seemed - good to know. "What's your name?"

Sakura was on the brink of giving the wrong name, but remembered herself quickly. "Haruno Kasumi, shinobi-san."

He nodded and smiled slightly. "Kasumi-san, there is no need to worry. Nothing is happening, and if it was, we would know by now."

Yes, you would. Only, you do not take it seriously.

"Really?" She blinked innocently. Well, as innocently as she could. "How would you know? Can you see the future?"

"No, no." He shook his head, ruffling her own as he did. "But we would get a note, at least."

Sakura blinked. And stared.

At him.

At his brother.

Then, with a deadpan look, she pointed her finger at the piece of paper Hiroshi was holding. "Mhm. Like that one?"

There was an awkward silence while the brothers looked at each other, and then as if she didn't just point out the flaw in their logic, they laughed.

Again.

"Exactly like that. But there is no danger, so you can go now."

Morons. Definitely.

That ever present prickle of awareness spiked once again and she couldn't help the clench to her jaw.

She would need to look after the situation herself.

Turning away, Sakura strolled down the main road, eyes searching for whoever was watching her but there was little point without her chakra. And that, she didn't dare reveal just yet.

Could it be that he had already arrived?

Was he watching?

Or was it one of the mercenaries? But, no. They weren't really good at cloaking themselves. Whoever this was, was a master.

Groaning loudly, she stomped her way back to her house.

If she heard a laughing echo following her home, she made sure to ignore it.

For now.

~

"Everything alright, Kasumi-chan?" Aya tilted her head to look at Sakura more closely.

Granted, Sakura had kept quiet at the dinner -more so than usual. She'd let Aya tell grandfather all about their day - something she happily would've done on her own on any other given day - so it wasn't really surprising her mother picked up on it.

Sakura blinked tiredly and smiled. "Everything's fine, okaa-san. I'm just a little sleepy."

And she was itching to be left alone so she could try and keep an eye on the village. She didn't know what the mercenaries considered 'distraction', but she wasn't willing to let herself be unprepared.

If she couldn't do much to fight them, the least she could do was keep watch and alert the guards if something actually happened.

Kami knew they weren't going to do it themselves.

"You should eat and go to bed, then. And maybe try to actually sleep this time, you know?" Aya said, her worried gaze following Sakura's every move.

"And you," she whirled around to Kazuo, "you should go to bed early, too, father. You've been on your feet all day and your meeting tomorrow is quite early, is it not?"

"Ah, Aya-chan, don't worry so much about me." He smiled, white hair cascading over his shoulder. He took a sip of his tea, cup clinking gently as he brought it down. "It's just a client picking up what I managed to procure for him."

"I know, but he is a shinobi, father. Why would he need you to get it for him in the first place? He could've easily gotten it. I don't trust it."

Sakura's thoughts stopped and her eyebrows perked. "You're meeting with a shinobi, Ojii-chan?"

The man awkwardly chuckled and nodded. "It's just a young man that visited me from time to time over the last few years. Nothing to worry about."

Aya would've disagreed, if her thinning lips were any indicator, but Sakura ignored her for now. "Really? Is he from a clan? Can I meet him?" Was he the one that followed me earlier? Was he the one the mercenaries are waiting for?

"I'm afraid our meeting will be short as is. Akito has his duties and he doesn't want to linger longer than necessary."

"Father!" If eyes could freeze, then Kazuo would've been a block of ice.

Akito.

Sakura's brain churned, connecting the dots. So, her grandfather had a deal with a wanted Uzumaki.

Wonderful to know her family would be the first in the line of fire if anything happened.

She might need to place some traps and protective seals around the house, maybe even a genjutsu or two. Just in case.

"Oh, that's too bad.." Sakura slumped, then instantly straightened. "But I can behave, you wouldn't even know I'm there!"

"That's a no, Kasumi. It is a business meeting, no place for a child." Aya quickly interjected.

"But ojii-san let me tag along on his other business meetings." She muttered.

"It is different this time, Kasu-chan." Kazuo tried to soften the blow. "This is a shinobi I am meeting, and danger follows them wherever they go. I wouldn't want you near that."

More like they wouldn't want me near him, specifically.

Aya's reaction to his name alone was suspicious. Was it only about this Akito person, or was it about the Uzumaki in general? Her mother didn't like her near Senju guards either, but this somehow felt different.

"Fine!" Sakura pouted, ate the rest of her dinner quickly and stood up. She kissed her mother, than her grandfather and waved. "I'm going to bed. Good night!"

"Good night."

"Sweet dreams, Tama-chan. We love you!"

Sakura smiled a little wistfully at Aya's gentle parting tone and sighed.

Seems like universe really wanted her to do everything the harder way.

Nothing to do about it now - she had some protective seals to make first, anyhow.

Few hours later and Sakura perused her seals with a nod a approval. It was one of the very few seals she knew how to make, but it was a useful one.

A looping trap intertwined with short term memory distortion. It was an ANBU grade seal, for sure - one she wouldn't even had a chance to see and memorize if not for a certain lazy Hokage.

The archives were a gold mine, and Sakura was currently beyond thankful for her eidetic memory.

She made four of them to place outside the house, from all sides. The seal itself had a built-in tripwire so no one should be able to come even close to entering the house, let alone doing any harm.

If they needed any tweaks, she could do that in the morning. For tonight, they ought to be good.

Glancing at the full moon shining high above the starry sky, Sakura quickly let out her chakra to check on her family - both were peacefully sleeping - and went to tidy up a mess.

She noticed too late that her own hands were stained with dark ink, but luckily, none spilled across the flooring.

Aya wouldn't be happy about that.

Putting on the warm cloak over her usual black robes, Sakura picked up her seals and with stealth that came naturally to her, padded to the window before leaving.

She focused her chakra outwards, scanning her surroundings for any stray eyes on her, but the night was peaceful and empty. Nothing but gentle lull of the sea and silent chirping of insects to break the stillness.

Once sure of being alone, Sakura looked around the perimeter, searching for the right place to put her seals.

