Chapter Text
It starts like this…
Before Naruto gets married to Hinata and settles down to begin training for becoming Hokage, the original Team 7, minus Kakashi-sensei of course, decides to travel the world together.
Make up for lost time. Share stories of their independent training. Their childhoods. Things left unspoken between the three young adults for years.
Most importantly be there for Sasuke, who had gotten too used to being on his own. Shouldering burdens alone... grieving alone.
Kakashi of course lets them go. He understands. Emphatically.
Their journey takes them everywhere. They’re recognized immediately. Everyone knows the Neo-Sannin when they see them. There is only one Uchiha left in the world. Naruto is the only human being alive with blonde hair, blue eyes, and scars that resemble whiskers. Sakura, while not the only Haruno, is the only kunoichi with pink hair, green eyes, and a purple diamond prominently on her forehead.
Their renown gets them fast service and platitudes everywhere they go. Naruto teaches orphans, Sasuke visits the academies and helps kids interested in kenjutsu, and Sakura heals everyone and poses for kunoichi of all backgrounds.
The three bond in a way they never fully could when they were young and weighed down by the world and insecurities.
It’s nice..
And it's as Sakura and Sasuke are watching the kyūbi host excitedly mingle with other orphans, that Sakura takes a long look at the swirl on her blonde brother’s back.
She looks to the side and catches Sasuke’s eye.
Sasuke is not quite a brother but not quite a lover. He’s somewhere in between. A person she loves and will never doubt that, but their relationship is built on something completely different than the one she has with Naruto or what he has with Naruto.
“We should visit Uzushiogakure.” She says as she turns back to watch Naruto. Sasuke does the same.
“Hn.”
They both know that Uzushiogakure is nothing but ruins and quite probably a breeding ground for pirates, but Naruto deserves to see where his origins come from.
They tell Naruto their next stop that night at dinner and he simply stares at them, wide-eyed and silent.
Minutes pass before he simply swallows and nods his head.
They head out the next day, bright and early. Thankfully, they are still in the Hi no Kuni so it will not be a long journey.
The ruins of Uzushiogakure are far worse than any of them expect. And it sobers the mood exponentially. Especially after a brief but thrilling reunion with Tazuna and his family in Nami no Kuni.
The trio walks through the island with silent respect and slight fascination. Even through the ruins, it is clear that Uzushio had been a thriving and advanced land. Sakura and Sasuke hang back as they watch Naruto drink in the sight of his motherland.
Every building they pass, every field they walk over, he drinks in the sight like a man in a desert. Sakura, and she is certain Sasuke, recognizes the look. It’s the look Sasuke gave when they cleaned up the Uchiha Compound for him. Naruto touches everything with reverential fingers and his eyes gloss over every time he sees a broken fuinjutsu.
While the young man never studied it seriously enough to be called a master, he knew enough to be a specialist. Amongst their friend group, if anyone was the fuinjutsu master, it was certainly Tenten. Sakura probably came a close third or fourth in the village for knowledge about seals. Her specialty, of course, being medical fuinjutsu. One doesn't have the pinnacle of fuinjutsu and iryō ninjutsu put directly on their forehead without a substantial background in fuinjutsu. She had to memorize every medical seal old and new before she could even attempt drawing the Yin seal on parchment let alone engraving it to her skull with chakra.
But even the fuinjutsu remnants she sees around her throw her for a loop. Not just because they are ancient Uzu-based.
They eventually make their way past what could only be a huge plaza and enter what looks to be their Kage palace.
“Ya know it’s such a shame..” Naruto murmurs as he takes in the splendor of the palace.
Sakura can only nod, “It is.”
Sasuke slowly takes in the palace, probably seeing more ghosts.
“Konoha should have been here sooner to help them. Our villages were sisters.” Naruto clenches his fists and turns to look up at the throne where the Kage would sit.
The group is intimately familiar with the cause of the fall of Uzushiogakure and the reason for the late reinforcements. Shimura Danzō would certainly never make it to the Pure Lands, that’s for sure. Nor would he want to go there. He had too many enemies to live a peaceful afterlife.
Silence follows the trio as they make their way through the palace. Somehow, to Sakura at least, it feels as if Naruto knows exactly where he’s going. She looks to her left and sees a contemplative look on Sasuke’s face as well. This is how she knows the lone Uchiha has come to the same conclusion that she has.
Naruto sees something. The island and fuinjutsu must be telling him something that they could not pick up.
People think Sakura has lots of regrets. They are wrong. She regrets exactly five things. Ending her friendship with Ino over Sasuke as children. Not taking her shinobi training seriously when she was in the academy. Failing to stop Sasuke from leaving the village. Begging Naruto to bring him back completely forgetting the blonde takes promises very seriously. And thinking she could distract Uchiha Madara long enough for her boys to beat his ass. That pole fucking hurt. Far more than Sasori’s sword.
She does not regret tossing Sasuke out of the super spooky clearly suspicious and a little dangerous room wrapped in so much fuinjutsu even her brain short circuits. She does not regret shunshinning to the center where a now clear-eyed Naruto stood shocked or stuck. She does not regret punting Naruto out of the suspicious glowing circle and into the doorway she tossed Sasuke through.
The rosette moves to jump out of the circle as well but finds herself unable to move. Emerald eyes look down at her heeled feet and find them stiff and stuck to the ancient glowing ink. The slight tingle in her forehead tells her, her yin seal is being sapped of chakra at a slow but still alarming pace.
“SAKURA-CHAN!”
“SAKURA!”
