Of course turning four again wasn't really what nineteen year old Sakura Hanuro had planned to do on a fairly routine b-ranked mission. Hell, she hadn't even conceived the thought, interesting as it was medically to think about... Yet here she was, scrambling out of her now too large boots as the man with the very interestingKekkei genkairushed forward, strange kunai out and ready to do what he must have done a thousand times before.

She also hadn't expected the man to stab her with a surprisingly gentle force in the heart(it had still hurt, the thing had gone straight through her chest, but it had been a quick and soft blow as far as chest stabs go, and she would know). She hadn't expected sad eyes either, or the faint tug at the center of her heart as he had made the thing go hilt deep. Three prongs, even as sharp as they were, hurt like hell and she could feel her sternum crumpling, her lung collapsing, her heart stuttering and that was not pleasant.

"I am so sorry, but my mission must be done.."he had said, and she had wanted to say something along the lines of fuck you, but instead, as the day seemed intent on being all around the worst day of her life since the days of the Fourth Ninja War, she found herself falling, a light so bright that it gave her after-images coming from the seal-etched kunai.

When she blinked, the ninja was gone from the branch, and surprisingly, so were her boots. She didn't know why that was important, but as she crashed through the branches below her, and heard a startled shoot, it seemed to be. Someone caught her, arms firm and warm Through hazy vision, she could see bright blue eyes. Ah. That was good. That was really good, she knew those blue eyes.

"Naruto... You're... Late."she slurred, and as the startled blue eyes looked down at her, she could only think that the knucklehead she knew so well was going to do the impossible and set things right.