Infirmary, Uzushiogakure; a few hours later.

The main infirmary in the village of Uzushiogakure was more of a mish-mash of different technologies originating from the different nations of the former Elemental Nations. The technology was put together over the years from the people of different villages seeking shelter and living on the island. On the bed, next to the chair where Kushina was sitting down with a watchful eye on an unconscious Sakura, the pink haired girl was being monitored by a heart machine, then there was the gentle hum of the chakra measuring device, and the large screened device on wheels that had leads attached to Sakura's forehead silently displaying various regions of Sakura's brain lighting up like fireworks. Then there was the device measuring her blood pressure and body temperature- the latter device showing Sakura with a high fever for the past six hours ever since she collapsed.

Her legs shaking, Kushina was worried about her adopted daughter. As she stared at Sakura, Kushina was going through her memories of what happened the first time Minato used the Hiraishin.

'He was dizzy… a few times he got so sick that he puked… he even had cuts around his body when he first started using the Hiraishin,' Kushina thought as she looked at Sakura while a hand covered her own lips, 'but Sakura went through that too.'

Kushina closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat while she stared at the ceiling, 'Minato didn't experience anything like visions.' Kushina sighed again before closing her eyes.

'Sakura said she saw Naruto,' Kushina thought to herself as her mind went back to several hours ago. Sakura had gone unconscious in Jiraiya's arms, and the entire room was silent. Kushina stared at Sakura with eyes wide open in shock while, at the same time, feeling more eyes directed towards her at the mention of her dead son. Kushina knew that Sakura would never mention Naruto or Minato's name in a way that would dishonour their memory.

'She was being serious… the look in her eyes told me she was being serious… she wasn't playing around.'

Pulling herself out of that memory, Kushina opened her eyes at the ceiling before leaning forward upon hearing voices and footsteps in the hallway outside Sakura's room. Kushina wiped the tiredness out of her eyes before she looked up from Sakura as the door opened. Kushina stood up and nodded at Kakashi, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kimiko before she looked back towards Sakura.

"Sorry I couldn't be there to help in the improvements to the defences," Kushina whispered and then turned her head back towards the group standing at the foot of the bed. Her eyes followed Tsunade as she walked around to the other side of the bed, across from Kushina, while Kimiko said that they were improving on the defensive and offensive seals around the island and the waters that surrounded it thanks to input from Jiraiya. Kushina turned her head towards the Hyuuga matriarch and nodded her head before looking over at Jiraiya, "Obito really raised Minato from the dead?"

Jiraiya nodded his head before saying, "and I'm sure he'll be raising more shinobi from Konoha."

"Then I'll have to release the Bijuu from Obito's control quickly," Kushina said as she turned her head back towards Sakura, her eyes passing past the angry glare from Tsunade. Kushina sighed – Tsunade never agreed with this plan. The Slug Princess shared the same thoughts as Sakura… that giving herself up to the Bijuu as penance for the crimes against them by humanity was a stupid idea. Tsunade exclaimed years earlier, when Kushina first spoke of her plan, that the tailed beasts were beings of hatred. Tsunade said that they would never forgive humanity, that they would rather destroy the rest of humanity instead. In fact, it would be easier now given how few people were left after Obito's rampage in comparison to the population of the Elemental countries before the release of the Kyuubi.

This time, Kushina didn't hear Tsunade say anything. After all, there was nothing to say that would change Kushina's mind. She saw Tsunade's expression lighten after she turned her head to look at Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi heard of Tsunade's immense strength and wanted to learn how to harness the skill necessary to improve her own strength. Sakura was training for the Hiraishin and thought that an increase in strength would complement the increase in speed she was already training for in order to master the Hiraishin.

"How is she, Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked which his arms crossed across his chest while staring at Sakura.

"She's stable," was Tsunade's reply as she stroked Sakura's hair before looking over at the display showing the girl's temperature before glancing at the other devices and then saying, "although her temperature hasn't gone down, it hasn't gone up; which is a good thing. Her sudden increase in chakra output after her collapse is now steady and holding… her pathways are strained, but at least her chakra generation is holding steady."

"But how is that possible?" Kimiko asked, "a sudden surge in Chakra generation, a sudden high fever, and…" Kimiko looked over at Kushina before the former shook her head and said, "and having hallucinations." Kimiko then turned towards the village's head doctor and said, "Tsunade? What's going on?"