She needed something that could keep it hidden, at least from a glance. In the end, she found two grass covered rocks from the sides, a wooden pole in the back and a small place beneath the creaking step in the front.

Once she placed them, she pulsed her chakra into one of them - the strings of it instantly connecting with the other three, making one big spider web trap.

They glowed for merely a moment before they all dissipated from sight, blending into the surroundings seamlessly.

Now that that was done, Sakura jumped to the roof of her house and squinted ahead through the darkness. She needed the highest vantage point she could find. Somewhere in the center would be preferable.

Her sensing range was still relatively small, but if she made herself comfortable somewhere in the middle, it would at least be somewhat evenly distributed.

With that in mind, she started running - hopping from roof to roof silently, cold wind biting at her cheeks.

Her sharp eyes raking over the dull scenery, she hoped it would be enough.

~

Meditating in the cold was never Sakura's favorite thing and sitting stiffly on top of a tree somewhere in the central market wasn't going to help fix that.

Her legs were criss-crossed, her eyes closed and her mind concentrated on furthering her chakra's sensory reach.

She couldn't lie, it was far better that when she first started - far less taxing on her body, too. All the meditation she'd done had truly paid off, but that didn't mean she was unbeatable.

Sakura was never really a sensory type, so her skills were never going to be the best, but she would be damned if she didn't fix that now. Especially in this era.

Unaware shinobi was a dead shinobi, and Sakura very much didn't want to end up that way. Nu-uh.

So, if that meant picking up new skills early on while her chakra was still developing and having the chance to further better herself, even more so than she had before - she'd take it.

But something was obscuring her 'vision'. Every time she tried to reach further than previously, low hum would overwhelm her mind - vibrating through her blood and drowning out any clear chakra points she wanted to find.

The more she pulled on her edges, the more she tried to stretch the boundaries of her chakra net - the louder, more violent the humming got. It felt like it was flowing everywhere around her, like a gushing river muted beneath the earth.

"What the hell is that?" Frustrated with herself, Sakura opened her eyes, still keeping her chakra spread out.

The hum continued, like a hidden current screaming for attention from the heavy depths. It wasn't even concentrated in one place - it was everywhere. She felt like a person standing in the middle of the ocean, nothing but water surrounding her for miles on end.

Sakura tilted her head in thought - ...nothing but water? Maybe that was right. Water was everywhere around her, and it did act strangely the last time she was near it...

Sakura closed her eyes again, but instead of focusing on the chakra like she usually would, she focused beneath. On that singing current just underneath the surface and just like that - everything clicked into place.

She jolted from the sudden shock but still remained focused.

She could feel it. Feel them.

Millions and millions of water strings and paths connecting to her consciousness like a limb she never knew she had. And suddenly, she didn't need wider sensing range - no. The currents reached far beyond she could ever had imagined - pinging different flavours of chakra like lighting beacons.

She could feel the trees breathe, the grass sing, the people move. It wasn't really the same as reaching out to feel for foreign chakra - it was more instinctive. The difference was more about the way the water flowed inside the bodies, than what feeling they gave off.

Sakura tried focusing on certain things, narrowing down the range for sharper, more accurate feel. She didn't know how she was doing it, but the moment she thought of it, a new rhythmic beat appeared, syncing along with the water's flow.

Was that...a heartbeat?

Sakura's eyes flew open and she stared in stunned disbelief. Since when the hell could she do that?

The rhythms differed from the person's state of being - most of the people were calm, but Sakura could practically tell if someone had a nightmare just by the change in the water's flow.

She went from one person to another, now focusing more on any peculiarities she could sense. There was no way a person could slip her detection anymore, no matter how good at masking their chakra they were.

Because, basically, she wasn't looking for chakra. Sakura was sensing something far more vital.

To her relief, everything in the village was quiet, no disturbances as of yet. She felt stirring in her own home, some distance from where she was sitting, and instinctively, Sakura zoomed in on that.

By her estimate, it was barely four o'clock. Why was her grandfather waking up now?

Frowning, Sakura felt further from the village, to the east where she knew was the mercenaries’ hideout. She found them there still, so that was good.

However, on the opposite side, another presence loomed, this one far bigger than any other. The other two felt different than civilians did, too - it was just that this one was more like a thundering sea storm where the other two were normal river.

Could it be that it had something to do with the amount of chakra they possessed? It would only made sense...

Lost in thought, she didn't even realize her grandfather was about to leave the house. And not just leave, but he was heading distinctly towards the enormous presence she just felt.

Before she knew it, Sakura was standing up and without further delay, started to follow.

~

Sakura kept her distance as she followed behind her grandfather out of the village proper and towards the eastern coast. When Aya said this meeting was to be in the early morning, she didn't expect a before-dawn early situation.

Kazuo walked calmly, no signs of twitching or nervousness. Not even flickering of the eyes, or looking for possible threats. Sakura couldn't quite decide if that was from lack of fear or foolishness.

One should always be wary - shinobi or not - especially when carrying something important like her grandfather supposedly was now.

If she was anyone else, he could've been robbed or killed by now and he didn't even know it.

But she couldn't focus on that, not when they were dangerously close to their target. Sakura slowed down even further, keeping to the trees, hoping against hope that her cloaking ability would be enough to hide her from detection.

"Kazuo-san."

Sakura zeroed in on the man that emerged from the cover of darkness a less than sixty feet ahead. He was leaning casually against a tree, his flaming red hair pulled into a half-up, all but glowing in the early morning light.

"Akito-kun. We haven't seen each other in a while." She could tell her grandfather was smiling. "I was beginning to think you forgot about this old man."

"Hm, you know Minoru would never let me be if I did that." Akito's lips twitched, as if remembering something funny. "In fact, he is the reason I am here now."

"Ah, yes. The scroll. You know, it took me good five months to persuade that lord that handcrafted clock is a fine trade for what I was asking for."

The Uzumaki let out a bewildered laugh, shaking his head at what was clearly an absurdity. Sakura had no idea what the scroll contained, but she couldn't say she wasn't curious.

