Author's Note: So this is my second SasuSaku fic. If you were with me while I wrote my first, you know that I said this was in the works for a while. It took me a long time because I wasn't sure about what I had written at first but as I read over this many times and edited I liked it more and became confident. This probably would have been published a week or two ago if I hadn't had a surgery and an unrelated little health scare beforehand. I'm fine now though, so nothing to worry about! Anyways, please enjoy!

Minato rubbed his tired eyes and gave a long yawn. The man breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing the document in front of him would be the last one he'd have to sign for the day. Grabbing his worn pen, the Hokage scrawled his signature for the final time that night. He looked at the clock on the wall and slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Kushina is gonna kill me," Minato muttered nervously.

A knock on the door momentarily distracted the Hokage. "Come in," the blond responded hastily. He was ready to leave the office for the evening. He was surprised to see his hot-headed wife enter the room.

"Minato," Kushina said simply, crossing her arms. A frown rested on the displeased red-haired woman's lips.

"Kushina, I'm so sorry," the blond immediately apologized, jumping up from his desk.

The former Uzumaki lowered her head as the corners of her lips quirked upwards to form a small smile. "You better be. I spent all day preparing that special dinner."

"I know. I'm really sorry," he repeated as a frown of his own morphed onto his features. "I've been bombarded with work all day. I still should've made time to-"

He stopped as his wife released a chuckle of amusement. "Ah, calm down. I understand. You work too hard, you know?"

Minato rubbed the back of his warm neck and let out a nervous chuckle. No telling how his wife could react sometimes and he was glad this occurrence ended well. "I was just finishing up for the day," he announced as he quickly tidied up his desk.

"Maybe the food won't be too cold," Kushina stated as her husband finished up and they exited the Hokage's office.

"I bet it won't be," he responded in a reassuring manner. "Besides," he began as he turned his head towards her, "you made it for me so I'd eat it anyway. I bet it'll be delicious regardless," Minato finished. He leaned forward and kissed his beautiful wife on the cheek.

"Minato," she scolded playfully, her cheeks turning a light shade of red. She truly was the luckiest woman in the world, Kushina thought as they walked down the streets of Konoha. Her gaze shifted to the gorgeous starlit sky above. The red-haired woman's thoughts drifted when she placed a hand on top of the slight bump in her stomach. Kushina was about four months pregnant and she was more excited than anything, even though she still had quite a ways to go. "Minato?" she beckoned as she clasped his hand in hers.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Would you rather have a boy or a girl?" she questioned.

Minato remained silent for a moment, then a grin lifted on his lips. "To be honest, I haven't really given it any genuine thought yet. But," he paused to wave at a few children who respectfully bowed to him, "I think I'd like a little girl. Of course, I'll be happy either way!" the man finished cheerfully.

"Really?" Kushina inquired, slightly shocked at her husband's answer. "Well, I think I would prefer a son. But I'll love our child just as much if it's a girl."

"A son, huh?" Minato pondered aloud, his smile growing larger. The blond's thoughts were interrupted when his wife halted abruptly. "Kushina?" he questioned, regarding her with confusion.

The red head was staring with wonder at something in the sky, her jaw hanging open and eyes sparkling. "Look," she said, gesturing towards the sight that captured her attention.

Minato's gaze followed the direction his wife's finger was pointing in. His jaw dropped in awe when he saw it. "A meteor?" The object in question sailed through the night sky, leaving a bright streak behind it. He narrowed his blue eyes and studied the meteor's path. "It's coming towards the village!" he shouted with urgency. Before the Hokage could act, he felt a hand come to grasp his shoulder.

"I think it'll land just outside the village," Kushina started, her eyes still glued to the large mass falling from the sky.

Minato felt the tension in his muscles steadily relax as he realized the red-haired woman was correct. As the meteor came closer to the Earth's surface, its path became clearer to the Yondaime. He noticed that shinobi and villagers alike paused their chattering and movements as they caught sight of the celestial body sailing through the star-filled sky.

Crash!

The deafening impact of the meteor striking the ground on the outside of the village caused many to gasp in shock. The earth below their feet started to rumble and quake. Some women and children let out screams of panic and terror at the sensations.

"Everyone remain calm!" shouted Jonin from several rooftops, trying to cure the people's panic. Their presence did little to stop the cries of horror from little children and worried mothers.

When the earthquakes finally subsided and the screams became hushed whispers, three colorful lights shot up into the sky. Minato watched with intrigue and caution as the lights slowly came to a near standstill high in the air. "They came from the meteor," Minato realized silently. He watched as the three lights—one orange, one green, and one purple—slowly arced away from each other and started to fall back to the ground. The Hokage narrowed his eyes at the three lights, each taking a separate path into different parts of the village.