Tsunade shook her head, "these symptoms don't correspond to any illness or disease that I'm aware of." She then looked over towards Kushina, "I'll have to check the books to be sure but…" Tsunade pressed her lips together before she turned around towards Kakashi, "she wasn't bitten by anything? Obito and the other Edo-tensei shinobi didn't do anything to her?"

"She avoided any physical contact with them," Kakashi said before taking a deep breath… Kushina could tell that the man was tense with worry as he continued, "and none of us were hit or had any physical contact with them."

"Sakura said that she saw Naruto… that she saw the Hokage Mountain," Kushina said while placing her hands on the metal railings along one side of the bed, "I… I used to describe them to her, maybe she's imagining things? Maybe it's an effect of the Hiraishin that hasn't been catalogued?"

Kakashi was staring at the unconscious form of his student before his one eye glanced over to Kushina, "it's possible. But she was alright when we left. There were no signs that she was unwell, or that she was having hallucinations." Kakashi then glanced at the devices surrounding Sakura before he looked over to Kushina, "and she…"

"The child of prophecy," Sakura whispered as she moved her head from left to right on the pillow, her eyes clenched shut while her hands were rolled into fists. Kushina and Jiraiya were stunned as they stared at the pink haired girl before looking back towards each other. Sakura continued to whisper in her unconscious state before Kushina and Jiraiya focused their attention back to her. However, in the back of Kushina's mind, she was wondering how it was possible that Sakura even heard that phrase.

'The child of prophecy,' Kushina thought to herself. It wasn't something she or Jiraiya would say in front of Sakura. In fact, the only other time she had heard it was when she was pregnant with Naruto, and Jiraiya had come to visit her and Minato.

'Jiraiya said that he thought Minato was the child of prophecy, the one to bring a change to the Shinobi world,' Kushina thought, 'but how does Sakura know about this? I doubt that Jiraiya told her.' Kushina glanced at Jiraiya with a quizzical look on his face… the latter shook his head before saying that he never mentioned it to Sakura.

"Never mentioned what?" Kimiko asked.

"What's going on?" Tsunade asked narrowing her eyes at Jiraiya.

"How can you leave, Sasuke? She's calling for you," Sakura whispered with a tone of anger as everyone turned back towards Sakura, "or is it me… the voice is me… how…?"

The others were looking at each other before Jiraiya asked, "who's Sasuke?" Before anyone could answer, Sakura groaned and everyone turned their attention back towards the pink haired girl.

"Sakura," Kushina reached down and gently squeezed her adopted daughter's hand, "Sakura… can you hear me?"

Sakura's face scrunched up as she tightened her hold on Kushina's hand, "no… no… Minato-sama don't… Kushina-sama…"

"Sakura," Kushina called out with a racing heart while using her other hand to stroke Sakura's forehead, "can you hear me? I need you to hear me… I need you to wake up."

"Alone... so alone…" Sakura whispered in a sad voice that was cracking as she continued, "Naruto… I'm sorry, they should have been there."

"Sakura," Tsunade whispered before laying a hand on her forehead, "can you hear us?"

"Hokage Mountain and…" everyone saw Sakura furrowing her eyebrows before she chuckled… the last part was unsettling for Kushina… and then whispered, "Tsunade-sama's the Godaime. What do you know… weird dreams?"

Kushina looked towards a surprised Tsunade while Jiraiya screwed up his face and said "congratulations?" in a confused tone of voice. Kakashi was staring at Sakura in the meantime before he glanced at Kushina.

Kushina called out for Sakura once again, as did Kimiko. And then Kakashi said, "Sakura."

"This was the vision I had…" Sakura whispered to herself. Tsunade confirmed she was still unconscious while Jiraiya whispered to Kakashi if he knew anything about Sakura having visions. Kushina wanted to know the answer as well, and so she glanced at Kakashi as he shook his head. It was strange listening to Sakura talking to herself while still unconscious. It made Kushina and the others wonder what she was seeing in her mind, and what Sakura had to say next didn't help in easing their confusion.

"Wow, first B rank mission as Genin… and hey! Don't knock Naruto off the bridge."

"Wait what?" Jiraiya asked with an eyebrow arched upwards.

