Time Braid

5. Bargains

I made my way through the sewers in Naruto’s mind the way I’d infiltrate an enemy stronghold — with stealth and caution, all my senses straining for any hint of the unexpected. I’d long since discovered how to use jutsu in these mindscapes, so my feet slid noiselessly over the surface of the water as I found my way to the center of the maze. The massive gates I found there were just as Naruto had described them. So were the huge glowing eyes that watched me from the darkness beyond.

I stopped a good distance from the sealed gates, and bowed politely. “Kyuubi, my name is Sakura. I’ve come here seeking answers that no living human seems to have. I’m willing to bargain, if there is anything meaningful I can offer you. Will you speak with me?”

There was a sound like an avalanche rumbling down an uneven slope, and after a moment I realized the great beast was chuckling. “Why not? This prison grows boring after so many decades of monotony. Ask your questions, little monkey girl.”

“Decades?” I asked. But no, the explanation was obvious. “Oh. You’re aware of the loops. All of them, not just the ones I’m in.” I contemplated what it would be like to spend centuries in this cave, with only the dimmest awareness of what was happening in the world outside, and shuddered. “Ouch. Good thing your mind isn’t as fragile as a human’s. Do you know how to end it?”

“Not with any power you could wield. Eventually it will run down enough that the brat can break it, but that will take thousands of cycles.”

I briefly contemplated the amount of power it would take to affect time on the scale of the loop, and decided the Kyuubi was right. If we ever came up with a technique to break free Naruto would probably be the only one with the raw power to actually perform it.

“I was afraid of that. Well, on to my real question then. I’m looking for a way to counter the Sharingan’s power to control mindscapes like this one. The next time one of those Uchina bastards tries to mind-rape me I want to be able to turn the tables on him, or at least escape so I can kill him in the real world. Do you know of a way to do that?”

The Kyuubi growled and lashed his fiery tails in frustration, sending a huge wave of boiling water rushing across the cave. I managed to grab the edge of the wave with my chakra and vault over the top instead of being washed away, but it still scalded my hands.

“Hey! What the hell was that for?” I shouted.

“Impertinent child! Do you think I would be here if I had a counter for those cursed eyes?” The great beast roared back at me.

“What are talking about? What does Sharingan mind control have to do with your attack on Konoha?” But again, once I’d asked the question the answer was obvious. “Oh my god. You too?”

The Kyuubi gave me a sharp look, and calmed himself. “No. The minds of elder beings can not be molded or compelled the way lesser creatures can. But our senses can be deceived.”

“Great. So Konoha has yet another hidden enemy. I’m starting to think I should just level the place and start over.”

“Rebuild on a different site. The stink of arrogant self-righteousness will linger about the current one for millennia. But you interest me more than those ants, kit. How is it that you stand before me as a warrior seeking arms, when your little mind should be a twisted wreck? Who are you to shout back into the teeth of my anger, when most of your kind would die of sheer terror?”

I realized with a start that he was right. The killing intent that still filled the chamber made Orochimaru’s aura seem weak by comparison, but I’d hardly noticed it.

“I don’t know.” I answered. “I know that there’s something odd about my mind, something I can barely even put into words. Before the loops I was afraid to even acknowledge it. It’s like there are two of me. Not separate personalities, but two aspects of the same me. The Uchiha that tried to enslave me thought he’d broken us both, but my other self slipped free somehow. That and his carelessness gave me the chance to get away, and I’ve spent the time since then putting myself back together.”

“I’m not sure, but I think your other question has the same answer. I’ve never been affected much by killing intent, even when I’m hopelessly outmatched. Because my other self can’t be cowed by anything.”

“Does any of this make sense to you?”

The Kyuubi laid down with his head on his great paws, and gazed at me intently. “Come closer, kit, and let me see you.”

I stepped gingerly to the edge of the cage, watching the great beast closely for sudden moves and being careful to ensure that no part of me crossed the plane of the bars. Even if what he’d told me was true, he might still make a snack of me if I gave him the chance.

