A/N: Big shoutout and gratitude to my friend who helped me edit this chapter. She really helped me with the grammar, the sentence phrases, and so much more! Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Chapter 1:
It’s surprisingly cold in the whirlpool of blue and white energies as Sakura continues to descend. She assumed that it would be warm, but she’s grateful nonetheless for wearing Naruto’s jacket. Sadness takes over her at the thought of the ball of sunshine, then to the conflicted Uchiha, and finally to the lazy, perverted teacher. Embarrassment rises next when she remembers the feeling of Kakashi’s lips pressed against hers. His naked lips stole her first kiss for star’s sake! She shakes her head from side-to-side in an attempt to refocus. It wasn’t very effective because the memory of his bare face flashes before her eyes. “Stupid, perverted Kakashi!” she whines aloud, feeling her cheeks heating up. At least that helps with feeling cold. She tentatively wets her lips with her tongue, tasting the slight iron from blood - likely her own - and somehow a subtle nicotine flavor. She wasn’t aware that Kakashi smoked at all! She surmised given the stress of the events leading to and during the War may warrant the craving. She guessed he picked up the habit around the time Asuma Sarutobi died. Her thoughts were interrupted when a sudden, hot intense pain engulfs her entire body inwards and outwards. A raspy scream escapes her lips and her eyes shut tight. It’s as if her skin is melting off; every muscle sharply contracts; her bones feel like they’re breaking and mending themselves without her chakra numbing the pain. Her head feels like someone took a heavy boulder and repeatedly hammered her temples and forehead. Is this what the Sage meant?! Another scream erupts yet she can barely hear it from the ringing in her ears. She needs to focus on activating her 100 Healings Seal, but it’s proven difficult because of the intense pain. Come on! She clenches her jaw, grinds her teeth in an attempt to endure the pain and focus. A sharp intake of breath through her nostrils aids her mind in grasping the stored chakra in her original Seal. She forces her hands to unfurl from a tight fist to form half of the Rat Sign. “Release!” She cries out. She faintly feels her Seal expand across her forehead, down to her neck then reaching to her fingers and toes. The feeling of the stored chakra wash over her body, raising a cool sensation to calm the heat. The energy significantly dulls the pain to the point she can relax her tensed body. Despite her eyes still being closed, she can see a light source shine brightly. Is this the exit of the portal? She kept her eyes closed in fear of becoming blind and forced herself to be patient. ************************** The source of the bright light patiently waits as Sakura’s body floats closer and closer. When she finally passes through, the light shines brighter with a pulse sounding like a heartbeat. ************************************************************************************************** In the Fire Country Rain pours heavily within parts of the Fire Country, including The Hidden Village in the Leaves, Konohagakure (Konoha, for short). Winds blew so strongly that trees bend and angle raindrops in the same direction. Thunderclaps with a show of lightning lighting up the dark sky. Sometimes, lightning will strike down to the earth, igniting a tall tree in flames with spraying splinters or create a burned crater in a patch of grass. Wild animals scampered to find shelter in caves or make burros in the ground. Canals are overflowed with rushing water, mud, and debris. Most people stayed indoors to avoid the cold and rain, but some people either have to endure the harsh weather or find a make-shift shelter. Konoha Such is the same within Konoha. Many shops and businesses decided to close down for the day because of the harsh weather except for a few grocery outlets and restaurants. Facilities like the Hokage Tower, the General Hospital and other clinics, the Shinobi Academy, the Jounin Headquarters, the ANBU Headquarters, Torture and Intelligence Division (T&I), the Barrier Division, and the Uchiha Police Station remain open in case of emergencies. Most, if not all, of the employees are a shinobi of different ranks with different calibers. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sits in his office at the Hokage Tower currently reading one of the many mission reports he received. The report detailed the events of a mission in a time of war - the Second Shinobi War between Konohagakure, Sunagakure (Suna), Amegakure (Ame), and Iwagakure (Iwa) for economic disparity and resources. He deeply sighs when the report states that half of the Ame battalion stationed themselves in a civilian village, who has no take on the war, near the Fire Country’s southwestern border. Konoha forces didn’t move to eradicate them yet because they don’t want or need unnecessary civilian bloodshed. They will wait until Ame enters their land to strike. However, Hiruzen pauses in his mullings when an ominous feeling washes over him. Expanding his chakra to detect if the source is nearby, he’s puzzled when no such thing is found. Not yet, at least. He scoots his chair back to stand in front of the middle window that’s behind his desk. The heavy rain