——Bloom Again——

“To bloom again, a flower must first wilt and fall off its plant,”

——————————

"You do not know anything!"

Blood,Screams,Bodies everywhere.

What's going on?

Where am I?

"You do not know anything,"

That voice!

"Stop pretending you know everything!"

Sasuke?

"His blood, I need it."

Stop it Sasuke! This is not you.

"I'm an avenger,"

Avenger my ass,Sasuke. Stop being crazy and just come back home. Itachi is dead.

"Then, I must avenge for the death of Itachi. I must destroy Konoha."

Sasuke-

"I'll kill anyone who dare to stand in my way, even you."

What-

"Especially you!"

Stop!

"Chidori!" The sounds of the bird chirping was almost ringing to her ears

Fuck. Sasuke-kun, please stop!

A pair of eyes snapped open and there were black swirls and a flock of crows were suddenly surrounding her floating body.

"Haruno Sakura, who are you?"

Sakura's emerald eyes snap open as she gasped for air. Her hands were on her neck,holding and reassuring herself that she was okay, and it was all a nightmare—a nightmare from her past again. For a moment when her eyes trail past around her bedroom, she swore there was a bird sitting on her window pane,watching her. But when she blinked, it was already gone.

"Sakura, are you awake yet? Your father and I will be going to work soon!" Her mother's voice can be heard from downstairs

"Hai! Coming down in 5 minutes," Sakura replied cheerfully before going to the bathroom to wash up.

Unbeknown to Sakura, a black crow flew back to her window pane. It's red eyes with black swirls that were so alike with a certain body flicker expert had already analyse the situation.

::

Kakashi would like to think that he's observant. Observant enough to spot Gai at the flea market before Gai spotted him, observant enough to know when it would rain just by the smell in the air and observant enough to know when someone had gone through war and hardships.

All the signs were pointing to war or had seen violence first hand and it confuses him to an extend. Why was Sakura acting like she had gone through war?

He had noticed her flinching at any form of violence or the way her hands had immediately reach out underneath her qipau when he suddenly unmasked his chakra and there was a shining piece of metal or how ragged her breathing became and how her kiling intent spiked dangerously high after watching Naruto—the demon boy— being bullied by the civillians.

And although her green emerald eyes were shining brightly, there was always a distant look on them. She always look like she's thinking— analysing .

Blame his curiousity but he had stal—observed the Haruno family for awhile and nothing indicate violence in the family. Kizashi was a man who would make dad jokes regularly—something that Kakashi cringes at everytime — and Mebuki was a stern yet caring mother. Both make a good couple and with Sakura around, it's a happy go lucky family.

It kinda makes him a little jealous when he saw how much love that family has for each other while his family was fill with despair and death—death of a mother who was never there, the death of his father—which had hit him the hardest and it was all because of—Konoha, the council not defending his father's pride, the pathetic civi—

'No,' Kakashi thought, he was over this topic a long time ago. Konoha was not to be blame...right?

"Kakashi? Have you finally understand how important youth is that you've stop arguing about it?"

His lone eye crinkle at the thought of him finally understanding how important youth is and his eye focus back to the man wearing green spandex in front of him.

"Mah, Gai, I didn't think you would look down on me like that,"

"Ah! How insensitive of me to say that Kakashi!I apologize. To make you forgive me, I shall run 100—No 200 laps around the village!"

And in less than a second, Kakashi was left alone. He hummed in appreciation at the lack of a certain bowl haired man and continues to read through Lisa, his 18+ Literature yet his mind is still determine to see—and understand what the pinkette is going through.

::

Neji could not stop thinking about the obnoxious pink haired brat.
Who was she to deny what fate had decide for her? Who was she to say she will ignore fate's path and instead make her own? And all of this just because of a friend? She really was a fool.

Neji clenches his fist and released his breath that he didn't even know he held.

That pink vixen has been crowding his mind and it makes him more prone in making mistakes when training with his team. Tenten had shot him a look of worry when he barely misses the projectile she had thrown in his direction. She had a good reason to be worry because Neji never ever gotten close at being hit by a projectile before.

Lee on the other hand seems to think he lacks youth and therefore had the audacity to invite him, The Neji Hyuga to a seminar on how to increase The Power of Youth held by the one and only, Maito Gai.

Neji had to clench his fist and was so close at activating his Byakugan. It was so tempting but he held it all in. It won't do him any good if the clan hears him attacking someone who's not even from a clan. Attacking Lee would just be a waste of time and effort.

After all, Fate has already decide that those who doesn't have any talent at birth will never gain any talent at all in the future. One could say that everything is already decided at birth.

It is how the world works.

It is how his father died.

It is how he will die; By protecting—No—his destiny is to be a sacrifice—a black sheep to and for the Hyuga clan and it will remain that way.

For the Main Family Members,

For their heiress,

For his cousin,

For Hinata.

::

"Sakura-chan, I don't understand. Who are we waiting for again?" The blond boy scratch the back of his head and gave a sheepish smile

"It was only suppose to be just me until you both came along," Sakura grumbles as she fiddles with the grass underneath her

"Well you didn't want to tell us where you're going and it was going to be night soon so it's very dangerous for a lady like you to walk home alone so we accompanied you."Naruto retorted crossing his arms

Sakura sigh softly, whether it's the past or future, both Naruto and Sasuke would always make it their duty to peotect Sakura no matter how capable they knew she was. It upsets her a little bit but she has grown to endure it.

"I didn't sign up for this, like this idiot did. I told him to leave you be, but he drag my ass into this," Sasuke mutter from the side folding his arms together. His form never wavers until Naruto mentions something that make him froze.

