Sarada's head hurt.

That was the one thing she knew. Her eyes were closed, and her head was pounding. She'd just had a really weird dream, her bed had suddenly gotten hard, and she smelled grass.

Wait.

Grass?!

"HEY! Sarada!" A voice she didn't recognize shouted. She heard pounding feet, which made her head hurt worse, and they stopped in front of her. "Get up! What're you doing on the floor?!"

Sarada opened her eyes. Standing in front of her was a strange girl, around 5,8 or 5,9, was wearing an ANBU outfit...

She had the trademark onyx eyes. And a long ponytail, bangs that went down to her chin...

She was a spitting image of---

Itachi?!

"Sarada!" She laughed, extending a hand to the confused girl. "What on earth are you doing on the floor?! Get up! You're getting yourself dirty!"

"Who are... who are you?" Sarada asked, taking her hand and accepting the pull up.

The girl laughed. "You don't even recognize your cousin?! Shoot, do you have amnesia? My name is Akira. Akira Uchiha. I've known you since you were a baby. I'm pretty sure you know who I am."

Akira? Who's that?

Akira sighed. "Don't tell me you got a concussion. THAT would be bad. How many fingers am I holding up?" She lifted her hand that had fingerless gloves on them, and raised three fingers.

"Three." Sarada muttered.

Then her headache got worse. Images started to flash in front of her face.

A three year old toddler sitting next to a crib. She wore a cute little outfit, and had her hair in a high ponytail. The tips of her hair went down to her shoulders, and a little bit onto her back. Her shirt had a high collar like most Uchiha shirts, and it was a dark purple. She wore white shorts, and shinobi shoes. She rocked the crib back and forth, humming a lullabye. The baby inside was fast asleep. "Good night, Sarada-chan." She whispered, then stood up and went out the door.

"Sasuke-jii!" She called. "Sarada-chan is asleep now!"

Sasuke turned to the girl and opened his arms for a hug. The girl ran into them. "You're a lifesaver, Akira."

~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~

A four year old baby Sarada recognized as herself was playing with Boruto in a field, picking flowers.

The Akira girl dropped out of a tree and walked over to the kids, a smile on her face. "Hey guys."

"Akira-chan!" Boruto said, smiling.

Sarada stood up, grinned and ran to Akira for a hug. "Akira-nee!"

Akira ruffled her hair. "Hey, Sarada, Boruto. Do you guys want to practice with me?"

Boruto and Sarada nodded eagerly. Five minutes later, they were at the practice range throwing kunai. Akira's precision amazed both of them. "No, hold the kunai like this, Sarada."

~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~

Ten year old Sarada paddled around in the water. "I'm doing it." She yelled to Sakura. "I can go get it."

"WAIT, NO, SARADA!" Sakura shrieked as Sarada went in too deep.

Sarada reached for the disk, trying to grab the frisbee that had ended up too far in the lake, and then realized that she couldn't feel the ground anymore. Letting out a strangled gasp, her head went under, water overtaking her senses.

Black. That was all she could see. Then someone grabbed her collar and pulled her up. Gasping and spitting water, Sarada realized she could breathe again. Akira was dragging her over to the beach by her swimsuit collar, a worried look on her face.

"Sarada!" Sasuke said, putting a hand on her cheek. "Are you okay?"

Sarada coughed some more, then nodded hesitantly. "I'm fine."

Sasuke looked at his niece, who was seated next to Sarada, a little smile on her mouth. "Thank you." He whispered.

Akira shrugged. "You could've done it. I was just swimming."

"You saved my baby." Sakura sighed, hugging Sarada close. "Thank you."

~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~♤~

"Oh, Akira!" Sarada said. It was as if Akira had always been in her life. All of those memories... it was like she'd just had a weird dream.

"Yes?" She asked, a smirk on her face. "Do you finally remember me?"

"What is going on?!" Sarada asked, face contorting in confusion. "I could swear..."