The desperate shouts of her name bring her attention back to the entryway where she finds both Sasuke and Naruto banging on an invisible barrier.
Both of their eyes look manic and Naruto in particular looks on the verge of tears.
“I can’t move..” She says, oddly calm despite the building panic.
She is fairly certain the fuinjutsu isn’t meant to harm, and she is betting it's more of a defense activation with the way it’s sucking up her chakra and what she senses from the ruins around her.
Probably why Naruto was stuck.. Between him and Kurama, they have enough chakra to do almost anything..
There is a humming in the room now, loud enough that she wants to cover her ears. The room stops sucking chakra from her seal, leaving her with about 60% full, when she looks back at Naruto.
A large bright orange arm has passed through the barrier and begun to reach for her.
“Grab my hand, Sakura-chan! Please!”
Naruto hasn’t sounded that desperate and worried for her since she was a genin.
Sakura narrows her eyes, This isn’t a defense formation.. He looks too terrified for that. Unless my life is the price…
Not in the mood to stick around and find out, Sakura lifts her arm to try and grab Kurama and pauses.
Her right hand is gone and her right arm is fading away just as fast.
Panic fully sets in and her heart starts beating rapidly.
“NARUTO! SASUKE!” She almost doesn’t recognize her voice as she screams for her brothers in arms.
She looks at her feet and left arm and finds them rapidly disappearing as well. The flaming orange chakra she had come to associate with the tsundere fox is also rapidly disappearing, but only the portion that is within the room.
From where she stands, she can barely make out the rapidly spinning tomoe of Sasuke’s rinnegan as his Susanoo begins to emerge.
A quick glance at her torso shows that her waist and forearms are gone. The humming is so loud that she barely catches Naruto’s words.
“.. come find you! No matter what!” There is a heat and desperation in his voice that leaves the rosette no choice but to believe him. Like always.
This is why, when she wakes up on the shores of fire country, overlooking the isles of Uzushiogakure surrounded by people dressed far too… poorly and antiquated for her taste, she only panics mildly.
“FUCK!”
Mildly of course.
BOOM.
A wave of sand erupts from where her chakraless fist hits the sandy shore.
“KYA!”
“BACK AWAY!”
“A SHINOBI!”
Fuck the world. I better not be in the past.
She’s in the past. Not just the past, the fucking Warring States Period, if the fish seller she just healed in exchange for current currency is to be trusted. She already verified her cloak protected her actual attire from view and that her satchel is safe from water damage thanks to protective seals.
If I'm lucky, Konoha has already been established and I can-
“My word lass.. Where have you been living that you don’t know the Senju and Uchiha have been warring for centuries.”
Fuck the Sage and his reincarnating sons.
“I hear both young clan heads are monsters in their own right. Best not to cross them.”
Sakura’s hand loses its glow as she grabs her cotton candy locks in frustration.
“Ain’t you from Uzu no Kuni, girlie? Must be a pretty reclusive clan for you not to know that.” An older woman selling carrots and potatoes asks, leaving over her cart.
That makes Sakura freeze, “Why do you think I'm from Uzu?”
The fish seller and the old woman look at her like she’s the crazy one.
“Missie, your hair is pink. We’ve seen enough Uzu and Adamantine Island folk to know. Uzumaki’s got bright red, Uzuki got purple… I’ve seen some with orange but with pink hair like that, ya can’t be anything but Uzu.”
Fun fact, Haruno’s are actually from Tetsu no Kuni. They are descended from the Adamantine Islands but that was centuries ago. Centuries before even the current warring periods. At this point, her family is more samurai than they are islanders. Haruno and magenta hair are a dime a dozen in the land of samurai. It isn’t until this period that they even decide to become a clan… hm.
“My apologies, unfortunately, I’m from Tetsu no Kuni. I think my deep ancestral roots are Uzu no Kuni though.” Sakura chuckles and the two look intrigued but relaxed.
Sakura spends the rest of the day and the next three, healing every person she comes across and accepting whatever they can afford to pay.
She has two goals as of now.
Collect money and head to what will later be Konoha. She can only hope that its founding is not that far out.
Traveling in the past is one thing. Traveling in the past as a woman with bright pink fucking hair is a whole other beast.
Here she has no notoriety that makes people steer clear. No bingo book that says “Flee on Sight”.
Which is why she has just knocked out the sixth slave trader she’s had the displeasure of meeting since she started traveling. Which is two weeks.
She’s in her third village, each one progressively richer than the last, and her money storage pouch is steadily getting heavier.
After handing in the sixth unlucky bastard to come after her to the bounty office and collecting her ryo, she makes a decision.
Time to use shishō’s transformation technique.
Sakura swore she wouldn’t use this jutsu until she hit her 40s, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Sakura’s physical appearance now looks 60 and using a bit of her chakra, her hair color turns an ashy brown streaked with grey.
The hidden rosette disappears into the market crowd, changes her stride emulating her civilian grandmother she hadn’t seen since she was a child, and lowers her chakra even more. A bit of chakra to her throat, and her voice takes on a more grating tone.
4 months later
“Have you heard that the wonder healer is coming to our village?”
Coal eyes narrow and his ears twitch. Hikaku is across from him and even he slows the speed of his chopsticks to listen to the chatter.
He’s heard about the wonder healer. For the past three months, rumors of her beauty and skill have taken the whole world by storm. She can only be found when she wants and her skills are godly. An ethereal woman with soft pink hair, bright green eyes, a purple diamond on her forehead, petite in size, and heals better and faster than any Senju. Her service prices range from any price depending on her patient but each person has gradually given her more and more.