“I see.” He rumbled thoughtfully. “One soul, two aspects. Healer and warrior, controlled thinker and wild temptress. But no family scent or mark, so it isn’t a recent cross-breeding. Tell me, kit, do you know where bloodlines come from?”

I considered the question. “Well, a few of them were created recently through unscrupulous medical experiments, or by modifying older lines. But most of the major bloodlines are supposed to be a result of interbreeding with supernatural beings. The older bloodline clans claim to trace their ancestry all the way back to the Chaos Era, when kami and demons roamed the Earth at will. Some medics think that’s why ninja have such a high rate of spontaneous mutation as well — there are all sorts of strange recessive genes floating around in the gene pools of the ninja villages, and sometimes a combination comes together that actually does something obvious.”

“Is that where you’re going with this? That I’m some kind of sport, with a trace of demon or dragon ancestry that makes me different from normal people?”

“Yes. Your body is human enough, but your soul is shaped more like a kami. Too weak to cast off mortality, but strong enough to manifest aspects and shape itself to fit your need. That mutability might serve as the weapon you seek, if you can master it.”

“Aspects?” I frowned. “Is that just a fancy way of saying I have a split personality?”

“A human might think so, but is it insanity when you can remake yourself whenever you so desire? Real kami used to create an aspect for every kind of power they pursued, each perfectly suited to it’s purpose. You seem to be wasting the ability on some foolish quest to run away from yourself, but that isn’t the point. Kami souls are mutable in ways that mortals are not. Learn to master that ability and you can make your own mind a maze of traps and guardians and hidden refuges. It won’t make you immune to the Eyes of Misery, but it would give you the chance to fight back.”

“I see. Lovely. It sounds like it would be awfully easy to drive myself insane that way.”

“Perhaps. Mad kami were certainly common enough in the old days. But it’s the only weapon you have.”

“True. Well, that just might do the trick, and it’s certainly not something I would have guessed. Thank you.” I stepped away from the bars, intending to leave before he dropped any more disturbing revelations on my head. But there was one more thing I had to ask. “You told me all that without demanding payment. Why?”

“You can repay the favor when we reach the end of the braid, and time runs smooth again.”

The idea of repaying him outside the loops, when it would actually matter, didn’t exactly fill my heart with joy. But somehow it felt…fair. Balanced. The bit of knowledge he’d given me could end up saving my life, and more.

“Agreed.” I replied reluctantly. A strange sense of finality settled around me at that, as if there were more to the exchange than empty words.

He chuckled again. “Kami indeed. Grow strong, little godling.”

This time I swallowed my questions, and left.

“Alright Ino, hit me again.”

There was a distinct shortage of friendly Sharingan users in Konoha to train against, so I made do with what I had. Ino’s possession technique was a much weaker attack, but you have to start somewhere.

My first few ideas for defeating the technique hadn’t worked, but this time I had a better approach. Instead of trying to block or resist the attack I opened myself to it, dropping smoothly into my own mindscape instead of letting the battering ram of chakra bludgeon me unconscious. I found myself in a forest clearing, facing a girl who looked just like my Sexy form.

“That’s progress.” I said with a smile. “You’re me, right?”

“You betcha.” She replied with a feral grin. “Now you’re gonna sneak back out and kick her butt, right? The way out’s right there.”

“Thanks. I figured you could show me the way.”

She pointed to a door set into the trunk of one of the massive trees. A huge padlock held it shut, but found that I had the key in my pocket. I went to open it, but stopped with my hand on the lock.

It was made of fear. Fear of my other self, and everything she represented. Fear of loosing control. Fear of being too forward, too violent, too socially unacceptable. All the fears that went away when I used the Sexy Technique, but came right back when it ended.

To hell with that.

“I’m tired of being afraid. Especially of you.” I opened the lock and threw it into the forest, then turned and handed my other self the key.

“I don’t want there to be any more barriers between us.” I said. “Come with me, and we’ll take care of Ino together.”

She laughed, and swept me up into a hug with more strength than I’d ever had. “Finally! I was starting to think you’d hide me in the basement forever!”

