Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.

His breaths were coming out in ragged pants, and he felt the warm, wet stickiness of blood trailing down his cheeks. His vision was even more blurred than usual, and he crumpled to his knees onto the unforgiving ground of the forest. He doubled over and began to cough, his lungs screaming in protest at the action. When he looked down onto the grass, he was met with the alarming sight of red. Red, red, red. So much red. Everywhere. Weakly, he brought his hand to his mouth. It came back with more red. A dark red; nearly black. Similarly, his vision was also beginning to blacken.

I can’t let it end here. No, not yet. Sasuke…

The man in the orange mask approached him slowly, a deep chuckle emitting from his throat. 

“You’ve fought well, Uchiha…” Gone was that over-enthusiastic, clueless facade. Instead, the man that now stood over Itachi was none other than the cold, calculating man that was Madara Uchiha. Itachi felt the tip of a kunai being pressed against his chest, right where his heart was. “…but not well enough.” The man dug the point in deeper. 

“Please…just a while longer,” Itachi pleaded. He never pleaded. “For Sasuke.”

“You and I both know the boy is no match for you, nor will he ever be. I’m sparing you the reality of watching the last person you love perish at your own hands. Again.”

Itachi grit his teeth. “He will win. He has to; there is no other way.” He coughed up more blood.

“Ah but you see, there is another way. You’ll die by my hand instead. I assure you, it is far more honorable than throwing away a battle for the sake of your petulant little brother.”

“Why? Why are you doing this?”

“Leader-sama has grown suspicious of your true intentions behind joining Akatsuki. He has had Konan-san observe you for quite some time now, and he’s come to the realization that your existence is proving to be rather…precarious.”

Itachi had nothing to say to that; he’d been so cautious. He’d spent all these years preparing himself for death; a death that was meant to be by Sasuke’s hand, only to die here because of his own miscalculations. Where had he gone wrong? Had he grown too confident?

“And what about you, Madara ?” Itachi rasped. “You know damn well your true intentions do not align with those of Akatsuki either. You’re no more loyal than I.”

Madara merely laughed. “What does it matter, Itachi-san? You’re nothing more than a dead man.” 

“I’ve been a dead man since that night—the night I drove that katana through my mother’s heart.”

“Well then…I’ll be sure to send Sasuke your regards.” 

He drove the kunai through Itachi’s heart. He screamed his name…then everything went black.

***

Sakura lept from tree to tree, shamelessly letting her thoughts wander as the wind whipped through her pink tresses. This mission was downright degrading to her skills as a shinobi. She didn’t necessarily mind since it was for the sake of her village, but she would be lying if she said she wouldn’t rather be in her apartment catching up on a good book or even working her shifts in the hospital. The village she was sent to do reconnaissance on was quite…dull. There didn’t appear to be much going on, and it seemed to primarily be home to civilians. It was far from a threat to Konoha, but she assumed Tsunade-sishou had her reasons for sending her there. She just wished it wasn’t during her weekend. 

She wasn’t even halfway back to Konoha when she heard it; a scream. A scream that sounded suspiciously like Sasuke’s name.

Quickening her pace, she raced to the general area in which the guttural noise came from, hoping she was heading in the right direction. 

Fortunately—or unfortunately—she didn’t have to wonder for very long. Soon, she reached a clearing in the forest that was, without a doubt, made in the heat of a shinobi battle. The surrounding trees and forest were drenched in blood, and debris littered the ground. After a quick scan of the area, she sensed only a faint chakra signature that she did not recognize, making it clear the battle was over. 

It was under a pile of bloodied branches and rocks that she saw him; a shinobi clad in plain, black gear, face-down in a pool of his own blood. 

Sakura rushed over, knelt beside him, and used her immense strength to remove the debris that was likely limiting his ability to breathe—whatever little of it he had left. She then flipped him onto his back to keep him from drowning in his own blood, as well as to better assess his injuries. Ignoring his face, she quickly summoned healing chakra to her palms and pressed them against his chest. 

Broken ribs, punctured lung, poison, stab wound to the heart, several other minor stab wounds, various lacerations, chakra depletion, over-exertion of the eyes, several other broken bon–wait what? How could he over-exert his eyes unless…?

Emerald eyes met black and, with a gasp, she quickly removed her hands from his chest and the man let out a groan. 

Except, this man wasn’t just any man. No, it was none other than Itachi Uchiha. A traitor of Konoha and enemy number one of the man she once loved more than anything. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck! What the hell am I supposed to do? He’s on the brink of death, if I don’t heal him now, he’ll die. Wait–-this couldn’t be…did Sasuke do this?

As much as she hoped this was Sasuke’s doing, Sakura knew it wasn’t. She’d fought against Itachi before, and while Sasuke was strong, he was no match for his older brother. Even if Itachi had allowed Sasuke to gain the upper hand and defeat him, there was no way he could’ve inflicted this much damage. No, Itachi had obviously fought back with everything he had. 

Before she could finish fully weighing her very limited options, she felt a cold hand on her arm. 

“Haruno-san…please,” Itachi whispered. 

“Y-you know who I am?” 

“Leaf kunoichi…top medic…brother’s teammate.”

Despite the urgency of the situation, Sakura couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride that one of the most infamous Akatsuki members recognized her as the remarkably skilled medic that she was. And an Uchiha too? She didn’t think those pretentious bastards were capable of commending anyone for their success. Too bad it happened to be the wrong one…

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Itachi began spluttering and coughing up blood. Reflexively, Sakura grabbed him by the shoulders and sat him up against a nearly demolished tree trunk. 

Mentally slapping herself for showing any form of care towards this traitor, she was taken aback when she saw a hint of gratitude in his eyes. 

“Please…” he breathed. “Can’t die here…has to be Sasuke.”

“What–what are you talking about?” 

“Need you to…heal me.”

Sakura could not believe that Itachi Uchiha, the infamous clan murderer, was on the brink of death and was begging her to save his life. 

“Absolutely not. No, I’m not a filthy traitor like you! Why the fuck would I heal you ? Why would I give you the chance your own family didn’t have the grace of getting?!”

“I know…don’t deserve it…please…for the sake of my brother.” His eyes were drooping shut now and his heart rate was slowing. 

Her brows furrowed in confusion. “For Sasuke?”

“His…revenge.”

It dawned on her then. Sakura was right, this wasn’t Sasuke’s doing. In fact, Itachi wanted to live so that one day his younger brother would kill him, finally achieving his revenge. 

Sakura bit her lip. This wasn’t going to be an easy decision, and she knew her choice would impact not only her life and future as a Konoha nin but the lives of other people she cared about as well. If she agreed to heal him, Sasuke could one day finally have his revenge and potentially return to the village. However, Sasuke was currently a missing-nin and an enemy of Konoha, and Itachi was no better. Doing this favor could potentially jeopardize not only her safety but the safety of the village as well. Not only that but she would definitely be forever marked as a traitor of Konoha for breaking protocol and assisting an enemy shinobi. But, if she refused to heal him, there was no way she would be able to get him back to the village in time for questioning and he would die. If he died, Sasuke would never get his revenge and may end up blaming the village instead. 

Before she could contemplate the matter any further, Itachi’s heart rate came to an abrupt stop. Sakura, making a last-second decision, immediately summoned healing chakra to her hands and slammed them over his chest.

Fuck it.

***

Itachi woke up to the worst physical pain he’d ever felt in his life. He groaned and tried to sit up, but a firm hand on his chest pushed him back down. 

“Stay still. I know it’s extremely uncomfortable but I’m almost done,” a feminine voice instructed. 

He complied and laid back down, immediately noticing the soft texture of the mattress underneath him. Wait–mattress? Wasn’t he in the forest? Didn’t he die?

As the events of his battle with the fellow Akatsuki member came rushing back to him, he fully opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings. 

The first thing he noticed was the pink-haired kunoichi that was currently walking back from what he presumed was the bathroom with a small bowl of water.

Wait…pink hair? Isn’t that–

“What–what are you doing?” Itachi rasped, his throat impeccably dry.

“Here,” his brother’s teammate handed him a glass of water from the nightstand, “drink this. I’m currently in the process of removing the remnants of Sasori’s poison. Lucky for you, I’ve encountered this poison before and had antidotes on hand that I was able to administer in the forest. I also did the brunt of the healing in the forest because if I hadn’t, you would have died. Now, all that’s left is minor injuries and this stupid poison.”

“Where are we? Why are you helping me?”

Sakura laughed humorlessly. “Trust me, I didn’t want to. However, you begged me to heal you. You were saying some shit about it being for Sasuke’s sake. Something about his revenge? Anyway, I was thinking it over when you decided to flatline on me, so I had no choice but to jump in and revive you.”

“You had a choice. You could’ve let me die, but you didn’t. Why?”

“A ‘thank you’ would suffice, y’know.”

“Thank you.”