reminded him of the Ame forces from the report, but that’s not the source of this unsettling feeling. Suddenly, a thick lightning bolt strikes in the direction of the famed Hashirama Forest, created and named in honor of the First Hokage, followed by a deafening roar of thunder that shakes the earth and, subsequently, the buildings. The windows rattled while some of the items on his desk and bookshelves toppled over or fell to the floor. The ceiling lights blew out, encasing his office - he suspects the whole Tower and other buildings - in darkness. His eyes narrow apprehensively. That ominous sense increased tenfold as a warning that something or someone is coming. General Hospital The hospital is quiet save for the sounds of chatter amongst staff members, patients, and machinery to monitor heartbeat and oxygen levels. In one of the offices dedicated to the Head Director sits two people engaging in a conversation. “Phew, this weather is crazy!” exclaimed Jiraiya, former student of Hiruzen Sarutobi, one of the Legendary Three, and Toad Sage. “How about we go home and enjoy a nice fireplace to warm us up?” “Whose place did you have in mind, pervert?” Tsunade, former student of Hiruzen Sarutobi, one of the Legendary Three, and the world’s best Medical Ninja, snorts with a flat tone. “I’d suggest my place, but your home is quite lovely too.” A suggestive smile accompanied with a wiggle of white eyebrows is directed to her. “Go die in a ditch.” Tsunade dismisses him while her eyes didn’t pause in reading one of her patient’s files. “If you’re not here to help with healing or for a checkup on injuries, get the hell out of here.” Jiraiya places his hands atop of each other on his chest with a pained look, “Oh, but I do have a wound, my slug mistress. I have a wounded heart that only the best medical ninja can heal.” He sharply tilts his head to the right to avoid being hit by Tsunade’s weapon of choice, a heavy stone paperweight. It lodges itself in the wall behind the man. “You know I was just teasing you, Tsuna.” He pacifies with his palms up. “I know you meant it. Stupid perverted frog.” She grumbles loud enough for him to hear. Tsunade massages her left temple with her forefingers to relieve the headache from dealing with the perverted man and hospital duties. Not to mention the medical program that the Council recently approved despite not having the ideal time allowance to properly train them. At the very least she’s grateful for the program to be up and running. The difficult part was finding ideal or potential candidates for the program while the challenging part was training them enough to patch up a solder or two, chakra-based methods or traditional medicine wise. The medic reaches for the now cooled tea resting on her desk - a sudden crack appears from the base of the cup to stretch upwards branching into two at the rim. She gasps in bewilderment. It’s a tell-tale sign of a bad omen and she’s not one to ignore such a thing for a stupid superstition. Amber eyes meet dark brown ones, both conveying a grim understanding. A particularly bright, white light flashes through the visible windows that temporarily blinded their visions; an explosive roar of thunder follows two seconds afterward. The roar was powerful enough to tremble the earth and topple stationed items over. The fluorescent lights blew out in her office; both adults suspect that the office and parts of the district are experiencing a blackout. “Hmm,” Jiraiya hums as he walks to one of the three windows in her office, “Want to make a bet that the lightning show had something to do with Hatake?” She scowls at him at the weak attempt to make a bet, “We both know that it wasn’t him.” He shrugs both of his shoulders without facing her, “You think it had something to with that powerful sense moments before we got a show?” “Yes.” Tsunade adjusted some of the items on her desk, including neatly stacking paperwork before she quickly stands up. “I need to check on the hospital. Make yourself useful instead of lounging in my office!” She leaves before he could respond. A heavy sigh escapes his lips, casts one last glance through the window then leaves. Barrier Team Within the Barrier Team’s lower level sits three people in a triangular position with a large sphere of water floating above them. All three wear robes similar to the Shinto priests but their hats bear the Leaf Symbol in the center, close to the base. One person sits in the middle of four pillars while the remaining two people sit at the ends of the pillars. On the upper level of the chamber is a lounging area complete with couches, dining tables, a kitchenette, and a large restroom. Five people are wearing the standard Jounin uniform with their upper right arms bearing the symbol of the Barrier Team; three of them are sitting at the dining table playing cards while the remaining two are busy in the kitchen. The three people sitting around the water sphere have their eyes closed for better concentration. They’re highly skilled Sensory-Types that can sense many chakra signatures whether it belongs to a civilian, a shinobi, or an animal. The sphere acts as a smaller version of the barrier surrounding the village, including underground and high in the sky. The primary purpose of the barrier and the team is to detect intruders and intercept them if