Then she pinned me to the tree and kissed me like I’d never been kissed before. We flowed together in a rush of giddy excitement as the world faded away, and I opened my eyes a moment later to find myself looking at Ino’s unprotected back. We were still in my head, and she was blocking the way out.

I snuggled up behind her with a giggle, and slipped one hand under her top to cup her breast while the other headed south. “Hey there Ino-kitten. Having fun with my body?”

“Eep! Sakura? What the hell?”

“Payback time, sexy. Heaven Viewing Technique!”

Ino never could resist a good seduction illusion. Soon she was putty in my hands, and in a matter of minutes I was back in control. After that it didn’t take much practice to reach the point where I could reliably roll with her attack and turn the tables, or let it hit me and have my other self pull an ambush instead. Our fights inside my mind seemed to work just like they would in the real world, which meant they never lasted for long.

It might not work against the Tsukiyoma, but it was a good start.

Three days later I was out on the lake at training ground nineteen when I discovered that getting in better touch with the other half of my screwed-up psyche had more effects than I’d realized. I was trying to re-create the odd feeling of opening that metaphorical door, without actually going into a meditative trance to visit my mindscape.

Then I succeeded.

Suddenly I was out, free, in complete control of my body for the first time in my life as my bookish other self watched me from the forest inside our mind. This wasn’t just the partial merger of the Sexy Technique, this was freedom!

Woah, that felt weird! It looks like we’ve traded places. Is this what it was like for you all those years?

“Yep, except I was locked in there. Is the door still open?”

Yes. I think we can switch places whenever we want. Want to play around some?

I cocked my head. “You don’t want to switch right back?”

It’s a little freaky loosing control like this, but no. It wouldn’t be fair. I trust you not to lock me up in here. Although I suppose I might deserve it…

“Nah. You’re me, and I’d have to be a real dumbass to waste time punishing myself for something that’s already fixed.” I looked down to find that I’d somehow switched to Sexy form. I was way stronger than my other self, with tons of chakra and enough sex appeal to give Anko a rdecent un for her money. Suddenly I couldn’t stay still any longer.

I danced katas across the lake with a smile on my face and a song in my heart, celebrating a freedom I’d never imagined was possible. I laughed as the wind of my own speed blew across my skin, reveling in the smooth strength of my body. I leapt forty feet in the air just to prove that I could, and waved to a flock of puzzled birds as I passed. I landed back in the lake with a tremendous splash, sinking clear to the bottom before launching myself back to the surface.

I switched places with my other self as I emerged from the water, tumbling back to my feet as I spontaneously shrank back to my natural form but gained back my perfect chakra control. An improvised technique pulled the water from my clothes and hair to run in rivulets up my arm, where it formed a perfect sphere in the palm of my hand. With a soft smile and a precise effort of will I shaped it into a statue of myself.

A sudden inspiration struck, and I made a Shadow Clone while sending my wilder self a mental invitation. The clone shifted to Sexy form as she took control of it, and we took each other’s hands with a smile.

“The Kyuubi was right. We seriously owe him for this.”

“Damn right we do. Hey, think we can do that merger thing in the real world?”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

We kissed, and flowed together in a confusing tumble of passion and memory. I found myself alone on the lake in Sexy form, with more chakra than I’d ever held before. I was pretty sure my control was still perfect too, but…it was costing me chakra to maintain this state.

“Ok, so ‘Super-Sakura’ mode might have to be an emergency thing.”

No one answered. It was strangely lonely, not having another voice in my head. I relaxed, and we split apart again. My body reverted to normal, with my wilder self back on the inside.

That was weird, but kind of cool.

“Yeah. We definitely need to investigate this. So, you’re stronger and have more chakra but your control isn’t as good. I’ve got the perfect control, and I think I might be a little smarter. Did you notice any other differences?”

I’ve got bigger boobs. Seriously, what’s up with that transformation thing? It felt sort of like Sexy Technique, but I know neither of us was doing it on purpose.

“Good question. For that matter, how can you have more physical strength than me? If I can figure out how to duplicate that it could have all sorts of uses.”

