"SASUKE-TEME!" Future Naruto called to his friend as they ran. "Any sign of them?" The four shinobi were jumping from tree to tree effortlessly.

Sasuke shook his head, worry entering his mind for his daughter and student. "I'm sure they're somewhere up ahead." Maybe we'll need to jump ahead few days.

"Hinata-chan, got anything?" Naruto asked hopefully, turning to his wife.

The Hyuuga heiress shook her head, extending the Byakugan farther in. "Sorry, anata. Although I am picking up faint traces of strong chakra over by the Uchiha Hideout."

"By now Younger Sasuke-kun and Itachi-san would've fought. Right?" Sakura asked, scanning the forests for anything that would give her a hint on where her precious daughter is. If they could figure out what day it was, it would help reduce where they were in this timeline.

Sasuke shook his head. "By now, yes, just at the beginning. I'm probably just now reaching the compound. But I don't think that's what's happening."

"When are we?" Naruto asked, moving a branch that was about to hit Hinata and Sakura. "Are we ahead or behind the kids?"

"I think it's around the time Jiraiya-sama was killed. That would be behind. We need to hurry." Sasuke looked at his friend, wondering how this would affect him.

Naruto's face became serious. "Do we have time for a quick pit stop? I want to do something I wanted to do years ago."

Sasuke resisted the urge to teleport them to the correct time then and there. Naruto is the Hokage. You can't break his face. He chanted over and over to himself. "I think so. But we do have to hurry up, Naruto. Our kids are--"

"I know. If they're in our time, they won't be expecting the..." he stopped talking, trying to find the word. "darkness... we were in back then. I understand that we need to hurry. But if you could take this one chance-- one chance, to save Itachi, would you?" Naruto asked Sasuke seriously.

"In a heartbeat." Sasuke replied after thinking about it. Technically, he could do that now. But sadly, they only have time to save one of them. Sasuke got to see Itachi again at least once. Naruto deserves this more than he did."Where is the place Pain killed Jiraiya at?"

Sighing with relief, Naruto shivered from the itch to reach out and hug his friend in excitement. Finally, he would be able to do what he'd wanted to for years. Save Pervy Sage. "It's in the Hidden Rain."

"Alright. Let's speed it up." Sasuke said, jumping faster. His companions also sped up.

"I'm coming, Pervy Sage." He whispered. "Please wait for me, dattebayo."

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"Okay, are we going with Kakashi's idea?" Sasuke asked, nervous. His daughter's life was on the line, and they couldn't afford to be careless. "We really don't have time for this."

"Time..." Boruto muttered, then grinned. "Seems like time is the boss of everything, believe it."

Sakura elbowed Hinata. "Look at that, he got Neji's infallible logic."

Hinata giggled, and Boruto beamed proudly. Being compared to your long-dead genius uncle does that to you. Now he understood what Sarada always feels.

Sarada. Boruto frowned and looked down. I'm so sorry. It's my fault we're in this mess, and it's my fault you got kidnapped, too. If I hadn't been so weak and had woken up earlier I would've been able to help you. I promised i would look after you. I failed you, Sara-chan. I'm so sorry.

And even worse... what if future Uncle Sasuke finds out?!

That made Boruto gulp. He almost excused himself to go write his will. Himawari would basically get everything because he promised when he died she could get his stuff. Positive, I know.

"Okay, so is plan A ago?" He asked, getting a serious tone in his voice that woke everyone up to the reality. Sarada was gone, and they had to get her back.

"Yes," Sakura whispered, looking down.

"Hn." Sasuke added helpfully, twirling a kunai in his finger-tips expertly.

Itachi smirked. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen," He pulled Chakra cuffs and grinned. "Let's go turn ourselves in, eh?"

Kakashi sighed and turned around. "Itachi, you make everything so dramatic. Just lock us up."

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Sarada looked up at the sound of voices. Her body was scratched and bleeding from the marks she had made with the kunai, and Shisui still hadn't let up. She was supposed to keep hurting herself until he stopped her or she gave something useful away.

Shisui seemed to be genuinely sorry, too. Every time she scratched herself, he winced and cursed himself for his visual prowess.

When he was finally called away, Sarada noticed little things he did for her. The kunai? He left it in her hands, and she slipped it in her pocket. The locked door? He slipped a piece of paper in between the lock so fast, Sarada couldn't see it with her Sharingan. And her injuries? Tobi came in with a first aid kit and helped her get better. She asked Tobi why, and he said the Other Uchiha told him to.

But now that she knew so much about Tobi, she took the first aid kit, and kicked him out. He had been her only friend in this situation, now he was only a memory.

Then the voices; they sounded so familiar, Sarada almost cried. But hallucinations were apparently getting to her after a day of torture.

"Am I so weak that after one small day I'm hearing my Papa's younger self everywhere?" She questioned herself out loud.

Then the door twisted open, and in came six people.

"Okay, the hallucinations must be getting worse." She told herself as her mom bursted into tears and hugged her tightly. I'm seeing Mama, Papa, Boruto, Hinata-baa, Kakashi-jii Naruto-jii. I should be careful with what's real and what's not.

Naruto grinned. "Hey there, Sarada-chan. How are you doing?"

Kakashi looked her up and down, his eyes squinting with worry. "Hey, Salada."