It’s been said that anyone touched by her, wakes up brand new and with no aches.
Not even the Senju can boast that type of healing… He thinks as he sips his sake. The inn’s bar is slowly filling up with patrons.
His rival and ex-best friend was a gifted healer, one of the best in his clan, and not just because of his self-healing. But he was limited. His healing left scars and often didn’t fully cure.
“I heard she recently healed the nephew of the fire Daimyō and was rewarded 2,000,000 ryo and land.”
Ryu, who sits beside Hikaku, choked on his rice.
“2,000,000?!” The other patron hisses, “What did she cure?!”
“I heard he was paralyzed from the waist down due to an accident as a child.”
“No!?”
“Yup.” The man, who looks like a bounty hunter now that he glances at him, says, popping the ‘p’.
“According to a court lady I know there, her hands glowed green, hovered over his back, waited 5 minutes, lifted her hand, asked him to move his toes, and BAM! He moved them. He was paralyzed when he was 11, he’s 19 now. Eight years he couldn’t feel anything, she comes in makes her hand glow and five minutes later he can feel his legs.”
“Kami…”
“Exactly. I heard several people passed out and the Daimyō's family cried.”
“And the land?” Someone else asked, all the patrons were paying attention now.
This time a waitress spoke up, “I heard she asked for the territory near the last known sighting of the kyūbi. Something about how the cliffside was beautiful.” The young girl says nonchalantly.
That gives him pause. It gives the whole room pause.
“Land near the kyūbi?”
“Cliffside?”
All the patrons repeat the same details over and over again while looking at each other. He looks at his cousins with narrowed eyes.
They look back at him with an intensity that would burn lesser men.
“Isn’t that in between the Senju and Uchiha borders?”
“My word… the poor woman.”
“She’ll have to watch out from all sides.”
“Monsters either way she turns… my goodness.”
He ignores their words and leaves some money on the counter.
He stands to his full height, cloak still hiding his person, he beckons his cousins, “Come. We need to get home. If the Daimyō really gave her that land he will send us a notice.”
“Hai, Madara-sama.”
All three figures sweep through the Inn restaurant that’s getting progressively louder about the gossip surrounding the mysterious healer.
“Here you are oba-san!” The young waitress from before exclaims. A bowl of rice, a plate of steamed vegetables, and grilled fish are placed in front of her. This is her first meal at this inn, but her sixth meal tonight. Her appearance was different each time. She’s learned that eating too much in one sitting calls attention to her, just as much as her physical appearance.
“Thank you, sweetheart.” She says, a mild smile on her lips as she lifts her chopsticks, somewhat feebly. The waitress gives her a gentle smile, pushes the cup of tea closer, and leaves an extra towel for messes before walking away.
The old woman’s dark green eyes stare at the table that was recently vacated. She might not be a sensor as great as Naruto or Karin, but she was intimately familiar with the taste of smoke and ozone. She knows it as well as she knows saltwater and wind.
And while it's been four years since the fourth shinobi war for her, she would recognize that chakra signature in a heartbeat.
Uchiha Madara and his clanmates had been in this inn, this village. Hopefully completing a mission, and sage-forbid looking for her.
But she won’t be caught. Team 7 is known more for blasting through missions and causing international incidents, but she had her own stint in ANBU when she first started apprenticing under Tsunade. Her stealth and infiltration skills are something Kakashi-sensei had praised once he came back into her life and he refined them. With her otherworldly chakra control and modern stealth techniques, she is rightfully confident.
So Sakura smiles mildly, savoring the miso grilled fish, and counts down the days until her plan comes to fruition.
Three weeks into her accidental trip to the past, Sakura smacks herself for forgetting that her summons is one of the oldest creatures in the world. Right up there with the bijū. As such, it is not limited to things like space and time.
In the safety of her current inn, she summons Katsuyu-sama.
A small plume of smoke dissipates and the slug’s antennas twitch once, twice, and a third time before it sighs in exasperation.
“Sakura-sama. Really?” Sakura never knew the slug could sound so over a conversation.
The rosette laughs, “Katsuyu-sama. I’m happy to see you too, thankfully. By the way, have you been hanging out with Shikamaru? You’re starting to sigh just like him.”
The woman and slug chuckle, before the ancient summon lets out a fake cough, “Ahem. Sakura-sama you do realize you are in the past, correct? And your presence here has created a new timeline?”
The iryō-nin scoffs, “Of course, I know that! I summoned you so that you could help me find Kurama.”
The slug blinks, “Kurama-san? Why?”
Sakura’s smile is not a kind one, “I don’t have the patience to wait for the Senju and Uchiha to make peace. I’m going to force peace upon them. And Kurama’s protection would certainly make things easier… And after summoning you here successfully, I have a hunch.”
The slug tilts its antennas to the side curiously, “What is your hunch, Sakura-sama?”
“Before that.. Is it true you helped Hashirama master mokuton?”
“I assisted yes. He needed to become a sage because his chakra control was too abysmal to do without. Why?”
Viridian eyes brighten and Sakura lifts a palm to the eyes of the noble summon.
“I have the chakra control to not worry, but I think becoming a sage would definitely make me feel more secure, Katsuyu-sama.”
The orbital sockets on the antennas widen in shock as green sprouts bloom atop Sakura’s palms and slowly trickle into a crawl as the vines overflow.
“Oh my..”