I’d seen the real Naruto after a hundred and seventeen loops, and that bastard Sasuke a hundred and thirteen loops after that. Since I’d only spent thirty or so fixing myself I figured I had a long way to go before I saw either of them again, so I thought nothing of spending a dozen loops investigating this strange new ability to warp my own body and mind without the conscious use of a jutsu.

It was time well spent. With the diagnostic techniques I’d learned from Tsunade I could actually see what was happening, and between my medicla knowledge and my experience with Sexy Technique I eventually figured out how the transformation worked. It actually had a lot in common with Sexy Technique, which was already advanced enough that I was always amazed Naruto had invented it. But once I understood it, I realized that with my skills I could take it a lot further.

Transforming into a 20-year-old version of myself wasn’t much different than a 16-year-old version. For that matter, neither was turning into a child. Either way it was my own genetics that guided the change, so I ended up looking like a younger or older version of myself. Interestingly enough, the normal Sexy Technique did the same thing while suppressing the Y chromosome. So a girl would turn into an older version of herself, but a boy basically turned into his own sister. Interesting stuff. I suspected the shock of the sudden change in hormone levels was responsible for most of the mental effects, although that inhibition-supression effect was definitely still there as well.

In theory the transformation could be a lot more flexible than that. Just directly specify all the physical characteristics you want, and use that instead of a genetic template. Unfortunately everything in the body affects everything else, and the level of detail required for a successfull transformation was pretty extreme. Changing something simple like my hair color was easy enough, but for for more significant alterations the complexity increased fast. Something like giving myself more muscle or a more developed chakra system was the sort of awe-inspiring feat only a legendary medic-nin like Tsunade could hope to pull off.

Or me.

No, I couldn’t just give myself the body I’d have if I’d spent my whole life training the way Lee does. I’m good, but not that good. The body is such a complex machine that whenever I tried to improve one thing I’d screw up something else in the process, and I rapidly came to the conclusion that I’d need some kind of super-powerful simulation device to just design the perfect body from scratch. But I did figure out how to shape myself just a little bit at the end of a day’s training, so I could get all the benefit immediately instead of waiting for my body to heal and adapt normally.

And when the loop ended, I could memorize the body I was wearing and restore it after the restart. That was the point where I decided it was time to start training again.

Three loops with Ebisu and I could finally match Naruto’s physical strength. Three more and the special jounin started giving me odd looks and muttering about how unreliable Kakashi’s evaluations were. I got a giggle out of that the first time I heard it, but that seemed like a good cue to look for better teachers.

“Gai-sensei, I was really impressed to see Lee’s performance in the pre-finals. How did he get so good?”

“Ah, Sakura, my student is a genius of hard work! But I see that you want details, and my hip rival would never approve.”

“Wow, Lee, it was really impressive how you took down Sasuke in the pre-finals. But with Neji in the hospital I bet you need a sparring partner. Would you like to train together?”

“Sakura, I’d love to. But what if we end up fighting each other in the finals?”

“Don’t be silly, Lee. I’m up against Gaara in the first round, and there’s no way I’m going to beat him. I just want to put up the best fight I can to impress the judges. But you’ve got to deal with that sound girl, so I bet some practice against another kunoichi melee type would be good training for you.”

“Good idea, Sakura! Together we’ll fan the flames of our youth into a raging inferno!”

“Ah, yeah. Something like that.”

Gai and Lee are pretty nutty, but they’re masters of physical training. It took Gai all of three days to notice how fast I was improving and ask about it. Fortunately I had a cover story.

“It’s a set of secret medical technique Tsunade-sama developed, sir. It speeds up the healing process in my muscles, so I can get the full benefit of a day’s training overnight instead of waiting three or four days for the micro-tears caused by exercise to heal normally. It takes perfect chakra control and good basic medical skills, but I can do it safely for a few weeks before I have to take a break to let the rest of my body catch up.”

“What an interesting technique. Very well Sakura, but be careful not to let your eagerness for training overcome your good sense.”

Yes, contrary to popular belief Gai often manages to get out two or three whole sentences without mentioning the “fires of youth”.