"What is that?!"

"It's coming straight towards us!"

The shouts of panic reached Minato's ears one by one as he too felt a rush of fear overcome him when the orange light sailed downwards, directly where he stood. The Yondaime's heart skipped a beat when he realized that the orange light wasn't heading towards him. "No," he whispered, immediately rushing in front of his wife. Out of habit, Minato brandished his signature kunai towards the bright light. He readied himself as it neared, speeding towards his wife with every passing second.

Gasps of shock erupted from the crowd of villagers as Minato swiped towards the light and missed. It was as if the orange light had sensed the strike. It ended up making a quick turn and sailing past the Hokage and into the red-haired woman behind him.

"Kushina!" Minato shouted with horror as he whipped around and caught the woman before she hit the ground.

"Minato," Kushina breathed as she raised a wobbling hand and placed it on the man's cheek. She released a sharp breath as her eyes closed and her head lolled off to the side.

"Kushina... Kushina wake up!" Minato willed the woman, gently shaking her shoulders in a desperate effort to make her regain consciousness.

More people started to scream with terror and point at something else in the sky.

"The prophecy shall be fulfilled," said a booming, ominous voice.

Minato, still holding his wife close to his chest, looked up and saw where the voice was coming from. A distorted face with purpleish eyes floated over the village in a menacing manner. "Prophecy?" Minato muttered to himself.

The low voice in the sky continued. "The three shall be born and unite to end the war."

With this, the blurry face in the sky faded until there were no remnants of the figure. Minato looked back down at Kushina, an expression of disbelief settling on his features. He placed a hand on the small bump in her stomach and let the voice's words replay in his head. His breath catching in his throat, the Yondaime swallowed at the realization. His child would be one of the three prophesied to end the war...

The war between the Leaf and the Sound had raged on for nearly thirty years, dragging other nations in the midst of it all and devastating the shinobi world. Minato had been unlucky to have his reign as Hokage start at a time when the war was at one of its fiercest points. He'd dealt with many tough situations as Hokage so far, but now he was at a total loss for words.

His child was prophesied to end the war...

17 Years Later

"You're crazy if you think you'll ever be as great as the Yondaime!" someone shouted. "I don't care if you are part of some prophecy. Ha, it's probably fake anyway. You'll never be Hokage you loser!"

"Naruto-kun, just ignore them," Hinata advised, placing a hand on the blond's arm.

"Tch," Naruto scoffed, looking over his shoulder. He wasn't in the mood to deal with this again. He'd just come back to the village after a tedious mission and he was exhausted. Instead of lashing out, he flashed a smirk at his former classmate. "Tell me again, who was it that failed the Chunin Exams and who was it that passed?" he asked sarcastically. He smiled with satisfaction as the boy shut up and stomped off, muttering a string of curses.

"Where did Kakashi-sensei go?" Naruto asked as he put his arms behind his head and continued to walk with the Hyuga.

"He went to complete the mission reports," Hinata replied.

"Oh," Naruto said with a huff.

"You should go to the hospital and get your wounds checked," she stated with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Nah, it's nothing serious," he reassured with a grin. "How is Neji?" The girl's family member and mission partner had been injured during a mission a few weeks ago and was in the process of recovering. As a result, Naruto and Hinata had been partaking in missions together along with Hatake Kakashi. Once graduating the Academy, the new Genin were assigned a mission partner and a mentor. Naruto's assigned mentor was Hatake Kakashi, and his mission partner...

"He's recovering quicker than expected," Hinata announced.

"That's good," Naruto responded, unable to keep the frown from forming on his lips.

Hinata noticed immediately what was on the Namikaze's mind. "We'll bring him back someday."

"Yeah, maybe," Naruto answered. "I'm gonna head home. I'll see you later."

"Okay..." Hinata watched as the blond walked off in the direction of his home.

Naruto stared up at the cloudy night sky with his blue eyes narrowed and lips pursed. Usually after shinobi were promoted to Chunin, they would be put in rotational four man squads as their mission level difficulty was increased, especially since there was a war raging on. Naruto had been on a few squads so far, mostly with his friends from the Academy. But the mission he'd just completed was only with his mentor and Hinata. He found it a little weird that they weren't assigned a fourth squadmate for the mission, considering they traveled close to the main battlefield. Well, now that he considered it, it wasn't all that strange considering practically everyone in the village knew what he was and the power he possessed. Some celebrated him as a hero-to-be while others called him a monster and feared him.

"I'm home," Naruto announced upon entering.

"How was the mission?" Minato asked cheerfully as he put down his newspaper.