As Itachi continued to look at Sakura expectantly, she knew he was still waiting for an answer. If she was honest with herself, she wasn’t quite sure what her reasoning was. Most of it was instinctual, but she also did it for Sasuke. While she no longer harbored the same romantic feelings for him that she did when they were younger, she still loved and cared about him in her own way. She didn’t want him to suffer, and she still held onto the small hope that he might one day return to the village. She knew that killing Itachi would bring him one step closer to doing that. However, she couldn’t deny that there was a part of her that was curious about how this whole situation would turn out. While nearly every fiber of her body was screaming at her to abandon Itachi and run back to her village, she couldn’t help but feel drawn to him; like there was something missing that she needed to figure out. 

She couldn’t tell him all of that though, so instead, she settled on a condensed version.

“If you’re dead, Sasuke can’t kill you and avenge his clan. If Sasuke doesn’t get his revenge, he won’t return to Konoha. It’s as simple as that.”

“You have a foolish amount of faith in my little brother. He blames the Leaf village nearly as much as he blames me for the death of our clan. My death won’t guarantee his return.”

“Then I might as well do us all a favor and kill you myself right now, no?” Sakura seethed.

“You could. But then you’ve only guaranteed the demise of your own village once Sasuke realizes the target of his vengeance is already gone,” Itachi replied cooly. 

Sakura slammed the bowl of water down on the nightstand in frustration. “Fuck you, Itachi. You can wait until whatever’s left of that poison has flushed itself out of your system. You’re not going to die from your injuries anymore, but you sure as hell might die from new ones if you don’t shut the fuck up.”

Itachi merely watched with wide eyes as the pinkette stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. 

How childish.

Itachi made a move to get out of bed and make his escape, but he found that he couldn’t even sit up without his body threatening to go unconscious. He figured that Sakura must’ve been aware of this, which is why she felt comfortable enough to have a tantrum and storm off.

How can someone so skilled act so immaturely in front of an enemy?

Coming to the realization that he wouldn’t be able to move, much less escape, without assistance, Itachi laid back and decided to take a moment to think about his next steps. He still didn’t know exactly where he was, but he knew it wasn’t Konoha. If it were, he would’ve been swarmed by shinobi the second Sakura brought his unconscious body to the gates, not lying comfortably in a room by himself. Going by this logic, Itachi knew he wasn’t in any of the hidden villages either. 

So where the hell am I?

It had to be a civilian village, or at least a very small shinobi village, as his appearance was infamous throughout the five nations and he knew that Sakura wouldn’t have been able to perform a henge on top of the extensive healing that she did. Regardless, he knew that as soon as Sakura returned, he would need to somehow convince her to finish healing him so he could leave. Luckily, he would have some time as the Akatsuki currently assumed him to be dead, but there was always the possibility of them sending someone back out to check on his body. 

Before he could contemplate where he would go from here, the door suddenly opened, and in walked a pink-haired kunoichi, determination etched upon her features. 

“Look, as I’m sure you’ve realized, you’re stuck here. You’re too injured to be on your own, which means that you and I are gonna be stuck together for at least a couple of weeks if you don’t want to die. I hate it just as much as you do, but you don’t have much of a choice so the least you could do is refrain from pissing me off okay?” Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip to the side, an annoyed expression playing on her features as she spoke.

Itachi was surprised, to say the least. This girl had managed to continuously elude every one of his expectations. He was already astonished that he was even alive, but he was even more shocked that he didn’t open his eyes to Ibiki Morino on the cold floor of some Konoha cell. He couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t end up there yet, but if he played it safe and kept his temporary savior mollified, then maybe this whole ordeal could work out in his favor.

“Very well then, Haruno-san. I apologize for my earlier behavior and I thank you again for helping me. However, I do have a few questions if you don’t mind?”

“Alright, go on then.” 

It was becoming increasingly clear that Sakura was not going to put in that same effort. That was fine. If he was capable of killing his entire family, surely he could placate a teenage girl for two weeks.

“Can you tell me where we are, Haruno-san?”

“We’re currently in a civilian village that I recently…visited. I couldn’t bring you back to Konoha since I had healed you and didn’t want to risk facing repercussions for that. Plus, you would most likely be questioned and executed which would defeat the whole purpose of me saving you in the first place. This village was the closest inconspicuous location I could bring you to, so I did. I booked us this room at a small inn.”

Itachi nodded and opened his mouth to ask his next question, but was abruptly cut off.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Sakura chided. “I answered your question, you answer one of mine now. What happened back there? Y’know, in the forest? Who the hell was capable of doing that to you? I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be able to save you…”

“A fellow Akatsuki member was sent on a mission by our Leader to kill me as my allegiance with them became suspicious. He would have succeeded had it not been for you. I fought him with everything I had, but his skill outmatches mine tenfold.”

“Who–”

“I believe it is my turn now, Haruno-san.”

Sakura pursed her lips and glared at him, but didn’t say anything else. He took this as an opportunity to ask his question. 

“You said the poison you found in my system belonged to Akasuna no Sasori, correct? How is that possible if he’s–”

“Dead? Yeah I know, I killed the bastard. Well, Sasori was a member of Akatsuki, and I can only assume that the man you fought against somehow gained access to his poison collection. The one he used on you is a particularly nasty one, I had to find the cure for it myself. You’re lucky that didn’t kill you on its own.”

Itachi was genuinely impressed. Not only did this kunoichi manage to eliminate an S-rank Akatsuki member who wasn’t even human, but she also managed to find and create a cure for a remarkably deadly poison all on her own. Itachi knew Sasori, and he knew that he was extremely meticulous with his work. He wouldn’t have created a posion that had an easily found cure. Maybe these next two weeks would be more interesting than he thought.

“What was the name of your attacker?”

“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I cannot answer that.”

“Why not? It’s not like you’re still a member.”

“While that may be true, I assure you that it’s better if you don’t know. There’s nothing you could do against him anyway if his claim regarding his true identity is correct.”

“So you don’t even really know who he is.”

“I’m afraid not. I only have his word and what little I’ve seen of his actions to go by.”

“Fine then. No more questions for you.”

“Very well then.”

They stared at each other a bit longer, and when it was clear that Itachi wasn’t going to budge, Sakura huffed and began to disassemble her bedroll. 

“Wait, why are you sleeping on the ground?” Itachi asked, incredulous.

Sakura scoffed. “And here I thought you were supposed to be really smart or something. There’s only one bed, and I’m not sharing with you.”

Itachi resisted the urge to roll his eyes and settled for narrowing them instead. 

“Shouldn’t I be the one on the floor?”

“Believe me, I would take the bed if I didn’t have to move you myself to do it. You’re too injured to sleep on the floor right now. But trust me, the second you’re able to get up by yourself, I’m taking the damn bed.”

To her utter shock, Itachi smirked. The bastard smirked at her! It was actually kind of…

No. You are not going there. Nope, never. Itachi Uchiha is an enemy and a clan murderer. He tortured your teammate and your sensei. Don’t think like that, Sakura. You’re just lonely and bored. 

Sakura scowled at him and clicked off the bedroom lamp, shrouding the room in darkness. She laid down on her bedroll and turned away from him, thankful the darkness of the room hid the warmth on her cheeks. 

“Goodnight, Haruno-San.” 

She didn’t respond.

Chapter Text

Consciousness returned to Sakura in the form of birds chirping and the gentle air from the ceiling fan. She cracked her eyes open, noting the lovely sunshine that entered her field of vision. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Sakura sat up and stretched her arms over her head with a quiet groan. She smiled to herself, content that she got a good night’s rest. She stood up, intent on making her way to the bathroom to clean herself up before getting started on breakfast.

She almost fell straight back down on her ass.

Sleeping soundly in the bed beside her bedroll was none other than Itachi Uchiha; his raven ponytail and deep tear troughs a dead giveaway.

Right. I saved the life of an infamous Akatsuki member who murdered his entire family for shits and giggles and I’m now sleeping next to him. Great.

Sakura let out a sigh and continued her way to the bathroom to have a shower and gather her thoughts.

She was in the process of shampooing her hair when she felt the first tear fall. It was funny that what would’ve been a perfect morning was ruined by the notion of her imminent doom. Once again, she allowed her impulsiveness and emotions to get the best of her. She was due back in Konoha the next evening and she still hadn’t thought of a way to convince Tsunade to let her stay. Not only that but what if this was the wrong decision? What if she was wrong and Itachi wanted to fight Sasuke so he could finish what he started years ago and kill him? What if it was somehow a trap and he was a spy for Akatsuki? What if Konoha found out and she was executed? What if he killed her as soon as he got his strength back?

As disturbing thoughts and images continued to swirl through her mind, Sakura felt her heart rate increase and her breaths quicken, alerting her that she was on the verge of a panic attack. 

Breathe, Sakura. Breathe. It’s going to be okay. You’re doing the right thing. Maybe it’s not the right thing for the village, but it’s the right thing for your teammate. Both of them, really. And Kakashi-sensei always said that “those who break the rules are scum, but those who leave their teammates behind are worse than scum”. So yes, you’re breaking major rules by doing this, but you’re helping your team come together again. It will all be okay and no one will ever know. 