With the ability to do physical training across multiple loops I figured taijutsu was my best bet for taking on the real Sasuke, so I threw myself into a new round of training. I could only take so much of Gai and Lee, but Konoha has lots of taijutsu experts and the training principles Gai followed really weren’t that complicated. When I got tired of the youthful duo I’d switch to Ebisu, or Jiraiya, or even Anko.

Training with Anko was always guaranteed to be interesting.

But I’d been looping for long time now, and even the month before the tournament was getting pretty damned stale. It was always training, research and back to more training, with the same old people doing the same old things. I really missed the loops where I’d gotten together with Naruto, but I was afraid if I started repeating that pattern even he would eventually get boring.

“I can’t actually bring someone else into the loop.” I said to myself one evening. “But I could carry their memories with me and restore them each time. I’m not sure what my limit on that would be, but I think it’s at least a few years worth. Maybe I should give it a try. But the question is, who? Ino? Naruto? Anko? Gee, that’s a scary thought.”

Hinata. If Naruto loves her we’ll need to learn to get along with her.

“Huh. Yeah, what the hell. If it goes well I could even restore her memories when we get out of this thing.”

Hinata was already in the hospital on that loop, having been beaten within an inch of her life by Neji. But I didn’t feel like waiting, so I dropped by her room to talk to her. She didn’t seem very happy to see me at first, but that changed after I healed her. Or rather, transformed her into an uninjured Hinata.

No, I couldn’t have done that in one pass if it had been a conventional beating. But jyuuken attacks damage only a tiny amount of tissue, relying on precision targeting of vital spots for most of their effect. Beaten as she was Hinata hardly had more tissue damage than a good knife wound would inflict, and that was well within my limits.

“S-Sakura! You healed me! H-how? Why?” She sat up in bed, looking down at herself in amazement.

“It’s a long story, Hinata, and I won’t be able to tell you most of it for a month or so. For now, let’s just say that I’m not what I seem to be and I’ve got my reasons for wanting to help you and Naruto out.”

“N-Naruto?” She blushed and looked away.

I rolled my eyes. “Come on Hinata, you’re never going to catch his eye if you can’t get over this shyness. Why don’t we get you something sexy to wear, and you can join us for training today. Jiraiya won’t mind, and I’d love to see the goofball’s face the first time he sees you in something that doesn’t hide your figure.”

Hinata’s blush intensified. “W-why are you doing this? I know he l-likes you.”

There was only one thing I could say to that. “I don’t mind sharing.”

The funny thing was, I really didn’t. I didn’t intend to get romantic with the non-looped version Naruto anytime soon, and Hinata seemed far too shy to get beyond blushing and holding hands in a single loop. But they really were good for each other, with Naruto’s boisterous cheer bringing the shy girl out of her shell while her quiet admiration slowly healed his insecurities.

It took me a few days to coax Hinata into trying something a little more daring in the wardrobe department, but Naruto’s expression the first time she showed up for training without that bulky coat was worth all the trouble. She was still wearing baggy pants and a loose shirt, but it wasn’t enough to hide her figure. Damn if that girl didn’t have more up top at thirteen than even my sexy form.

“Woah. Hinata, you’re really cute!”

Hinata blushed and looked away. “Y-you think so, N-Naruto?”

I snuck up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. “Damn right he does. Naruto, get your butt over here and kiss this sexy girl!”

Hinata’s blush went nuclear, and Naruto went into a stammering fit. But he also came within arm’s reach, so I grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him in to make a nice little Hinata sandwich.

“Naruto, even you should know by now that she likes you. Don’t keep a lady waiting.”

Hinata’s heart was hammering so fast I had to use a medical jutsu to keep her from fainting. Naruto stared at me for a second before he finally realized I was serious. Then he looked down to meet Hinata’s eyes.

They kissed.

I was expecting a little peck, but I should have known better than to try predicting Naruto. It was a long, lingering kiss, and Hinata melted against him with a happy sigh. Lucky girl. Lucky guy too, for that matter. I would have left them alone at that point, but Naruto’s arms were around both of us and mine were kind of trapped between them.