"Oh, your mom told me to come find you. She had a pretty good idea that you'd be here." Akira said, smile on her face.

"Why did she need me?" Sarada asked.

"Did you forget that too? It's your birthday, hon." Akira laughed, leading the way down the mountain. Yeah. Sarada had woken up on the Hokage Mountain.

My... my birthday?

"Let's go! Uncle Sasuke will kill me if we're late." Akira giggled, pulling Sarada into the streets.

"Where's Boruto?" Sarada groaned and followed her cousin.

"He's already at the house. I saw him on my way there, he told me you were passed out on the mountain and he didn't want to be the one to wake you up. Apparently you have the worst attitude ever when someone wakes you up. You didn't seem too bad to me-- just confused."

Sarada frowned and opened the door to her house. "That's weird." This whole situation is weird. I never had any blood related cousins.

The house was noisy. Everyone was there. And everyone was talking. Chocho went up and wrapped an arm around her best friend. "Hey girl! Where have you been?! The food here is to die for. Your mom is a killer cook."

"Thanks." Sarada said breathlessly. "Cho, have you seen my mom?"

"Oh, Sakura-san? Yeah, she's over there talking to Uchiha-san." Chocho said. "Oh. Look it's Inojin! What's up with his knee? It looks like he's limping. I should go check that out. You go see your mom." Chocho patted Sarada's shoulder and headed for her teammate. "OI, INOJIN!"

Sarada shook her head and grinned. Boy was it good to see Chocho again. But Uchiha-san? Who could that be? It was just Sasuke. And she never called him Uchiha-san. "Mama!" She called, seeing her mother sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in her hand, talking to someone who wasn't facing Sarada.

Sakura looked at her daughter and grinned. "Hey there, birthday girl. How's your day going?" She patted the couch next to her. Sarada sat next to her and looked at who her mom was talking to. Hinata was sitting on Sakura's other side, and beside her was...

Aunt Izumi?!

"What?" Sarada stuttered, looking at the woman. "Aunt Izumi?"

"Hey, honey!" Izumi smiled, waving enthusiastically. "How's your birthday coming?"

A lot better now that you're here. Sarada thought. She looked at her mom, who just smiled at the girl. "It's... good..."

"Good?" Izumi asked. "Not great?"

"No, I'm just confused and tired." Sarada said, trying to get her mom's attention. "I don't know what's happening."

"Aww, honey, are you sick?" Sakura asked, feeling the girl's head. "That wouldn't be fun. Being sick on your birthday."

"No, mom, I'm fine." Sarada nodded. "I'm just really... Yeah, nevermind." She kissed her mom's cheek and stood up. "I'm going to go find Boruto. See you guys later."

"Bye, honey." Sakura waved. Then she stopped. "OH, and Sarada!" She said, a smile on her face.

"Hmm?" She asked. I don't have time for this. What is it, Mama?

Sakura opened her palm. "Akira found this over there and gave it to me. You should take care of it, huh?"

It was the music box.

Sarada blushed a little and took it. How could she have forgotten Boruto's grandmother's music box?!

Hinata smiled widely at that. So Boruto really did give it to her. Good.

"Oh, Sarada, Boruto's going to be with Naruto-kun, Sasuke and Shisui." Hinata smiled. "They'll probably be training or something."

Shisui. No way. He's alive too. Sarada narrowed her eyes. No way. This is crazy.

"I see. Thank you." Sarada dipped her head and turned to go outside. Going out the door and turning around, scanning the yard for the guys.

Shisui... and what about that dream? What is real life anymore?! Is this the dream? Why am I so confused?

Ah, there they were. Hanging out and throwing kunai. "Sarada!" Boruto said. He jumped up and ran to her, pecking her on the cheek.

Sarada stared in shock.

"Hey, you two. Keep the kissing to the minimum before Sasuke goes bonkers." Shisui shouted across the field. So he really is alive. What is going on?!