"A clock? I admire your gift of persuasion, truly. If I couldn't see the scroll in your hand, I'd say you were lying."

"Never. But, may I ask Akito-kun - why was an old Uzumaki scroll in the hands of a civilian noble?"

"I'd like to tell you it was simply lost, but I'm sure there is a valid story behind it. However, I couldn't really be bothered to ask about it - Minoru needed it and I saw fit to find it for him."

"Ah, Minoru. How is he these days?" Sakura could tell this was a loaded question, not only from the frown on Akito's face but also from the careful yet curious way Kazuo asked it.

"Living in misery, as expected."

A tired sigh escaped Kazuo. "I hoped for a different answer."

"We both know there was always little chance for that." A pause, "But I am curious about something else, now."

"Oh?"

"The little mouse hiding in the trees, is she with you? I've seen her in the village last evening, quite the manipulator that one."

Shit.

"Who-" Kazuo frowned, and before he could pose the full question, Sakura felt something pull her by the collar and a moment later, she was standing in the middle of the small clearing with both men staring at her.

She thought of fighting for a brief moment but quickly scratched that thought. She wasn't really in danger here, right?

So, in the real idiotic way only Naruto would think of, Sakura shrugged her little shoulders, Akito's hand still firmly fisted at her neck. "Oops?"

"Kasumi?" Her grandfather looked confused. "What are you doing here?"

She didn't dare yet look the Uzumaki in the eyes, so she kept her gaze fixed on the person she knew. "Sleepwalking."

A snort sounded behind her.

"Kasumi." There was a serious edge there, one she hadn't heard before. "I asked you a question."

Sakura could feel the piercing edge of Akito's gaze on her back. Luckily for her, it felt like an amusement and not suspicion. "Well, you see.." she said innocently. "You didn't tell me not to come. Okaa-san said that. So, technically, all is good."

"It doesn't work that way, Kasumi."

"It does if you don't tell her. Sounds logical to me."

"She has you, Kazuo-san. That does sound quite logical." Akito added, teasing openly present in his tone. "But who is the little one really? And who taught her chakra control? I didn't think Senju would just go around teaching kids shinobi arts."

Ah, she was really fucked.

Sakura could practically see the bewilderment take over her grandfather's features and she knew it was only going to get worse from there.

"What do you mean? Kasumi is a normal civilian kid. Why would you think she knows anything about being a shinobi."

This time , Akito paused, but instead of laughing like she thought he would, he pulled her closer to him and sighed. It sounded almost disappointed. "Because I'm a sensor, and this one," he nudged her shoulder from behind, "is currently doing her best to cloak her chakra. Now, why would she know to do such a thing is a real question." he paused, letting Kazuo take that in.

Sakura was really fighting not squirm - she didn't know anymore if it was a better choice to just let go of the facade or keep it on. "Not to mention, I've seen her scale the roofs and walls with nothing but chakra. And of course, she was just following you hidden in the trees."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat. So it was him watching her, she just didn't know it was that long. Who knew what else he'd seen.

And just how long was he even in the village before he decided to reveal himself? Did he see her train in the forest?

"That's impossible. She's just a kid..she wouldn't know-" Kazuo's eyes sharpened and he pierced her with his gaze. "Is it true?"

Sakura...didn't know what to say. She truly didn't. What would happen if she confessed? There shouldn't be civilian shinobi just roaming around, the clans wouldn't allow it. Not no mention, Akito was an Uzumaki - if she confirmed anything , there was no saying what would happen.

Granted, he already knew, but...-

"C'mon girlie, tell Kazuo-san what you can really do." The Uzumaki bastard taunted from behind her, still firmly holding her in place. " And don't lie, I'm not as gullible as those Senju guards earlier. Though that was quite entertaining to watch, I must admit."

Not thinking about it, Sakura turned her head to glare at the man. She could do without his taunts. However, the moment their gazes locked, the man froze.

Sakura could practically see the moment her features registered in his mind, and all the amusement disappeared from his face.

This was the second time someone looked at her like this. First that Senju with his puzzled expression and now this.

What in the Kami's name was going on.

Akito however, didn't drop the eye contact. Even to her, his features were unreadable, like they were sculpted from marble without an ounce of expression put into them. "Let your chakra free."

What..

Sakura's heart started to beat furiously in her chest. She didn't understand the change of the atmosphere. Did she do something unconsciously?

"I don't -"

"Let it free."

It must have been the sharper tone, but it seemed that finally reached something inside Kazuo, because he was instantly there - ripping her from the other man's hold. "That is enough. She is just a kid. Even if she knows how to control her chakra, there is no reason for violence."

Akito finally seemed to have escaped his shock, because his green eyes returned to normal. However, there was no trace of amusement there anymore. "Who is she to you, Kazuo-san? And don't lie, her eyes already told me everything I need to know."

Sakura felt the desperate squeeze on her shoulders. What had she stumbled into?

"Akito-kun..." the sound almost pleading.

"Does Minoru know?"

Silence.

"Does he?" The sharpness in his voice made Kazuo all but flinch. Sakura tuned into her newfound senses, monitoring the both men's reactions.

Kazuo' s heart was beating maniacally, while Akito felt calm within. Far too calm - like he slowed his own body down just to stay in control.

"No."

Haa. Sakura didn't want to be right, but she had an inkling as to what this was about. Seeing the Uzumaki's reaction to her eyes, Kazuo's reluctance to say who she is and the fact she lacked a father in this life...

She was an Uzumaki bastard, wasn't she? No wonder Aya kept her hidden away if one look was enough to be recognized.

Just to be sure, Sakura dropped the cloak on her chakra and the sharp intake of breath was enough to confirm her suspicions.

Akito looked at her now, there was a
knowing there. At that moment, he knew that she knew. That she was testing her theory. And he just proved her right.

Realizing that Kazuo wasn't about to say anything, Sakura sighed in defeat. She was fucked either way, may as well get it over with. "I'm Haruno Kasumi, shinobi-san. And this is my ojii-san, though he is usually more talkative than this." She grinned sweetly. "Though that may be because he's in shock right now."