It took Naruto seven days to become a sage. This was so he could properly learn to master the elements and have some semblance of control over natural energy. The imbalance between his Uzumaki heritage and Kurama’s chakra was a big roadblock.
Sakura does not have a furry tenant. Her Yin seal is all HER chakra. She might not be a ninjutsu specialist like the rest of her team, but Sakura has had modern-day chakra theory memorized since she was a kid and Naruto was happy to explain what he went through in Toad Sage Realm after the war.
As such, it takes Sakura one day.
With her photographic memory and her close relationship with Yamato-taichō, Sakura has enough memories of hand seals to begin her plan.
“Oh, Father..” The large sleepy red fox growls. His head rests on his arms and his right eye watches her with mild amusement and little annoyance. His ears twitch every so often.
Sakura lets out a full-body laugh. Her hair is loose down her back. She’s hidden her hitai-ate in her many pouches. Her cloak hides her outfit, but she knows everything about her is recognizable despite being in Sennin Mōdo. She has turquoise markings as eye shadow and also under her eyes. Her Byakugō no In and transformed into a double diamond: a larger one surrounding the original. Her emerald eyes glow gold.
“Ku~ Ra~ Maa~~” The rosette sings, joy lacing each note, “I knew you’d recognize me.”
The fluffy bijū groans audibly, so strong it shakes the nearby surroundings, but Sakura has strong legs so she doesn’t even budge.
Her grin is bright and happy and for all that the bijū groans, she knows he is at least comforted to know she’s safe.
“How did you know I would remember you, pinky?”
She’s so happy to see a familiar face and knows she has a somewhat ally, that she doesn't kick the fox for calling her that insipid nickname.
“You’re a beast literally made of chakra. And chakra, like everything else in this world, has memories.” She explains, her smile becoming milder but just as genuine in joy, “I saw how when you and Naruto reached for me, the arm inside the room slowly dissipated as if the chakra sustaining it was being absorbed. Not to mention, it was Naruto who was stuck first in the formation. Your combined chakra was what mostly fed the seal and sent us back. Of course that chakra would be transferred back to the owner.”
The large fox glares at her smug face, “I forgot you were the smartest one in that group.”
Sakura snorts and raises a brow, “Clearly. Now I have a plan Ku-chan~”
Kurama’s glare narrows and he snarls at the nickname.
Two can play the nickname game, Kurama.
“I have no intention of becoming a jinchūriki nor do I intend for you to be sealed into Uzumaki Mito,” Kurama stops glaring to just stare at her, clearly not having expected that. “Time is not linear, every action leads to new timelines. Especially for time travel through seals. Which means, I’m stuck here for the time being, as much as I want to believe my boys will find me.”
Kurama hums in agreement, “So what do you plan to do?”
The new slug sage smiles with teeth, “I have little patience and have ZERO intention to wait for the Senju and Uchiha to battle it out and kill Uchiha Izuna so they can begin peace talks. Peace should not be built on something so fragile. So I’m going to be preemptive. I will build the village and steal their allies and resources forcing them to choose peace my way.”
Kurama has lifted his head off his paws to stare at her as if she’s gone crazy.
“... how do you plan to do that?” He asks warily.
Her too-wide smile is gone and replaced with a raised eyebrow and pouty lips. She looks at him like the fox is stupid. Her left hand is on her jutted hip and her right-hand points her index finger at her face, “Kurama, I’m the best iryō-nin in the world.”
Large red eyes immediately widen in understanding before shrinking back to normal. He barks out a loud laugh, “You’re crazy! I’m guessing you’re confident in being able to play their human politics?”
She scoffs, lips pulled into a grin, “Of course. I was the Godaime’s apprentice and heiress. I was Kakashi-sensei’s assistant before we went on the trip. I have the last 70 years of history memorized. They won’t know what hit them.”
The bijū leans back onto his arms, more at ease and amused, “What do you need from me?”
“Really, I just have one request and one suggestion.” She’s shy now, worrying her lower lip nervously. She knows Kurama. She had been introduced to all bijū after the war because Naruto, sweet, brighter than the sun Naruto, decided his best friend should meet his new friends. She had been there when the Sage explained their history. So she knows Kurama but she’s not Naruto. There is no unspeakable bond between them they traversed bondage, hardships, and misunderstanding. Their only common thread is Naruto.
Naruto, who said Kurama was good and just as much a victim as him, so Sakura said sure and ran with it.
“I would like to offer you the chance to stay in my new village. Like a proper guardian. I’ve recreated mokuton, so I would build a temple for you where you can stay and be safe. Protected. I plan to visit your siblings and create temples for them as well after everything is settled.” She’s staring at her feet due to her nerves, so she doesn’t see the fox’s look of absolute shock.
She tosses some words around in her head before looking back up at the shocked fox, “I’m not Naruto. There can never be another Naruto. But I’d like to think I make a good friend as well. And I protect my precious ones just as fiercely.”
Kurama stares at the small slip of a kunoichi before him. She has since let of go Sennin Mōdo. He takes in her delicate pink hair, beryl & gold-flecked eyes, the seal of strength on her forehead, and the determination in her stance. She’s not his blonde kit. Not in any way, shape, or form. But he is reminded once again why the two are friends. She cares just as deeply as Naruto does. She’s just as stubborn. Just as determined.
He probably won’t see his blonde kit again for decades in fact, if history repeats itself, Father Forbids. But he knows he can trust the look in her eyes. He’s seen it reflected in sky blue for years.
Kurama blinks, “What is your request?”