"B-Rank mission as Genin?" Kakashi said while rubbing the back of his head as Sakura continued.

"Come on, he's not gonna go out with you," Sakura whispered to herself. And then she suddenly stiffened before starting to convulse violently. The bed shook and rattled as Tsunade screamed out at everyone to move Sakura onto her side and then to hold her down.

"Sakura!"

"Fast… what am I seeing? So fast… fights… invasion… war… war… destruction… no… no… no…. stop…. Stop…"

Just as sudden as it started, her convulsions stopped. Kushina and the others stared at the very high heartbeat on the monitor as well as the blood pressure which, to everyone's relief, started to slowly go back down from a very dangerous level. Kushina was panting as she and the others, after Tsunade's order, rolled, Sakura onto her back.

"Don't say that to him!" Sakura yelled out with anger in her voice, while her eyes were tightly shut, as everyone listened in disbelief. It was as if Sakura was having a bad dream and she was responding to the situations being experienced in those dreams. "Don't say that…. Look at him… he's sad… he's… he's been alone… how… how can you say that… how could I have said that?"

Kushina sensed a tension in the air as tears started to stream down Sakura's cheeks.

"How could you have wished something like that? How could I?" Sakura's voice broke before she whispered while her eyes were still closed tight, "how could there be two? Two… two Naruto's…" Kushina furrowed her eyebrows before snapping her head towards a surprised Jiraiya, and then back to Sakura who had an anguished look on her face, "how could there be one alive and one dead? How? Kushina-sama… Kushina-mama… help…"

Kushina tightened her hand on Sakura's hand while leaning close under she was just inches away from her face. Kushina placed her other hand on Sakura's hot cheek and whispered gently, "I'm here, Sakura. Hear my voice… can you hear my voice?"

"I… I… I saw… she saw… I saw… I don't understand," Sakura whispered while Tsunade asked Kimiko to use her Byakugan and check on Sakura's chakra flow for any irregularities, "me… I… I'm seeing through eyes that aren't mine but… regrets… my everlasting regrets… she's feeding on my… no, on her regrets. You killed Naruto… you let this happen…" The last part was said with a growl of anger.

'What is she talking about?' Kushina thought to herself. She was certain that the others were thinking the same question as well. Her thoughts were answered when Kimiko asked the question that everyone was thinking.

"What's Sakura talking about?" Kimiko asked when Sakura mentioned regrets and about a female feeding on regrets. There was no answer from anyone. Kushina turned to her and repeated her request to use the Byakugan. Nodding her head in return, Kimiko made the 'tiger' sign and activated her Byakugan.

"She's steady but…" Kimiko focused on Sakura's head, "the chakra flow in her… I think it's the part of the brain that handles memory…" Kimiko pointed at the very area of the screen that was showing a lot of activity. Tsunade nodded her head, silently saying that it was indeed the memory center of the brain before Kimiko continued, "the chakra's pulsing and the flow is strong… very strong and fast. I don't understand it. Too much for her… her chakra network will be under great strain."

"Can you describe what you see?" Kushina asked.

Suddenly, before Kimiko could answer, Sakura gasped as her body tensed while asking, "who are you guys?"

"Sakura?" Kushina answered as Kimiko said that Sakura's chakra levels were beginning to even out but the chakra flow in her brain was still unusual. Kushina was listening to Kimiko before Jiraiya repeated that it was possible that the Hiraishin could have triggered some kind of previously unknown blowback.

"We still don't know everything there is to know about the Hiraishin," Jiraiya said raising his hands at the way that Kushina glared back at him with murderous intent.

Kushina then looked back at Sakura who was whispering with a confused tone of voice, "the Sandaime?" And then everyone heard Sakura voice out in amazement, "Konoha… it's not destroyed… it… how can it be? I… I have been here... no… she has been here?"

"Who?" Kakashi asked before anyone else could, "Sakura, who are you talking about?"

"Sakura… me… her… the other one… I feel as if… as if I've been here before and…"

"The other one?" Kimiko asked with a confused expression.

"What's that supposed to mean," Tsunade asked as she turned her head from Sakura to the screen showing her brain lighting up in what the medic knew to be the very same areas where memories were formed and then stored, "she's forming new memories at a very very fast rate. That's… that's not possible."

"We form memories all the time," Jiraiya pointed out.

