A Sacrifice for Another

Chapter 26

Neji smiled and wiped away her tears. "You get to. You get to save them from that fate. You get to save all of the people in your village." He said.

"I know but... then I won't allow my other self to meet you." She said as she stroked his face. Then she turned to Naruko and took hold of her hand. "Or Naruko-chan... or Kakashi-nii, or anyone else! I'll be saving my family, and my friends... but at the cost of my one true love and a whole different type of family, and other friends... how can I decide between those?" She asked.

Neji hugged her and put his face in her hair. "They say that things that happen, happen for a reason. You and I are together for a reason! You met Naruko-chan and Kakashi and all of the others for a reason! Those things were meant to happen, and there is no doubt in my mind that they will still happen. Don't worry, and if you can still get us and keep your family, it will all be worth it." He pulled back and smiled. "Besides, I know I would be pissed if I was kept from you, so we can make sure that our other selves will get together."

Naruko then hugged Christina. "Hey, don't leave me out! I won't let my other self not meet my best friend! Besides, I need someone to help me bring Neji to the light side!" She teased as she pulled back from her best friend.

"Thanks guys." Christina said as she wiped away the last of her tears. "Alright, let's go." She said.

They jumped off the branch and headed forward. They continued on for a couple of minutes until suddenly, everything changed. A river appeared beneath them and the trees suddenly got greener. Off in the distance, a village with tall buildings showed over the trees, less than a quarter mile away. A field was off to the side, making the air filled with the scent of freesia and lavender.

"Wow.." Naruko murmured.

They landed on a branch as two ANBU jumped in front of them. One had straight red hair hanging down the sides of his ravens mask. He had a strong build and stood at roughly 5 foot 8. The other had a cat mask and spiky black hair sticking out the back. He also had a strong build, and was roughly 6 foot 1.

Christina tensed in between Neji and Naruko, and both glanced at her. Neji put a hand on her shoulder and leaned closer to her.

"You okay?" He whispered.

"The raven... he's... my tou-chan." She whispered back.

Naruko looked at the straight red-haired man. She raised an eyebrow. Well she certainly didn't inherit his hair color, though she was pretty sure Christina had mentioned something about a red-headed sibling. Wasn't she one of three triplets? It had been too long since they had talked about her family, and Naruko had been so caught up in the war that she had emptied her mind about other stuff.

Neji looked at the man and found it a bit ironic that he encountered his father-in-law so quickly. Of course, he knew what he looked like from descriptions Christina had told him about in the other time, as well as a few nights before when they were discussing talking to their parents.

"Halt! What are your names and how did you get in here?" Christina's father asked.

"My name is Neji Hyuga." Neji said.

"Naruko Namikaze, how's it hanging?" She asked. She was promptly punched lightly in the arm by Neji.

"My name is Christina Maini." Christina said.

"Maini?" Her father questioned.

"Yes. Fiance of Neji Hyuga, sibling of... well, a lot of other Mainis-"

"List them please." He said.

Christina sighed. "Rin, Hiroshi, Mina, Natsumi, Katou, Michiyo, and Nakamaru. But, Rin, Hiroshi, and Mina aren't born yet, and neither am I, technically. Anyways, me and all of them are the children of you and Mami Maini! SO... yeah... surprise!"

"That's impossible! You can't suggest something like that!" He said.

"Well, how do you explain how I found your village, have these eyes, can name your wife, and the children you have had so far, AND recognize the fact of who you are while you have your mask on." She said

"She's got a point." The other man said.

"I need more proof than just words!" He said.

Christina dug into her backpack. "Here they are," She said as she pulled out a bow and arrows, "the family heirloom, it goes to the greatest archer in the family, and, that happened to be me." She said.

Her father jumped forward. He ran a hand across the smooth surface of the arrows and bow. "No way." He whispered. He looked up at her. "So... you're my daughter... from the future?"

She nodded. "We came to fix things. This is Neji-kun, he's my fiance, though we can't marry for several years since we had our ages decreased. And this is Naruko-chan, she's my best friend."

"Well... this is a lot to take in." He said. "So... why did you come here?"

"Well, I wanted to tell you so you weren't freaked out when hearing about another Maini or if the other me turns out exactly like me, and you can see the resemblance. Besides, I wanted to warn you about something that happens in 9 years." Christina said.

"Alright, let me take you to the Semakage and my wife. Follow me, though you probably don't need to." He said, smiling at his daughter.

Within the next two days, they had convinced and warned them about the whole situation. Christina had gotten to see what her siblings were like when they were little since they were invited to stay at the Maini compound. The Semakage had also sent an alliance request with them to bring to the Leaf Village. Semagakure would stay in secret, and should the Leaf ever get in trouble, they would send back up to help them, and the Leaf would do the same if Semagakure was discovered or attacked.

All in all, it was an extremely successful trip, and they were able to make it back home in time for Haku's birthday. Minato agreed to the alliance request and sent a messenger hawk back to Semagakure to tell them.