"Haruno Kasumi." Akito repeated, though his eyes gentled a little at her sass. "How old are you?"

"Um," she pursed her lips in thought, "I'll be five in two months."

"And who taught you how to use chakra, Kasumi-chan?"

Sakura shrugged. Well, did she want to be perceived as genius? Not really, but it seemed she'd have to. No other way around it. She knew way too much for a four year old civilian and Akito saw it too.

"Um, no one." She shrugged. "I just watched the Senju guards train and I wanted to try, so I did. Didn't seem too hard."

"Really?" Her crouched before her, making her grandfather pull her tighter into him. The man was still just silently processing what she just revealed. "And what did you try first?"

"Well, I tried to stick my foot to the wall but I didn't manage that. So I tried to stick something to me, and that was far easier. So I just did that for some time. And than one time I tried that awesome walking that you all do and it just worked." Did that sound believable? Sakura had no idea. She was usually good at acting, but for some reason lying right now felt a lot harder than it should've been.

"It just worked? Just like that?"

"I mean, I did fall I few times at first - I told okaa-san that I slipped in the sea and hit a rock."

"You did what?" Kazuo suddenly interjected, as if awoken from deep sleep.

"Don't tell her - okay, ojii-san? She forgot about that incident, no need to bring it up again."

Akito chuckled while her grandfather didn't seem to be amused in the least. It was the longest she'd seen him serious ever. Especially when talking to her.

"When exactly did you manage to experiment with- " he paused. " Don't tell me it's during the night. Is that where you've been when I caught you sneaking through my window? Is that why you're sleepy all the time? Answer me."

This was one big pain. How was she going to train from now on if they started monitoring her all the time?

Instead of answering, Sakura decided to change the subject and she did it quite successfully, if she said so herself.

"Now, now." She patted Kazuo's side." What is important to remember is" she flicked her eyes to Akito who instantly narrowed his own, sensing chaos coming. It was quite impressive he could read her intentions already. " that no one told me my otou-san is an Uzumaki. Why is that?"

~

Akito's POV

He wasn't expecting any of this.

When Akito decided to observe the village earlier in the evening, he didn't think he'd stumble upon a civilian girl just casually using stealth to scale rooftops and walls like she'd been trained to do it from birth.

He was curious, so he stayed to watch her a little longer, more than amused seeing her irritated at the Senju guards. He didn't know what she wrote to them, but whatever it was they didn't take it seriously.

Then, there was the fact that she actually noticed him. He'd slipped on purpose just to test her, and the girl didn't disappoint.

So, when he felt her little chakra signature trying to cover itself up, he wasn't really surprised nor alarmed. He expected to have a little fun with it and let the kid go.

Her sass was hilarious and the old man's genuine bewilderment even more so. To think the kid hid all of her skills from her family that easily.

But those eyes.

Those clear amethyst eyes.

Akito did not expect those.

He wasn't prepared to see his cousin's unique eyes glaring back at him in the form of a cutest little mouse he'd ever seen.

Pink hair and purple eyes. There were exactly two people those features could've come from - and he knew both of them.

His cousin, and not his wife.

Definitely not his wife.

What the fuck is he going to do with an heir's bastard daughter? Well, tell Minoru, first - that was a given. After that...

He had no idea. He really hoped his cousin did because this wasn't a situation that could be ignored.

She couldn't be ignored.

Kami.. she even had his frown. That arch to the brow that called you stupid a thousand different ways before she even said a word.

And the level of intelligence the kid had...Ashina-sama wouldn't be able to just ignore what is clearly a genius of a girl. Both in smarts and skill.

Akito thanked all the gods that was the case, because without it - he didn't even want to think about it.

Now, as he watched her expertly divert attention from herself, he couldn't help but be a little in awe. He'd seen the devious glint Minoru also had when he was about to stir things his way.

He'd seen her weigh her options in a span of a moment and he wasn't disappointed by what came out of her mouth.

The fact she realized this much from that brief discussion...

Akito watched the old man carefully - there was an indecision there. He and Aya obviously tried to hide her Uzumaki heritage from her, and now that it was out, he didn't know what to do.

"Well?" The girl prodded, her brow raised.

"Look, Kasu-chan, we'll talk la-"

The ground shaking stopped him mid word, and then the explosions started.

Chapter Text

Sakura stood frozen, mind reeling.

Ah, so that was what they meant by distraction. She'd been alert for it the whole night and yet, it slipped past her so easily.

She should have never let the Uzumaki distract her this much.

Gritting her teeth, Sakura turned to look in the direction of the village but all she could see were trees and lit up sky.

Not good.

Tuning into her senses, she reached for the currents leading to Aya, but it was impossible to find her. The explosion sent everyone into panic and she simply couldn't wade through it - it was like trying to find a whisper in the sea of screams.

She needed to get back to the village and fast.

Sakura was about to break free of her grandfather's hold to hurry and help as much as she could when she felt two new chakra signatures right in their midst.

Shit. Too late.

Barrage of kunai flew from the trees in Akito's direction at the same time an arm broke through the ground between Sakura and Kazuo.

She willed her body to move, to push her grandfather away from the kunai holding hand but her old battle instincts were rearing, and so, without thinking, Sakura was closing her small hand into a fist and swinging down.

Three things happened at the same time.

Her grandfather let out a sharp grunt as kunai embedded itself in his left calf, falling to the ground. A loud crack as her fist connected with the shinobi's shoulder, his right arm going limp and she...

...she bit the inside of her lip with all her might to hide the burning pain spreading quickly like a wild fire.

She broke her hand. Not just hand, but every single bone - big or small, shattered like dry twigs.

Swallowing the stinging tears, she focused on the wounded shinobi in front of her, ignoring the screaming pain and readying for the next attack. Before she could blink, however, there was a swift movement from behind and in the next instant - the man laid dying, choking on his own blood, his throat cut open.

She'd barely moved her eyes from the dead man when strong hands gripped her shoulders, shaking her. She met Akito's amber gaze, urgency and worry written all over his face.

"Are you hurt?" He was so focused on her, Sakura felt he would've entered her mind to find the answers himself if only he could have.