He watches bewildered as she goes from confident and determined to shy again. Her face is flushed a deep red and she fidgets in place.
What on earth could she want that is so embarrassing?
“Could you lend me some chakra when I begin to build the village?”
He narrows his eyes at the pink kit before him, “What the hell are you planning?”
When she looks back up at him, her eyes glow maniacally and her grin is wide.
Who knew saving the Fire Daimyō's favorite nephew from living the rest of his life paralyzed below the waist is extremely noteworthy?
So noteworthy in fact, that she gets a feast, where the Daimyō himself shows up and against protocol, hugs her with tears in his eyes.
She is now owed, apparently, a life debt or two.
So obviously when asked what she would like for payment, she spins a tale of how she came upon her skills and her fears for the citizens of the Hi no Kuni for she is just one woman and there are millions of people in need. She spins a tale of her dream of peace and a ninja village with the greatest medical advancements this world has ever seen.
“My shishō was a woman who lost her husband and little brother to the warring clans. She was determined to never let anyone else experience the same thing. So she developed her skills and passed them on to me before she too passed away. I’ve lost my brothers to the warring clans as well. I realize now that they will never know peace until peace is thrust upon them. I plan to set the stage. Start the conversation. Hold all the cards. Unfortunately, only ninjas are taught to use chakra so I will take advantage of their ways to spread my own.”
Her tale has the room teary-eyed and clutching their purses determined to throw gold at her. Some of them are altruistic, others are doing it because they’ve made the calculation that her skills are practically otherworldly and easier access to advanced medical procedures is a great bargaining chip to the other nations as well as a means to secure family health.
She lets the atmosphere glide off her shoulders with ease, wiping at her tears feebly.
“That is why, My Lord, I would like to purchase some land. I spied a cliffside several kilometers from here that looks upon a large open forest area that is flat and I believe could easily be the beginning of this village I imagine.” Sakura dips her head in a semblance of a bow to show respect. She has already explained how her shishō told her they should bow to know one as they are people who face the shinigami in place of the patient. If we bow to everyone, who is to say we won’t bow to death?
Madoka Mikasa is a handsome man. In his mid-forties, he has long pitch-black hair with some grey, gold eyes and a strong jaw. His build, had he been trained in shinobi arts, would be a work of art. Unfortunately, he did not, so his body is tall, lanky, and broad but underdeveloped. He is the complete opposite of the Daimyō she had known in her future. The flaky flip floppy opportunistic bastard.
“Sakura-sensei…” He starts, his voice wobbly and audibly touched, “The path you intend to trek upon is arduous and full of many thorns and monsters.. Are you sure you wish to do this? I could easily appoint you as a physician in my court and you could live comfortably.”
Sakura sits up and her head raises once more with a grace that contradicts her ‘supposed’ civilian status. The various jewels in her hair and ears jingle and chime delicately from their perches. Her kimono is without a doubt the most extravagant thing she’s ever worn. Her kimono is emerald green with ripples from water with gold and peach-colored flowers. Her obi is a light peach with spring green and gold etchings that tell the tale of a spring goddess. The only reason she has grace is a combination of efforts from her mother’s early attempts to make her more feminine, confident Sakura would never stick to being a kunoichi- and Tsunade. Tsunade, who made sure she did everything with power and grace. Taught her like she was her flesh and blood daughter.
The rosette iryō-nin and time traveler makes sure to look her new Daimyō in the eyes to convey her conviction because while her tale is slightly exaggerated, her goals are true and steadfast. Her words are an oath written in blood and forged in her will of fire.
“I’ve never gotten anywhere by doing things the easy way Madoka-sama. If the hard and perilous path is the one I need to take to bring peace sooner, then I’ll walk it. Back straight. Head held high. I’ve been making more with less since I was a child. I’m not going to change that now.” She’d been the civilian nobody on a team of somebodies and came out on top when everyone expected her to fall.
She didn’t then.
She won’t now.
Haruno Sakura punched an alien goddess.
She can get two over-testosteroned clans to stop butting heads for reasons they don’t even remember anymore.
The banquet hall is quiet. The power and intensity behind her words have clearly not only shocked them all but drastically changed and maybe even improved their opinions of her.
The Fire Daimyō keeps her stare before he sits up straighter and beckons someone closer. Three servants leave the hall as he asks her a question.
“What is your full name Sakura-sensei?”
Sakura knows she should change her last name. Knows she should probably say she has none. But Sakura has worked too hard- achieved too much to forgo her ‘civilian’ last name. She would have taken Tsunade’s last name had she still been in the future. But she’s in the past. She’s planning to change everything and she’s going to be selfish for once in her life.
So the rosette the Slug Sage, the strongest woman in the elemental nations, and the best iryō-nin in the world, smiles, “Haruno Sakura, Madoka-sama."
He smiles back at her, "Indeed. For what is more natural than cherry blossoms in a spring field?”
There is an approving murmur throughout the banquet hall and the three servants return with an even larger entourage. Four were carrying a map and the rest were carrying a chest.
The Daimyō stands up and walks down the throne. Sakura is not alone when she gasps, because the Daimyōs never descend the throne unless-
“Hear me!” Madoka Mikasa exclaims with regality, his arm right arm extends out and the kimono sleeve follows the movement easily. “The name Haruno is now to be associated with Haruno Sakura and recognized as a shinobi clan blessed by this esteemed Madoka Mikasa, Daimyō of the Hi no Kuni. Spread word. All who currently use this last name should either change it or come seek Haruno Sakura, current matriarch for permission to use it.”