"Am I not allowed to kiss my girlfriend?!" Boruto asked, laughing.

Whoa whoa whoa... girlfriend?!

"Huh?" Sarada asked, confusion becoming her number one emotion.

"Sarada are you okay?" Boruto asked, feeling her forehead. "You seem... confused."

"Sarada lost her memory, apparently." Akira said, coming over. "She didn't recognize me, earlier."

Boruto looked at her, and a flash of recognition entered his gaze. He nodded. We need to talk. His eyes said.

Yeah we do. Sarada nodded back.

"Hey Sarada." Naruto said. "You wanna go sing happy birthday so we can eat cake?"

"Sometimes I wonder why you're Hokage. You act like a two year old kid, Naruto." Sasuke sighed, rubbing his temples.

Boruto looked at Sarada, and Sarada nodded. "Hey guys, we'll be right back." He took Sarada's hand and lead her out into the woods.

《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》

Sasuke woke up with a migraine. He was laying on the floor. Dirt.

He groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. Opening his eyes, he noticed that he was surrounded by people. Worse-- they were all from Konoha. Sakura was laying five feet away from him. And Naruto was snoring behind her. Kakashi was leaning on a tree, head bent down, sleeping.

All except him.

Itachi. He was here.

Sasuke reached for his sword. Itachi was laying on the floor not far from him, fast asleep. He didn't stop to think about what was going on or what had happened-- all he remembered was being at the old Uchiha Hideout, fighting with Itachi. From then on, he couldn't remember anything. He must've been too weak to finish the job. "I'll kill you now, Itachi." He gritted his teeth.

His sword was three inches from Itachi's neck, but Sasuke couldn't bring himself to slice it.

He sat on the grass and looked at his elder brother. He looked peaceful, not emotionless anymore. He was... He looked... happy...

Sasuke didn't feel the hatred he had for his elder brother anymore. He didn't have anymore hatred. He just felt... numb. Like something was missing.

Finally, he got a good look around the clearing. It was tousled, like a tornado had been released there. His eyes fell on Sakura, and a small smirk came onto his face. She also looked peaceful. Naruto, who was snoring, was mumbling something about Ramen and 'boruto'. Kakashi was just passed out.

And there was Itachi, laying in front of him. Sasuke looked at his sword. He'd left Konoha to train his arse off for three years-- three years-- to kill this man.

Yet here he was, hesitating.

Why can't you kill him? It's just one swipe of the sword. Sasuke scolded himself. You just wasted three years for this bastard.

Itachi stirred, then blinked open his eyes. There was his little brother, hovering over him, with a sword in hand. "Well."

"Hn." Sasuke looked away, regret in his posture.

"What's up?"

"Why can't I kill you?" Sasuke looked his way again. His fists trembled in anger.

Itachi smirked and sat up into a sitting position. "You don't have enough hate."

"That's just it." Sasuke growled. "I don't have any hate. I don't hate you anymore. Which is terrifying, considering the fact that you killed my clan."

Itachi frowned. "You seemed to hate me a whole lot earlier."

"I know!" Sasuke shouted, gripping his shirt. He twisted it in his hands, a deep scowl on his face. "WHERE DID IT GO?! WHERE IS ALL THE HATE I STORED UP OVER THE YEARS? It's all gone!"

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "Why don't you hate me anymore?"

Sasuke looked up at him in anguish. "I don't know!"

"Well." Itachi sighed, putting a hand on his knee. "That complicates things. A lot. Now you can't kill me, and now..." Itachi looked at Sasuke, an almost... scared look on his face. "Now I have to explain everything to you."

"Explain what!" Sasuke threw up his hands exasperatedly. "What is there left to explain!?"

"I was ordered to kill our parents. And our clan." Itachi blurted. It felt good to get it off his chest.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "What?" He asked in a small voice.