"Not like this," Tsunade said as she turned to Kushina staring back at her, "it's like these memories are forming spontaneously." Tsunade then turned towards Kakashi, "you sure there was nothing unusual when your team left to rescue Jiraiya?"

"Yes."

Tsunade then turned to Jiraiya and said, "and she wasn't touched… there was no physical contact with her or any of the other edo-tensei Hokage and Obito?"

"No," was the reply from Jiraiya.

"Her bloodwork showed nothing unusual," Tsunade said looking at the screen where the image of Sakura's brain continued to light up brilliantly in the very areas where memories were supposed to form and then stored. Tsunade then stared at the unconscious Sakura before saying, "but somehow, she's forming new memories."

Kushina didn't know what to say or do as she stared down at her adopted daughter with worry etched on her face. 'Memories,' she thought, 'how could Sakura spontaneously be forming new memories?' There were a few seconds of silence, and then Sakura gasped.

"Naruto-kun," Sakura whispered before snapping her eyes open. Her eyes locked with Kushina's while the devices all around her hospital bed showed that her pressure was slowly returning to normal, as was her temperature. Most of her chakra flow stated to return to normal – as confirmed by Kimiko, although there was still something irregular about the chakra flow around the memory centers of her brain. As everyone stared in surprise and concern – their thoughts on Sakura's well-being - Kushina and Sakura hugged each other tight.

Kushina could feel Sakura's body trembling as the latter whispered with a broken voice into the redhead's ear, "sorry, Kushina-mama… forgive me. Forgive me."

Hokage Tower, Konoha; few minutes ago.

The Sandaime, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was taking a break from going through the reports that were piled high on his desk. He had retired from the Hokage position once, but the fact was that after the death of the Yondaime in the Kyuubi attack, it was either him, Danzo, or Orochimaru. And there was no way he would let Danzo or Orochimaru be the Hokage. So he put his name up for the position once again and the Daimyo accepted. And now, when he should be relaxing on one of the many varanda's in the Sarutobi compound, he was going through the latest mission reports before he could go on to the latest mission requests from all over the Fire Country.

He needed a slight break from the monotony of it all. He glanced at the corners of the room before nodding his head towards the window to his left. He was silently telling his Anbu guards to leave him for an hour; it was a regular occurrence, and the leader of the squad tasked with guarding him for this shift signalled his displeasure via a short chakra pulse.

But the Hokage nodded his head again, signalling that he would be fine… that there would be no one crazy enough to attack the man directly. A few seconds later, the Hokage couldn't feel the Chakra signals any longer in his office – instead the signals were now coming from outside his office where the Anbu took up positions on the roofs of the nearby buildings. He chuckled before drawing in the smoke from the tobacco burning at the end of his pipe… and then exhaled it slowly while, at the same time, reaching down to the lower right drawer of his desk.

His copy of Icha Icha Paradise was old and worn out, but it was one of his favourite books. At least until Jiraiya could write a new book. Only then would he put this worn out copy aside and start on the new one. Just as he looked down towards the drawer… just as his hand was gripping the handle to pull the drawer back… the Hokage felt a chill up and down his spine. He felt a presence in his office. It wasn't malevolent, but the fact that he could feel this sudden presence was unusual and a concern.

Pressing his lips around the part of the pipe in his mouth, the Hokage looked back up and immediately pulsed his chakra. And just as fast, the Anbu had surrounded the mysterious stranger whose back was to the Hokage.

"Identify yourself!" one of the Anbu exclaimed while taking out a sword from the sheath on his back. Another Anbu, wearing a cat mask, moved around the figure until she was facing the intruder's back and drew her sword. The other two took out their Kunai and prepared to move on the orders of the Hokage.

"Who are you guys?" a female voice asked as the intruder put arms by her side. She wasn't making any threatening moves… she seemed to be unarmed but wearing armour that looked similar to the ones worn by Konoha Anbu. But as far as Hiruzen knew, the Anbu didn't have anyone with pink hair.

Hiruzen stood up off his chair, pulled the pipe away from his lips and then placed it on the table. He saw the girl with the pink hair – it was so familiar to him – as she looked around at the Anbu. She slowly turned around… and once their eyes met and he had taken a good look at her, Hiruzen knew the identity of this person.

