In war, there is no way to be fully prepared, and while what happens revolves around a myriad of factors, each individual will play an instrumental part in their own salvation. At the same time, they had to operate as a united front to face their enemy, which was the best chance to win the war, even if it meant losing a few battles in the process. Sakura understood that as a shinobi she was going to have to play her part and pay her toll.

She just didn't realize what that would entail.

Already their numbers had been outmatched by the enemy and in terms of power, they were under the meter. The biggest blow was having to face their comrades that had passed, it became a matter not only of strength but of the heart. Bringing back the dead shouldn't have been possible, but It didn't settle there either, separate divisions had to gather whatever forces were left and join hands in what was meant to be the final battlefield.

That's when the true dangers reared its head. Chakra beasts, dead legends returning to either aid or destroy, and that was just the appetizer for the greatest threat. Kaguya Otsutski.

A woman of white, with a presence that swallowed you and the true end goal of this war. Her power was beyond anything any mortal could imagine, to drain chakra from others, and take whom she decided to different dimensions against their will.

She was a force beyond anything else in this world and if they failed to stop her, then it would be the end of it all.

After years, Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke were united as a team, but of course, it had to be under such dire circumstances where the desires and goals of the individual were a thread in comparison to the tapestry that was about to be burned away by this monstrous being.

Though there were small contributions, the only ones who had the strength and the means to stand against Kaguya were Sasuke and Naruto. Only they would be able to seal away this woman once and for all and keep the world from falling into her grasp. But it was not easy against this power, despite their best efforts and skills, this was not a battle that whit and ability could win alone.

It was fortunate that Kaguya had preservation about killing them, or the battle would have ended long ago.

It seemed that patients were limited. Sasuke and Naruto just needed an opening to bring the seal onto her, then she would be powerless. Though the objective was clear, the obstacles were a great hurdle to overcome.

Several dimensions had been jumped through, Sasuke and Naruto were deliberately separated and once they were brought together, Kaguya attempted to change tactics, wanting to kill the incarnates, but was prevented, saved by Obito in exchange for his own life.

Not long after Naruto was finally able to give a powerful blow to Kaguya, severing her arm that held Black Zetsu, Sasuke and Naruto knew this was their chance to strike but Kaguya wasn't giving in easily though, her hand stretched out as she hovered above them. A door of black opened.

By now they knew that this was the power of opening windows into another dimension and how she was able to travel through to those different places. This time however she only made the entrance big enough for her hand to go through and everyone was on alert, waiting to see if she was going to perhaps attack them from that distance by opening another window near one of them.

But their fears weren't realized.

"Are you truly resorting to that?" Black Zetsu called from below, still tucked into Kaguya's sleeve, but pinned under the barbs that Naruto stuck into him after her arm was removed.

"It's the only choice," Her hand came out of the darkness, and with it, a spherical object, green tinged with violet that spirals all over creating paths around it.

Black Zetsu narrowed his beady eyes, his wide mouth turning down in disdain. He didn't want her to have to devour such a thing. That had been hidden in another dimension for good reason. But he knew that with it, she would be able to achieve their goal.

"With this, I won't have to lose their chakra," She wouldn't allow them to seal her away this time. Even if they were together, she would make sure that they gave back the chakra they were bestowed.

She brought it towards her mouth.

Sasuke and Naruto were the only ones who truly understood the origins of Kaguya and they knew what happened the last time she had taken a bite from a fruit. The power she had gained from this and the lives that were lost, thousands, no millions, sacrificed to the tree that bore it. The results had been a catastrophic event swept away into history. And they couldn't leave any room to allow this to repeat.

That was why whatever she was about to devour, they wouldn't allow it to happen. Even if they didn't fully realize what would occur, they couldn't risk dragging to see.

As long as there was a looming promise of defeat on their part, Sasuke and Naruto knew they could not allow Kaguya to bite into that.

"NARUTO"

"Let's do this guys!"

As he held the power of all jinchuriki for the moment, Naruto used his clones to unleash a barrage of super-tailed-beast rasenshuriken. The force was enough for whatever Kaguya had been holding to drop on the ground near the pink-haired Kunoichi.

Sakura picked up the abnormal thing, "What is this?"

There was warmth from it, like holding a heartbeat in the palm of her hands, it sunk into her skin, through her flesh, through her blood and bones. There was a pulse that synced to her own. Through this chaos an overwhelming sense of calm wrapped around her like a blanket.

The sensation made her blind and deaf to the world around her, she forgot about the situation at hand, the battle, the war, her comrades fighting, and the enemy threatening to destroy not only her but the entire world. It was a dangerous position to be in as the wound and attack Naruto inflicted on Kaguya began to fester something fierce. A clump-like dough that stretched out and grew to an overwhelming size, harboring the contorted faces of the tailed beasts all welded together in that form.

It was starting to grow limbs and hands, reaching out at everything around it, a vast number of them, not just two, extending, one touched a clone of Naruto's. The clone was brought into its palm and absorbed.

"Don't let it touch you!" Naruto shouted.

