An Unknown World

This is love

Days passed and nothing more happened to cause any widespread panic. It seemed like some unnatural phenomenon every time there was an explosion outside of the walls, but I knew better. I knew it was that man that I had been with in the woods. For whatever reason, he seemed to enjoy toying with the nerves of the Hokage and Kakashi.

The night after the most recent event, Kakashi sat me down and told me the story of what happened to his eye all those years ago and about the man who did it to him. In return, I told him everything I knew and could remember to try and help piece the mystery together. We did come to the realization that I was a mistake. The man had clearly wanted Kakashi and ended up taking me instead, which when we brought this up to Minato he agreed and placed Kakashi under village arrest, basically barring him from leaving under any circumstances.

"It's likely that this man's ability to travel through time isn't a stable jutsu that he has full control over. It also seems that it is limited in time between usage, but that gap may be closing if that explosion was him traveling again," Minato tapped his fingers on his desk in thought.

"If he's from the future, it could be further ahead than my time that he had traveled back from. So...he might be someone you meet way later in life, Kakashi." I looked over at him as he leaned against the windows gazing over the village. "I just don't understand why he isn't attacking. It's like he's playing with our emotions."

Minato nodded. "Psychological warfare. He seems to excel at that. He wants us to go to him, but we won't be swayed so easily." His tapping got louder as we all went silent to consider all of the facts we had laid before us. It wasn't but a few minutes before Minato broke the silence again. "Who knows how long he's been around, right under our noses and we never knew..."

Kakashi looked over at his mentor. "You mean besides that time back with Obito? You've met him before?"

"I believe so. You see when we fought him the first time—or what seemingly was the first time, he had already been marked by me. Which means at some point that man and I fight or fought and I let him escape," Minato shook his head defeated. "I don't remember someone who looked like him though. I would remember that eye and the bloodlust."

"Maybe not." I chimed in, the ideas swirling in my head making sense finally. "Maybe he's changed in the future, altered himself. Maybe...he isn't the same person you marked in battle anymore."

Kakashi moved from the window and paced the room. "He created a new body for himself...like how Obito gave me his eye. He could be one big experiment and that's why his jutsu is unstable. Why he hasn't ever just killed me and had excuses to come back...he's building the perfect body..."

"Just like Orochimaru." I said, unthinking of the time period yet again. Getting baffled looks from the two men and shaking them off. "That's not a story for right now, but if that's true it means he's biding his time because he doesn't have the strength to kill you just yet, Kakashi. At least not how he wants to."

I could see the chill go up his spine at the words. Both of us knowing it meant the man planned on doing his absolute worst to him once he did capture him. Kakashi wasn't one to be afraid of things like that, but it was obvious that this man left an impression long ago that still haunted his thoughts and dreams.

Minato rose from his seat and went around the desk to lean back against it. "The most important thing right now is to get you back home safely and keep your timeline in order. Preferably, we send you back before while he is still in our timeline roaming around. Based on previous instances of him causing these time explosions, I say we have a good amount of time before he attempts to leave again."

"And you can do that?" I raised an eyebrow curiously. Just days ago, it was a question of how and now he sounded like he was prepared and had all the answers.

"Not from the village, or more so not without proper tools but I did do some thinking and it's a long shot to work but based on my knowledge of inter-dimensional jutsu I have a theory." He hummed. "You said you and Naruto are best friends, correct?"

I nodded, not understanding what that had to do with anything. Naruto wasn't even born yet.

"When is your birthday, Sakura?"

"March third...but what does that have to do—"
Kakashi quickly interrupted my thoughts with his own. "Today is March first." He looked at me. "Kushina is pregnant with Naruto, due in October of this year. Which means..."

Minato nodded. "Sakura, your birthday is in two days. In two days, you'll become existent in this timeline as you were meant to be."

"Which means it's possible that the you standing here will disappear..." Kakashi's eye widened. "We don't know if that sends her back to her time though."

"What other choice do we have, Kakashi?" Minato sighed. "My only other choice would be traveling to Roran, convincing a princess that this is a real threat, and opening the ley line to send her back. That could destroy their entire city and we might not even make it in time. This is our only option right now."

Kakashi was upset. Visibly ready to have an emotional outburst over the risky decision that the man made without any thought to consider other options and now they had two days. He stormed out before he could say anything more that would probably get him into trouble. I excused myself from the Hokage's office and chased him down.

"Kakashi! Wait a minute and let's talk about this!" I called after him once we were just about to the mountain with the Hokage's faces etched into it, him slowing to a halt at the base of it where nobody was around.

"There isn't anything to talk about, Sakura. I just need a minute to clear my mind." He shook his head, defeated once again.

I walked up next to him and wrapped my arm around his tightly. "Don't be angry at Lord Fourth, Kakashi. He doesn't have many options..." Even I knew that it wasn't a move he was making because he didn't care what happened, it was a short notice realization and the only option that made any sense at the moment.

"I'm scared, Sakura," He said in a low tone. His hands flexing into fists as he tried to process the emotions. "What if you don't go back...what if you cease to exist in the future? I don't know if I can handle that..."

I frowned. I didn't expect that to be his worry, not after the conversation a few nights ago about how he had an issue caring for people he didn't know. Was I a turning point for that feeling? "Kakashi...you don't have to worry about that for nineteen years, almost." I tried to give him a small smile. "You in the future doesn't feel like this about me. It won't hurt the way you think it will if that does happen. You'll lose a student, not..."

"Someone I love?" He was looking down at me now. I swore I saw a tear in his dark eye for a moment when he said it too. "You don't believe I could possibly love you later in life...the way I do now."

"Y-you love m—" are the only words I could stutter out before his lips crashed into mine. I didn't even see him pull his mask down he was so quick. My mind spiraled in the best way though and I wrapped my arms up around the back of his neck to pull myself closer to him. His arms snaking around my back tightly as if I was going to disappear right then and there.

As we finally pulled apart, breathless and heart racing, Kakashi rested his forehead against mine, his eye searching mine for any sign of doubt or hesitation. But all I could see reflected in his gaze was a deep, genuine affection that mirrored my own.

"I love you, Sakura. And I don't want to lose you," Kakashi whispered, his voice filled with emotion.

In that moment, beneath the watchful gaze of the Hokage's mountain, we were not just two individuals caught in the midst of a time-traveling mystery. We were a team, united by love and bound by a connection that transcended time and space.