necessary. The secondary purpose is to detect any incoming attacks like projectiles from enemy fire or meteorite-like projectiles falling from the sky. The latter being a rare occurrence but known enough to have happened previously. A minor additional function is to detect unusual or abnormalities in the weather such as the terrible thunderstorm and lightning show going on since the previous day. Konoha weather reporters and scientists were puzzled by the sudden arrival of such conditions when it was supposed to be sunny despite the cold winter months. Many brushed it off as a claim that the weather was always being unpredictable no matter how many calculations were made. Others were indifferent to the change. However, there are a few that believed these dark conditions are signs of an omen - it's yet to be decided if it’ll be good or bad. The three Sensors share the same belief that an omen is approaching fast. They can feel it with every lightning crackle in the air and roar of thunder. Suddenly! Their eyes snap open to look at the water sphere - the entire thing quivers in a multitude of ripples in all directions. “Pinpoint the exact location of the anomaly!” The person sitting in the middle orders as he raises his arms upwards, his palms facing the sphere’s surface. The other two follow his example, then all three direct some of their chakra into the sphere to pinpoint the source of that sudden yet powerful feeling. After exactly one minute of doing this, the one positioned to the left of the middle spoke, “What is with this strange power?” The person positioned on the opposite side shook her head, “It’s strange. It doesn’t feel hostile.” “It’s too early to disregard that.” the one in the middle states, “It may not feel hostile now, but its power is too strong.” “Shall we dispatch the Team?” the person on the right asks. “Have we located the source?” the person in the middle counters. A moment of silence and concentration passes before the one on the left sighs, “No. Whatever possesses this power is spread throughout the village.” “We must keep trying.” the one in the middle states. “Guard!” One of the five from the upper level jumps down swiftly. He lands in a kneel and one arm resting on top of his thigh. “Check the status of the village. Send another to inform the Hokage that something powerful entered the village.” The kneeling guard looks up in shock, “We should dispatch the Team to apprehend the source!” “We can’t pinpoint its exact location yet. Tell Lord Hokage that we’ll continue investigating the cause of such powerful energy.” “Right away!” the guard bows his head before using a teleportation trick to carry out their tasks. Hashirama Forest A large streak of lightning strikes an opening in the Hashirama Forest, created and named after the First Hokage. If there were eyewitnesses anywhere near the vicinity of the strike, they’d be blind by the white light and deaf from the roar of thunder. Although the lightning strike was swift, it did leave something behind in its wake. At the impact site is a jagged patch of burned grass with a body lying in the very center of it. The owner of the body is lying face down, with short pink hair flared out, a tattered orange jacket covering its upper half with black pants and sandals at the bottom; a black sheathed sword lying on the left side and a large pouch lying on the right side of the body. The body, clothes, and items are immediately drenched because of the pouring rain. A small whimper erupts from the body. A twitch on the left hand follows; soon that hand curls its short chubby fingers around the sheathed sword. Eyes hidden underneath the lids shift side-to-side for a moment then slowly open to reveal emerald green eyes. They blink until their vision is cleared. A low groan emits from its throat as they force their heavy and sore body to slowly sit upright. Emerald green eyes shut tight again because of the shrill ringing in both ears. The owner of the body deeply inhales through chapped lips, holds their breath for five seconds, then releases a shaky exhale. The ringing begins to fade so the owner continues the same breathing exercise until the sound stops. Soon the ringing sound is replaced by the sound of wind howling and rain droplets pelting against the earth. The owner of those emerald green eyes open them to see darkness, but a quick flash of light followed by a thunderclap allows a picture to be seen. The owner of the body and the emerald green eyes finds themselves surrounded by tall trees. “Where…?” a second later, a gasp is heard. “Wait! Wha-!?” emerald eyes widen as they travel downwards yet all they see is darkness. The chubby fingers that curled around the sword numbly lets go to tentatively touch the owner’s face. Fingertips feel cold and wet cheeks. The other hand that the owner realized was holding onto the large pouch joins its other half to further inspect their face, then forehead, the back of the head, and down the torso. “I...I’m okay?” The owner tilts their head to the right side slightly, “Is that my voice?” It could be the loudness of the rain pelting on the trees and ground or it could be the howling wind or it could be their paranoia, but why does their voice sound high-pitched than normal? “Hello?” the owner calls out experimentally to not only hear their voice again but also hope