Sakura has a very, very, VERY hard time not gaping at the ruler of the Hi no Kuni and his words.
“For her skills and miraculous healing of the imperial family, I am awarding her 2,000,000 ryo and land in central Hi no Kuni so she may create her village.”
All land in any country belongs to the Daimyō. The clans, shinobi and civilians alike, pay taxes and rent to the Daimyō. And while the shinobi clans don’t live within villages like the civilian clans, there is a relationship between landlord and renter. His words imply that he is giving her free reign to attempt her project. Should she fail, it is all on her. Should she pass, he can take some credit for scouting her potential.
What he doesn’t know though, is that Sakura does not fail. She has no margin for error. She’s been helping the Hokages run the village since she was 13. She’s confident in a way no one in this room is prepared for.
Sakura stands up from her seiza and gets down on one knee to accept the gift.
Kurama is going to shit bricks when I tell him what happens. She thinks gleefully.
Kurama does not, in fact, shit bricks when she tells him. He does cackle though when she reports back to him at the temple she has temporarily built for him. He has shrunken himself (she didn’t know he could do that, she was fully prepared to make a huge ass castle) and sits upon a mountain of zabutons cleaning his fur smugly after she panic ranted.
“So now what?”
Sakura, who had been pacing back and forth in front of him, stopped to turn and stare at him. Her emerald eyes cloud over, and the old fox winces. He can see the plans flicking through her mind rapidly. He doesn’t think he would ever enjoy being sealed inside of her. Naruto had rapid-fire thoughts sure, but this woman is like an actual monster. He’s absolutely certain her thoughts are hundreds of times more complicated and disorienting.
Finally her eyes clear and she smiles, wickedly.
“I need to go get some ninjas.”
Kurama huffs and gets comfortable, “Well go on then. I will protect the land. My children will patrol the borders while you’re gone.”
Sakura nods determination back in her posture. She turns to go get changed before stopping and whipping around to stare at him with wide eyes.
“CHILDREN!?” She screeches.
He lifts his hands to cover his ears.
Oh yeah, I forgot most people don’t know about them.
Kurama, apparently, has fucking children. Fox summons, who usually live in the spirit world and no one has ever seen or met because he never liked people enough to tell them about them.
And Sakura feels stupid. Because of course, the bijū are the parents of the summons. How had she never seen or made the connection before? Saiken is a giant fucking glug. Isobu is fucking turle. She’s met summons from both those groups. She can understand why the summons didn’t tell summoners before. But after the war…
Sakura has no concerns about supplying her village with civilians. The Daimyō and nobles of his court will easily take care of that. She’s also extremely confident that her clan will be coming to find her soon enough as well. Not just nobles attended that banquet. The workers, the servers, and many of the hired guards who came from shinobi clans will spread the word. The trees have already begun whispering fervently.
But before that happens, she needs backing. Serious strong backing. That she can trust.
Which is how she ends up asking the trees to take her where the shadows are dense and the deers are kind.
She thanks every deity in existence that Naruto can’t keep a secret and that the Nara Clan was a second home to her during her youth. Being the only one in her age group who could keep up with Shikamaru intellectually meant lots of sleepovers and rounds of shoji or go as a genin and chūnin. Many nights pouring over strategies with Shikaku-oji. And with the new information that the bijūs basically fathered/mothered most known summons, she is extremely confident that a very precocious deer will remember her. Or at least recognize she doesn’t belong but means no harm.
Rikumaru, as it turns out, does recognize her and gives her the driest look she has ever seen on a deer's face. Honestly, she would be offended if not for the fact that it reminds her of Katsuyu-sama's look when she first summoned her in the past.
“Hey, buddy.. Do you think you can get your family to help me out? I have a plan and need some of that Nara intelligence for it to work flawlessly.” Sakura scratches the large buck behind the ears just as he likes it and hands him some sugar cubes. He purrs and nudges her with his snout. The surrounding deer he has fathered all make way for them. Rikumaru leads her somewhere and she trusts him to lead her toward Shikamaru’s great-grandfather.
She knows enough about the Nara deer to know that when she follows him, she needs to keep a hand on the large buck at all times, lest she be lost to the shadows and consumed. Several chakra’s tickle her sensory net and she straightens up. She sees a large house come into view and a figure merge out of the shadows.
“Hm… you’ve brought an unusual but quite notorious friend with you, haven’t you, Riku?” A tired voice drawls.
Sakura is fairly certain the only reason she isn’t locked in his shadow possession or just stabbed through dozens of times, is because Rikumaru, the sweet deer, has his larger body wrapped around her.
Sakura tilts her head in contemplation as she takes in the middle-aged man’s features. If the Uchiha were stupidly pretty, and Senju were boyish charming, the Nara were unfairly ruggedly handsome. And she hopes Temari appreciates that every day.
The man before her could easily pass for Shikaku’s father because of how alike the two look. The only difference is that this man is inches taller and has no facial scars. His skin tone is also a bit darker. He’s unfairly attractive all the same though. His build is tall and broad and she’s certain his dark green yukata hides toned muscles and plenty of scars.
The man raises a brow at her and his lips quirk, amused.
Aah.. Nara men.. All the same. I swear.
“Nara Shikayasa, I presume?” She greets, still petting the purring buck wrapped around her. It’s his turn to stare and she can tell he’s thrown by her choice of clothing. It had been hard to find a dressmaker who was willing to forgo the current trends and take on the challenge of creating clothing more her style but respectful to the period. But she found her. And Taguya Kimiko was a driven and excitable young woman happy to start new trends.
