Sakura stepped towards the pool of water lying at the foot of the statue. It glowed with an eerie green luminescence. Carefully she touched the edge of the pool with her foot, where it met the soft emerald moss, she noted that its surface remained unnaturally still as if it were frozen.

"Sakura-sama, please, I'm not sure you should do this…"

Never taking her eyes from the water, she raised a hand to silence her apprentice. Yes, this was the place she'd read so much about. And it was the only way she could save any of them and that, she was sure of. There was very little time left for the young children cradled in their mothers' arms behind her and she herself had had far too much time.

Her bones ached and even the diamond seal on her forehead could no longer keep her young. She'd never expected to live so long, to outlive all of the friends and family. She'd never expected for them to all die and leave her behind. Maybe Sakura couldn't have saved those precious to her but she was going to damn well try and save these children. Anyway, she'd been on her own for so long now, she felt it was time for her to re-join her comrades, wherever their souls had gone.

"You will place those who are sick at the edge of the pool. The scrolls clearly describe that the afflicted must place their left hand in the water. Do not do so until I am completely submerged." She instructed as clearly as she could manage with her rasping voice.

"But, what if it doesn't work?!" exclaimed her apprentice "What if you die and leave us here with no solution and no healer?"

Sakura looked at her withered hands, at the wrinkles and liver spots. She closed her eyes and felt the reassuring warm power pulse through her gnarled arthritic fingers, she had healed so many with her own two hands. But this time, she knew it was not enough to cure any of those afflicted with the cursed illness. She edged closer to the pool, relishing the strange coolness that radiated from its depths. Somehow it called to her, eased her aching bones and brought strength to her wasting muscles.

"My child, did I ever tell you of Elder Chiyo of the Sand?"

"Sakura-sama! It is not the time for stories, you must not enter that water! You must try another way, we will find another jutsu. You can do anything, you're the woman who punched a goddess!"

"Silence, you fool." Sakura scolded coldly, her voice cracking with age. "It would do you good to listen to your elder. I cannot save these children with medical ninjustsu. You know this. We have allowed enough to die."

Her apprentice fell silent behind her, Sakura could feel the waves of panic roll off of her in choking clouds. But, stronger than her apprentice's fear, Sakura felt the weight of the dead on her shoulders, she saw the frightened faces of those she'd allowed to slip away whilst she'd futilely battled to save them. There was only so much one could do with chakra. Sometimes you just had to take a chance. She sighed heavily and continued.

"I have seen many things in my long years. I know of only one technique to save those nearly dead. When I was a girl -before I fought Kaguya- I fought alongside one of the finest shinobi who ever lived on this earth. I saw with my own eyes, that she revived a dead boy in exchange for her life." Sakura paused, wheezing, unused to the strain of leaving her dusty, empty halls. "I now have the chance to do the same, except these children are not dying and there is more than one life to save. This pool is the medium I need to do this, I am sure of it. It is the water of legend and I do not know what force watches over it but I am sure they will accept the sacrifice of my life in exchange for sparing the lives of these children."

Sakura snapped open her clouded eyes and took one last look at the scene before her. The ancient statue stood, arms outstretched to welcome her to her fate. Its face, no it was a she, her face was beautiful but so sad – so much like Kaguya's when she had laid her eyes on Sasuke and Naruto all those years ago. It looked as if a real person had been frozen in stone, a person who at any moment would come to life and take Sakura's hand leading her into the depths of that mystical water and possibly reunite her with her beautiful dead boys. Before anyone could question her again, she took her first step into the glowing liquid. She winced as ice cold daggers shot up her frail legs.

"Sakura-sama!"

"Hush now, you know it is too late for me. The first step is all it needs to take my life, don't make this a wasted sacrifice. Do as I instructed." She snapped crankily, only softening when she her the sniffles of the young woman she'd tutored and cared for.

"You will be fine, I promise." Sakura soothed as she dragged her other foot into the excruciating water.

She heard her beloved apprentice begin to sob behind her but she pushed on none the less. Each step was agonising, like reliving every bit of pain inflicted on her during her long life in a single moment. But it would be worth it. The cursed illness would be lifted and the children would live. The scrolls had described it and she had faith in the legend, after all, she had first-hand experience of legends being truth. She held her head high, despite her twisted old spine and she strode with pride into the depths.

As the liquid flooded into her mouth and nose with a strange viscosity she glanced upwards at the statue one last time. And it seemed to her, that it was finally smiling. "Perhaps, I have truly done the right thing" she mused.

Her lungs burnt with ice fire and she began to drown in the strange liquid. Her eyes could not close despite the pain she felt. She saw nothing but green. And then she died, thinking of her Naruto and her Sasuke, her boys who'd left her watching their backs once again, passing on long before.

"I can finally be with you."

…..

The girl sat up choking, eyes flying open in panic.

There was no green glow, there was no fire in her body anymore. She doubled over, retching and spluttering, clawing at her chest still reeling at the memory of pain and agony.

Where was she?

What was happening?

Who was she?

She dry heaved painfully but nothing came up. She began to sob helplessly, it felt as if her body was trying to rip itself apart. And yet, she was aware that she this was a small hurt, that something much worse had happened to her. Trying not to panic, the girl scooted backwards, looking around, how did she get here? Was she safe? "I need to get hold myself. Think, analyse, survive!"

Her hands were numb and aching, she glanced down, becoming aware she was in shallow water, a small stream or perhaps a brook, and that she was very naked. Pale yellow light fell in pools where the thick over hanging canopy would allow. "So it's day time, probably late day or maybe winter". The water was icy cold, and the stones beneath her knees and hands were smooth and grey. "How could I not realise I was in water? What's going on?"

She raised a trembling hand to her bare chest. "Think, think!" She was not in a warm land that was for sure, or if she was she must be at a high altitude to be in this colder water. "I can't be on a mountain, the trees are too dense and I am not struggling to breath". Timidly she looked at her hands, they were beginning to turn a nasty pale colour and the tips of her fingers were tinged blue. "It doesn't matter where I am, I need to get out of this water and I need to get warm". She struggled to her feet and staggered towards the trees. Her legs buckled beneath her, as if they were weak from disuse and she fell hard on the shale at the edge of the water. She cried out, looking at the blood swelling on the palm of her hand, crimson and lurid in the gentle cold light. She knew her legs were not going to work for the time being but she had to keep going or she'd freeze. The girl bit her lip and continued to crawl over the rougher stones, dragging herself by splintering fingernails.

Her pale, soft body quickly became a patchwork pattern of bruises and scrapes but she continued onwards towards the tree line. "Perhaps I'm anaemic." She pondered, amused that this might be her only identifying feature. After a few desperate minutes of scrabbling, she had made it to the carpet of comparatively soft pine needles that lay under the towering trees. She allowed herself a few moments respite before dragging herself further in for better cover. The girl could not escape the feeling of danger that twisted her stomach uncomfortably nor the innate drive to keep going, to survive.