"Successful to say the least," Naruto chuckled.

"Naruto, you're hurt!" Kushina shouted upon noticing her son's tattered clothes and bruises.

"It's nothing serious Kaa-chan," Naruto responded with embarrassment as the woman rushed over to check out his injuries. He then engaged with his mother in an argument over whether or not he should go to the hospital. When Kushina reluctantly caved and allowed the boy to stay home, the family sat down for dinner.

"When is Ero-Sennin gonna get back?" Naruto asked between bites. "Ow!" he yelped as Kushina reached across the table and smacked him on the head.

"I told you not to call him that!" Kushina scolded.

"There's no telling really. He was sent to the front lines last I heard," Minato responded after his son recovered.

Naruto groaned with annoyance. "He's gotta get back and train with me," he grumbled. Jiraiya had taken the initiative to help Naruto harness his abilities, along with a little help from Kakashi and the likes. "I have to keep getting stronger."

Minato frowned at his son. "You put too much pressure on yourself Naruto."

It was Naruto's turn to frown. "But I have to be ready! If I'm ever gonna bring him back and also find the third..."

"Naruto," Kushina started quietly, "things will happen on their own time. You just have to be patient."

The boy resisted the urge to shout or slam a fist down on the table. "It's been over three years since he left. I wasn't strong enough to stop him. He was the second."

"I know," Kushina responded. "I know that worries you about the outcome of the war, but you have to remember that there's still a chance. The third hasn't emerged yet. Maybe put your focus more on that? The third has to be in this village. Minato saw where the lights went himself."

"Is that true Tou-chan?" Naruto asked with wonder.

"Yes, I did see all the lights," he replied with a content smile. "The third is somewhere in the village. I think that Kushina is right. You should focus more on finding that person than bringing him back. I'm not saying you should forget about him, but maybe finding the other would be more beneficial right now."

"Yeah, maybe," the boy replied with another frown. He couldn't give up on his former mission partner, but he also wanted to find the third like his parents suggested. Naruto's eyes flicked to the newspaper his father had laid aside. "What's that about Hokage-sama?" he questioned upon seeing the front page.

"Hm? Oh," Minato started after realizing what his son was talking about, "it's just an article about his latest speech on the war effort. Things are about the same as they have been."

"You know him right? The Hokage who took over after you?"

"Yeah, we worked together quite a while ago," Minato replied.

Naruto studied the picture of the Godaime and his wife. "Why do they always look so secretive?" The current Hokage, Kobayashi Daiki, and his wife, Kobayashi Fumiko, never failed to puzzle him with their appearances. Every time they appeared in public, they were fully clothed from head to toe in their traditional outfits as the village leaders, no matter how hot or cold it was outside.

"Before you were born and before I stepped down to help take care of you, Daiki went on a mission and suffered serious injuries. I guess he just wears his Hokage robes and hat all the time because he doesn't want people to see the scars. I'm not sure about Fumiko though. He was never the same after that mission," Minato thought aloud. "He was a noble warrior though and a good choice as my successor. Although, we completely fell out of contact with each other after the mission. We only speak now when he wants to personally give me assignments," the blond finished, trailing off. Now that he thought about it, it was a bit odd that they never spoke anymore. They'd been good friends once upon a time, but Daiki seemingly wanted nothing to do with him after the fatal mission. Whatever occurred that day changed something in Daiki forever.

After his father finished speaking, Naruto excused himself from the table and stood up. "Can I go out for some late night training? I have to keep at it if I wanna get better and become the next Hokage," he said with a signature grin.

Minato returned the smile and nodded with approval.

Kushina sighed and gave her son a stern look. "Okay, but don't work yourself too hard! You hear me?"

"Loud and clear!" Naruto replied with a chuckle as he strode to the front door. "I promise I won't!"

She closed the book with a heavy sigh and rubbed her eyes. Twenty-eight. That was the number of books she'd read from cover to cover that year and the year wasn't even through the first quarter yet. Sakura laid back down on the couch and frowned. She was so tired of this. All she did all day was read books and newspapers or lay on her bed and stare at the ceiling.

Sakura wondered what the outside world was like lately. She'd heard from Tsunade that it was quite cold outside as of late. The pink-haired girl couldn't remember the last time she'd been outside.

It felt so suffocating, this little underground bunker she was forced to stay in every hour of the day. The girl looked at the mirror on the other side of the room and frowned again. She wondered why her hair was pink. She wondered why she had a little diamond on her forehead. Who would she have inherited the traits from?

Suddenly, the door in the ceiling began to creak and groan. "I'm home," Tsunade announced upon entering. She reached above her head and formed a series of hand signs before pressing her palm against it and sealing it closed once more.

