Chapter Text
Sakura wondered just how many times death would let her slip through its fingers. As Obito Uchiha poured chakra into her body, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed that she was escaping death’s clutches one more time. As her body accepted the Uchiha's chakra, molding it before integrating it into her system, using it to heal her wounds; it sickened her.
This man had been responsible for her friend’s deaths…everyone's death. Madara Uchiha, the same madman that had brainwashed him, had turned on him. Madara, restored to point that was better than his prime, had taken the world for himself and Sakura found that she was ready to die. She was ready to be with her loved ones again, in a place that the madman couldn't touch her. Yet here was his sidekick, healing her; withdrawing her from an eternity with the ones she loved, and she hated him for it.
"Sakura, you have to change this." It was a plea if she had ever heard one, and a delusional one at that. She would have laughed if her throat wasn't so dry. "You need to make sure that I never 'die' or if I do, that you at least take my body. You need to be on the lookout for Madara, make sure that he doesn't find anyone to take my place; and please make sure that Kakashi, Rin and Sensei stay alive."
It hurt to speak, but Sakura managed it even if it was only broken words, "Crazy…dead…can't stop."
“It's possible just not here, but back then. Back when he was still old and fragile, it is very possible."
She croaked out another word, "Past."
Obito smiled at her, and for a moment she saw the boy her sensei had briefly told her about. "It's your future," Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but he shushed her, "no more questions you'll see soon enough. Just make sure you live your life, and do what you have to in order to change the future." Sakura watched as the man went through the hand signs, and then everything went black.
When Sakura awoke she was blinded by bright lights, and for a moment she thought she was dead. Then she made the mistake of opening her mouth to breathe and began gagging. Her medical instincts kicked in, and she reached for the blockage. She cautiously removed the endotracheal tube, careful not to cut her throat. Once it was gone she took several deep breaths, and she began processing.
Her eyes immediately scanned the room looking for any threat, sensing no other people she allowed herself to relax the tiniest fraction. She recognized the room as one of many within Konoha's hospital. Only the paint was fresher and the windows looked less worn, as though they hadn't been through so many tragic events.
It shouldn't have been possible to even be within the hospital, Madara had destroyed it when he had razed the entire village to ground. Sakura briefly wondered if she was in a genjustsu, or perhaps Madara had finally used the infinite Tsukiyomi. She dismissed both ideas, Madara had no use for either; he ruled the world and had no need for niceties, and she posed no threat to him, which meant this was real.
Carefully moving from the bed Sakura ignored the aches and pains as she moved towards the window. The sun was shining and before her stood the whole of Konohagakure, only it wasn't her Konoha. A large tree that she could see from the hospital stood in the middle of the village, she turned her eyes to the mountain. There were only three faces carved there. Sakura pushed down the overwhelming panic building inside her and started searching for clothes, anything but the yukata she was wearing, which the hospital had stopped using when she was three.
The drawers in the dresser were empty and the cabinets only contained more of the same type of yukata she was wearing now, which was not conducive to fighting. Steps outside the door and a flare of chakra alerted her to a new presence. Sakura moved to the bathroom and turned on the light before closing the door; she then hid behind the door to the room and tested her chakra. She only had about forty percent, but all her wounds were healed save a few bruises and scratches.
Pressing her back to the wall Sakura watched as the handle descended, and the door slowly opened as the nurse entered. Sakura peered from the door as the nurse stepped into view as she walked towards the bathroom and knocked on the door, "Miss, are you all right?"
Concealing her chakra Sakura slipped out of the room and down the hall hoping that all the exits were in the same place. Walking as calmly as she could, Sakura walked to the stairs corridor and opened the door before slipping in and sprinting down them. Reaching the bottom she came to two doors. The right led into an office that led into the lobby and the left led to the emergency room. The left was her best bet; in the confusion no one would notice her.
Cracking the door she watched as doctors hurried from one patient to another and her stomach flipped as they used ancient techniques. She nearly gagged as she watched them prepare a saw for the amputation of an arm that was most definitely salvageable.
She remembered Tsunade's words about always helping their own, and the headbands displaying the leaf insignia and their flak vests said they were her own, and that pushed her into action.
Pushing the man with the saw away she began working: first healing the bone, working to rebuild the nervous system, then she began healing the muscle before finally rebuilding the tissue. The nurses that had been assigned to the man followed her every order, their eyes flicking to the group of fellow nurses and doctors gathering behind her. She ignored them until a fresh wave of wounded flowed in and she had to bark orders for them to get their butts in gear and get to work.
She finished with the man and gave the orderlies instructions concerning him and sent a nurse with them. Leaning against a wall, she tried to catch her breath. The procedure had used a good bit of her chakra and had left her tired. Ignoring the eyes on her Sakura summoned the smallest amount of chakra possible needed for the technique, and disappeared in a flurry of petals. It didn't take her far, only to the top of the next building, and from there she ran. Using the tops of the buildings as her pathway she was able to get to the edge of training ground three.
Collapsing against one of the training posts Sakura closed her eyes and took everything in. The air was fresh and clean, not filled with dust and dirt as it had been after Pein's attack. Instead of saws and hammers she heard children's laughter and the bell from the academy signaling that the day was done. Instead of gloomy skies which had been daily once Madara had come to power the sun was shining, and Sakura bathed in all of it. She had missed all of this and had longed for it since she'd gone to war, and she allowed it to take over her senses; which was not the smartest move on her part.
As a kunai came to rest on her jugular Sakura smiled, "Go ahead, you can kill me now. I'm home."
"I've never seen you here before," the voice was male. It was smooth and held confidence, yet it wasn't cocky. The kunai slackened and she looked up into blue eyes that reminded her of Naruto. For a moment she thought it was Naruto, but it wasn't. His eyes were a bit narrower, his hair was longer and his facial structure was a bit sharper than Naruto's rounded features.
"Perhaps we never crossed paths."
Removing the Kunai all together the man came to stand in front of her squatting down to look her in the eyes, "I might have considered that, if I hadn't found you outside the village bloody, bruised and unconscious; and if the Sandaime had actually had a clue as to who you are."
Sakura smiled, as she fought to stay awake. She recognized the need to sleep as genjutsu, but she didn't have the strength to fight it. "I was simply offering an explanation," and with that she fell into her forced slumber.
Minato Namikaze studied the pink haired woman. She had to be about twenty-one, if he had to guess, something he hadn't been able to identify with all the blood and dirt covering her when he had first found her in this very spot. Hiashi Hyuuga, Fugaku Uchiha, Shibi Aburame, and Kato Inuzuka, crammed in front of him as he picked up the girl cradling her in his arms. Apparently being called away by an ANBU in their first training session together in three months warranted an investigation.
"Who is she?" Kato Inuzuka asked. The head of the Inuzuka Clan was a serious man. The wolf looking dog, that was his companion, mirrored the same demeanor as his master.
Looking at each of the men present Minato shrugged. Fugaku was quick to call him out, "Bullshit."
Minato smiled, each man in front of him was either head of their clan or would be soon. That made them privy to the information of the pink haired girl in his arms. "I honestly don't know. I found her about a week ago, she was wearing the Konoha fatigues, but her headband was different. It had the kanji for shinobi engraved on it. She looked like she had been dragged through hell a few times, so I took her to the hospital. For any other information you'll have to speak to the Sandaime, my part ended there." Not completely true, but they didn't need to know that. Not unless the Third said otherwise.
"You gonna take her back to the hospital?" Kato asked.
Minato shook his head, "I have orders to take her to T&I. Inoichi, Shikaku and Choza will be back soon. They'll get to the bottom of it."