With that comforting thought, Sakura took a deep breath in and smiled to herself at the thought of her old sensei and team. Oh, how she missed them. She missed all of them, which is why it was necessary that she commit this small infraction so they could be a team again. 

Sakura finished her shower and stepped out. She dried herself off, brushed her teeth and hair, and quickly dressed for the day. When she exited the bathroom, she noticed that Itachi was still sound asleep in the bed, looking peaceful as ever. 

If he were anyone else, I would feel sorry for the guy. His injuries were gruesome, it’s amazing he’s even alive. 

Shaking her head and mentally chastising herself for feeling any amount of sympathy toward the man, Sakura left their shared room to find something for them to eat. Even if she hated him, she knew that he would never heal if he wasn’t properly nourished. 

Remember, the sooner he heals, the sooner I can kick his ass to the curb. Or just kick his ass in general. 

The thought brought a smirk to Sakura’s lips, and she went to ask the receptionist where she could find breakfast with renewed vigor. 

***

Itachi woke up to the sound of a door slamming shut, causing him to immediately shoot up in bed only to collapse again as he was confronted with blinding pain. 

“Shit, sorry! My hands were full,” a voice said. 

Being more careful this time, Itachi gently turned his head to the area the voice came from as his memory of the previous day returned to him. 

A girl with slightly damp pink hair was walking into the room with two steaming plates of food in her hands. 

“Please be more mindful next time, Haruno-san,” Itachi grumbled.

“I said it was an accident, didn’t I?” Sakura snapped. 

Any reply he could’ve made was forgotten as the scent of eggs and bacon assaulted his senses. He didn’t even realize how hungry he was until he was met with the smell of food and his stomach emitted a rather… embarrassing noise. 

He was even more mortified when he heard a snort come from the girl beside him. Sakura clamped her hand over her mouth when he shot her a reproachful glance. 

“Sorry, it’s just kinda funny hearing your stomach growl. It’s quite…human of you,” she teased. 

“I am human, Haruno-san.”

“Kinda hard to believe, I guess.”

Ignoring the remark, Itachi merely blinked and looked toward the plates, hoping she got the hint. Thankfully, she did. Rolling her eyes, Sakura handed him a plate with a set of chopsticks and grumbled something about his lack of manners. At that moment, he didn’t care. He quickly broke his chopsticks apart and began to eat. 

Sakura merely watched with wide eyes as Itachi shoveled food into his mouth. He wasn’t disrespectful or gross about it, but it was clear that the man was famished. She didn’t blame him, and she almost felt a little guilty for not getting him something sooner. 

Settling in the armchair next to the bed, Sakura broke apart her own chopsticks and began to eat as well, albeit much slower. 

It wasn’t a surprise when Itachi finished his food before her, setting his plate to the side and offering a quiet ‘thank you for the food’. Sakura nodded in response and returned to her own plate. 

They settled into an awkward silence, and Itachi nearly fell asleep before Sakura decided to break the silence. 

“Why did you do it?”

Itachi opened his eyes. “Why did I do what?”

“Why did you kill your family? Why did you let Sasuke live after torturing him? Why did you–”

“I’m afraid I cannot answer that, Haruno-san.”

“Why not? It’s not like I’m gonna be able to tell anyone–”

“I’m sorry, Sakura. Maybe next time.”

That was the first time he called her by her name; no honorific, nothing. Just ‘Sakura’. The effect was not lost on her, and they settled into an uncomfortable silence again.

***

After nearly an hour of fruitlessly trying to fall asleep, Itachi settled on observing the pink-haired kunoichi who had long since accomplished said task. She was curled up on the armchair, resting her head on her hands. Her bright green eyes were closed, and her pink lips were slightly parted. He could even hear her faint, steady breaths in the quiet of the room; an indication that she was truly asleep.

He couldn’t help but notice that Sakura was rather nice to look at. Pretty? Was that the word people typically used? Regardless, he couldn’t recall the last time he really noticed a woman in that aspect. Granted, he hadn’t had many opportunities to have contact with pretty women during his time in Akatsuki, but he still knew his standards. 

However, what fascinated him most about Sakura wasn’t her unusual hair or her attractive figure, but rather her personality and temperament. He would be lying if he said he didn’t gain some satisfaction from angering her or making her flustered. He liked that she wasn’t afraid of him and that she would put her own future at risk for the sake of someone she loved. 

It’s a shame my younger brother doesn’t deserve someone like her.

Itachi shook his head in an attempt to shake away the thoughts blooming inside it as well. Where had that come from? It’s none of his business who Sakura chooses to be with, he should remain indifferent. 

It’s not as if I deserve someone like her either. She’s a remarkably skilled shinobi and she just happens to be somewhat attractive. That’s all this is. I must remain indifferent. 

With one last look at the sleeping kunoichi, Itachi grimaced and turned away. He suddenly found the white-plastered walls to be a much more interesting view.

***

Sakura was walking along the hallway to the execution room. Everyone whom she ever loved was lined up against the wall, their faces contorted with disgust and hatred. She tried to cry out, to apologize for her transgressions, but she couldn’t speak. This only angered them further.

“I can’t believe you, Forehead! You did that just so Sasuke would finally love you? You’re pathetic.”

Ino.

“This is why we never wanted you to become a ninja, Sakura. You’re just not cut out for it. Look at what you’ve done!” 

Her parents.

“I take back what I’ve said before. Those who betray their village are worse than scum. You’re worse than scum, Sakura.”

Kakashi-sensei. 

“I put a lot of faith in you, Sakura. You were my apprentice, you were like a daughter to me! I should’ve known better. You’ve let me down. You’ve let everyone down.”

Tsunade.

“Sakura-chan…how could you? I trusted you. We all trusted you. You’re not who you used to be. You betrayed your village, your friends. You betrayed me .”

Naruto.

“All of this…just for me? Ha. You couldn’t make me stay the first time, what made you think you'd make a difference now? You haven’t changed a bit, Sakura. You’ll always be the same little lovesick girl who put her heart before her head. You’ll always be weak .”

Sasuke.

Tears were falling down her face freely now, she couldn’t stop sobbing. She kept trying to speak, to say anything, but she couldn’t. Her voice wouldn’t come, not even when the guard dragged her into the execution chambers and slammed the door shut behind her. Not even when he threw her onto the cold, unforgiving floor and held a katana to her neck. Not even when he brought the blade up above his head. Not even when he began to bring it down towards her neck…

Sakura awoke with a start, the remnants of her nightmare lingering on the edges of her mind. She felt the warmth of tears on her cheeks and she vaguely heard someone talking to her.

“–a nightmare.”

“What?”

“I asked if you were okay. It seems like you were having a nightmare,” Itachi murmured. 

“Yeah, no shit,” she snapped. Feeling a little guilty at the abashed look in his eyes, she amended with, “I’m fine, though. Thanks.”

Itachi nodded and looked away, probably wanting to give her some privacy to gather her thoughts. 

Embarrassed that she was crying over a bad dream in front of Itachi, Sakura excused herself to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Once she had taken some deep breaths, washed her face, and pulled herself together, Sakura left the bathroom and went straight for her pack to begin pulling out scrolls. 

“Do you wish to…discuss it?” Itachi offered hesitantly. 

Sakura shot him a look of sheer confusion and annoyance which made him immediately regret asking. 

“No.” 

When Itachi didn’t say anything else, Sakura returned to the task at hand. After picking out a scroll, she went over to the small table in the corner of the room and began to draft a letter to Tsunade. 

It wasn't long before Itachi decided to break the silence once again.

“Are you writing to your Hokage?” 

“You’re awfully chatty this evening,” Sakura retorted.

“Excuse my ‘chattiness’, but I’m only concerned as to whether or not you’re including our…situation in your letter as that could be problematic for me, Haruno-san.”

“I am writing to Lady Tsunade, yes, but you’re an idiot if you think I’m going to include your name anywhere in this letter,” she snapped. “I know you Uchiha refuse to take your heads out of your own asses, but if you did for once then maybe you could see how that would be problematic for me too, Uchiha-san.”

Neither of them said anything and silence filled the room. Just as Sakura began to worry that she actually took it too far and signed her death warrant, she heard a deep chuckle from behind her. 

Whipping her head around so fast that she almost broke her neck, Sakura was shocked to see Itachi shaking his head and laughing. It wasn’t a full-blown laugh, but he was actually chuckling. 

Sakura felt a small smile creep up on her face before she realized that he was laughing at her. That small smile quickly turned into a scowl and she snatched up the letter and stormed out of the room, grumbling about pretentious Uchiha bastards on her way out. 

***

Once she was a good distance away from the inn, Sakura knew that it was time to deliver her letter to Tsunade; a letter full of lies that would hopefully grant her a few more weeks in the small village so she could assist one of Konoha’s greatest enemies. She knew the safe thing to do would be to send for backup to come and retrieve Itachi. But really, when was the life of a shinobi ever safe? 