"It wasn't my idea to mercilessly slaughter my clan, you know. I was ordered to." Itachi repeated, louder. "By the Sandaime Hokage himself. Well, by Danzo, really. The Uchiha... they were... They were planning a coup on the village, and I couldn't stand by. So many lives would be lost. So I killed them. And I don't regret it. If I was given the choice to do it again, I would do it again."

"Wh--what?" Sasuke asked.

Itachi sighed. "I know. It's a lot to take in. But I'm not... I'm not trying to be the bad guy here. It's just necessary."

Sasuke frowned. "You were thirteen years old."

"Yes."

"And they made you kill your entire clan."

"I did it willingly."

"Your entire clan. At the age of thirteen." Sasuke repeated.

"So?"

"So you were thirteen. You were traumatized. Your skills were used for... for that?!" Sasuke was trembling in rage. "That is just... sick! You can't just throw that onto a thirteen year old."

"I wasn't traumatized." Itachi said, becoming thoughtful. "It was hard, but I was used to it, I guess. When I was around four, the war was going on. That wasn't fun."

"I know." Sasuke rubbed his head. "But that is so unfair."

Itachi shrugged. "I had to grow up faster than you. That's okay."

"It's not okay to kill your entire clan just like that and be so nonchalant about it." Sasuke frowned. Then he rubbed his head. "I still don't underst--" he froze.

"What?" Itachi asked, then looked where Sasuke was looking and frowned. "Oh."

A dead body.

Sakura stirred and woke up. "What?Sasuke-kun? What the heck?"

Naruto then opened his eyes, and stared in shock. "Sak'ra is that who I think it is, or am I just dreaming?"

"Sasuke." Kakashi sighed, waking up and watching his student. Sasuke ignored them, trying to figure out who the body was. Kakashi looked at where Sasuke was, then his eyes widened and he scrambled over to it. "Obito."

《▪》《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》《¤》

"Hey guys, we'll be right back." Boruto told them. Akira narrowed her eyes at him, and the message was clear. Hurt her, and you won't live to see the sun rise.

"What is going on?!" Sarada whispered loudly as he pulled her behind the tree.

"Sarada, calm down." Boruto said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I will explain."

"You had better explain quickly." Sarada said. "I don't know what's happening, and it's scary."

"Okay. Here's what I've got from it so far." Boruto exhaled. "When I woke up, I was just as confused as you were. I looked around and you were there, and otou-san, kaa-san, Aunt Sakura, and Uncle Sasuke were gone. I went over to your house and spotted Akira, and then I was hit with a bunch of totally random and weird memory-things. She asked me where my girlfriend was, and I was like 'who?' And she asked if I didn't remember who my girlfriend was, and I said no, and she said it was you. By the way, you don't mind, do you?"

Sarada thought about it, then shook her head. "No, I don't mind."

Boruto grinned, then realized he had gotten off topic, and started talking again. "So I went to the house after telling Akira where you were and why I didn't wake you up, and Mom pulled me over at the party and told me that some things were different. I didn't know HOW different until I saw Shisui and Izumi."

"Okay." Sarada sighed. At least she wasn't the only one who was confused. "So it wasn't all a dream, then?"

"No." Boruto shook his head. "It felt like it, but it wasn't. My dad told me that he got his new memories, and that they defeated Madara and Kaguya in pretty much the same way, only without Obito. Apparently, after he died, Obito decided to give both of his eyes to Kakashi. They had Pervy Sage, too, who is also still alive, and Itachi with them. Not to mention Shisui of the Body Flicker, and Izumi, who it turns out, is really good at ninjutsu. She has mastered the Fire, Wind, Water, and Lightning natures. Her body was probably enhanced by Orochimaru so she has the ability to learn things significantly faster, according to Kakashi. So the battle was pretty epic, apparently." Boruto finished, almost out of breath.

"Okay, so how is life now?" Sarada asked.