Sakura offered no response to the woman. She only continued to stare at her reflection in silence until the skeptical woman spoke up again.

"What's wrong?" Tsunade inquired after setting her bag down. "I brought you some more books to read," she told the girl cheerily, hoping to lighten the mood. "You've always been a fast reader so I figured you'd need more soon."

"Tch," Sakura scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

"What's with the attitude?" Tsunade asked, raising an eyebrow and frowning with slight irritation.

"I'm sick of this. I don't want to stay in here all the time. I want to go outside," Sakura responded, meeting the elder woman's gaze evenly.

"Sakura, you know why you can't do that."

"No I don't!" Sakura shouted while standing up, surprised with herself that she'd raised her voice. She couldn't just blindly agree with everything anymore though.

Tsunade, barely holding her patience together, walked closer to the girl. "I do this to keep you safe!"

"From what?!" Sakura yelled back, standing her ground.

Tsunade sighed and raked a hand through her hair in frustration. "I can't tell you that. You know I can't Sakura."

"Stop scolding me like you're my mother," Sakura retorted. She knew the instant that sentence left her mouth that she'd messed up big time. Anticipating Tsunade's slap or reprimands, she was shocked when neither of the two came.

Tsunade's gaze was directed towards a spot near her feet. "No, I'm not your mother Sakura... But I've taken care of you all your life and made sure to keep you safe. I work long, hard shifts at the hospital to ensure that we can make it by. Times are tough because of the ongoing war outside and my top priority is to keep you safe. Now, I'm going to bed. There's snacks in my bag if you're hungry. I'll see you in the morning."

Sakura's face contorted with an expression of disgust as the woman walked past her and into her room. She could smell the sake on her breath from a mile away. "So the alcohol and gambling is part of your hard shifts, too?" Sakura retorted silently. The girl bit down on her lip and ran into her own room, slamming the door behind her and sitting on the bed with her arms crossed.

Tsunade's bedroom was down in the secret bunker along with Sakura's. Shizune, the only other person Sakura knew and Tsunade's assistant, lived above the bunker. All the important papers listed it as Tsunade's home as well though, just in case there was an urgent situation at the hospital and Tsunade had to leave. The blonde woman didn't want to risk anyone finding Sakura, so she ordered Shizune to make sure the people left first and then to send for her if there was an emergency situation.

Sakura couldn't stand another moment inside this prison, as she liked to call it. It was the only thing she'd known all her life and it was so boring, so lonely... After giving it a bit of thought, Sakura came to a resolution. She would wait until Tsunade fell asleep and then she'd sneak out through the hidden back entrance. Shizune wouldn't know anything either, as the entrance was behind the back of the house atop the bunker.

A few hours later, Sakura tiptoed out of her bedroom and carefully peeked inside Tsunade's room. The woman was pretty much passed out and loud snores met Sakura's ears. The pink-haired teen carefully closed the door and crept to the back entrance. She swallowed hard as she stopped in front of it, her heart beating out of her chest. She'd never done this before and was scared yet simultaneously excited. Taking a deep breath, Sakura slowly formed the hand seals she'd seen Tsunade perform many times upon sealing the doors. She exhaled sharply as she pressed her palm to the door and saw that it'd been unsealed.

Stepping outside into the cool night air, Sakura resealed the door and then studied her surroundings. The house was at the edge of the village, but also close to the hospital. It was more convenient for Tsunade she guessed. She could be close to work but also take Sakura outside unnoticed when needed.

Sakura had only been outside when Tsunade wanted to teach her some basic combat skills she might need one day. It seemed like forever since their last little training session though.

Taking in a deep breath, Sakura released it with a gigantic smile plastered to her lips. It was so refreshing to be outside and quite frankly, to be free. She looked up and marveled at the moon and stars she so rarely got a chance to view. Then she ran around to the side of the house and tried to look at the village, but was disappointed to see that many other houses and tall buildings blocked her view.

She turned to go back around the house when an idea came to mind. If she were to climb up to the very top of the village, she'd be able to see everything in Konoha. Tsunade had previously taught her about chakra control and she figured she'd be able to scale the rocky sidings to the village if she tried. As Sakura hopped up the disfigured rocks, she remembered Tsunade's praise of her great chakra control abilities.

The pink-haired woman held a satisfied grin as she reached the top, looking into the cluster of trees that laid ahead. Then she turned and stared down into the beautiful village of Konohagakure. A gasp of awe left her lips at the wondrous sight. Her green eyes sparkled, reflecting the colorful lights all across the village. She could see the bustling streets below, filled with all kinds of villagers and shinobi.