Chapter Text

Lady Hokage,

I am writing to debrief you on my recent mission to the Kisaragi Village. I understand that this mission report is something that is typically delivered to you personally, but I will explain why I am having Katsuyu deliver it instead at the end of this letter. Please pardon the change in procedure.

My mission to the Kisaragi Village went without trouble. The village is entirely civilian, as expected, and not much goes on there. Everyone was very kind and welcoming, and I didn’t encounter anyone suspicious. As far as I could tell, the village is far from a threat to Konohagakure. Overall, it was a peaceful, well-off village that was welcoming to visitors. It was stable and highly functional as well. 

However, there is one thing I noticed. The surrounding forests of Kisaragi have many of the medicinal herbs that we could use back in the village. I was wondering if it would be alright if I stay at a local inn for the next two weeks to further investigate these herbs and gather any if needed. Also, if I’m being honest, the village is quite lovely and I wouldn’t mind spending some extra time here to see what more they have to offer. Only if it’s alright with you, of course. If you decide that you need me back home, I will gladly return. 

Thank you for considering my request. I hope it is alright that I asked this of you. 

-Sakura Haruno

Tsunade read the letter three times, her amber eyes flickering over the page as she tried her hardest to read between the lines. Her apprentice wanting a break ? Such a thing was as unheard of as Tsunade winning a bet. 

“Shikamaru, come here,” she said, looking up at said jounin who was currently residing in the corner of the room. 

“What is it, m’lady?” 

“What do you make of this?” she asked, handing him the letter. 

He gently took the paper from her grasp, narrowing his eyes as he read. 

“Hmmm,” he hummed noncommittally as he passed the letter back to her. “I’m not sure what I make of that yet. It’s only suspicious because, knowing Sakura, it’s hard to believe she would willingly take time away from the village. Do you know if there are herbs in that area?” 

“No, I don’t. I could imagine there are, given that she’s still in the Land of Fire, but I can’t say for sure. It would be a waste to send someone out to go investigate too. I trust Sakura, I don’t think she’s up to anything bad, but I want to make sure she’s okay.”

“I’m sure she is. I mean, why did you even send her there in the first place? You said yourself that the Kisaragi Village was pretty much one of the dullest villages out there.”

“It was a reconnaissance mission. There hasn’t been any suspicious activity per se, but I stumbled upon something in the archives the other week that made me consider sending someone out there.”

“What was it?” 

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you unless something comes up that proves my suspicions correct.”

“That’s fine, I understand,” he said. Noticing the still stormy look in his Hokage’s eyes, Shikamaru sighed and made what was probably an unnecessary suggestion. 

“Why don’t you send someone out to check on Sakura? Maybe a chunin who isn’t on the rosters right now.” 

At this, Tsunade looked up at Shikamaru, her eyes alight with something that he didn’t quite like.

Oh god, what have I done now? 

“Well,” she began slowly, emitting a dry chuckle. “I think I know a certain someone who’s probably just sitting on his ass at Ichiraku’s…”

***

It had been exactly three days since Sakura received the letter from Tsunade granting her request. Thanks to Katsuyu, it hadn’t taken that long for her to hear back, which meant that she still had about a week and a half before she was rid of the source of her newfound anxiety. 

Speaking of, Itachi had healed miraculously well in such a short period of time. He was in less pain and was even able to get up and limp to the bathroom on his own. This was great for Sakura because she was beginning to grow tired of hastily sponge bathing the man. She continued to get food for the both of them and check his progress—he had a very hard time with the latter for some reason—as well as sleep on the ground.

She didn’t complain too much though, she was just happy he was healing faster than she expected. If his progress continued at this rate, she may be able to leave sooner. 

“Can you activate your Sharingan yet?”

He shook his head solemnly, a grim expression contorting his features.

“Not surprising. You really overused it during your fight. Do you mind if I take a look?” she asked again for the third day in a row.

He shook his head again before she even finished her sentence.

She let out an annoyed huff and rolled her eyes. “Itachi, I can’t help them heal faster if you don’t let me look at them. And yes, I know an ‘Uchiha’s eyes are a valuable thing that cannot risk being compromised’ blah blah blah…” she said; the last part being a poorly executed imitation of him. “…but seriously, I promise I wouldn’t do or say anything that would put you in a bad situation.”

“I apologize, but I’m afraid it’s not something I’m comfortable with. Please forgive me.” 

Sakura sighed. “Whatever, it’s your funeral. I’m gonna run and get us some dinner.” 

Itachi let out a sigh of his own as she left. He wasn’t being completely honest with her. Even though what he told her about the Sharingan being a valuable weapon was true, it wasn’t necessarily why he was refusing her offers to examine his eyes. For one, he already hated the daily checkups as he was worried she would stumble upon his fatal illness. The last thing he wanted was for her to spend even longer examining his health. The other thing was that his eyes weren’t exactly in the best condition anymore. When his Sharingan wasn’t in use, he was more than half blind due to overexertion of his Mangekyo. This resulted in him having to use the Sharingan nearly all the time, worsening the damage. He wasn’t sure that Sakura would heal it, but he didn’t want to risk it as he wanted to give Sasuke a proper chance at defeating him. Not only that, but his eyes had always been a sensitive thing for him after Shisui’s death. He didn’t like the idea of a near-stranger inspecting them so closely. 

Letting out another sigh, he decided to get up and try to walk around a bit. 

This was going to be a long two weeks.

***

Sakura stood in front of a dessert stall trying to figure out what to grab. She normally didn’t bother with dessert, but she decided that if she ever wanted the chance to further examine the eyes of a Sharingan user that playing nice wouldn’t hurt. 

The Sharingan was something that Sakura had been curious about for a long time given that both her former teammate and sensei possessed it. You would think that this would provide her with an ample amount of opportunities to inspect it, but this was hardly the case. Sasuke had defected from Konoha long before her practicing as a medic-nin, and Kakashi stayed away from the hospital like it was the plague. However, a few days ago she realized that she may have stumbled upon the perfect opportunity to finally conduct her research. Alas, luck was not on her side as Itachi had blatantly refused to let her go anywhere near his eyes, frustrating Sakura greatly. She would be damned if she missed what may be her final chance for a long time, hence why she was now debating between strawberry mochi and rice cakes. 

Right as she was about to ask for the price of the mochi, the most delectable aroma assaulted her senses.

Turning around, she saw that a dango stand had just opened up for the day, which must have been the cause of the sweet smell. 

Perfect. 

She strode over to the stand and bought four sticks of dango, their pleasant smell causing her to temporarily forget about raven-haired fugitives and onyx eyes that ran red. 

***

“I’m back!” Sakura called out, kicking the door to the room open as her hands were currently full. “I got you something that I think you might—holy shit why are you naked?!” she squealed, turning around so fast she nearly got whiplash. 

Itachi glanced down at himself, and while he was certainly improper , he wasn’t completely naked. 

“Haruno-san, I’m only partially nude, there is no reason to overreact. As a medical ninja I would suspect that you’ve seen plenty of shirtless men,” he said calmly, cocking an eyebrow. “I had just stepped out of the shower before you arrived and was in the process of clothing myself. You should acquaint yourself with knocking.”

Irritated now, Sakura turned back around, any concept of shyness flying out the window. 

“I shouldn’t have to knock to get into my own damn room! Why can’t you change in the bathroom like a normal person?” 

“There was no one here and I had forgotten my clothes in the bedroom. I concealed my lower region with a towel so I fail to see the issue here.”

“The issue is that you’re just…” Sakura trailed off, not quite sure what she was trying to say. “You just caught me off guard.”

A flicker of confusion passed over Itachi’s face before being replaced with his usual impassive expression. 

“My apologies,” he said briskly, then grabbed his clothes and walked back into the bathroom to finish changing. 

Sakura brought her hands to her temples and sighed in exasperation. If she managed to hold onto her sanity these next two weeks it would be a damn miracle.

***

They sat across from each other, silently eating the dinner that Sakura had brought. This was how it went every night. They sat across from each other at distance, Itachi being on the bed and Sakura in the armchair that was at the foot of it. They never breathed a word to each other, except for a question here or there that wasn’t for the sake of small talk. It was familiar to Itachi, irritating to Sakura. She’d always been surrounded by loudmouths like Naruto and Ino, so she was used to there being a constant stream of chatter. While it was grating at times, Sakura definitely preferred it to this . She hated uncomfortable silence. 

Itachi on the other hand didn’t mind the silence at all as he normally ate alone. He and Kisame would occasionally eat together during a mission, but the shark-nin respected his need for silence most of the time. And even when he didn’t, it was alright because Itachi was familiar with Kisame. He’d grown accustomed to his behaviors over the years and vice versa. They understood each other well enough in a way that he and Sakura did not. 

“As I was saying earlier…” Sakura began quietly. “...I got us something from the market today that I think you might like.”

Looking up from his plate, Itachi watched as Sakura pulled something out from the bag she had brought back from the market. 

The second she opened the small container and the smell flooded his nostrils, he knew exactly what it was. 