"Oi, weren't you the one who suggest to follow—"

From beside him, Sasuke's hands move and elbowed Naruto in the stomach causing him to sputter on his words and stop what he was about to say "Shut up Dobe. You're being way too loud."

"Teme, I wasn't being loud!"

"Naruto," Sakura warned because Naruto was getting louder and that might attract unwanted attention.

"It wasn't my fault Sakura-chan!"

Just as Sakura was about to give Naruto a warning glare, there was a flash of black and a figure appear in between Sakura and Naruto. Sasuke tenses up immediately and reach out for his shurikens.

"Hello,"

"Fuc—Sai, how many times did I tell you not to scare me?"Sakura blurted out and Sai's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion

"I don't recall any other time I scare you, Sakura."

Sakura curse herself for mixing up between the future Sai (who she has warned to not scare her or else she'll beat his ass up) and the current Sai she's talking to.

But as always, our number one unpredicatable ninja came to save the day for Sakura. "Wh—Sakura-chan, you know this weird fellow?"

"Ah, right yes. This is Sai. The guy I'm meeting secretly—"Sakura move infront of Sai and points at him

Naturally, Naruto misunderstands Sakura's words and sputters out yet again "Sakura-chan, you're dating him?!"

Sai confusedly tilted his head. Dating...? Hm, he'll make a mental note to read more about that.

"What, no! He's a friend."Sakura stated out and Naruto let a sigh of relief escape his lips. "Sai, this is Naruto and that broody one over there is Sasuke," Sakura introduced them and quietly hopes everything runs smoothly.

The last time Team 7 plus Sai met in the future before the war, Naruto broke his leg, Kakashi loss Mika (Newest edition of his 18+ literature) , Sai suffer a massive hungover and Sasuke's house almost got burn down. Thank kami she had Yamato to help her clean up the mess.

"He looks like a retarded version of Teme!" Naruto exclaimed before he himself burst out laughing as he points towards both Sai and Sasuke

"Naruto, that's not nice!"

While Sakura continues to lecture the blonde haired boy why he shouldn't comment on other people's looks plus using a slur of all things if he wants to be a respectable Hokage, Sasuke took the advantage to get to know the look alike boy.

"What is Sakura to you?" His voice were calm but there was a hidden threat lying underneath that even Sai had notice yet didn't show any response

"She said she will be my friend so I suppose that means she is my friend," Sai replied, shooting Sasuke his fake smile.

Sasuke scowled, "That's what she thinks of you. What do you think of her?"

"Well, she is lacking in certain department unlike most woman—" Sai couldn't finish his sentence as he was quite rudely interrupted by the person he was talking about.

"Sai," Sakura warned, her face was flush red either in anger or embarrassment, the two other boys dont know. She was 11 for godsake and Sai expect her has a huge bust like Anko or Hinata? Never.

"I was only replying to Mr duck butt over here,"

And as Naruto's laughter rings through the forest like an annoying alarm clock once more and Sakura's angry scowled has soften at the given nickname, Sasuke decided he didn't like Sai. Not one bit.

But all laughter tune down when they sense another chakra coming their way. Sai had tensed up immediately knowing exactly who was the owner of the incoming chakra.

He turn to see Sakura was already pulling both boys to go home "I got to go now, see you again Sakura, duckbutt and Naruto."

Sakura flash him a comforting smile and nod before finally moving away, leaving Sai sitting alone, his back againts a tree trunk with his sketchbook right next to him.

Not long after, a familiar figure flashed beside him.

"Shin," Sai greeted back

"What are you doing out here?" so far away from ROOT was left unsaid but Sai knew what Shin meant.

"I was appreciating the art of nature," Came his simple reply

"Alone?"

"Yes, alone Shin," Sai emphasized as he dust himself to stand up and walk away, his hands holding on to his sketchbook.

"There's no use in lying to me. I know you since you were a little one." Shin said and Sai hold on to the sketchbook even tighter.

Questions ran in and out of his head.  How did Shin know? Is he going to tell Danzo? Is that meeting going to be last time he saw Sakura?

As if Shin could read Sai's mind,he chuckle and then his face were serious again. "I'm not going to stop you from meeting them. But, you have to know that Danzo already knows. He's restricting you from meeting them. If you continue out this way, you're going to endanger your friend's lifes."

Sai's expression were now horrified.   He knew what Danzo is capable of—Danzo would have kill them if he know how Sakura was affecting him.

How Sakura was making him feel,

How Sakura was making him more human.

"I—I understand," Sai finally stammers out. He knows what he would have to do. The sketchbook he was holding fell onto the floor. It was long forgotten and no longer in use.

::

“And when the end came, my emotions faded into oblivion. My heart became strong, but my mind became nothing. ”

::

"Danzo-sama, I believe he is now ready,"

A deep chuckle rattles through out the underground basement."Excellent work, Shin. Get the project starting immediately. I want this boy to learn the true meaning of loyalty."

"Yes, Danzo-sama,"

"Are you prepared for what you will have to contribute? It wouldn't be nice if the project itself is unprepared to test these test subjects. There are always others we can choose to replace you, " The hidden threat lying was not miss by Shin.

Shin shakes his head, "I promise you that I'm in the best of health, Danzo-sama."

"Good, I only expect the best Shin,"

—To be continued—

Hello I'm back with a new chapter! It took so long to update this chapter because I loss inspiration for the original plan. It was supposed to be The Rookies having dinner and discussing about their experience in the forest but I just felt I couldn't write a lot about that. Maybe next time I'll try that idea again.

Since you all have been good readers,here's a hint for the next chapter!

Next Chapter: Sai, Shin and Root