Sakura then shifted her gaze to look at the five large stone faces with complete astonishment. They were the village leaders, the Hokage, she remembered reading about. Sakura read many articles about the Hokage in newspapers brought home by Tsunade or Shizune. Newspapers were the only true way the pink-haired girl remained connected with the outside world. Sakura became puzzled the longer she stared at the stone face of the current Hokage. His name was Kobayashi Daiki, she recalled. Out of all the Hokage, he was the one she'd read about most in the newspapers and history books. She didn't find it odd, considering he was the current village leader. What she did find odd was the man's appearance. Even on the stone face he had the traditional Hokage hat and veil on, plus the mask he always seemed to wear in public. The only thing ever visible to the public was his eyes.

Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed throughout the area. Annoyed, Sakura put a hand to the side of her face in order to keep her hair away from her eyes. Then, there was a whisper.

"Who's there?" Sakura asked quietly.

No response.

Sakura swallowed and nervously began to take cautious steps forward. She heard the distorted whisper again, but this time it was louder. Common sense would tell her to retreat and just go back home, where it was safe. Yet the pinkette couldn't stop herself from advancing towards the direction the strange whisper was coming from. It was like the voice was calling to her, begging her to come closer. So she listened and the voice became louder with every step. Sakura was running through and around the many trees and bushes in her path now. Even as the voice grew noisier, she still couldn't make out any of the words it said. Nonetheless, Sakura continued running towards it until she reached the edge of a small clearing and the voice disappeared.

She immediately slapped a hand to her mouth to stifle the gasp that erupted from her lips. Laying on the other side of the clearing was a boy. She could hear a few curses escape him as he tried to wrench his orange and black jumpsuit out of the sharp brambles that clawed at his clothes and skin. She studied him and found that he had spiky blond hair and strangely, a few whiskers on his face. There was also a black headband wrapped around his head of course. He was a ninja, Sakura realized, her eyes widening. The boy stumbled to the ground again when he finally freed himself. He rubbed his head and looked up, his blue eyes meeting her emerald ones.

Sakura felt the fear finally overtake her again, the curiosity entirely diminished by now. She turned and started to run.

"I'm gonna be Hokage and no one is gonna stop me!" Naruto said to himself as he jumped off the tree branch and somersaulted through the air. As he spun around, the blond released handfuls of kunai and shuriken at the targets. Landing on his feet, the Yondaime's son whipped around to see where they'd landed.

"Yes!" Naruto shouted as he fist pumped. All of his weapons had hit the targets dead center. Just as the blond was about to retrieve his weapons and begin a new exercise, he heard a low whisper.

"Who's there?" he asked loudly, turning around and raising an eyebrow. He received no answer. "Just my imagination I guess," Naruto thought to himself. The teen started to continue his training until he heard the voice again. Instead of ignoring it, Naruto began to advance towards it, his interest piqued. "Just show yourself already!" he yelled with irritation. He frowned with annoyance when the voice sounded again, but no one came out of their hiding spot.

Out of curiosity, Naruto started to move towards the voice again. The Namikaze moved faster when he noticed that it was getting louder. The whispers were so distorted yet somehow he knew they were calling to him, beckoning him to come closer. Naruto hopped into the trees, hoping to navigate through the area faster. He was going as fast as he possibly could now, the wind whistling in his ears and blowing through his hair. Naruto couldn't explain why exactly he continued to pursue the voice, but he just knew it was something important. He was so close. The distorted whispers were so loud now...

"Whoa!" Naruto yelped as he tripped on a disfigured tree branch and tumbled to the ground. He'd become so distracted by the voices that he'd lost focus. Naruto cursed aloud as he landed roughly in a bush with sharp brambles. He groaned in pain, realizing he'd reopened one of his wounds he obtained from the mission earlier. He attempted to carefully pull himself out of the bush but quickly became frustrated when he only received more scratches and cuts. The teen became exasperated and tried to claw his way out of the stupid bush. A string of curses escaped Naruto's lips as he finally ripped himself away from the sharp brambles and stumbled to the ground again.

Rubbing his head and sighing, he realized that the whispers had ceased. Naruto looked up and gasped, his eyes widening with surprise. Standing behind a tree on the other side of the clearing was a girl. There appeared to be a little diamond on her forehead, covered by strands of strange pink hair. The girl appeared to be about his age, but Naruto had never seen her before.

Suddenly, the girl took off running.

"H-Hey! Wait a second!" Naruto called after her, scrambling to his feet. He immediately ran after the girl. Shortly after entering the thick cluster of trees, Naruto caught sight of the fleeing girl and sped up. She was pretty fast. Naruto kept pace with her though. He chased her like this for a few minutes, begging the pink-haired girl to stop for a second. She never did listen though. For whatever reason, Naruto decided to try one more time. "I just wanna talk!" he pleaded with her.