“I hope you like dango,” she chuckled nervously.

Itachi merely stared at the tri-colored treat, his mind suddenly elsewhere. He was suddenly taken back to that day; that beautiful day when he was only a genin. 

He was sitting next to Izumi on the peer, their feet dangling over the edge as they listened to the sound of birds chirping. 

“It’s been a while,” he spoke, gazing longingly at the bag of dumplings she had brought. 

“Yeah, it’s the first time since you became a genin. I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything for your promotion…I didn’t even congratulate you!” she gasped. “I’m really sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize so much,” he reassured with a soft smile.

“This doesn’t really qualify as a gift but, if you don’t mind, would you have one?” she asked shyly, revealing the tri-colored sticks of dango from the bag. “My mom likes the tri-colored ones from the shop, but I guess someone who’s as brilliant as you wouldn’t have a sweet tooth…” she said sadly. 

“Well, since I opened them, I guess I’ll just eat them all by myself!” she said, bringing the stick of dango to her mouth. 

She suddenly paused when she realized that Itachi was fixing her with a glare that was quite comical. 

She smiled softly and offered the stick to him. “Do you want one?”

He blushed and looked away.

Soon enough, he and Izumi were enjoying dango together side by side on the peer. A chuckle escaped her.

“Is it strange?” he asked shyly.

“No, no it isn’t that,” she giggled. “I’ve known you for quite some time and I didn’t know what your favorite foods were. It’s funny that it happens to be dango of all things.”

“Rank and gender have nothing to do with what someone likes to eat,” he defended, a small blush coating his cheeks.

“Yeah that’s true, sorry for laughing,” she amended. “Here, let me make it up to you. Is there anything you want?”

Itachi turned to look Izumi in the eyes, suddenly realizing that she had already activated her Sharingan. 

He must’ve been looking into her eyes a little too long because she suddenly sighed and shook her head. 

“Yeah…I thought so. I’m afraid I can’t give you that.”

They sat like that in silence for a few moments longer, until another genin came to inform Itachi that they had a mission. 

“And stop flirting!” 

“We are not flirting!” Izumi exclaimed. 

As Itachi stood to take his leave, she stopped him.

“Itachi-kun. I can’t give them to you, but I’ll pray for you. I hope that your Sharingan awakens really soon. And when it does, I’ll congratulate you!” she said, her big brown eyes full of sincerity. 

The memory faded away, and Itachi came back to reality with a grim expression on his face. 

It’s a shame that, because of me, she will never get that chance. I don’t deserve it either. I’m sorry, Izumi. 

“Itachi?” the pink-haired girl in front of him questioned, still holding out the container of dango. “If you don’t like dango, you can just tell me—”

He cut her off. 

“No.”

“No?”

“No. I happen to be quite fond of it, actually. I just got lost in thought.”

A small smile graced Sakura’s lips. “Okay then. Two of these are for you, so help yourself.”

He accepted the container and took out a stick, biting into the pink dumpling on the end. It tasted of a time when things were simpler; a time when he was happy. 

***

Sakura was kneeling in front of Itachi on the bed, her hands alight with the green glow of healing chakra as she brought them to his eyes. After he finished his dango, which had brought back many fond memories that Itachi presumed were forever lost, he decided to allow Sakura a brief examination of his eyes. At this, she gasped and jumped up and down like a child, before remembering her company and quickly composing herself. 

“I can’t believe you’re actually letting me do this,” she remarked. 

“Remember, five minutes and—”

“—And absolutely no questions,” she finished for him. “That’s good enough for me.”

“I fail to see what’s so exciting about this for you.”

“I’ll explain later. Now let me look!”

Itachi sighed and closed his eyes. 

Sakura resisted the urge to squeal in triumph. Finally, after all these years she was going to get to properly inspect the Sharingan. And the Sharingan of a Mangekyo user no less. She was bummed when he forbid her from asking questions, but she figured she would get to that another time. 

Taking in a deep breath, Sakura began to move her chakra-infused hands over his eyes. 

Here goes…

She didn’t get very far.

“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS GOING ON IN HERE?!”

She and Itachi both jumped, their heads whipping around to the open door. 

Sakura’s heart hammered in her chest as she took in the presence of her blonde teammate standing in the doorway, his bright blue eyes widened in horror.

Chapter Text

Sakura firmly believed that there would never be a time when she wouldn’t be happy to see her best friend. She knew that no matter what was going on in her life, there would always be room for Naruto. 

Up until now. 

Right now, there was absolutely no room for Naruto and she was definitely not happy to see him.

She was rooted to the spot, her own eyes reflecting the sheer terror expressed in her teammate’s. She couldn’t breathe.

Please, please let this be some horrible nightmare that I’m going to wake up from any second now.

She did not wake up, which told her that this shit show was indeed her reality. 

Naruto seemed to realize that his beloved teammate was just sitting there next to an S-class criminal because he quickly recovered, his ghastly expression morphing into one of fury. 

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing with Sakura-chan you bastard! Let her go right now or I’ll kill you with my bare hands,” he seethed. 

Itachi merely blinked at him, his expression never wavering from that calculated mask. 

This only seemed to anger Naruto further as his blue eyes melted into red and a low growl escaped him. 

“Naruto wait—!”

“That’s it you asshole. RASEN—Sakura-chan?! What are you doing?!” 

Sakura had wrapped her hand around Naruto’s wrist before he could finish the blow, causing him to pause; the confused gaze in his eyes nearly breaking her heart.

“Naruto, please just listen. Itachi isn’t my enemy…” she internally cringed as the words left her mouth. “…Well at least not right now. You can relax, it’s okay.” 

Naruto eyed Itachi warily but extinguished his Rasengan. 

“What do you mean he’s not your enemy? He’s tried to kill us like four times! And don’t forget what he did to Kakashi-sensei and… and Sasuke ,” he finished with a growl. 

“Trust me, I haven’t forgotten,” she whispered, shooting a hesitant glance at Itachi. “Naruto, what I’m about to tell you, you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone .” 

“Haruno-san…” Itachi warned. She ignored him. 

“But why—”

“Just promise me. Please.”

“Alright, alright. I promise. But only because I’m really worried for you.”

Sakura sighed. This wasn’t going to be easy. She could only hope that his love for her outweighed his hatred for Itachi. 

Well, there’s no turning back now. 

“So…remember that really boring mission I was assigned?”

***

One hour later and the tension in the room was so heavy that Sakura felt like she was being suffocated. She finally finished telling Naruto everything , and while it was terrifying, she was also somewhat relieved that she wouldn’t have to go through this alone anymore. 

That is, if she didn’t find herself swarmed by Anbu the second that Naruto got back to Konoha. 

The blonde had yet to say a word, which was frighteningly unusual for the loudmouth. For once, he actually looked like he was thinking .

Yep. I really fucked up this time. 

Naruto finally looked up at both of them, and both Itachi and Sakura waited with bated breath for his response. 

“You’re not like…in love with him now right?”

Itachi choked and Sakura felt her left eye twitch. All that damn thinking and that’s what the idiot managed to come up with? 

“ Naruto… ” she growled, moving to whack him upside the head when the absurdity of his statement suddenly hit her and she began to laugh.

Both Naruto and Itachi fixed her with equally confused looks, but she just couldn’t stop laughing. Who was she kidding? This was Naruto , the boy who would do just about anything for the people he cared about. Of course he wouldn’t betray her. She was his best friend . 

“Oh Naruto,” she laughed, tears filling her eyes. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace. “I’ve missed you so much…”

Naruto hugged her back, albeit a bit hesitant. “I’ve missed you too, Sakura-chan. When Grandma Tsunade said that you actually requested a vacation I flipped out. She was just as worried, so she sent me to check up on you. I dunno what I expected, but it definitely wasn’t this,” he grimaced. 

She sighed. “I’m sorry, Naruto. I know this must be hard for you. But please, you absolutely cannot tell anyone about this. If anyone finds out, I could be kicked out of the ranks, or arrested, or exiled, or—”

“Relax, Sakura-chan. I mean, I think this is fucked up as hell and I definitely don’t trust him ,” he grumbled, shooting a side eye at Itachi. “But I do trust you, Sakura. I always will. You’re like a sister to me, and I would never dream of betraying my sister. I’m on your side no matter what. Always.”

The tears were freely falling down her face now, and she threw herself into her best friend’s arms once again, tucking her head into his neck. 

“Thank you, Naruto,” she sobbed. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too. Besides, you said it was for Sasuke right? You had a good reason to do what you did,” he reassured. “But I’m letting you know right now that I was granted three days here to make sure you were okay, and I plan to spend it in the room right next door. So, if I even get the slightest sense that you’re trying to hurt my Sakura-chan, I’ll shove a Rasengan so far up your ass Itachi—”

She laughed and snuggled in closer, breathing in the familiar scent of ramen and Naruto . She sat there in silence, her cheeks stained with tears, but she was happy . For the first time in a long time, she considered the notion that everything would be okay. Everything would be okay because she had her best friend and, even though she was miles away from Konoha, she never felt more at home. 