Sakura shook her head, trying to keep her trembling hand from sight. She'd deal with it later, but if he saw it before she could, the situation would become a lot more difficult.

Pained grunt broke through the clearing, making her snap her head to the wounded Kazuo lying in the grass. How'd she forgotten about him? Pushing the Uzumaki shinobi to the side, her medic instincts finally activated. She barely made a step before a firm hand stopped her in place.

"You," Akito narrowed his eyes at her, "stay back. You're not leaving my side for a single second, do you understand me? Not for anything."

Frustration rose inside her chest. Did he not understand she needed to help, that she could help.

She could. .. right?

"Let me go." She hissed, but Akito was unfazed. He just brushed her off and proceeded to pull something from his hip pouch.

A storage scroll?

She watched as he took out a brush and sealing ink from it- all the while blocking her path from coming any closer - and started writing a sealing arrey around her grandfather's wound that looked curiously similar to a locked chain. His movements were quick, precise and finished before Sakura could even comprehend what he did. She'd never seen someone make a seal so quickly, not that there were many sealing masters left in her time.

"What did you do?" she asked a bit accusingly.

"It's okay, Kasumi." Kazuo managed to say, trying to soothe her but his pain was evident in his tone. "It's nothing."

At that moment, another explosion shook the earth and Sakura's wide eyes darted up again. Was there more of them? How did she miss them earlier? Or were they only now arriving?

As if hearing her thoughts, Akito spoke with detached tone "More worms are crawling out. Kazuo-san, could you give me the scroll you brought with you?" Her grandfather did, Sakura watching the unsuspecting thing change hands and disappear from sight into one of Akito's storage scrolls. "Now, it is best we stay away-"

"No!" Sakura shouted before she could stop, surprising even herself. "Okaa-san is there! We need to go get her and we need to help!"

Akito let her shout her frustrations out, his expression never changing for a second. It remained calm, completely unbothered. "Are you finished?"

Sakura was seeing red. Her teeth were gritted so tight she was sure others could hear it. The anger was boiling inside her. Why wasn't he rushing into the village? There were people who needed help, that could be dying right now and he was just standing there?

Amethyst locked with amber and the silent war waged on.

"I am not risking you, little mouse, not even for Aya. We go there, there is every chance you get harmed. Your grandfather is injured, he cannot walk. Would you have him enter battlefield in such condition?"

"Then you go get her. They are here because of you, anyway." Did she ever have so much malice in her voice? Sakura didn't think so.

"Oh? And what would give you that idea? Been snooping in your free time?"

"Akito-kun." Kazuo's voice stopped them short. "I'll walk if need be, but please - I cannot leave Aya behind."

"The Senju squad is nearing the premise of the village. The only thing you and that little thing will be able to do is be in the way. Another unfortunate casualty to be buried. I'm not telling Minoru I led his four year old daughter into the explosion field so she could pretend to be a hero."

Senju squad? Sakura spread her senses in every direction, and sure enough - there was a squad of seven shinobi quickly approaching from the north. One of them in particular felt so bright to her senses, so huge, Sakura physically flinched.

She bumped her broken hand on the tree behind her as she did, dark spots dancing in front of her eyes from the pain. Keeping her composure, she swallowed the agony away and tried to focus again on the two people who were openly arguing now.

Akito remained firm in his decision, and with every new blast rocking the ground his resolve to keep them away only became stronger.

She couldn't outrun him, her genjutsu wouldn't work on a shinobi of his calibre and on top of that - Sakura's eyes darted to Kazuo, wounded yet strangely not bleeding anymore - she couldn't leave the man alone, either. Healing her hand was also out of the question while in the Uzumaki's sensing range.

She couldn't understand how he could be so calm - did he not care at all? Did he truly not want to help? This freaking uselessness was tearing her apart - they should've been there, not just lounging around here.

And Aya, Sakura really hoped she was alright.

"Kasumi, don't wander out." Tired, rough voice snapped her from her thoughts, only to realize she had unconsciously started moving into the trees, in the direction her mind was leading her to.

"But we should be going there." She narrowed her eyes at the redheaded man who was leaning casually against the tree, once again. "You're just a coward."

If Sakura thought the words would move Akito, she had another thing coming. The man shrugged, lazily observing her. "Think of me as you will, but I still intend on keeping you alive."

"Why do you even care!"

"Blood comes first in this life, mouse, and you just happened to be mine. So if I have to sacrifice a few lives to keep you safe, I will."

This man...this man was insane. What kind of answer was that? Did he mean to say her life was worth more than her mother's simply because of blood?

Fucking clan mind-set. She should've known some things never changed. Even in her time, the clans were always acting mighty - why would it be any different now, long before the great villages ever existed.

Inwardly seething, Sakura decided to focus on what she could, lest she accidentally murdered someone - and that was inspecting her grandfather's injuries. She knew how to deal with the constant pain, but she'd bet that wasn't the case for him.

"Ojii-san? Are you okay?" She kneeled beside him, her left hand tracing the markings of a seal circling his leg. Some kind of containment? She couldn't read it properly, but she would hazard a guess it was what stopped the bleeding.

Quite a fascinating thing - to see a raw, open wound that did not let a single drop of blood out. She'd have to examine-

Sakura's whole body stiffened, eyes wide as she watched golden chakra chains wrap around her and Kazuo both. She didn't have time to react - her breath expelling from her lungs by the sheer force pulling her backwards.

She flew through the air, wind whipping at her cheeks, a shout muffled by the sudden deafening explosion not a few feet from where they stood.

She crashed against a firm body, Akito's hands keeping her secured to his front. Sakura coughed, attempting to expel smoke and dust from her lungs. The disorienting buzzing in her ears hurt her head, dizziness following right behind.

How the..

Akito cursed lowly, and started running. Her eyes frantically searched for her grandfather, only calming when she saw him still enveloped in a chakra chain, floating behind them.

Right - Sakura had forgotten Uzumaki could do that.