Suddenly, she halted her movements and landed on a high tree branch, close to the trunk. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she'd finally decided to give up. He hopped off another tree branch and aimed to land beside the girl. Just as his feet were about to touch the wood, the girl gave the branch a rough kick and it separated from its place at the trunk.

Thinking quickly, Naruto's hands grabbed onto another more steady branch below the falling broken one. He swung his feet forward, using the momentum he had to flip around and land safely on the branch. Glancing up, the blond was surprised to see that the girl had disappeared.

Naruto took a moment to catch his breath as he scanned the area for any signs that she'd headed in a certain direction. She couldn't have possibly gotten far. That's when he spotted it. In his peripheral vision, the blond caught sight of a nearby bush moving, a soft rustling sound reaching his ears. Naruto dropped down and cautiously advanced towards the bundle of bushes, careful not to make too much noise. When he reached them, the teen crouched down and looked through a hole where he could see the girl. She immediately started to panic and tried to crawl out the other side, but Naruto put out a hand, telling her to stop.

"Wait a second! Please," he begged.

The pink-haired girl flinched at his voice and halted her movements. She whipped her head around and stared at him with clear distrust in her viridian gaze.

Naruto continued to speak, but with his tone becoming more inviting. "I just wanna talk to you," he explained carefully. The girl only blinked at him, the tension in her muscles relaxing very little at his claim.

"My name is Naruto," the boy continued quietly. "You don't have to worry about the formalities or anything. You can just call me Naruto," he finished with a warm, gentle smile.

The girl seemed to have calmed down, he guessed by how her eyes had softened.

"I don't wanna hurt you," he said, very slowly starting to reach out with his hand. He didn't want to scare her off again.

She wasn't very much frightened anymore as she was cautious. Naruto felt a since of relief when the girl finally decided to reach out herself and take his open hand. He helped her out of the bushes and watched as she nervously fidgeted around. "Let's go over here," Naruto said with a massive grin still set on his features. He motioned for her to follow him towards another small clearing and the pair sat down in front of each other.

"What's your name?" Naruto asked cheerily.

The girl seemed to be shocked by his question for some reason, but she considered it for a moment. "S-Sakura," she responded quietly.

"Sakura-chan, that's a nice name!" he replied, placing his hands behind his head. "I'm Naruto, but I guess I've already said that," he chuckled. He was glad to see that his awkward comment elicited a bit of a grin from the girl before it faded. "Are you from here? Do you live in the village, too?" He gestured behind him towards the main part of Konoha.

Sakura nodded hesitantly, looking anywhere but at the boy. "Yeah," she said shortly.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen," she replied in yet another one word answer.

"Really? Me too!" he shouted excitedly. He cleared his throat and lowered his voice, afraid that it might make her more uncomfortable. "I've never seen you around the village," he stated, his smile faltering.

"I, uh... don't go outside a lot," Sakura replied, flexing her hands against her thighs nervously. This was the first boy she'd ever met in person. She was still a bit wary of him as the conversation progressed. He seemed kind at least. She was careful not to reveal much about her living situation. She was also letting him do most of the talking, considering she'd never held a conversation like this before.

"Oh," Naruto responded. He fell silent after this, racking his brain for more topics that might break the ice.

Sakura swallowed as the silence dragged on. She wasn't sure what to say or do so she remained still and quiet for the time being. Maybe she could trust this boy... She swallowed and decided to glance at him. When she did, she didn't expect her gaze to linger like it did. She narrowed her eyes at the boy's tattered clothes and his abdomen.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked with concern upon seeing the expression on her face.

"You're hurt," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh!" he exclaimed while looking down at the wound on his abdomen he'd reopened. "It's nothing, really," he said, trying to brush off the pain he truly felt from it. To his surprise, Sakura started to reach towards him.

Sakura didn't know what possessed her to move her hand towards him. All she knew was that the boy, Naruto, was hurt and she wanted to help. Tsunade had taught her a bit about medical ninjutsu, but the woman had instructed her to never use it unless absolutely necessary. What was the harm in using it though? Sakura had no clue why Tsunade ordered her to do or not do such things, but she couldn't see what the problem was in helping to heal this boy's wounds. It was quite an oxymoron really, that Tsunade apparently thought there was harm in her healing someone. Sakura hadn't ever healed a person before, but she felt she could do it. She'd studied all of Tsunade's medical textbooks, as she found the field interesting. She'd only done it on animals, but both Tsunade and Shizune complimented her on her supposedly expert control concerning the matter.