There was a hand hovering towards Sakura, reaching at a great speed that even took Naruto and Sasuke by surprise. Yet she remained oblivious to the obvious danger as she stared at the fruit like it was the embodiment of her every dream and desire. As if a soundless voice was calling to her, bringing her hands towards her face, slowly parting her lips.

"SAKURA!"

Black Zetsu watched from the ground below, "No, no no!"

"What is she doing!?" asked Naruto. "SAKURA,"

She stretched her mouth wide, as the hand's shadow loomed over her, its presence mere inches from engulfing her, yet Sakura continued to bite into the fruit taking as large a chunk as she could, and then without so much as a breath or thought for what this could do. She swallowed.

All that was remembered was the bitter taste, like wax and ash on her tongue, as her friend's voices faded completely, her vision blurred, her lungs refusing to take in air as she forgot to give it instruction and the last thing she felt was her body being wrapped tightly, like silk ribbons wounding around, soft and constricting.

..

..

In dreams, the sensation of floating and falling was just as strong as it would be in reality yet it was meant to be the safe space for the mind to wander. Sakura did not feel that way. Through a vision filled with fog, she tried to realize the sensation of being in the center of a storm. Yet she couldn't feel the rain pelting against her skin, or the wind cutting through her, nor fear as she saw herself hovering above a dark raging ocean, that promised nothing but unknown fates.

She could hardly hear anything or see the ships sitting on top of the sea. The vibrations hardly tickled through her senses and in a haze she saw a flash of sparks like fire and then black coming towards her.

What were those?

Sakura didn't know what she was seeing, but even in her state, she saw her hand raising towards the black spheres. Her skin was pale as snow and her fingertips shone magenta like she had dipped them in paint. Something formed at the end, it was bright, like dust particles joining together under light and wind, merging into the sphere and growing at the end of her fingers.

She heard like whispers in the wind, voices without identity. All carrying the same tune, as the oceans rip apart in the most unnatural way. Taking the ships that sat comfortably and throwing them off and upside down, crushing wood and taking it into the depths.

This unfortunate event that would've had her cells calling to rush and rescue, had somehow faded with the scene. She couldn't comprehend the devastation, or what had caused it.

In her haze, Sakura looked up at one more as the shapes in the sky became more distant, and her stomach lurched at the sensation of falling.

She doesn't like it, the taste of the sea even from here was potent and making her stomach churn. And though her hearing was as well as when her head was underwater, it was as if the ocean's sounds were cursing at her.

..

..

'Why did this happen?'

The East Blue was supposed to be one of the more peaceful oceans, and the journey with such a fleet was unchallenged by anything. The storms of the sky and pirates of the sea. Yet here, today as if god had given judgment the marine had felt his lungs fill with salt water, his vision loss in the murky blue and gripped in fear by its endless depths.

He was fortunate to find a lifeboat near and pull himself onto it through the rocky waves and debris of what was left of their ship.

A terrifying ordeal, what he saw hovering above in the sky. No breaking through the sky as if it was a solid door, following behind with nothing but darkness.

For a moment he wasn't too sure if what he was seeing was right, but the silhouette was certainly human. He climbed to the top of the mass to get a better look, taking the telescope. What he saw was both terrifying and surprising. But he caught the girl's features, her vibrant pink hair, glossed-over eyes, and an odd mark on her forehead. All traits he could relay.

She seemed almost too ordinary to be able to do what she had done.

Perhaps their commanding officer shouldn't have ordered the takedown so easily. They should've investigated further and perhaps all this would've been avoided.

First, he would look for more of his colleagues before the waves took them down and turned the sea bed into their graves, and then he would seek to find land. And give a warning to the world.

He didn't know where she had vanished, but he would not forgive this destruction, she would not be allowed to walk away from it.

For that would mean failing in achieving justice.

..

..

..

The East Blue seas, whispered the Going Merry along its tranquil top, with the sail catching the wind to drag it along at a steady pace. The deep blue stretched out for miles, promising a smooth journey with adventures and danger only in the far distance.

After all, it had been a momentum of battle after battle, one life-endangering event following another. The only real reward reaped being new comrades to take with to the seas.

The usual sailor would relish in the calm seas, take the time to enjoy the view, and overlook the ocean in hopes that it would remain like this until they reached land.

But for this particular group of pirates with nothing rigorous or dangerous to keep them occupied, they turned their attention to their hobbies and their frustrations onto each other.

"LUFFY GET BACK HERE," A crash echoed from the room from falling pots and cutlery as a figure dashed out onto the deck of the ship, holding at the bone a slab of freshly cooked meat meant for today's lunch.

"But I'm hungry Sanji!" The dark-haired boy whined as he dashed past the mass and reached the edge of the ship taking a turn around as his cook continued to chase after him. He sprinted to the upper deck that was currently occupied by Zoro. The moss-haired swordsman was working up a sweat, slicing through the wind with a handle of weights over a ton.