As such, Sakura doesn’t shrink as he takes in her bright red qipao and shorts. The qipao is reminiscent of her genin era but with one long sleeve for her right arm and no sleeve for her left. That arm is covered in mesh armor from the shoulder to hand. Her right hand also has a mesh armor glove. The skirt also reaches her ankles instead of being just past her knees. Her black leather shorts stop barely above mid thigh and her legs have the same mesh armor. She wears heeled boots she had commissioned from a shoemaker ages ago. Her pink hair is in low pigtails that reach her butt in honor of her Shishō and her ¾ bangs barely cover her dark purple Yin-seal.
She knows how she looks. She chose this style of clothing for a reason. The stigma of kunoichi is harsh in this period. Far more than in her period. Very rarely do shinobi clans let their women become kunoichi. But the ones who do, almost always dress conservatively or like a man.
The idea is to solidify that only men can be ninjas and that a kunoichi is someone who can only look pretty and seduce or use poisons. A prejudice no shinobi clan wants on their women.
Sakura is going to change that. She thought for a long time that she had to give up her femininity to become a good kunoichi. A good shinobi. And then Tsunade came into the picture and rocked her world. She kept her tomboy look, and more importantly, her messy cut, as a means to honor her wish to get strong for her team. Now? She’s grown out of that thought and openly embraces her femininity.
Anyone who wants to judge her for that or make sexist comments can make friends with her fists.
“Haruno Sakura, the Healer Princess correct?” The Nara responds, having finished soaking in her appearance and silently approving that she hadn’t shied away or gotten mad.
Sakura furrows her brows though, “Excuse me? The Healer what?!”
After the Nara head had laughed at her shock, he brought her to the engawa. Rikumaru is currently napping right by the steps next to her, not him, which does not go unnoticed by either shinobi.
He then proceeds to take out a very familiar shogi board. One she’s played on several dozen times. Nothing can stop the nostalgic smile that lights up her face and it probably says a lot when she caresses the ancient and beautiful block of wood. Shikayasa takes this all in and easily begins to set the board. He takes the black pieces with white words and gives her white pieces with black words. He moves first since he is black.
“I’m guessing you want us to join your ‘village’?”
Sakura is not surprised he knows about it. She’s planned around the shinobi clans knowing.
“I do. I believe the Nara can offer much to the village. The deer antlers would do great things for medicines and the soldier pills I make. I’m also certain many in your clan have the chakra control to learn my techniques, which would be useful for treating your deer.”
The sound of pieces moving rapidly is a background noise to her words.
He hums, neither an affirmation nor a denial. So Sakura continues.
“Most importantly, I need the Nara for their tactical genius and your bond with the Yamanaka and Akimichi.”
His hand holding his lance stalls for just a second before he places it back down and goes for another pawn. He probably hadn't thought she knew much about the shinobi clans to make such a claim. Not even the Daimyō would share such information with an upstart, so he’s probably turning over in his head how she knows.
His superficial knowledge of her is all rumor-based. Hearsay from he said, she said. Her knowledge comes from a future where a library is dedicated to dictating how and when each clan, shinobi, and civilian first joined the village. Books she read and memorized when she was six.
He asks instead, “And you’re certain your skills can be taught? They’re not a kekkai genkai?”
Here she laughs, “Ha! Of course not. It’s chakra control. It’s all about chakra control. I plan to teach everyone the basics though. There are more in-depth plans and structure in the works.”
Sakura grins as her gold general swallows his silver general.
“Our family is allied with the Senju. We can’t just disregard that and go with you.”
Sakura smiles knowingly, giving him pause.
“You want me to," He voices. She has a knight, a gold general, and a bishop surrounding his king.
“I do.”
He furrows his brows, stumped, “Why?”
“The Senju and Uchiha don’t know peace because they’re too busy fighting each other. And any alliance they drafted would be written in the blood. And not the good kind. I’m going to take the choice from them even if I have to choke them to do it. Freedom of choice is a privilege, they have lost it in my humble opinion.”
“You’re crazy,” He declares, looking ready to get up.
Her chakra flairs minutely in displeasure, causing Rikumaru to stand up and stare the Nara patriarch down. The man looks at the ancient deer guardian in shock before turning to look at her with suspicion.
Sakura tilts her head innocuously, the silence seal she drew in near invisible chakra threads blocking others from hearing her next words.
“Hm.. your grandson and great-grandson were always a bit more.. open-minded to my plans.”
His eyes widen and his chakra flares in a seal-less kai, probably trying to ward off a genjutsu she hasn’t cast. Shikayasa looks like he wants to send her to his Yamanaka friends to get her head checked. He opens his mouth to say something, probably scathing, when Rikumaru huffs and steps back to Sakura, licking her cheek. She absentmindedly scratches the buck under his chin.
The Nara head looks between her and the deer, his Nara mind flipping and turning over hypothesis’ before sighing in a way that she knows has to belong in Shikamaru’s family line.
“Troublesome… You’re from the future, aren’t you? One where things go horribly wrong, I’m assuming?” He drags his hand over his face, tired of this entire interaction.
Sakura grins awkwardly, “Maa… it isn’t horribly wrong for long. The horrible part lasted barely a week. Leading up to that was bad.. But before I got accidentally sent here, everything was going fine!”
“Accidentally sent here?” It looks like it physically pains him to ask.
Sakura suddenly finds the trees outside much more interesting, “Mou.. people really should label their seals and the sealing rooms.”