Naruto flinched, his jaw dropping in awe, as Sakura placed her hand on his abdomen and a green glow appeared from her hand. The blond felt the pain steadily disappear the longer her hand and the glow stayed there. He watched in silence and wonder as the gash on his abdomen closed up, appearing as if he'd never even been injured.

Sakura retracted her hand after finishing, the green glow fading from her palm. She became worried when she saw the expression resting on Naruto's face when he looked up at her.

"What was that?!" he shouted.

"I-I don't know," she stuttered nervously.

"That was amazing!" he yelled incredulously, leaning towards her with a giant smile. "It's completely gone now!" he said, rubbing the spot where his nasty wound used to be.

Sakura felt the rising heat in her cheeks when she looked away with a hesitant grin at his compliment. "I-I guess," she responded shyly, rubbing the back of her neck.

Naruto was about to commend her further when he noticed something peculiar. "Hey, that diamond on your forehead, it's glowing," he said while pointing at the area.

"Huh?" Sakura breathed, her hands shooting up to touch the spot he mentioned. She couldn't see it herself but she felt a small bit of heat radiating from the spot.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Naruto questioned with genuine curiosity.

"I... I'm not sure," Sakura answered truthfully, her hands lowering to rest on her thighs.

Unbeknownst to the pair, a figure camouflaged in all black had been watching them from the shadows the entire time. Pressing a button on his earpiece, the man spoke with his eyes still trained on the pair. "Inform Otokage-sama immediately. I've located the third..."

The masked Hokage slammed his pen down and cracked his knuckles with frustration. He was sick of signing documents. Later that day he'd also have to attend a stressful meeting with some of his top battle strategists. Of course, he just couldn't wait for that... It was all just simple annoyances that came with the price of being the village leader. There was too much good that outweighed the bad.

The man's eyes, the only viewable part of his body, shot up when he heard frantic footsteps approaching his office. The two masked members of his personal guard present in the room immediately trained their eyes on the door. When the door burst open, the two rushed forward and stopped when the ends of their spear were inches away from the newcomer's neck.

"Stand down," the Hokage sighed when the man with glasses screamed at the top of his lungs and fell on his backside. He could tell by his uniform that the man was a caretaker. The two guards lowered their weapons and walked back to their posts, unfazed. "What is it?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Hokage-sama!" the caretaker yelled urgently as he stumbled to his feet, adjusting his glasses. "The third has emerged!"

A deadly silence followed.

"What...?" the Hokage breathed, slowly rising from his cluttered desk. "That can't be..."

"The third light in the sanctuary lit up Hokage-sama!" he continued. "I thought it was an error but it didn't go away! It's still lit up like the other two!"

"Take me there immediately," the Hokage demanded, already heading towards the door.

"Y-Yes, Hokage-sama," the man replied with a slight bow. He immediately rushed out of the office with the Hokage and his guards right on his tail. They traveled to the edge of the village, staying in the shadows hidden from the moonlight, until they reached the prison. They went past the prison and to a nearby small hill surrounded by tall trees and thick bushes. The land hadn't been tended to in a while and didn't appear to hide anything special. When they arrived, the man with glasses led the Hokage through the bushes and tall grass until they reached a disfigured tree on the edge of the hill. He then placed his palm between two wide branches and the ground in front of them started to rumble.

The Hokage and his guards watched as the secret door to the sanctuary groaned and screeched as it slid open, allowing the group entry. They followed the man inside and walked past other caretakers, hearing the door seal shut once more behind them. The Hokage gasped upon seeing the three lights in the middle of the massive room he'd just set foot in.

The sanctuary was breathtaking to look at. Clear water with aqua tinges to it surrounded the path leading to the center of the room, with a small waterfall set on the other side of the cave-like area. The ceiling and walls were the same old rocky earth that had been there when the sanctuary was first made. Purely green grass lined the path to the middle of the sanctuary, where a large stone sat. Inside the large stone were three separate pieces of the meteor that had landed outside the village seventeen years ago. Each was lit up, shining brightly in different colors. The orange piece had lit up first many years ago, with the purple one following soon after. The green piece, however, had remained completely dark until now.

"No... That's impossible!" the Hokage shouted when he caught sight of the newly lit green chunk of meteor.

"The only way it would start shining is if the third has awakened their powers," the male explained, staring at the glowing rocks. He was confused by the way the village leader was acting. Why would he be so upset about the third emerging?

"I know that!" the Hokage shouted angrily, causing the caretaker to jump.

The male adjusted his glasses and continued to look at the stone. "The three will unite... The war will finally be over..." he said to himself with a smile.