that someone was listening nearby. Why? They’re not sure exactly. The owner calls out again, louder this time, and confirms that their voice sounds higher than their normal tone. It still sounds feminine, a girlish childish sound though not one they’ve heard in a long time. “Achoo!” the owner - a girl - sneezes followed by violent shivers all over her body. She sniffed a couple of times. Remembering the jacket on her person, numb chubby fingers hastily wrap the flaps of the tattered fabric more securely around her body. “Hello! Is anyone there?” She waits with emerald green eyes moving across the dark plain. When nothing happened, she expanded thin chakra threads around them to sense anyone near her - unfortunately, all she felt were animals of varying species (birds, fauna, rabbits, squirrels). Although she senses human chakra signatures, they’re too far away from her current position. “Achoo!” She sniffs again as a whimper escapes her lips. “I need shelter.” During the scan with the chakra threads, she mentally mapped her surroundings: she’s sitting in a small forest clearing with trees surrounding her for acres. There are shrubs and bushes and varying rocks scattered around; there is a large lake southwest of her position. A weary sigh passes through her lips. She checks on the status of her current chakra reserves, not including the additional ones, to find she has just enough to spare. “Guess I have no choice.” Ensuring once more she’s alone, she numbly weaves hand signs with chakra channeling through each step until she stops on the Snake Sign. “Wood Release: Wood Locking Dome!” the chakra from her hands travel to the ground in a circle around her; wooden pillars erupt in symmetric form that join together to create a dome. She no longer feels the cold rain and the wind biting through her clothes when the dome is complete except for a thin, rectangular opening on the side near the top. She needs fresh air to breathe in lest she suffers from oxygen deprivation. She also needed the opening to vent out the smoke from the campfire she’s about to make. Still holding the Snake hand sign, she channels chakra again to uproot four short logs of wood with many branches attached from the ground. She releases the sign and stops the chakra flow to gather her materials. First, she breaks off all of the branches to put them into a separate pile beside her. Second, she stacks the four logs in a pile a few feet away from her position. Third, she weaves another set of three hand seals, ending with the Snake sign again, before placing her palms flat on the ground in front of her. “Earth Release: Rock Trail!” a small trail of rocks emerges from the ground surrounding the logs in a raised circular ring. She grabs one of the sticks she broke off earlier and inserts one end of it into the ground. She performed another set of three hand seals, ending with the Tiger Sign. “Fire Release: Flame Stream.” Taking a deep breath as she curls her right forefingers inches away from her mouth, chakra coats her throat, tongue, teeth, and gums in a protective layer in time for a small stream of red-orange flames to be exhaled. The end of the stream balloons into a small ball that makes contact with the upright end of the stick. When she runs out of breath, the stream ceases and she’s left with a little torch. She quickly gathers some thinner sticks from her pile to light one end of them with the fire. Once they’re all lighted, she gathers the entire bundle to place it underneath the log pile through a small opening. It took a few seconds before the small fire latches itself onto one of the logs. Satisfied with the results, she releases the bundle and watches the fire grow. She’s provided light to her dome while providing much-needed warmth. As she stares into the fire, her mind begins to process her situation. Images flash before her eyes of a boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, and whiskered cheeks; a boy with black hair, red and purple eyes, and a frown; and a man with white - no, gray hair, she self-corrects - dark gray eyes, and a mask. “Naruto. Sasuke. Kakashi.” her changed voice calls out the names, each following their respective images. Then a floodgate of more images rapidly flash causing a major headache and heartache. Emerald green eyes become clouded with fresh tears, spilling over her cheeks. Hiccups and whimpers tear from her throat with each image getting more painful than the last. “I…” She takes a sharp intake of breath through both her nostrils and mouth. “I...was...sent...to the...past...by...the...Sage…” she chokes out through a series of hiccups. “I’m...on a...mission…” Progress. She continues onwards. “My name...Sakura...Haruno…” she sniffs despite her nostrils becoming congested. “...I’m sixteen years old...a Chunin of...of…” “Never forget that you’re a kunoichi of Konoha.” The boy with sunny blonde hair, oceanic blue eyes, and fox whiskers appears in her mind with a wide smile. Chapped lips curl into a smile as more tears fall. “That’s right.” She releases a light, airy giggle. She traces a finger on the symbol that’s engraved in the metal headband she was gifted. “My name is Sakura Haruno, a Chunin-ranked kunoichi of Konoha. I’m sixteen years old, on a mission to change the past to save the future.”
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