***

“Are you confident that we can trust him?”

It had been about 15 minutes since Naruto went to check into his own room when Itachi decided to break the silence. 

“He meant what he said, Itachi; I’m his family. He would never betray his family,” she insisted. 

“You are more familiar with him than I am. If you trust him, then I can as well.” 

She nodded, thankful that Itachi trusted her judgement. She’d been unsure of a lot lately but when it came to Naruto, she was certain. This was ironic as the boy was infamously unpredictable.

“My younger brother…I can tell he’s very important to you both. You are both risking your status as a shinobi and your lives by helping me, which you claim is for Sasuke’s sake. May I ask why?” 

Sakura smiled sadly. “He’s our teammate. Even if he abandoned us and his home we’ll always have a place in our hearts for him, Naruto especially.” 

“And you?”

“Well, of course I still want him to come home and be our teammate again, but I understand that there’s more to my life than just Sasuke . I haven’t always been this way; there was a point when he was my life. But that kind of idolization kinda goes away once they try to kill you,” she grimaced. 

“I’m sorry, Haruno-san. I believe that I am to blame for Sasuke’s actions.” 

“No shit,” she laughed humorlessly. “Then again, it’s not completely your fault. Sasuke is an adult now, and even when he wasn’t, he was old enough to make his own decisions. Plenty of people told him to forget his revenge, he wouldn’t listen. Not only that, it was Orochimaru who gave him that goddamn curse mark. But yeah, you did kinda kickstart everything with the whole clan murdering thing I guess.”

“I didn’t foresee his alliance with the snake Sannin.”

“You speak of all this as if it was some type of plan. I mean I guess it was, but I don’t understand your purpose. And just in the few days I’ve been with you, I can see that you’re a methodical man, Itachi. There’s no way you did everything that you did just to ‘test your strength’. And even if you did, it doesn’t explain why you spared Sasuke and begged me to heal you so he could have his revenge. None of this makes sense.”

“That’s exactly what it was, Haruno-san. I do not need to explain myself to you.” 

“And that! That right there! You always refer to me as ‘Haruno-san’. You’re very respectful for someone who killed his entire clan for some fucked up power trip.” 

“Would you prefer that I not be?”

“It would make a hell of a lot more sense,” she grumbled. 

Before she could even blink, Sakura found herself shoved up against the wall, her wrists above her head in an iron grip, and a strong forearm pushing against her throat. 

“Itachi, what the hell—”

“Is this what you would prefer, Haruno ? I’ve done my best to remain respectful as I understand this arrangement isn’t favorable for either of us, but you seem to insist on making it quite difficult,” he spoke darkly. His typically detached eyes were now icy, harboring a dangerous glint. 

Well it’s nice to see he can move around just fine. 

Her brain short-circuited as he brought his face closer, moving to speak lowly in her ear. 

“You would do well to remember just who I am. Up until now I have maintained a civil persona, but keep in mind that that is all it is—a persona. I’ve told you several times that I do not owe you an explanation for my actions, nor will I provide one. Yet, you seem to think you’re capable of provoking one out of me. Allow me to tell you now that you’re not. I do not wish to have this conversation again. If you put me in this position again, I’m afraid it won’t turn out favorably for you. Do I make myself clear?”

“What—”

“Haruno. Do I make myself clear? ” 

She nodded, fear causing her voice to vanish. 

“Words, Haruno.”

“Yes,” she muttered. “I understand. Please just let me go.”

He nodded once and relinquished his hold on her wrists, stepping back. 

“I hope we don’t need to have that conversation again, Haruno-san,” he said, his calm, aloof demeanor returning once again. 

She merely glared at him and numbly walked into the bathroom to take a shower and gain some distance, a mixture of angst and something else settling in the pit of her stomach.

***

Sakura had been gone for nearly three hours. 

After she finished her shower, she briskly informed Itachi that she was going out with Naruto. She didn’t even wait for his response before she was out the door.

He sighed.

He didn’t want it to be this way, but she was growing far too comfortable around him; her insistent questioning was evidence of such.

She shouldn’t feel comfortable even talking to him. He was an S-class criminal and Akatsuki member; a murderer. His bloody hands were a stark contrast to hers, the hands she used to save lives.

Yes, it was time to re-establish some boundaries. He just hoped he hadn’t taken it too far.

***

Sakura downed shot after shot of sake, determined to outdrink her jinchuriki partner. 

At least, that’s what she told herself. She didn’t want to think about the real reason she was determined to get drunk. 

“Wowee, ‘skura-chan! Y’sure can hold your liquor,” Naruto slurred. 

She snorted; years under Tsunade’s tutelage had come in handy. 

“Pshhh—nine-tailed fox my ass!” she laughed hysterically. 

Even still, the apprentice of an infamous drinker had her limit, and she felt that limit was quickly approaching.

“Y’sure ya okay? If s’tachi I’ll—I’ll kill ‘em! Beeeelieve it!” he declared obnoxiously, elicting several glares from the surrounding customers. 

“Shhhhh—s’loud,” she whisper-yelled. “Mmmmyeah, m’alright. ‘Tachi’s an ass—s’nice ass though,” she giggled. 

“‘skura-chaaaan!” Naruto wailed, earning more annoyed looks. “S’gross!” 

“Wha? M’not sayin I would…y’know,” she whispered, more heat rising to her already flushed cheeks. “Jus’n observashin.” 

“Yeahright! Y’sooo would.”

“Wudnot! N’ruto such’n idiot.”

“Hey! s’cruel.”

Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes.

“‘skura-chan? Wha’s wrong?”

“Jus wanted t’know more about why. How—how couldhe do somethin’ like tha…”

“‘Tachi? Dunno. Why don’tcha ask’m?”

“I did!” she cried. “Shoved me againsht wall…s’scary… and mean. Kinda hot,” she sniffled. 

“WHAAAT? HE SHOV—” 

“Shhhh! B’quiet y’moron!” she cut him off with a whack on the head. 

“Owww,” Naruto whined. “Wha was tha for?” 

“Gon’ get us kicked out!” 

“Ohhhh. Wait—‘tachi hurt you?” 

“Pshh no way! Hurt my feelings a lil…but no.”

“He should say sssorry!” 

Sakura snorted at that. “Y-yeah! Yeah—he should…” she trailed off as her vision suddenly became very dizzy. “Wanna leave…” she mumbled.

“M’too—walk ya home.” 

They rose from their seats on shaky legs, barely managing not to fall over. Leaning on each other for support, they stumbled towards the door, giggling all the way as they continued to trip over each other.

“S’clumsy—some shinobi y’are,” she remarked. 

“Nuh-uh! Yernot any better,” he huffed.

Sakura snorted and leaned her head on her best friend’s shoulder. They stumbled and laughed all the way back to the inn.

Chapter Text

When Sakura finally stumbled back into the inn, it was around two in the morning. 

Itachi woke up and was immediately on high alert when he heard the heavy, inconsistent footsteps outside his door, only to end up annoyed when he recognized the poorly hushed whispers of Naruto and Sakura. 

After a good two minutes of listening to her try and finagle the key into the door, he got out of bed with a groan and went to open the door for her.

He was not prepared for the sight that met him when he opened it. 

Sakura’s pink hair was tousled, her eyes were slightly bloodshot, her makeup was smeared, her cheeks had a distinct flush to them, her civilian clothes were out of place and she reeked of sake. 

She’s going to be a delight tomorrow.

“‘Tachi?” she squinted. “Thought ya hated me now.”

“Come inside. You’re drunk; you need sleep.” 

“Mmkay.” 

She made it two steps before she tripped and fell forwards, resulting in Itachi having to catch her in his arms. 

“Ooooops,” she giggled. “Mmm smell nice.”

He froze at that last comment before deciding to brush it off as drunken nonsense. Really, why would her best friend allow her to even reach this state?

Considering who her best friend was and what little he’d observed of his behavior, Itachi realized that was a dumb question. 

“So hot…needa change,” she mumbled before reaching for the bottom of her blouse, no doubt about to remove it. 

“Sakura, wait–” he seized her wrist before gently removing it from the bottom of her shirt. “You should change in the bathroom. You’ll have more privacy there. If you’d like, I can retrieve your night clothes for you.”

“Mmkay. Heh, you called me ‘Sakura’.”

His brows furrowed slightly in confusion before remembering that he did indeed call her by her first name as he was too focused on keeping her clothed. 

“My apologies, Haruno-san.”

“Nono, s’okay. Was nice,” she hiccuped, a faint blush coating her cheeks that Itachi chalked up to alcohol. 

Instead of replying, he went and grabbed a t-shirt and shorts from her pack and offered them to her. 

“Is this alright?”

She nodded and took the clothes, stumbling over to the bathroom to change. 