"What just happened?" She asked, voice shaky with fear she did not truly feel. She really didn't need hormones to start acting up now - she'd never forgive herself if she became a sobbing mess in a time such as this.

"Timed explosive tag." Akito muttered, but it didn't seem like he was really talking to her. His gaze was sharp and focused ahead as they scaled through the forest, but she could see thoughts whirled through his head.

Sakura couldn't even feel the spike of chakra before the tag detonated - there was nothing. So, how did he? Was he really in tune with his surroundings to such an extent?

...wait, "Timed?"

Akito simply nodded. "Uzumaki design. It's the only thing that gave it away." His brows narrowed, dangerous glint shining through the amber of his eyes.

Did that mean stolen? Or internal betrayal? Sakura was leaning towards the first, but then again, she didn't know Akito's standing in the clan, nor his enemies.

Her team's rotten luck was bound to never leave her. She didn't even leave the small village and three clans were already encroaching in her life.

They could've waited for her to figure at least some things out before they came barging in with their own drama.

Still held tightly in the Uzumaki's arms, Sakura craned her neck to see where they were headed, her brows jumping up when she recognized the southern docks.

The explosion forced his hand - good.

Instinctively, Sakura called to the hidden currents - trailing and looking for a certain, specific flow that was her mother. She didn't miss the fact that she was detecting a lot less people than before. She didn't hold it for long, though - the stifling tension building quickly in her mind like a deep pressure was squeezing her insides the closer to the village they got.

"What are you doing?" Sakura blinked, startled. She looked up to see Akito had stopped right at the docks, watching her with a puzzling expression.

"Hm?"

"That ripple that I just felt, it came from you. What are you doing?"

He felt that? But he didn't before..."I'm not doing anything, I just want to find okaa-san."

His eyes pierced her own with suspicious look. "Hm."

Turning to look over his shoulder, Akito put her grandfather down - the chain still wrapped around him for support.

His eyes returned to her for a brief moment, but whatever he saw there must’ve convinced him this wasn’t the time to pry. “We move now. You'll follow everything I say from now on, no exceptions.” he said curtly, the low rumble of his voice nearly lost to the distant thunder of jutsu colliding in the north. His eyes, strangely, glued her to the spot.

Yes, she knew not to be reckless. No need for the added dramatics.

Sakura broke their connection, actually taking in her surroundings for the first time.

The docks were a ruin of what they had been that morning - wood splintered from concussive waves, fishing nets half-burnt and clinging like cobwebs to overturned crates. Smoke curled from somewhere deeper inland, heavy and acrid, carrying with it the faint sting of metal and ash.

They kept low as they moved, their footsteps damp against the planks slick with river water and soot. Every now and then, she glanced at her grandfather over Akito's shoulder, watching him struggling to walk behind them. The chains helped, but the pained grimace was unmistakable. She wished she could ease it, but she, herself, was firmly caged in the arms of
one frustrating man, too.

Sakura could hear shouting in the distance, the sharp, fleeting cries of chakra release - paper bombs and jutsu lighting the horizon in brief, unnatural flashes. The air itself felt thick, restless, charged.

She didn't know where they were going exactly, but she could feel the frequent waves of immensely strong chakra flowing from Akito - observing every move and twitch.

Sakura tried her best to stop her body from trembling with pain and innate fear. The pesky feeling sneaking inside her heart wouldn't leave her no matter how much she told herself she'd seen worse. Mental strength wasn't enough in this situation, apparently.

When Akito finally stopped, they were facing a beaten shed - a generous name for the small wooden structure tucked behind a collapsed storehouse. Half the roof had caved in from the earlier tremors, but the foundation held, and the walls were intact enough to keep out sight and stray attacks.

It almost seemed like they were just going to hide..

..."What is this? Why aren't we looking for kaa-san? We need to find her!" Just around the corner a screaming woman ran with her crying child in arms, dirty and shocked with fear. It squeezed her heart to bits to think of Aya, alone and frightened - possibly hurt - searching for her.

That was right, she had no idea Sakura had sneaked out earlier in the night. The conclusion that she'd died somewhere in the chaos would've been all but logical.

"No." Before she could open her mouth to speak, a chain reached out to wrap around her, keeping her loosely in place while the Uzumaki once again started sealing - this time with pure chakra instead of ink.

It was something extraordinary to see - and she would've been ecstatic to witness and study it - but at that moment, all she cared about was her mother.

Her other mother. One that was hers despite the splitting memories. Her heart said it so, and Sakura knew when to listen.

She'd lost one already, she wasn't going to lose another. Not this time.

Determined and uncaring, she tapped into her new ability but unlike other times - the staggering, raw amount of chaos and pain and noise assaulted her mind and soul. Sakura gripped her head, squeezing her eyes shut. If the chains hadn't kept her upright, she would've fallen to her knees in overwhelming pain.

The anxiety of hundreds of heartbeats - the frantic, desperate motion to their being, the sheer volume - it was like their souls were screaming to her own, pleading - reaching.

Snapping the connection left her drained and tittering on the edge of breakdown. The swarm of echoing emotions lingering imbedded in her heart.

She blinked heavily once - unsure how to process the situation.

And then she heard it. The gut- wrenching shriek piercing the last bit of her wounded heart.

Sakura didn't think. She just ran - chakra pushing her forward further and further. She felt something trying to stop her, to drag her back.

It burned, it embedded itself into her body.

It all but seared her skin off.

But she pushed.

Because that? That was Aya calling her name with horror woven into every single tone of her voice.

Sakura's vision tunnelled when she saw her as she reached the corner of the hidden alley. The haggard, ripped and bloody sight of rose-haired woman had her heart beating in her ears.

Aya saw her, her eyes lighting up with recognition and relief. The panic abating slightly at the sight of her daughter being alive.

They both ran for one another, Sakura feeling her lips pull into a smile.

She was about to reach her when wave of chakra appeared and large remenants of earth release came crashing through the houses. Sakura's head jerked in time to register them but not to react.

Not to move.

Frantically, already knowing what was going to happen, Sakura looked at the accepting, kind eyes of her mother before she was violently jerked back like a dog on a leash.