The Hokage narrowed his eyes at the caretaker who had his back to him. Of course he didn't know. The girl was supposed to have been disposed of seventeen years ago. Yet somehow she survived and now she'd awakened her powers. Forcing himself to calm down, the Hokage signaled to one of his guards to come closer. "Send for him immediately," he whispered to his guard. "I'll be back in my office shortly."

The cloaked guard with the mask and spear nodded in affirmation and turned, heading for the sanctuary's exit.

He walked down the dark corridor, watching with a bored expression as people rushed to the sides of the hallway and halted their conversations until he passed. It was nothing new to him. People knew not to irritate him or stand in his way. That's why everyone scattered when he was near, talking in hushed whispers as he walked by. Then they continued on with their lives when he was gone, breathing sighs of relief and acting as if nothing had happened.

It was a good thing these people acted the way they did when he was around, especially today. He was never in the mood to deal with pitiful annoyances such as them, but especially not right now. He'd been summoned right in the middle of a training session. The terrified messenger had insisted the sender was adamant about him coming, so he finally stormed past the frightened ninja and towards the place he was told to travel to.

He finally reached his destination and opened the door without asking for entry. He didn't care if the man inside snapped at him or not. He doubted the man would care anyway, considering he was his favorite student.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun," the snake-like male drawled.

"Orochimaru," Sasuke responded evenly, his version of a greeting.

"You're wondering why I summoned you, correct?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in reply, folding his arms.

"Come with me," the Otokage beckoned.

Sasuke did as he was told and followed the snake-like figure as they walked to a door on the other side of the dimly lit room. He followed the man into another room, more concerned with getting back to his training than whatever Orochimaru desired with him.

Orochimaru glanced at the blank expression on the Uchiha's face and then gestured to a large stone in the middle of the room. There were three chunks from a meteor inside the big stone, each glowing a different color. "I know you've been in here before, when only two of these stones were shining."

"Ah," Sasuke replied shortly, growing impatient.

Orochimaru stepped closer to the rock, his golden eyes glimmering with the reflection of the glowing meteor chunks. "You know how these obtain their glows, Sasuke-kun. The third has emerged..."

"And?" the raven-haired male questioned dryly, not in the least bit interested. He had more important tasks to attend to rather than worry about some stupid prophecy he was a part of. The only thing he cared about concerning the prophecy was the power it gave him. When he'd learn to fully control it, he'd use it to kill him... Sasuke's jaw clenched at the thought of the man. He couldn't wait to finally put an end to him.

Orochimaru only chuckled. Sasuke was fortunate that he wasn't anyone else. If he was anyone other than Uchiha Sasuke, sarcastic comments like that wouldn't be taken lightly. "If the Sound is to have the advantage, it would be beneficial if we had two of the three prophesied to end the war."

Sasuke narrowed his onyx orbs. He knew exactly where this was heading.

"I want you to capture this person and bring them back here to me," Orochimaru announced, a large smirk on his pale features. "After all, they've only just unlocked their powers. There's no way they'll know how to control them..."

"You summoned me?" said the newcomer as he appeared in front of the Hokage's desk. The man in the ANBU uniform placed his hands behind his back in a formal manner.

The Hokage held back a snort at the long-haired man standing in front of him. "We seem to have a problem."

"Oh?" the man questioned, his face as blank as ever behind the cat mask.

"It appears," the Hokage began reluctantly, not wanting to admit it aloud in front of him, "that the plan put into place nearly seventeen years ago was a failure." He noticed the slightest of twitches in the dark-haired man's arm.

"I see," he responded in his usual manner, not betraying at all what he was feeling.

The Hokage placed his elbows on the desk, entwining his gloved hands together in front of his face. "I have a task for you, Itachi..."

The Uchiha offered no response.

"Find the girl and bring her to me. She's most definitely still in the village. Someone has been hiding her this entire time. Search everywhere and don't stop until she's found," the village leader ordered. He stood up to meet the Uchiha's gaze. "As a little reminder for you, I advise you to not forget our deal, Itachi..."

Itachi nodded and responded with his usual cool demeanor, unfazed by the man's words. "May I also remind you, Hokage-sama, that I know who you and your wife truly are..."

With this Itachi vanished, leaving the frustrated Hokage and his guards alone in the office.

Author's Note: As you can tell, this chapter was mainly just setting things up. I didn't expect it to be this long but I think it turned out okay. I was unsure about writing an alternate universe fanfiction at first and I still have some doubts but I guess that's expected. Not sure what day I'd want to update this because I usually update my other story on Saturdays so I don't want to update them both on the same day. If anyone has a preferred day then feel free to tell me in a review or PM me. I'll try to update at least once every week or two if possible and if people like the story. Please review and tell me what you think so far! Your feedback is always appreciated! Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed!