"You think," Future Sasuke repeats, tone deceptively soft. Kakashi imagines many a poor soul has mistaken that softness for calm. Instead, he finds the hairs on the back of his neck raising, the same way they might in proximity of a dangerous predator.

It's not a bad reaction to have, given what he just saw the man do. And, considering he's pretty sure he knows what Future Sasuke's closed eye now hides.

That was a Rinnegan. Those are supposed to be extinct, if they were anything beyond myth. So how the hell did Sasuke end up with one?

"It's a long story," he says instead. "The short version is we separated from Konohamaru and his team a while back. The most prudent thing to do was to get out of the time-bubble and minimize the paradox. We tried to get Sarada to come with us, but...well." Kakashi shrugs here. "She's your daughter. Do you really think she was going to let us drag her out of here when her teammates are busy trying to save the world?"

"No," Future Sasuke says, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

Kakashi can't help his mouth twitching slightly at this. "I take it it's not a surprise th—"

"Bastard!" someone shouts from above them, and Kakashi and his students immediately tense up, expecting another attack. Instead, they see three figures skidding down the walls toward them.

Three surprisingly familiar figures.

The three genin gasp, and Kakashi knows if he wasn't more in control of himself, he'd do the same.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, just disappearing like that?" the shouter continues. He stalks forward, blue eyes narrowed in annoyance and whiskers bristling with every step. "One minute you're dragging us in here, and the next you're opening up a portal and leaving us behind! What the hell kind of stupid—?!" The diatribe trails off as a clearly adult Naruto seems to notice exactly which group of people are standing beside his friend, because he goes quiet. "Oh."

Oh is as good a descriptor as any. It's not as if a situation like this one happens every day.

In a slow, utterly unconscious movement, Kakashi watches as his students, past and future, move directly in front of one another as if they are approaching a particularly powerful funhouse mirror. No one appears to completely comprehend what faces them.

Future Naruto, still resplendent in bright orange but whose chakra dwarfs all of them like a burning pyre, smiles down at his younger self with something like nostalgia. Young Naruto gapes outright, jaw hanging and one finger pointing in disbelief. Yet again, he remains stunned beyond speech.

The two Sasukes regard each other warily. The spectacle resembles two rival wolves sizing each other up, which makes no sense considering they are essentially the same person. Kakashi's student appears to still be taking in every aspect of his older self—the missing arm, the black eye which once showed the Mangekyō Sharingan, and the other which holds the Rinnegan—and clearly doesn't know what to make of the man who is obviously a formidable warrior. The Sasuke who saved them from the battlefield, however, gazes down at his younger self with an expression that is too hard to read. It's as if he is looking at something long forgotten and which causes him great discomfort.

Sakura, the one who is mother to Sarada, holds herself entirely differently than Kakashi is used to seeing. And that rhombus shape on her forehead, if he's not mistaken, is Tsunade's Byakugo. Suddenly Sarada's capabilities make so much more sense, and Kakashi experiences a wave of pride for his lone female student.

The woman bites her lips as she studies her younger self. It appears she's holding back a smile that she isn't sure is appropriate, but her eyes shine like she's rediscovered an old photo or treasured keepsake. Young Sakura, on the other hand, clutches her hands to her chest, cheeks slightly pink as she considers the woman in front of her uncertainly. Even though they are clearly the same person—the pink hair kind of makes that obvious—she can't believe the woman in front of her is her.

And then there's...

"Hinata?" the younger Naruto demands, finally recovering from his temporary muteness. His attention slides from his adult self to the diminutive figure that lingers beside him. "Is that...? Wait—why's Hinata here?"

"Hello, Naruto," the older version of Hinata murmurs, her voice still as soft and kind as she is in this time. "I'm so glad you're safe."

"Uh...yeah..." the boy says, unsure what to say, because it occurs to him that this is his wife. He has a wife. He knew he was going to have a wife, considering he met his kid, but somehow he just fully accept what that meant.

"And Boruto?" Hinata goes on, earnest yet with a mettle to her that Kakashi has never sensed about her before. It appears his students aren't the only ones who will undergo great change. "Have you seen him?"

"Yeah, he...he was fine last time I checked," Naruto replies uncomfortably. Those pale eyes meet his unflinchingly, in a way that the Hinata of his time has never done. He wonders if she can't see down to the very core of him, demon fox and all.

Well, she must, considering she marries him, right? She must know.

And yet she's still gazing at him, eyes filled with some emotion he has no name for. He thinks he's seen hints of whatever it is before, maybe from Iruka, but never from anyone else. And never so strong as this.

Naruto feels like this is a look he should recognise, but for the life of him, can't.

She leans over, bringing herself down to his height, and he of course blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.

"Whoa! You filled out!"

The dark-haired woman's cheeks flood with colour, and the adult version snaps, "Oi! Don't stay stuff like that!" before smacking his young self upside the head.

"Oi!"

Crude or not, it's true.

Kakashi can't help agreeing with his student's ill-timed observation. The heiress to the Hyūga has definitely developed, even though she's still modestly dressed as ever compared to the adult version of Sakura, who seems to have no problem showing off a very toned physique and much more developed—

I am going to hell.

Kakashi had already sort of resigned himself to that fact, however he thought it would be due to sins accumulated as a shinobi. Even if, at the moment, both women are technically older than him, they are still married...to his adorable students. One of them was one of his adorable students.

Yes, I am definitely doing to hell.

"Where's your Kakashi?" young Sasuke asks, narrowing his eyes at his older self.

"Not with us."

The jōnin releases a breath he didn't realise he was holding. He is relieved he won't have a run-in with his future self; despite Sarada's assurances that he has done well for himself, he has enough trouble looking in the mirror some days. It would be even worse to have his older-self staring back at him.

Especially given his less than respectable thoughts just now...

"Why's Old Kakashi not here?" Naruto demands.

"Even if we succeed here, there's always the possibility of dying in the process," Future Sasuke says. "There must be someone back in Konoha to look to for leadership should the worst happen."

"Right...I forgot that he was Hokage," the younger Naruto muses. He perks up. "Hey, Old Me! Does that mean you're gonna be the next Hokage? I mean, you've got an in with the big boss man now, right?"

Future Naruto opens his mouth to answer, and then abruptly scowls. "I'm not old!"

Hinata hides a giggle, earning a sour look from her husband.

"You so are! I think I see a little grey in your hair!"

"At least I look like I've taken a bath in the last week!"

"Yeah, whatever, Gramps!"

"Why you little—I'm gonna—"

"Dear, you can't kill your past self," Hinata reminds him quietly. "That would probably not be a good idea."

"Yeah, well, I'd have it coming," the older Naruto mutters, crossing his arms and pouting—a gesture perfectly mirrored by his young self.

Young Naruto sticks his tongue out him, feeling inexplicably threatened by this future version. The agitation stems from somewhere deep within him, and it takes him a moment to realise that the Nine-Tails is restless.

And...confused, I think.

But thinking about it is making him dizzy, so he brushes it off in his usual manner. Instead, he jerks his attention away from him and decides to deal with something he at least knows. Sasuke, even an older Sasuke, is someone he knows how to talk to.

"Well, old or not, at least it looks like I'm gonna be tall one day," he sniffs. "Hey, Sasuke! I think Old Me is taller than Old You!"

Adult Sasuke's visible eye twitches, while his younger self scoffs, "Tch. Get your eyes checked, idiot."

"Do you always have to start a fight?" Sakura hisses, eyes still flitting nervously up at her future self.

"Trust me, it doesn't change," the pink-haired woman says, mouth quirked in amusement. The soft expression fades a beat later, replaced with solemnity. "Where's Sarada?"

Sakura adopts a shamefaced expression.

"She ran off," she admits. "We were on our way to go to her, but then we got caught up in that battle over there and couldn't get out. I got separated from everyone else, but Sasuke—um, your Sasuke—showed up—"

"How did you show up?" Sasuke asks, and Future Sakura's attention shifts to him. "And how did you move us?"

Future Sakura's worried expression moves from Sakura to Sasuke, and softens; her mouth pulls into a smile.

"Oh, darling, look!" she breathes as she stares at the younger version of her husband.

Sakura and Sasuke's eyes snap to one another in identical incredulity.

Darling?!

"Sakura..." Future Sasuke begins.

But before anyone can stop her, the woman has reached out and pulled Sasuke into her arms. "I forgot how cute you were!"

Future Sasuke sighs, for all intents and purposes looking resigned, but those with sharp eyes can see the barest trace of pink dusting across his cheeks in the darkness.

Kakashi can't help be fascinated. It's one thing to hear about, but entirely another to actually see.

Meanwhile, Sasuke stands rigid in the woman's embrace, eyes wide and spine straight. He has no idea what to do. He doesn't like to be touched or hugged, but he tolerates Sakura. And this is Sakura, his future wife, and it's been so very, very long since someone held him like this. A warm, protective hug, conveying no expectation that he might shrug it off.

In danger of relaxing into the embrace, Sasuke sends a panicked look at his Sakura, who watches the entire exchange, bemused. She is torn between finding the tableau adorable and being supremely jealous because someone else is holding Sasuke.

Even if it is her future self.

Thankfully, Sasuke's body provides him with an excuse to get away, as pain lances through him. Seeing his wince, Future Sakura pulls away, face falling. She takes in the barely closed wounds across Sasuke's chest, the most their mediocre healing materials could deal with.

"Oh! You're hurt!" She spreads a palm across his chest, green healing chakra flowing from her fingers. "We can't have that! And that goes for all of you! Get over here and let me help you."

"We'd appreciate it," Kakashi says, amused to see his normally stoic student's face begin to turn a very uncharacteristic shade of pink. "It's been, ah, an interesting day."

Future Sakura smirks. "I'll bet. You're a trouble magnet, Kakashi-sensei. I don't think there's ever been a Hokage that faced as many crises as you did."

"And trust me, that's saying something," Future Naruto says.

He strides forward, grinning at Kakashi.

Beyond what Kakashi noticed earlier, there are stark differences to this Naruto. He is obviously more mature, both in body and in temperament. He has the air of a father about him, or at least the air Kakashi remembers from his own father. And then there's the other thing.

The bearing of a man who has taken responsibility, who guards the well-being of hundreds, if not thousands of people. A man who has made hard decisions, seen great joy and great loss. And Kakashi abruptly knows, without having to even be told, that Naruto grew up to achieve his dream after all.

There's nothing else to do but put his hand out to his future former student. "It looks like you've done well for yourself, Naruto."

The future Hokage laughs awkwardly, takes Kakashi's hand with his own bandaged one, and rubs the back of his head with the other. "Well, my predecessor hammered a few lessons into my head. Both literally and figuratively. Thanks for that, by the way."

"Oh, I doubt I'm the only one who can take credit for that."

They both turn their attention to where the younger Naruto, utterly oblivious to their conversation, continues to peek at Hinata like he can't figure out if she's real or not.

"Would you like me to heal your wounds?" she offers him shyly. "I'm not as talented as Sakura, but I've still learned enough to be able to make a difference."

Still stunned, and cheeks turning pink, Naruto simply nods and lets the woman reach out her hand. She presses it lightly over the scabbed wounds that Mumyōi put in his shoulder. A cool, soothing chakra flows through him, soothing the raw skin and muscles. His own ability to heal has been stretched to its limit today, and this unexpected help is appreciated.

"Do you...uh...do this a lot?" he asks nervously, not completely sure what he's supposed to say to Hinata.

She doesn't appear put off, and the gentle smile doesn't go away. "Surprisingly, I've never had to."

Again, Naruto doesn't know what to say to that, and so he babbles. "So, if you're all here for your kids, does that mean Future-Orochimaru is here, too?"

"Yeah," Sakura pipes up. "Maybe we can ask future-him to get rid of Sasuke's mark! He's, like, a good guy now, right?" In a quieter tone she mutters, "It's the least he could do since he put it there to begin with..."

"It's a little more complicated than that," Future Sakura says, coming over to kneel in front of her former self.

"Why's that?" Sasuke asks.

"It means it's complicated," his future self says shortly. "Besides, we can't remove it. It has to stay there."

Sasuke snorts and crosses his arms. "Fine, it's not like I care. But having a Sannin on our side today might be helpful."

"What, four legends aren't good enough?" Future Naruto demands. "Trust me, you should be glad this thing is happening far away from where the old snake is hanging out. We may have an understanding, but that doesn't mean I want the power-hungry maniac anyway near time-travel. Questionable morality aside, I don't want to imagine what kind of damage he could do."

Future Sasuke says nothing to defend or refute the statement, but his past self stares at Future Naruto suspiciously.

"Did you just use the phrase 'questionable morality aside' and actually know what it means?" he asks.

Future Sasuke makes a sound that sounds suspiciously like amusement, while Future Naruto growls at them both.

"Seriously? That's the part of that whole thing you focussed on?! You are so lucky I don't beat up kids..."

"Pretty sure I could take you..."

Sakura sighs in frustration and looks away from her teammates past and present and turns to her own future self. "Maybe one of them should have stayed home."

"Seems like it, huh?" Future Sakura says with a rueful smile. She is utterly at ease as she fixes the bruises and scratches on her younger self. "There wasn't much of a choice in that, though. You'll get that one day. Sukō showed up—literally on Sasuke's head—and told us about the trouble. We should have known, I mean, it is our kids, so we went to get Naruto right away. And, of course, Hinata insisted on coming along too."

"Which was a good thing," Future Sasuke points out. "There are too many dimensions beginning to superimpose on one another. Sensing chakra signatures right now is next to impossible."

Kakashi physically startles at that, realising that now that it's been mentioned, he can barely sense Jikken. It's as though the trace he left on him is coming through deep water or thick mud.

"Unless you're biologically geared toward sensing chakra," Future Naruto finishes, a bragging note in his voice. "Hinata's been keeping us on track. It's how we're going to find the center of whatever's going on and deal with it."

"Especially since the world in here is completely wrong," Hinata says grimly. "The stars, land markers...things are moving around the longer this phenomenon is active. I'm surprised you were able to get out of that battlefield, Sasuke. The way things are now, you're extremely lucky you didn't end up somewhere or some time completely different."

"We're not at that point yet. Soon, though," Future Sasuke says. "People and places from other times are beginning to solidify here. Likely they're competing with all times and places on a subatomic level and whatever's strongest is winning out."

"That's what happened to us just now!" Sakura gasps. "We were travelling, and then suddenly there was a war going on around us!"

"And that's why you disappeared without warning?" Future Naruto asks his friend, mild repudiation in his tone.

"Sakura was in danger," Future Sasuke replies simply and utterly unbothered.

His wife frowns at this. "I was right beside you."

And although she doesn't say it, everyone here's the silent and I can take care of myself at the end of her sentence.

"He means me," Sakura speaks up quietly. "But how did you know? Naruto—Future Naruto said only Hinata could still sense chakra right now."

Future Sasuke's expression tightens, becoming grimmer.

"Because," he says quietly, "I'm beginning to remember."

There's a beat of stunned silence.

"What do you mean, you're beginning to remember?" Future Naruto asks, his brows drawing together in confusion. "Remember what?"

"All of this," his friend replies. "It's still very fragmented, but I remember today happening. From a different vantage point."

His gaze falls on his younger self, frowning. Sasuke feels very much like he is being judged and found wanting. In fact, he gets the sense that his older self may, for some unknown reason, feel ashamed of him.

He opens his mouth to demand what the hell is the guy's problem, but the man turns away right then and says, "Time is blurring. It's possible my close proximity to my younger form is causing it. We share the same mind and soul. That may be causing an overlap and merging of memories."

"How is that possible?" his wife asks. "It would be happening to all of us, wouldn't it? But I can't remember a thing."

"Neither can I," Future Naruto adds.

"Or whatever sealed everyone's memories in the first place was made deliberately weaker in order to give Sasuke an opportunity to intervene exactly when he needed to," Kakashi suggests.

"What exactly do you remember?" Hinata inquires.

"Sakura was dragged off somewhere. I tried to reach her, and then I saw myself—this self—appear just in time to intervene," Future Sasuke explains.

"So you knew you were going to save me, which meant you had to save me, so you knew how to find me to save me," Sakura says, screwing up her face. "Does anyone else have a headache?"

Both Narutos raise their hands.

"Wait a minute," Future Sakura interrupts, although she doesn't pause the steady stream of healing chakra that she focusses into Kakashi's chest, "that doesn't make sense at all. You shouldn't be able to remember anything."

"Why not?" Sakura asks. "Most memory techniques are only temporary anyhow. Even the strongest would begin to give way over time."

"Exactly. What's happening right now is huge, too big for a regular Memory Block or Memory Erasure Technique to just hide. Unless the memories were expunged completely, something would trigger us to recall them at some point. Especially considering all the stuff that's going to happen to you guys in the next few years." She glances at Kakashi. "You would never take that risk. You would do a full sealing. At most, the memories might peek through in dreams, but they'd never fully manifest."

"Unless it isn't a common memory technique at all," Sasuke realises slowly, his mind racing at the abilities he's seen his older self display. Snippets of what he's heard his brother is capable of—what he has experienced him being capable of. "It's entirely possible that what hides our memories is just a very strong genjutsu."

"A genjutsu that would have to be cast by someone strong enough to change the memories of even someone possessing such vast chakra reserves that they might be able resist it," Future Sasuke finishes, and this time it's Naruto that finds himself under his scrutiny.

No, wait...it's not just me!

Future Sasuke isn't just looking at him, he's looking at the Nine-Tails within him.

Wait a minute, he can see you?!

There is no answer except for a suspicious growl; for once the fox demon doesn't seem to have anything to say. In fact, a tense, wary silence radiates from that dank, dark place within Naruto's soul. A wave of emotions radiate from the cage—anger, frustration, confusion, curiosity—and the beast can't seem to settle on just the one.

Naruto can't help feeling some of that himself, especially considering the older version of Sasuke has been so careful not to reveal the existence of the Nine-Tails to everyone else. At this point keeping secrets is kind of useless, but it's as if this Sasuke somehow understands why Naruto still wants to keep it to himself.

It's like at some point he might actually become a decent human being.

I wonder how hard I have to punch him before he gets this new personality...

"That's everyone," Future Sakura announces, interrupting those thoughts. She straightens up from where she's just finished treating Kakashi, cracking her knuckles and then stretches. Then she frowns over at her husband. "Well, almost everyone."

She strides over to Future Sasuke and without preamble sets her hands on either side of his face. Her jaw set in concentration, the mark upon her forehead begins to glow. Seconds later, a winding ribbon of black moves down her face and wraps around her arms, and inexplicably connecting with his skin as well. It stretches beneath the collar of his shirt, and presumable down across the rest of his body.

Future Sasuke's eyes shut in a grimace, his entire form braced as if against a powerful blow. Having had Naruto and Sasuke share their chakra with him, which wasn't exactly a painless experience, Kakashi recognises what she's doing immediately. Based on what he has seen of Sarada's strength and this Sakura's healing power, he can only imagine that getting a concentrated injection of chakra from her must be like being hit by a rolling boiler.

He's impressed Sasuke can take it without making even a sound of discomfort.

Eventually, Future Sakura pulls away, her mark receding, and her husband opens his eyes; the glowing purple eye is visible once more, and trained on her now in an aggrieved air. "You shouldn't have done that. You don't know what we might end up facing, you'll need all the chakra you have."

"You overtaxed the Rinnegan saving Past-Me's life. It's long overdue," she tells him with a cheeky smile. "Besides, you don't know what we might end up facing either, so we need you in the best shape possible. And I've got more than enough chakra."

He adopts a put-upon expression and turns away from her; Sakura hears him mutter annoying under his breath, but what stuns her is the obvious note of affection in the word.

Sasuke mirrors her reaction, completely unable to comprehend the absolute ease with which his future self interacts with his – their - wife. It's one thing to know that they will be married one day – to suspect that he will care for and respect his chosen spouse – but there's a subtle warmth in their interactions that Sasuke hasn't seen or experienced since his parents.

And when she turns around and he sees his family's insignia on her back—on the back of someone that isn't him—it feels as if he can't breathe.

"Where did Konohamaru and the kids go?" Future Sakura asks, voice coming as if from far away.

"From what we've guessed, somewhere around here," Kakashi says, drawing out his bloodstained map of the area. He points out the part where the valley gorge begins climb into rocky hills and the small mountain chain. "Not that this does us much good if what Hinata said was true. But based on the information we have, it seems the most likely."

"And you just happened to be heading in the same direction?"

Kakashi winces, because the gleam in Future Sakura's eyes is not amusement. "'Happened' is sort of a strong word."

"And what word would you use?"

"Don't get mad at Kakashi-sensei, I didn't give him a choice," Sakura interrupts, causing Kakashi to wince again and Future Sasuke to subtly shake his head 'no' behind his wife's back.

"You didn't give him a choice?" Future Naruto repeats, missing the by-play.

"I'm the one in charge," Sakura says, putting her hands on her hips and trying to feel more confident than she is. "He was wounded and gave command of our mission to me."

Future Sakura's eye twitches, and Future Naruto points out, "Leaders are supposed to get their team away from the danger, not run toward it."

"Yeah, and friends don't leave their friends behind!" Naruto interjects, coming to Sakura's defense. "It's the right thing to do, right Sasuke?"

Sasuke simply nods, narrowing his eyes in challenge at his future self.

Future Naruto sighs and shoots an annoyed look at Kakashi. "It's your fault we were always like this, you know."

"I was just encouraging leadership skills."

"Kakashi-sensei, there is a time and a place to encourage leadership skills, but that time is not when the world is about to implode on itself because of fluctuations in the time-space continuum! And especially not when the very existence of our children is at stake!" Future Sakura barks, a vein in her temple pulsing. "You're supposed to be the adult here, shannaro!"

"I dunno what exactly she's expecting from a guy that skips training to read porn," Naruto mutters to himself.

"Yeah, you'd think she'd be used to it after twenty years," his older self agrees.

"Don't antagonise her, dear," Hinata reminds both of him quietly. "I'm not very happy with Kakashi-sensei myself right now."

"Uh...right..." The orange-clad man immediately adopts a look of contrition.

Future Sakura balls up her right fist, clearly considering the merits of punching Kakashi into the surrounding rock-face but is stopped by her husband's hand on her shoulder.

"Killing him right now would be counter-productive."

"...Fine. But you can bet your ass I'm gonna kill him when we get home!"

Kakashi swallows. It's possible that there might be an upside to winking out of existence if it means avoiding that beating.

"Let's, erm, get back on task," he agrees hurriedly, indicating the map once more. "I'm not exactly sure where exactly we're all headed. According to maps and surveys, there's nothing in this area. At least, not in our time."

"Yes, there is, if you know where to look," Future Sasuke says.

"What do you mean?"

Future Sasuke indicates a point just below the slope of the mountain. "There's an old Uchiha family stronghold here. Secret. Accessible only to those who know where it is, and who possess a Sharingan that can get them inside."

Kakashi doesn't ask how he knows this or why the Uchiha would need a stronghold. That's a conversation best left for another day.

"But if only someone with a Sharingan can get in, then that would only mean you or Sarada," Future Naruto says. "There's no one left alive who could do that."

Sasuke grits his teeth at the final confirmation that his brother truly is dead in this unbelievable future. The tight feeling in his chest intensifies.

Meanwhile, Sakura twitches uncomfortably. The meeting with Itachi, however brief and inexplicable, is still very much on her mind. She hopes he's woken up and gotten out of harms way before the bubble expanded. Or at least avoided getting eaten by some prehistoric monster from another time.

Then she blinks.

The world is truly crazy if she's concerned over the fate of a mass-murdering criminal.

"...it seems there's still a lot you guys don't know," Kakashi is saying.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke interrupts. "They know more than we do. Sarada said she got the information about all this from you." He glares at his future self suspiciously. "If anything, you should be telling us what the hell is going on."

Future Sasuke's expression remains utterly, obviously blank. Alarm bells ring in Sakura's head and she quickly begins to stutter.

"Y-yeah, that's right! Sarada said she learned about Teisōko Uchiha from you. But that you didn't know about her until around your time anyway and that's why she didn't say anything right away when all this started happening," she babbles nervously. "I bet there's a whole bunch of stuff about the Uchiha that our you doesn't know yet, right?"

Sasuke's adult self holds her gaze very carefully, obvious calculation going on in his eyes that makes it clear he has no idea what she's talking about.

Damn it, I knew Sarada and I should have come up with a better story!

"I mean, uh, you'd have to find it all out for yourself. Because no one else could possibly run into you to tell you about her. I mean, she was pretty clear about you and her being the only ones left who would know that sort of thing."

Her whole team is looking at her as if she's lost her mind; so are their future selves. Sakura wonders if she hasn't and wishes the ground would swallow her up. She's a bad liar to begin with, but when it means keeping information from Sasuke, she's even worse.

"Um, sorry, I'm just...this whole situation is so weird, okay? And...I'm a bit dizzy," she laughs nervously. "All the time shifting is getting to me. Because, you know, all of this is so weird and messing the world up. I mean, are clouds supposed to be red like that? I don't think clouds are supposed to be red..."

At which point Future Sasuke's eyes widen and he nods incrementally.

"You should sit down before you fall down," he tells her quiet.

"Hey, past-me is stronger than that," Future-Sakura protests, but she leans closer. "Although, it's possible I missed a concussion when I was healing you before..."

"Um...yeah, it's possible, I mean, I did almost blow myself up," Sakura agrees hurriedly, allowing the older woman to check her out once again.

But Sasuke is having none of it.

"What the hell is going on?" he demands, taking a step toward his future self. He knows the man is hiding something—after all, out of everyone here, Sasuke is the only one who can truly read the man's every facial expression and put the correct thought to it. "You're hiding something from me."

"It's nothing we can concern ourselves with right now," Future Sasuke maintains, his overt aloofness implicitly confirming Sasuke's suspicions.

"But it's something," he insists angrily. "Something you're keeping from me." He shoots Sakura a betrayed look. "And you know what it is, don't you?"

"I-I..."

"Leave her be," his older self dismisses.

"No. Sakura, tell me what's going on," Sasuke orders, unable to fight back the wild, inexplicable panic. He still can't breathe, and the only way he knows to deal with that helplessness is to fight, to go for the weak link, break the chink in his opposition and take it down—

She backs away from him, eyes wide. "S-Sasuke – your...your..."

She's pale and pointing at something beside his face, and it's then that he grows aware of the burning sensation in his neck.

He didn't even notice the curse mark begin to activate in reaction to his confused emotions. Just as he doesn't notice exactly when his future self moves, planting himself right in front of him and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"Stop," the man orders, and Sasuke finds himself staring into mismatched eyes, the right one spinning into a six-pointed pattern he has never seen before.

"Sasuke!" he hears several people chorus.

"When this is over, I will answer your questions, but now is not the time," his future self states firmly. "Control yourself before you do something thoughtless."

"I am in control," Sasuke insists angrily, although it occurs to him he's not sure what he's angrier about: having information being kept from him or the fact that Sakura of all people is complicit in it.

Future Sasuke appears to sense his thoughts, because his eyes flash. Then, in a voice too low for anyone to hear, he hisses, "That girl is one of the main reasons you don't become something worse than the monster that destroyed the Uchiha. You haven't let that mark hurt her yet, don't allow it to now."

As the directive is given, Sasuke feels something settle over him: an artificial calm, almost an afterthought really. He knows it's genjutsu, and it should bother him, but it's bringing his heartrate back down and his breathing becomes easier. He feels the mark on his neck recede.

A beat later, his future self releases him, eyes still gleaming with warning.

Sasuke feels shaken, like something in him has shifted a few degrees on his axis. He blinks, trying to reorient himself from what just happened, and his gaze falls on Sakura. She has one hand clutched in front of her, like she wants to reach out for him but is holding back. For the first time that he can recall, he has the urge to apologise to her.

He tamps down on that. His mood might be influenced by the curse mark and the genjutsu, but he's not pleased with having information kept from him, even if he knows that right now isn't the time. He won't apologise for that.

Looking around, he once more becomes aware of the attention on him. Naruto and Kakashi are eyeing him warily, while the future shinobi appear knowing. That bothers him more than the attention itself.

"What?" he snaps defensively, causing at least Hinata to look away.

"Damn it," Future Naruto says quiet. "I didn't realise this you already had the curse-mark by now...that means..."

He and Future Sakura adopt identical grim looks. Sasuke feels his hackles rise again, which his future self notices.

"It's not our concern," he points out. "And as Sakura mentioned earlier, yes I have told Sarada some stories of the Uchiha." His tone is sombre. "Probably not the ones I should have, however. But this story is so old..." He closes his eyes, seemingly trying to focus.

Sakura wonders if he's straining against whatever has been holding his memories at bay, or if he actually does know a little about Teisōko.