"I asked my dad that, and he said that he was still Hokage. Apparently Itachi was asked to be Hokage, but he turned them down because he said that Naruto had a promise to keep. And he said that Naruto was ready, blah blah blah. Itachi is the leader of the ANBU Black Ops, now."

"And everyone else?"

"Izumi and Shisui are running the police force. Shisui married a girl named Hana. They had a boy, who is around Akira's age. Maybe a few months older. His name is Kaito, but everybody calls him Kai. He should be at the party. I personally ship him with Akira, but we'll see. Izumi and Itachi got married. Thus, Akira. Anyway," Boruto said. "Is there anything else you need to know?"

"What happened with my dad? I thought he got his eternal Mangekyo Sharingan from Uncle Itachi's death."

"The Sage of the Six Paths arranged that, somehow. I think this time, his chakra unlocked not only the Rinnegan for him, but also the Eternal Mangekyo, because he had a feeling Uncle Sasuke would need it."

"Tell me more about Akira." Sarada sat down on a tree trunk. "What else about her?"

"Okay. Turns out, she's just like her dad. She's got her Sharingan at age 10, passed the Chūnin exams at age 11, passed the Jonin exams at age 12. Age 12 she joined the ANBU, and her dad pushed her just as hard as any of his other members, even though she's younger. So she's fifteen and still in the ANBU. One heck of a girl."

"And she's my cousin?"

"Yeah, she's the daughter of Itachi and Izumi Uchiha."

"Oh." Sarada frowned.

"Turns out, you and I passed the Chūnin exams a year earlier." Boruto grinned. "Age 12."

"What?!"

"We had everyone else to train us. Pervy Sage and Kakashi helped me, and Sasuke and Itachi helped you. Mitsuki also passed. He's a genius." Boruto exclaimed excitedly. "The Jonin exams are coming up, and otou-san says he might let us try them."

"Whoa." Sarada lay down in the grass. "So is my dad back?"

"For good." Boruto nodded. "Turns out... we have it pretty good."

"You don't say."

"Dad is around me more often, you know? And Himawari is just as cute. That hasn't changed. And mom is awesome, still..." Boruto muttered. "It's like we never left." He lay down next to Sarada.

"This is gonna take awhile to get used to."

"You think?!" Boruto commented sarcastically.

"Shut up." She punched him in the head. She watched him wince, rubbing the spot. "Things are so different now. I can't believe we changed so much in just that one trip back in time."

"I know." Boruto said. "I will never forget that. It was totally awesome."

"You think everything is totally awesome." Sarada sighed. "Grow up, Boruto."

Boruto got up, and leaned over her. "No." He grinned. She sat up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey there, you two." A familiar voice said. Sarada looked above them, and there was Itachi, wearing an ANBU mask and sitting in a tree. "Looks like it's my turn to spy on you, huh?" He took off the mask, a smirk on his face. He was older, clearly, but still very deadly.

"Uncle Itachi?" Sarada asked, mouth dropping in shock. "I thought no one remembered after the jutsu Papa cast."

Itachi winked at her. "Let's go, huh? Your mom told me to come get you. Apparently they want you for the cake." Boruto and Sarada exchanged glances and grinned, standing.

"I can get used to this." Sarada whispered to Boruto.

"Me too." Boruto said. Itachi lead the way back to the house, and everybody else followed, excited.

Overall, that was definitely Sarada's favorite birthday. And she got to change the future as a birthday present.

《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》

The end.

《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》《¤》《▪》

Be prepared for an after-book credits, k? I have to tell you all something. It's kinda a crazy idea, but... you know me... I'm crazy like that.

Anyway, if you see that Back in Time was updated, it's probably a really long, really emotional author's note. I say really emotional, I mean really emotional.

So... Yeah. I'm going to sleep. Then I'll wake up tommorow, realize this is over, and go cry in my room for three days.

I'm okay 😄😄😄

Tommorow I won't be. But that's okay.

"Shinobi don't cry."

--Hatake Kakashi, Naruto Shippuden.