"I said lunch will be ready in a minute, give that back! We're already low on supplies!" Sanji hissed, kicking Luffy in the back of his head when he was within reach. The force was enough to knock straight into Zoro from behind.

Causing him to drop with the impact and knock into the bar of the weights, the back of his head throbbing only a few seconds after.

"WHAT THE HELL YOU DAMN COOK!?"

"Shut it Marimo! It's not my fault you're in the way!"

"You're the ones who are running around!"

"How about no lunch unless you catch him!?" Sanji threatened.

The ruckus on the ship was enough to alert sea kings in the depths and every individual on the Going Merry since they weren't the only ones present. Nami walked out of her room, just hoping to have a moment's peace to draw her maps while the weather was steady. She was tired after navigating through the storm the night before that had taken up most of her sleep hours.

They had just left her home village to start their voyage to the Grand Line, an ocean filled with so much unknown that its only real certainty was that it would put those who sail it in peril. Now she just wanted to rest for a bit before her crew mates could cause them to drift in the wrong direction.

Sadly she should've known better.

There was no such thing as peace on the Going Merry.

She got a clear view of Sanji and Zoro chasing after Luffy for their lunch and Usopp, who had been quietly in the corner working on his concoction brews rolling on the floor after they had knocked over the containers while he was working on a chili-powder bomb.

"MY EYES, "Usopp clutched his eyes, rolling on the floor.

'I'm setting sail for the most dangerous sea in the world, with a bunch of idiots,'

It would be a while before they would be reaching land for their final stop in the East Blue. But that meant enduring hours and days of this constant arguing and restlessness. Perhaps that's why things were typically better when everyone was doing their own thing, but one can only indulge in themselves for so long.

It had been a rather tough voyage just in the gathering of this small crew, each individual bringing some trial for the rest, but after all this time sailing together on the East Blue, they were going to move towards their goal, the Grand Line.

"DON'T YOU DARE EAT THAT LUFFY,"

"SOMEONE GIVE ME WATER!"

"YOU DAMN IDIOTS,'

If they managed to make it that far.

Nami did a double check on the clouds, she hadn't felt any strange air currents since the storm last night, and they were on course last she checked. But glancing out to sea, there was something odd in the distance. A dark blotch too far for her to see with her naked eyes. Birds were flocking over that particular area as well. She couldn't make out if they were diving for fish or attempting to attack whatever was floating over there.

Out on the open seas, it was important to keep an eye out and always identify the unusual. Nami preferred to avoid surprises if she could help it. Especially when they were sailing. It's not like they were the only pirates on these seas. Not to mention marines that would take down any ship with a pirate flag standing proud.

"Hey, there's something to the West, Usopp take a look," Nami ordered.

After washing his face, he got out the binoculars to look over in the direction instructed. He was able to see something in the distance as well, silently hoping it wasn't another pirate ship or maybe a sea king.

He glanced at the sky, adjusting as his vision zoomed in on pieces of shattered wood floating along the sea's top. It looked as if a ship had been blown apart, or rather several when he caught a few pieces of what was left of it.

"It looks like someone's ship was wrecked," Usopp told them. "Maybe from the storm?"

"The waves weren't that bad, but I guess it's still possible," said Nami.

"If that's all it is, we're fine," said Zoro. Not like this wasn't typical when people set out to sea. Even if this was the East Blue the seas were unpredictable, especially for the inexperienced. It didn't differentiate between, marines, pirates, or simple cruises.

"Wait, I see something!" Usopp adjusted the binoculars, zooming in as close as possible. It was difficult to discern at first, with the shifting waves and distance but he could tell by the frame that someone was laying across the wooden mass.

"It's a person…"

"A person?" Nami took the binoculars from Usopp, taking in what he saw. "Yeah, that's definitely a human,"

"So what do we do?" asked Usopp.

"Do we have to do anything?" asked Zoro.

"Heartless!" The sniper exclaimed.

"Let's just go get 'em," said Luffy. He tried taking the binoculars from Nami, but the orange-haired girl was not so willing to give up her sight just yet. "Doesn't look like they're in good shape….only one and from the frame….think it's a girl,"

"Let me see Nami," Luffy whined, before turning to his crew. "Alright, I'll go grab-

"That damn curly brows already jumped in," Zoro spoke indifferently, watching the blonde practically zip through the water like a shark. As usual, when it came to women, he was hopeless.

"Should we turn the ship?" Usopp was sure their cook would meet them halfway.

"Let's just sail away," suggested Zoro.

"That's cold,"

..

..

"Careful!" He warned as Luffy lifted them back onto the deck, his arms extending over the edge of the boat to pull them back.

"You could've just pulled her in from the start," said Nami, hands on her hips.

"But Sanji jumped in before I had a chance!" Luffy argued.

The group gathered around, overshadowing the girl, she was still breathing lightly. Injuries danced around her arm with a burn, and her right hand seemed bruised purple, dry traces of blood on her cheeks meeting her closed eyes. There were some signs of dehydration, likely from being out in the son but she was still alive.

"So now what?" asked Zoro.

"Sanji, where's lunch?"