And Aya...

....Sakura's eyes trailed the path the giant rock passed, her expression already empty and the hopeful gaze she had moments before long dead.

And then, there was blood.

And the unseeing green in the pool of unblemished red.

Her knees finally gave out, and darkness overtook her.

~

Bare feet thundered across the soft grass, her toes digging into the earth bellow.

Too slow. Much too slow.

She was going to fail. Again.

Sakura frowned grimly as she upped her speed, flying down the overgrown path she knew she'd beaten into submission many times, yet there it was now - wild and springy, like she never touched it in her life.

It infuriated her. She was running a losing race, and she would run it again just as she'd run it many times before this.

One cannot outrun the will of the Mighty. One can only drown in it.

And drowned she did. Many a time.

Gritting her teeth as she approached the clearing ahead, just beyond the thick canopy, her blazing eyes focused on the waterfall in the distance. On the glinting rune mocking her from across the gaping abyss.

The vicious eye of the Mighty.

The fall would not claim her this time, and the waters shall obey.

She would not have it any other way. Not again.

She propelled herself off the cliff, across the ravine and commanded what shall be hers.

She had no other choice.

It had to be done.

She would accept nothing less.

The rune reflected beyond the water's fall, and she was plunged into the unknown.

Her body jerking, Sakura snapped her eyes awake to a hand hovering above her head and instantly gripped it into a vicious hold.

Her heart beat so loudly she was sure it was echoing in the room. She frantically looked around, satisfied to see she recognized the wooden walls and ornaments that laid strewn around - it was her own room.

Then who.. her eyes drew back just in time to hear a boyish, young voice try to soothe her. "Let go, Haruno-chan. You will injure your hand again. I have barely managed to patch it up somewhat, see?"

Sakura blinked at the gentle smile the boy presented her with. He was barely a teen in years, but his dark eyes held the heaviness she knew came with many years of battles and killing.

Although, what was up with his hair? It looked rather...ridiculous.

"Haruno-chan?"

Sakura frowned slightly. He looked very familiar, but she couldn't quite place him. The boy lightly pried her fingers - or tried to, but she held firmly.

A single glance at his attire and the blood covering him and she knew he was recently in battle. But why would... "Who are you?"

"Will you let my wrist go if I tell you? You really will hurt yourself, your bones are not all healed."

Healed... her hand? She looked at it - at her hand covered in bandages but already badly bruised beneath them, and it struck her like lightning.

Her eyes widened as she remembered what all happened - the shinobi, the attack on the village and...

... Aya.

She sagged in her covers, eyes going blank with sudden recalling of that particular event. She could picture her second mother's beautiful emerald eyes staring blankly at the skies with clear detail.

Sakura's heart squeezed painfully.

She'd passed out before she could even think to try and save her.

Useless. That's what she had been. What this body made her be once again.

After years of unforgivable training and achievements, she was at the very start again.

Unable to do anything on her own.

Even her hand, she thought to heal it later, but could she truly even do that? The most she managed until now was to lessen the swelling and pain for the mere boy's fever. If she stopped to think it over, she probably wouldn't have sufficient stamina despite her huge chakra pool for such precise and gruelling healing.

Her teeth gritted at the thought - no. She would be better this time, stronger. More resilient. She had the knowledge and experience, she just needed her physical strength back.

And if that wasn't sufficient, she'd find another way. Her mind flashed to the sealing techniques she'd seen and nodded grimly to herself.

Yes. She had opportunities. She would use them smartly.

"Haruno-chan?"

She startled, having lost herself in her thoughts.

"Who are you?" she demanded again quietly but firmly, finally releasing her grip and wincing at the sharp pain.

The strange boy observed her with blatant worry filling his expression, and if she wasn't mistaken, there was sorrow etched there, too.

Then, as if determined to lift her spirits, he flashed her a blinding smile that took Sakura off guard. "I'm Senju Hashirama. And what would I call you?"

She was stunned for a moment, staring at the familiar face that finally made sense, all the while thinking she must have been the most daft woman - girl- to ever live.

So..that was the year. One that was a lifetime away from the beginning of the future she knew of.

Hashirama was but a child - a shinobi child, yes - but a child still. And he was grinning at her, waiting for an answer to his question.

He must think her a traumatized girl who saw her mother murdered, and partly, she couldn't say she wasn't. Her mind was rational - but she could still feel the lingering sense of shock and despair the younger part of her refused not to feel.

She tilted her head. "I assumed you already know."

"Mm? I do? Hm..." he paused, feigning thinking it over, and then he shook his head. "Only one thing comes to mind, and I don't suppose you are hime-chan?" His brows raised in oh so very innocent look. "No?"

Hashirama was... ridiculous. Again with that word, but it was true. His dark hair fell into his eyes, still quite short and mushroom-looking and the foolishness he was spouting only made her wonder about his mental well-being.

However, she understood what he was doing and she couldn't help the small smile while shaking her head. " It's Kasumi." and wasn't it a strange thing that the name didn't feel quite so wrong to her anymore. In fact, it was one Aya loved dearly - she'd told her so once. She'd
picked it for it reminded her of the etherial beauty of the peaceful morning mist.

And just maybe, Sakura decided, it wouldn't be as bad a name to be called. She didn't know why or how she was here, but it didn't feel like it was a temporary thing, and until she knew for certain - maybe she should embrace it, truly.

The name and this strange new existence. Flashes of her old friends and family crossed her mind - of their happy smiles - and a tear slid down her cheek.

Before she could think to wipe it away, Hashirama was there, doing just that. His smile was gone but his eyes still watched her with a sense of understanding. "I don't think I shall call you that. Hime-chan suits you a lot better."

She frowned. No, it didn't.

She'd apparently said her objection out loud, because the boy in front of her let out a chuckle, his eyes sparking with mischievous challenge. ” Yes, it does. Perfectly, in fact."

She stared, disbelieving. "You're weird."

She expected a smile like before, what she got was one very depressed future first hokage. Was he always like this? She couldn't help but poke him. "Quit weeping, it is unbecoming."