The Nara head groans louder and Sakura chuckles.
“What can you tell me?” He asks. Rikumaru sat back down and laid his head in Sakura's lap, mindful of his antlers.
“Well…”
Several hours later, she has the Nara clan’s agreement written and signed. She summons Katsuyu-sama and tells her to bring this to her main body.
“Of course, Sakura-hime,” The slug wiggles in joy at having her chin scratched before poofing away. After she became a sage, the slug had begun to change how she addressed her.
“Main body? No, was that Hashirama’s slug-”
“Katsuyu-sama belongs to no one.” She cuts him off right there, “And yes, main body. This is a clone.”
“How? Clones can’t touch anything?” Now he looks curious.
“Hmm… when the Senju join the village, I’ll try to set up a meeting with the creator.”
Shikayasa looks at her stunned before barking out a laugh, “Are you serious?”
Sakura shrugs, a secretive smile gracing her lips.
“I’ll convince Ino and Chōno without giving up your secret. You focus on getting an Uchiha clan ally.”
Sakura opens her mouth to say something, before she pauses, eyes clouding over as the memories come into her mind.
“It seems I already did?”
“How- Nevermind. I’ll learn later I suppose.”
Sakura grins brightly, “It is lovely to meet you. I’ll see you and the other two clans in a few weeks?”
The Nara head yawns and scratches his chin, “I suppose so. Do you have a map?”
Sakura looks at him before looking at the buck who has since stood back up and looks eager to walk back with Sakura.
“Rikumaru-chan, do you remember where home is?”
Again, the large buck gives her a dry look, clearly offended that she questioned his intelligence.
She raises up her hands in defense, “Excuse me. I was just double-checking.”
Shikayasa chuckles, “I guess we’ll follow Rikumaru then.”
Sakura smiles and the clone dismisses itself.
Many people don’t know this, but the Inuzuka and Uchiha have a long history as allies. As clans deeply rooted in their instincts and animal partnership, the two have a mutual respect for each other. And while the Inuzuka are canine dominant while the Uchiha are feline dominant, the partnership between the two is still solid.
More so because the Uchiha have no qualms about training kunoichi, though the kunoichi typically stay to protect the clan grounds while the men go to war or on missions. But because the Uchiha train kunoichi, because strength is strength, they respect the Inuzuka who have been predominantly matriarchal for centuries.
But that partnership means jack-diddly when presented with the opportunity to raise pups (human and canine) in a safe environment and simultaneously learn a healing jutsu that can be applied to animals.
Because, while the Uchiha have cat summons, the relationship is nowhere near as intense as the Inuzuka or Hatake partnership.
“Ya real cocky ain't ya, Pinky?” Inuzuka Tsuki is the stuff of wet dreams, of that Sakura is certain. The woman has wild hazelnut-brown hair that falls over her shoulders and down her back. Her caramel skin reminds her of Kiba but the wild look in her eyes is all Inuzuka Tsume. The matriarch clearly has zero fucks to give about propriety and the stigma around kunoichi because she wears pants with bandages wrapped around her legs and ankle. Her stomach is bare currently but the chest plate and armor hang on the wall behind her. Tsuki’s arms remind Sakura of Tsunade, the way they’re corded with muscle. Her nails tap the chabudai rhythmically, they are long and perfectly sharp. Her deep purple lips are pulled back in a knowing grin, flexing her canines.
Sakura has no fucks to give. This woman is attractive, and Sage help her, a total MILF. If Sakura weren’t on a mission, she’d risk it. She’d risk it all. She does not look at the hulking mountain of muscle on either side of the woman. She is fairly certain those dogs are actual wolves, but she’s learned since being in the past for the past six months, that people and animals were built differently in the Warring Era. Constantly being at war made sure of it.
Sakura keeps her face pleasant as she tries not to have naughty thoughts about Kiba’s ancestor. She’s fairly certain the dogs and the woman can smell her attraction. Kakashi-sensei and Kiba both had stupidly strong senses of smell.
“Cocky is one word for it,” Sakura responds mildly.
Tsuki’s grin turns sharper, “You want to war with the Uchiha and Senju.”
“I want to end it,” Sakura corrects immediately. She loses her mild smile and her face shifts into a snarl and a bit of disdain. Both hounds stiffen, having recognized that her chakra has muted itself and her posture is more hostile now. “They spend so much time fighting each other, killing children and innocents when peace can be so easily achieved if they use their words. I know they have no clue why they’re even fighting anymore. So I’ll make them stop, by force. Choice is only for those who have the means to use it wisely.”
Tsuki leans back, amused if skeptical, “And if they don’t?”
Emotions are completely wiped from her face, emerald eyes go cold and sharpen. Inuzuka Tsuki immediately stiffens and her hounds whine. The house creaks eerily.
That smell that had been lingering in her chakra… The Matriarch's thoughts are rapidly spinning.
An eerie and fake smile slowly makes its way onto the rosette’s face, “I am not above killing the few to bring peace to many. Or to set an example.”
The two women sit in silence staring at each other. This matriarch doesn’t know anything about Sakura. Hasn’t seen a real war that transcended humans. Sakura was going to do everything in her power to prevent that war from happening. The stupid pride the two ancient clans had could kiss her ass. She had a world to save and no Naruto and Sasuke beside her to help.
So, she’d do it her way. With fists and cutting words.
Eventually, the Inuzuka Matriarch sighs before grinning, “Alright kid. I’m down. But quick question, how do you feel about insects?”
Sakura’s eyes sparkle.