It'd be nice if he could just remember how the hell we fix this situation, but I guess that's too much to ask...

"The story is obscure. Records from long ago, that I didn't even know existed until I was a few years older than you," he tells his younger self. There is no lie there that anyone can detect.

"Wait... Teisōko," Future Sakura murmurs. "Wasn't that one of the names we found in the library in Suganuma when we were researching...?"

"Yes. The records were hard to find. Even harder to decipher, without certain...abilities."

"You mean that Mango Cute Sharingan, right?" Naruto pipes up, annoyed at being left out of the conversation.

Future Naruto sighs and says to Hinata, "You married me for my looks, didn't you?"

Future Sasuke proceeds to give a quick retelling of what he knows of Teisōko's existence. It sounds even more vague than what Sarada said to her, and Sakura can see the confusion on everyone's face as he tells it. She does her best to fill in everything that Sarada figured out, and by the darkening look on her future husband's face, he very quickly came to the same conclusions.

Future Naruto, too, looks forbidding.

"If this is all true, there's no way that you guys can be involved anymore," Future Naruto tells them, sounding genuinely rueful. "If something happens to you, we're all dead. So from this point on, you have to take cover somewhere safe."

The rest of the adults make noises of agreement.

"So you're basically telling us to sit on our butts and let you handle everything?" Sakura asks, somehow caught up short by this. It's the logical reaction, but at the same time, she didn't really expect it. "As if we're just children?"

"You are just children," her older self says apologetically. When Sakura makes a face, the woman continues, "Sorry. Any other situation I'd be fully supportive. But I know myself. I remember being you, even if I don't remember all of this. And back then...Well, I know how strong your heart is. All of your hearts. But right now, you'd just get hurt."

"Hey, who cares if we get hurt! You're acting like we can't take a few punches!" Naruto counters. "You saw all that damage we took and are still standing! Come on!"

"We know you're strong, Naruto," Hinata says pleadingly. "You always have been. But one wrong move, and with the world being as unstable as it is right now...it's not a good idea. Please. Please believe me when I say you are too important to risk. If you die now...so many people will die as well. Including me. Including our son, our daughter—"

"Daughter?!" Naruto chokes, the wind momentarily taken out of his sails. "I have two kids?"

Surprising as that is, Kakashi is more shocked by the fact Hinata managed all those words without stuttering once. Still, he moves beyond that, and says, "Listen. It's true that the kids need to stay somewhere safe. But you four might need an extra Sharingan, especially if this whole situation is caused by an evolved Sharingan technique. I can help you."

"Sorry, Kakashi-sensei, you're just as important," Future Sakura apologises.

"Besides, we've got a lot of practice being impressive," Future Naruto boasts. "It's not like this is the first goddess we've been up against, believe it!"

Future Sasuke nods imperiously, making his younger self want to punch him.

"If you're so impressive, why are you missing an arm?" he challenges, only just managing to keep the petulant note from his voice.

Future Sasuke narrows his eyes at him. "Because I was an idiot. Something you should know a lot about."

Sasuke recoils a bit at that, while Sakura cries, "Hey!"

"You can't talk to yourself like that!" Naruto snaps. "Even if it is kind of funny, you're the grown-up here!"

And suddenly, somehow, it's the Team 7 of the past, standing united against their future selves, while Kakashi and Hinata look on.

I would be immensely proud if all this wasn't utterly surreal.

Future Sakura sighs and shakes her head, while Future Naruto sniggers. "I forgot what monumental pains in the ass we could be at that age."

"I never did," Future Sasuke replies, mouth pulling in a smirk; a second later it's gone, replaced with iron resolve. "Which is why I'm going to make sure you four sit this one out. For all our safety."

That's all the warning that they get before his Rinnegan begins to glow, and the world around them shifts. By the time the younger Team 7 realise what has happened, another portal has opened up around them. The valley gorge is gone, and Kakashi and his students are inexplicably standing all alone in the middle of a vast, endless desert.

Silence surrounds them, except for the dead whisper of sand being moved by the wind.

"Are you kidding?!" Sakura howls in frustration.

Kakashi blinks into the space that was just filled by his future students. "Alright...that I wasn't expecting."

Naruto turns to his friend, uncharacteristically calm, and says, "I guess older you is still a dick after all."

つづく

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