As soon as she shut the door, Itachi sighed in exasperation. He didn’t like this; it was a far too intimate thing for him to witness. He was sure that once Sakura was sober, she was going to have a fit when she realized that her enemy had seen her in such a vulnerable state. It would be a pity if Sasuke didn’t have his revenge all because Sakura had killed Itachi first. 

Suddenly, he heard a loud thump inside the bathroom and, without thinking, he threw the door open and rushed in. 

He immediately cursed his shinobi instincts. 

Sakura was on the floor in a heap, her nightshirt pulled halfway over her head as it became clear she had fallen while struggling to put it on. This wouldn’t have been a big deal if she still had her chest bindings on, but of course, she didn’t, her bare chest on display. 

He immediately averted his eyes and turned around, feeling his face flush. Thank Kami she already put the shorts on. 

“Whadufuck?!” Sakura half slurred, half yelled. 

“My apologies, Haruno-san. I heard an alarming noise and wanted to ensure you were alright given your current state. I apologize for invading your privacy.”

“Wouldyahelpmeplease?” she slurred again.

“I’m sorry?”

“Help. Please. Can’t see,” she grumbled. He could hear her wrestling with the shirt once more.

If he wasn’t so embarrassed right now, he would’ve found the situation slightly amusing. 

“Of course,” he said stiffly.

Itachi slowly turned back around and walked over to Sakura, taking extra care to keep his eyes away from her bare chest. He knelt down in front of her and gently helped her put her arms through the correct sleeves before pulling the shirt over her head completely. 

Once the shirt was over her head, emerald eyes met black and he froze.

Her eyes were hazy and a bit red, and her cheeks still had a pink hue. Her hair was slightly mussed from wrestling with the shirt for so long and her lips were parted. 

Yet he couldn’t help but notice how…pretty she looked at that moment.

“‘Tachi?”

“Yes?”

“Why’re you lookin at me like that?”

He turned away and stood up, lending her a hand to help her up.

“It’s nothing. Let’s get you to bed.”

She groaned and took his hand. He pulled her up and stayed close until he was certain she gained her footing. He wasn’t sure why he was helping her so much, and part of him knew he shouldn’t, but he could only hope she wouldn’t remember anything tomorrow. 

This is becoming dangerous.

Sakura stumbled into the bedroom and collapsed on the bed. He didn’t say anything and figured he would take her bedroll for the night. 

As he turned to lay down for the night, he felt a soft touch against his arm. He turned to see Sakura staring at him, her green eyes glittering in the moonlight. 

“Thank you ‘Tachi,” she whispered. “G’night.”

“Goodnight, Sakura,” he whispered back, gently removing her hand from his arm. 

She closed her eyes in contentment and seemed to fall asleep immediately. 

He sighed and laid down on her bedroll, closing his eyes and trying not to focus on the fact that the pillow smelled of strawberries. 

***

Sakura woke up in hell.

Between the relentless pounding behind her eyelids and the overwhelming urge to puke her guts out, she was convinced she died and managed to land herself in the depths of hell for her inequities. 

However, she was pretty sure that hell didn’t serve coffee, and when she opened her eyes to find a steaming cup of the beautiful liquid presented in front of her, she nearly cried in relief. 

She took the cup from Itachi’s hands and slowly brought it to her lips, taking a tentative sip and sighing in relief.

“Thanks.”

He only nodded in return and gestured to the nightstand, where she saw a plate of breakfast waiting for her. 

She smiled slightly and nodded back, thankful for his generosity, yet slightly confused. Her confusion increased even more when she noticed she was on the bed and not the floor.

“Itachi, why am I on the bed?”

“You collapsed onto it after you finished changing last night. It would have been impolite to make you move in your state,” he responded without looking up.

“Impolite?” she asked incredulously. 

This time, he did glance up at her before returning to his book. 

“Would you prefer I not be?” he echoed his question from the day before.

“No no, that’s alright,” she quickly amended with a blush. “I was just…surprised I guess.”

“Hn.”

She rolled her eyes at the response and finished the rest of her coffee before making quick work of her breakfast. She then summoned healing chakra to her hands before bringing them to her temples in an effort to alleviate her hangover. 

After the pounding in her skull was reduced to a dull ache and her nausea went away, she sighed in relief and finally got out of bed. She took a quick shower before getting dressed for the day and leaving the bathroom.

“I’m gonna go over and see if Naruto needs any healing. His hangover is probably worse than mine,” she informed Itachi, chuckling. 

“Hn.”

Again with that damn response. What is it with Uchihas and their addiction to it?!

She rolled her eyes again and strode out of the room, not noticing the pair of black eyes on her back as she left.

***

Sakura knocked three times on Naruto’s door before hearing a muffled, “It’s open!”. Pushing the door open, she made her way inside to the most pitiful sight she’d seen since she found Itachi in the woods.

Her best friend was laid face down on his bed in the same clothes he wore last night, minus the shirt. His hair was a mess and the sheets were everywhere. 

“Sakura-chaaaaan,” he groaned, not bothering to turn over. “Please can you heal me? Head is going to explode.”

She smiled and shook her head. It seemed that no matter what he went through, Naruto would never change. She hoped he never did either. 

“Of course you idiot that’s why I came over here. You were even more shit-faced than me,” she snickered. 

At this he did turn over, only to groan and bring a hand to his head. 

“Hey, no fair! Even if I was, it wasn’t by much. I know for a fact you don’t remember anything from last night either! Now be quiet and heal me,” he pouted.

She was about to retort when she realized that he was right; she couldn’t remember a single thing after they left the bar. 

“Holy shit, you’re right!” she brought her hands to her cheeks in embarrassment. “What if I did something stupid when I got home?! Itachi did have a stick up his ass today.”

“Every Uchiha has a stick up their ass, Sakura. It’s something they’re born with. Now can you pleeeease heal me?”

She rolled her eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day and brought her hands to his temples, summoning the cool glow of healing chakra.

“Ahh, thanks Sakura-chan,” he sighed. “You’re the best.”

“Mhm.”

“Y’know, you should just ask him if you’re so worried about it.”

“Huh?”

“Itachi. You should just ask him what happened last night when you got home. I’m sure it was fine, I mean you hate his guts right? That can’t change just because you’re drunk. You were probably just really mean or somethin’.”

“Right,” she said. She wasn’t as sure as Naruto was, but she couldn’t admit that to him. 

“It’ll be okay, Sakura-chan. Believe it!” he exclaimed, giving her a reassuring pat on the arm.

She smiled, hoping with everything in her that Naruto was right.

***

Itachi knew that something wasn’t quite right with Sakura the second she walked through the door. He felt the tension in the air become thicker, and he could practically see the gears turning in her head. He sighed, praying to Kami that she didn’t suddenly remember last night and that, if she did, she wouldn’t bring it up.

The evening had been going smoothly so far. They didn’t speak to each other and kept focused on their individual tasks. However, it was during dinner that the moment Itachi was dreading came to light.

“Itachi?” Sakura asked tentatively, chewing her lip.

“Hm?” he responded, afraid for the question he knew was coming.

“What…happened last night? I don’t really remember anything after the bar.”

He sighed and resisted the urge to groan, carefully considering his response.

Well…goodbye Sasuke.

“I think it may be better if you don’t know,” he admitted.

Sakura groaned and let her head fall to the table.

“Please just tell me,” she said without looking up, her voice slightly muffled.

“Very well then.”

He began to relay the events of the night before, watching as Sakura’s eyes grew wider and wider with every word. By the end of it, her eyes were the size of saucers and her face was crimson.

“You saw me half naked?!” she shrieked. 

“I promise that I did not see anything. I looked away the entire time.”

“You swear? Because I swear, Itachi, I will murder you if you even–”

“I promise on my brother’s life,” he said softly.

His statement stopped Sakura in her tracks and frankly, she wasn’t sure how to take it as he ruined his brother’s life, but something in his eyes made her believe him.

“Alright. I believe you then. Just–let’s never bring this up again, okay?”

“Fine by me.” 

She shook her head and covered her face with her hands.

“Kami, I’m so embarrassing.”

He wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he focused on the wall instead.

“Thank you, though,” she said, looking back up at him. “For taking care of me, I mean.”

He looked at her and nodded, noticing that her cheeks were still red. 

After a few moments, Sakura stood up and sheepishly walked into the bathroom, presumably to get some space. Once she was gone, it was Itachi’s turn to put his head in his hands. 

Boundaries were being tested, and he felt that there was little he could do to stop it.

Chapter Text

Sakura found her initial dread towards Naruto’s arrival humorous, to say the least. From the way she was clinging to him now, one would’ve never guessed that this was the same boy she used to relentlessly make fun of, and whose presence she once loathed. Now, she felt like she never wanted to be out of his presence again. 

“Do you really have to go?” she cried into his shoulder. “Can’t you just ask Lady Tsunade for an extra week?”

“I’m sorry, Sakura-chan. I really don’t wanna leave you here, but the old grandma made it clear that I needed to go back after two days or I’d be in real trouble. And you know how she is,” he finished with a slight shudder. 