"You're as insulting as Tobi-kun, hime-chan." But then he sprang up, smile overcoming his previous despair. "But you are so cute, I must forgive you immediately."

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, when the door opened and Akito entered the room. She became rigid instantly, remembering the chains that pulled her from the certain death. The same chains that never bothered to do the same for Aya.

Uzumaki Akito.

She had no idea what she should do about him, nor the headache of a revelation he brought with his presence.

She didn't really want to look at him at that moment.

Whatever her fate was now that the Uzumaki clan was aware of her existence, Sakura had a feeling she would have very little to no choice in it.

She just had to wait and see. And then, she would plan accordingly.

~

As it turned out, Sakura had been unconscious for nearly a day. She'd used large amount of her chakra to fight the pull of the Uzumaki chains while she ran, not to mention the injuries she'd acquired because of it.

That along with the shock of seeing her mother dying caused her to collapse where she stood. At least that was what she heard the adults say the reason was.

They were right, naturally, but the fact didn't change a thing. Aya was still dead, village was in ruin and Sakura had done absolutely nothing to prevent it.

She looked at her hand, barely healed but better than it was before, and had to silently thank Hashirama. However wonky his attempts were, they would spare her unwanted questions later on when her injuries seemingly disappear completely.

Sakura sighed and let her hand drop to her side, continuing her walk down the ravaged village, taking in all the damages the fight had caused.

Everywhere she looked she could see remnants of earth and water release along with the burned remains from the explosions. She overheard the Senju say there were around twenty of the enemy shinobi.

It seemed illogical to her - both the how and why of it. Where did the Shimura clan find this many willing mercenaries and why were they even needed? Unless, of course, the utter destruction of the small village was also the point aside from taking Akito.

Did they want to alienate civilians from the clan that protects them? If the Senju proved incapable of preventing such an attack, were they banking on the people of the village to rise against them and revoke access to fish and sea goods supplies they enjoyed until then? Or was it just convenient distraction?

She couldn't recall where exactly the Shimura clan resided in this time, but she knew they were Uchiha allies. This kind of unrest would surely keep the Senju's eyes blind to minor scheming happening behind their backs.

She knew only one Shimura in her lifetime, and that one was more than enough. She may be biased because of it, but she wouldn't put such tactics past them.

Sakura moved aimlessly, observing the sorrow and despair that have overtaken the village. None have yet started repairing the damage - although, she wasn't sure if most of these homes were even salvageable - so all she could see as she walked was utter destruction that surely reflected the hearts of the people left behind.

And the bodies.

It was obvious whoever was tasked with the duty hadn't managed to gather all of them just yet.

Sakura knew they moved Aya from underneath the rock that took her life - she'd glimpsed her grandfather crying over her covered body while she was exiting the house, but she didn't have the courage to come any closer.

She knew what a dead body looked like. She had no desire to give a face to it more than she already have.

Sakura closed her eyes for a moment after glimpsing another limb peeking beneath the rubble and decided it was time she emptied her mind.

The hollowness wouldn't leave her chest and with every passing second her mind became more and more numb.

She understood why it was happening, but she simply couldn't let it. She needed to keep her wits about her, not drown in the shock of a four-year-old.

She headed to the only place she knew would help - one that she'd claimed that first night she sneaked out to the beach to train, one that was sure to soothe her unrest and lift her spirit.

She hoped.

Sakura's been meditating for hours atop the cold rock beneath the murky sky when the first person finally decided to interrupt her.

She knew she was kept under watch at all times - she held no illusions that Akito would ever let her wander far without his knowing.

She was just glad he kept his distance and out of her sight for now.

Hashirama on the other hand...

"Finally found you, hime-chan." Sakura could hear the smile on his lips.

It would appear so. She turned her head to the side to look at him, long pink tresses billowing in the wind. "You're still here, Senju-san?"

Hashirama froze for a second then slumped in despair, mumbling about inconsiderate people and hurtful words.

Then, as if nothing happened, he sprung back up and perched right next to her. "You don't have to call me that. Hashirama is just fine. Anyway," he smiled at her, " what are you doing here alone? Your grandfather will worry."

"My grandfather has a funeral to arrange." She replied gently, returning her gaze to the water.

"I'm sorry about your okaa-san."

She looked at him strangely, at the awkwardness mixed with sincerity. "What do you have to be sorry for? You didn't kill her."

Hashirama flinched at her words and she could admit it probably sounded strange - to hear such bleak yet rational thinking from the mouth of a girl so young.

Sakura noticed his jaw tightened and he seemed to avoid her gaze. "My clan should have protected you all. That was the deal made. I'm sorry we failed you."

"Ah." She wanted to reassure him they did all they could, but then she remembered the guards that laughed at her warning. If they'd listened to her, they would've at least been prepared and held on until Hashirama's squad came.

Instead, Sakura just shrugged, keeping her thoughts sealed behind her lips.

"Are you sure you're okay, Kasumi-chan? It is okay to cry, you know."

Another nod. "Did you cry?"

Hashirama tilted his head to see her better - he looked like a lost puppy. "Tobi would kill me for admitting it, but yes. He says my foolishness knows no bounds."

"Tobi?" Sakura asked, although she knew well of whom the boy was talking. Tobirama-sama looked quite fearsome during the war, so she could all but imagine a little version of that man chiding his elder brother for improper behaviour.

"Tobirama - my otouto. He's always so grumpy and serious and keeps telling me what an idiot I am." Hashirama grinned as if that was the most generous compliment. Then he sobered. "But we did lose our last remaining brother not too long ago. I went to the forest and cried like a baby. What I'm trying to say is, it's okay to let your grief out, hime-chan. Even grown shinobi do it, albeit they won't admit to it. It'll help."

He patted her head gently and they spoke no more until the sun started to set. For some reason, that silence soothed her wounded spirit a lot better than anything she tried thus far.

So on a whim, as they stood up and headed back, Sakura grasped Hashirama's larger hand in her own and mumbled her thanks.

She didn't know why he was still lingering in the village, but she was glad that he did.