"Sarada." Sakura sighed, coming from the door to Sarada, scooping her into her arms and nuzzling her face into Sarada's hair. "Dammīt, did those bastards hurt you?" She cursed when she winced. She had accidentally rubbed one of the scratches Sarada had made on her neck when she didn't have control of her body. It was the scariest thing she'd ever experienced.

Sarada frowned. Her mother seemed to be solid, not a hallucination. "Sakura, is it really you?"

"Of course it is," Sakura gave her a small smile. "Now I need you to tell me if you're hurt too badly."

Sarada began to cry. Hard. This was the real Sakura. She hadn't cried since the day she'd been kidnapped, when she was looking at Boruto. Speaking of, there the dobe was, looking at her with a concerned face. "Sarada-chan, you need to tell us if you're okay."

"It's really you," Sarada sobbed, hugging her younger aunt and uncle. "I missed you guys." She whispered into Hinata's ear. Hinata didn't tense at all, even though a preteen she didn't even know well was hugging her.

Hinata in her infinite kindness instead hugged Sarada her tightly. "Sarada-chan, please tell us if you're injured."

Sarada sniffed and backed away, sitting down on the chair again. "I'm physically okay. Mentally... I'm not so sure."

"Honey, what did they do to you?" Sakura asked worriedly, slipping one of Sarada's bangs behind her ear so she could see Sarada's face better.

Sarada smiled a little, raising her arms so they could examine what she had done to herself. "Look what I had to do."

Hinata hugged Sarada tighter, scared.

"Sarada, please tell me they were controlling you." Naruto asked, extremely concerned.

"He was controlling me." Sarada confirmed. "I can't heal myself because of the chakra restraints."

"Sarada, who was 'he'?" Sasuke asked, in a murderous tone of voice.

Sarada looked at her father solemnly, suddenly feeling pity for her uncle. "He said he was Shisui Uchiha."

And that was it. Sasuke had thought he could never be surprised by anything since his kid from the future came for a visit.

Boy was he wrong.

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Itachi sat down on the chair next to Kisame. "Hello everyone."

Excited whispers broke out among the Akatsuki. Specifically, among Tobi and Deidara

"Look, it's Itachi!"

"He's back!" The white Zetsu said, as if the others hadn't noticed the Uchiha elder sitting right next to them in a seat.

"I wonder why he took so long." Deidara muttered, suspicious.

"Everyone shut up, un. Leader-sama wants to speak." Black Zetsu grinned creepily. Everyone did what he said because they wanted to hear what Pain had to say. Deidara grumbled for a few minutes more, though.

Same old Deidara-san. Itachi quietly shook his head. Still annoying. Just like everyone here.

"Uchiha Itachi." Pain's low voice sent shivers down Itachi's spine. His leader didn't know what to think of him, having considered the Uchiha a traitor before, but it appeared that he had returned for good now. "How was your mission, first off?"

"Oh," Itachi said. "It was... refreshing. How was my niece behaving?"

"She has given us nothing so far." Pein-sama replied sharply.

Itachi internally sighed in relief. That's my girl. Good job, Sarada. "Well then. That is a detriment. Should I go in and question her myself? She might do better with someone she knows and loves." Itachi's smirk grew.

"Oh no, Uchiha-san. We already have someone on that. Besides, we put your troublesome brother, his sensei and friends in the room with her clon-- well, you know. They could tell her not to trust you before we could take them out." Pein nodded. "Besides, after that mission, don't you think you deserve a break?"

Her what? Itachi didn't know what Pain had meant when he interrupted himself. His eyes narrowed. He was now worried that the Akatsuki weren't telling him everything. Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Who did you put on information detail? Who here would be more qualified than me, with the Mangekyo Sharingan?"

"Another with that Sharingan." A voice said. Itachi frowned at how familiar the voice was... but no, they were supposed to be dead.

No... his death was never confirmed. Could... Could he have survived? That would be impossible.

"You're dead." Itachi snarled, not looking at the person. He was being tricked. It was a trick. "Is this a genjutsu, Pain-sama? That's low even for you."

"Hello, Itachi." There he was. Alive and well. "I see you adjusted to villain life. Just like I said, we would grow up being hated for what we believed."

No. He's dead. The fall...

"Edo tensei?" Itachi frowned in disbelief. "No. The body was never found."

Pein chuckled. "No, not Edo Tensei. This is the Shisui Uchiha. He's just under a very strong genjutsu that makes him obey my every command. So you see, this is the only way to get anything out of Uchiha Sarada, your niece."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. That was cruel. Shisui's body was being used against him, to torture his clansman. It must be horrible. He still wasn't completely over the shock of the fact that his best friend was still alive. And Sarada..... If Shisui's Sharingan... how had he gotten his eyes back? oh Kami, if he had... He needed to know if she was okay. He looked at Kisame quickly and his partner nodded a little, getting the message.

Itachi looked at his best friend, the one that was supposed to be dead. They were definitely having a conversation later, Pain-sama's approval or not. He felt a little betrayed. Shisui had been alive this whole time... and he'd never come to find Itachi. He was upset to say the least. Shisui hadn't had any idea how hard it was for him, Shisui's death along with killing the clan? It'd almost been too much.

He'd pushed through, for Sasuke's sake, but Shisui had left him alone. Itachi specifically remembered wishing for Shisui's guidance on more than one occasion, and the Uchiha Massacre had been one. He had been the big brother figure that Itachi had looked up to and modeled after, especially when dealing with Sasuke.

Itachi had questions.

And Itachi also had an idea.