"Genin Haruno Sakura?" No, it couldn't be Sakura, he thought to himself. The one who was on Team Seven was only twelve years old, and this girl in front of him looked older and slightly taller. He noticed that she was surprised at seeing him… as if being here, in his office, was unexpected. As if seeing him was unexpected.

"The Sandaime?" she said taking a step back in surprise, "you… you're… the Sandaime. How? How are you here?"

It was odd. Hiruzen could see how surprised she was… and before he could say anything, he noticed the girl's eyes shift towards the view outside his window. At the same time, his eyes shifted towards the symbol of a whirlpool on the girl's forehead protector.

'Uzushiogakure?' the Sandaime thought while the girl started to breath hard while saying, "Konoha… it's not destroyed… it… how? I… I have been here... no…" some of the Anbu were about to move towards the girl who closed her eyes tight before having both hands pressing against the sides of her head while her face was scrunched up in pain as she whispered, "no, she has been here."

"Cat… Rabbit… stand down," Hiruzen called to the Anbu who were ready to make a move. The two of them, Cat looking over her shoulder, nodded their heads at the order before stepping back. They were still primed to strike, but would do so at the Hokage's express order. Hiruzen walked around the table, his eyes on the girl who was groaning in pain. His eyes scanned the pink haired girl carefully, eventually stopping at the symbol etched onto the forehead protector she was wearing, "Why do you have an Uzushiogakure forehead protector? This is no joke, Genin Haruno, what…" His eyes then rested on the Konoha earing she wore on both ears, "why are you wearing…"

Everyone stepped back in shock when the figure in front of them started to slowly fade.

"Genin Sakura," the Hokage said with authority in his voice. He could see the pain the girl was in as her body trembled. The girl who looked like an older Sakura still had her eyes closed tightly shut and hands clutching at both sides of her head, "what has happened to you? Why do.."

"Sakura… me… her… the other one… I feel as if… as if I've been here before and…" Sakura whispered as if there was pain laced through every word.

The Hokage was confused, and he could sense that his Anbu were confused as well. The girl implied that this had something to do with Sakura; with herself. But the way she was speaking was as if she and the Sakura he assigned to Team Seven were not one and the same.

"Cat, Bear, find me Haruno Sakura… bring her here now," the Hokage ordered. The two Anbu reluctantly shunshined away, leaving the other two as the older Sakura then down on one knee. Hiruzen took a few more steps forward just before hearing a familiar loud voice outside his door.

"I need to see Hokage-jiji, it's important!"

At the voice, Hiruzen noticed Sakura snap her eyes open before quickly standing up and then spinning around towards the door. He then heard her whisper out, "Naruto-kun" before fading away. It surprised everyone when Sakura vanished without a trace while the whining voice on the other side of the door was yelling out, "Jiji! Sakura-chan disappeared!"

"Open the door!" the Hokage exclaimed, 'she disappeared, she was right here and she vanished. So how does Naruto know about what's happening?' The door opened as Naruto, his forehead covered in sweat, and worry etched to his face, rushed in and then stopped in front of Hiruzen. Before the Hokage could say anything, Naruto started to tell him how he had asked Sakura on a date again, how she was angry with him, and then that he walked away from her before feeling a strange sensation that something was wrong.

"I turned around and then I see this old hag with something glowing on her chest," Naruto pointed to his chest and then said, "she grabbed a hold of Sakura-chan and they both vanished."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes at Naruto while the other Anbu visibly stiffened. "Are you certain she vanished along with this… old woman?"

"Yes," Naruto nodded his head, "Jiji. We have to do something! Sakura-chan could be in danger!"

'Sakura vanishes, and then I have a slightly older Sakura wearing the forehead protector of Uzushiogakure appear here in my office before fading away,' the Sandaime thought to himself while Naruto stood there in front of him with worry; 'and then there was the things that she said… referring to a 'she''. He pressed his lips together in concern before turning to his remaining Anbu, "deploy search parties and have them meet with Cat and Rabbit; target is Haruno Sakura. Find her. And find me Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke!" The remaining Anbu nodded their heads before vanishing.

The Sandaime then turned towards the worried Naruto and placed a hand on the blonde boy's shoulder. He said, "we'll do all we can, Naruto. In the meantime, tell me everything that happened. Do not leave anything out."

TBC