Then they came up for air, and Hinata murmured, “Now it’s her turn, Naruto.”

I blinked in surprise. “Um, what?”

Naruto gave me that cocky grin he gets when he’s about to kick some guy’s ass, and kissed me thoroughly.

Woo hoo! Three-way goodies! Gimme a clone to run and let’s really show them how it’s done!

Somehow I managed to control myself enough not to use any of Anko’s techniques. Slow down there, girl. We wanted real relationships, remember? If we rush this we’ll ruin it.

Oh, alright. But you’re bringing Naruto into this too. I want my Gang Bang no Jutsu action!

There was a lot more kissing and cuddling as the last two weeks of that loop played out, but I held fast to my self-control and let things develop slowly. There were things I needed to tell them both before we got too serious, and I suspected I’d need a lot of proof. So we trained and played until the day of the tournament, and went down fighting the invasion yet again. The next day Naruto and Hinata sat with me atop the Hokage monument, looking down at the intact town in amazement. As usual Naruto just accepted my explanation of the time loop. Hinata was more skeptical, but the view and her Byakugan’s ability to pierce genjutsu ruled out just about any normal explanation.

“So, we’re in this time loop with you now.” Hinata finally asked.

“I wish.” I replied. “Unfortunately I can’t actually pull people into the loop. When I pulled you out of the fight at the arena to treat your injuries I made a copy of your memories from the last loop, and then I snuck into your room this morning and gave them back to you. Same thing with you, Naruto.”

“Oh, ok. Does that mean we have to take that stupid test again?” Naruto was never one to sweat the details.

Hinata, on the other hand, knew enough about medical jutsu to have some idea how difficult a feat copying memories would be. She turned to stare at me, her Byakugan still active.

“Sakura, how long have you been trapped in this loop?”

I sighed. “A long time, Hinata. Two hundred and seventy-eight loops, so far. I didn’t think to count days at the beginning, but I think I’ve lived about fifteen years since it started. That’s part of why I did this. I’m afraid I might go crazy, if I have to spend decades surrounded by people who just repeat the same month over and over.”

“Don’t worry, Sakura, you’ll always have us. Right, Hinata?”

Hinata’s eyes flicked from me to Naruto and back, and I could practically see the wheels turning. I know I wouldn’t like being in a position where someone else had that kind of power over me.

“Sakura, I understand why you would do this with Naruto. But why am I here?” She finally asked.

“Because there’s another Naruto who’s stuck in his own time loop, and every once in awhile we share a loop together. But he’s in love with you, and he lives every loop with the old me. So I figured I’d better find out if we can be friends now.”

She stopped to think about that one, and Naruto interrupted. “Hey, cool! So when you figure this loop thing out I’ll be a super badass ninja just like you, right Sakura?”

I smiled. “You bet, Naruto. You’d love some of the moves the other Naruto showed me last time we met. Hey, maybe I could teach you some of them.”

“Yeah, that’d be fun. Only…” His face took on an unusually serious expression. “What I really need you to do is take care of Hinata. If she’s still a genin when we’re both super-ninja she won’t be able to keep up, and that would suck. So, since I can’t do it I need you to promise me you’ll make sure she’s ready when this thing is over. Can you do that?”

I stared at him. Since when did Naruto of all people think that far ahead? Well, ok, when it comes to people he cares about he can be pretty perceptive sometimes. But, wait, was he assuming we’d still be together, as in all three of us?

Of course that’s what he’s hoping for dummy, he’s a guy. You know ‘little Naruto’ is hoping for some hot three-way action somewhere down the line. Considering what a sweet little hottie Hinata is I’m all for it, but I’ve got this sinking suspicion that she’s straight.

Well, yeah. Probably. But still…

I looked Hinata’s way, and realized from her expression that she was considering the same issue. “Hinata, are you ok with this?”

She gave me a speculative look. “A-are you?”

“Yeah, I think I am. Partners?”

“Y-yes! I think I’d l-like that. Please take good care of me.”