Sakura sighed. She knew the answer before he even said it, just like she knew her request was selfish. There was no logical reason for Naruto to stay. He had his duty back in Konoha and she wasn’t in any real danger, as much as she hated to admit it. Besides, his staying would only arouse suspicion and complicate things further. The last thing she needed was for someone who wasn’t as understanding as Naruto to come and survey the situation. 

“I know, I know,” she relented, pulling back to look at him. “I’ll just miss you is all. Promise me you won’t be a knucklehead and get yourself into trouble, okay?” 

He smiled at that last bit. “C’mon, Sakura-chan! You know me better than that.”

“I do,” she laughed. “Which is why I have to tell you. And remember, you can’t–”

“I can’t tell a soul about what I’ve seen here,” he finished for her. “I know, Sakura. You can trust me, I swear it.”

She offered him a watery smile. “I know I can. Thank you, Naruto.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just be happy they sent me instead of Sai or somethin’,” he grumbled. 

At this, she laughed and covered her face. “Oh kami, could you imagine?! That moron would be screwed the second he tried to use his creepy lying stare with Lady Tsunade!”

Itachi watched the interaction before him, slightly bemused. Though he failed to understand exactly what they were conversing about, he could see the bond between them clear as day. The sight ignited something warm inside him. It reminded him of his relationships with Shisui and young Sasuke. 

Except, their bond was not broken. And, thinking back to the conversation he shared with the blonde the night before, he could sense that it never would be. 

***

Itachi lay in bed, quietly reading the book he’d been transfixed on for a while when he heard a knock on the door. He knew it wasn’t Sakura since she had her own room key, so he decided to ignore it in hopes the unwanted visitor would leave.

However, after about five seconds the knocking resumed with more insistence. 

“HEY, ASSHOLE! IT’S ME, OPEN UP!”

Quickly recognizing the voice as Sakura’s obnoxious teammate, Itachi closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose, willing himself to remain calm.

“I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE! OPEN UP OR I’M GONNA BLAST THIS DOOR DOWN!” 

He released the breath a bit harshly before pulling himself out of bed and wandering over to the door. He wasn’t fond of the jinchuriki, but he also wasn’t fond of busted doors and unwanted attention. Needless to say, Itachi knew how to pick and choose his battles wisely. 

He unlocked and opened the door just in time, as the blonde seemed to be in the midst of preparing his destructive jutsu. 

“Oh good, you heard me!”

“I imagine the entirety of the village could hear you,” he deadpanned.

Naruto merely shrugged and pushed his way inside. 

‘Just make yourself at home, then,’ Itachi thought bitterly. 

“I’m afraid Haruno-san isn’t here at the moment. She should return in an hour or so.”

“I know that, dummy, I’m here to talk to you ,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“What is it you wish to discuss with me?”

“Jeez, you’re real proper for a clan-killer, y’know.”

Itachi felt his eye twitch. Must everyone keep reminding him of that?

“Please get to the point, Uzumaki-san.”

“Just…call me Naruto,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “The other one sounds weird. Anyway, I’m here to talk to you about Sakura-chan.”

“What about her? Is she alright?”

“What do you care? Yeah, she’s fine but I want to make sure it stays that way.”

“Forgive me, but I’m not quite sure what you mean.”

“Look, Itachi, I’m leaving tomorrow morning. If it were up to me, I’d take Sakura with me and leave your ass here to walk it off. But she’s stubborn as hell and I know better than to try and make her do something she doesn’t wanna do, and I can’t stay here and watch over her. We may be enemies, but I’m asking–no, telling–you to put that aside for this next week. Just watch over her for me, and don’t do anything to hurt her, or I swear I’ll kill you with my bare hands, screw Sasuke. I don’t know much about you, and I sure as hell don’t know why you did what you did, but I do know that you seem to respect Sakura, even if it’s just a little bit.”

Itachi was taken aback, to say the least. First at the blonde referring to him by his name, and then by his blatant disregard for Sasuke in favor of Sakura’s well-being. Truthfully, though he did find her annoying at times, he did respect Sakura. Her commitment to those she cared about as well as her medical skills were truly remarkable. He was always one to give credit where credit was due.

“Indeed, I have grown to respect her as the capable kunoichi that she is. You have my word that, for as long as we are together, I will not harm her and will do my best to look after her. Your teammate has done me a great service by helping me, and I do not intend to take advantage of that.”

Naruto nodded, seemingly pleased with his answer. 

“Okay, good. She’s just…sensitive, y’know? This whole Sasuke thing has been hard on her and helping the man responsible for it doesn’t make it any easier.”

Itachi nodded and averted his eyes as he felt something in his chest pang at that last part. 

“But it doesn’t have to be that way, Itachi.”

His eyes snapped back to the boy. 

“What?”

“You can…change, y’know. Open up to her. Tell her why you did it. I don’t know if it’ll make any difference, but you could always help us bring Sasuke back to the village. You can try and make things right with him again. It won’t be easy, but nothing worth having ever is, right? I dunno, I think Sakura said something like that to me one time.”

“Naruto, I–”

“Just think about it, alright?” he said, moving towards the door before turning back around one last time. “Who knows? Maybe you can still be the brother you were meant to be.”

Not waiting for a response, Naruto turned and walked through the door, shutting it softly behind him. 

Itachi stood there, stunned. For the first time in the past twelve years, he felt his plans falter.

***

When Itachi returned to reality, he was met with the sight of Sakura giving Naruto one final hug before he walked through the door for the last time. 

“Write me when you get back and tell me everything, okay?”

“I will, Sakura-chan, don’t you worry.”

From over her shoulder, Naruto fixed Itachi with a stern, yet meaningful look, to which the latter nodded once in return. He had never seen a stare that could convey a hundred different messages until that moment. 

Sakura forced herself to pull away from her best friend as she felt another tear slip down her cheek. 

‘Why do you always have to cry, dammit?’ she thought angrily.

“I’ll see you soon okay?” 

“See you soon, Sakura-chan,” he said, offering her one last smile. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

***

It had only been one hour since Naruto’s departure and Sakura was already doing something that he probably wouldn’t do. She wasn’t sure though, since the blonde was notorious for showing kindness to the most dubious of people.

“Do you want to go to the festival with me?” she blurted.

“I’m sorry?”

“The Festival of Spring. The Kisaragi Village hosts a festival every year around this time to celebrate springtime. I saw a poster for it when I was out yesterday.” 

“Wouldn’t that be something you’d prefer to do on your own, Haruno-san?”

She rolled her eyes. “Normally, I would go with a friend but seeing as Naruto left an hour ago, you’re my only option. Plus, it would be good for your recovery to get some fresh air.”

“My mobility may still be limited.”

“We’ll take it slow. Look, I’m going to this festival either way. You can either come with me, or you can be lame and eat leftovers here because I am not bringing anything back for you.”

Remembering his promise to look after her in Naruto’s stead, Itachi mentally relented. He knew that she was a skilled shinobi who was more than capable of attending a civilian festival alone, but he also knew that she would likely be drinking. Knowing that, he would be breaking his promise by allowing her to go out alone tonight, and Itachi was a man of his word. At least, that’s what he told himself.

When he released a defeated sigh, she knew she had won. 

Well, it seemed the jinchuriki was right about one thing: Sakura was stubborn as hell. 

***

The cool evening air flitted through Sakura’s hair as she and Itachi walked side-by-side throughout the festival. Springtime in the Kisaragi Village was truly beautiful, and she could understand why it was such a big deal for the citizens. The warm glow of the lanterns accompanied by the soft, yet cheerful music and sweet smells brought a smile to her lips. She could even feel some of the tension leaving Itachi. 

Villagers ambled along the paths, stopping at different booths or enjoying treats. Many of them just looked content to be at the festival, admiring the blooming flowers and greenery. 

Just as she was about to ask Itachi if he wanted to check out the seafood booth to their left, she felt something bump against the back of her legs with an oof . 

Both she and Itachi turned around to see the sheepish face of a young girl with dark brown hair and amber eyes.

“I’m sorry!” the little girl exclaimed. “I was running away from my brother ‘cause we’re playing hide and seek and I wasn’t looking where I was going. Mother says I need to work on that,” she looked down shyly. 

Before Sakura could ask the girl where her mother was , Itachi crouched down in front of her and smiled softly. 

“That’s quite alright; I enjoy playing hide and seek myself. Can you tell me your name?” he asked her kindly. 

“I’m Mei! What’s your name, stranger?” 

Sakura couldn’t hold back the giggle that escaped her. Luckily, it seemed Itachi was amused as well.

“You can call me Ita. What is it you have there?” he asked, gesturing to the toy in her hand.

“It’s a flower spinner! I got it from the toy booth riiight over there,” she stated, pointing to a booth surrounded by children. “Do you want me to get you one? They’re free!” 

“I would love that, thank you Mei-san.” 

The girl giggled. “Just Mei, silly. Now follow me!” 

The two obliged and followed the small girl to the booth she had indicated. Sure enough, a jar full of colorful flower spinners was displayed proudly on the counter. 

“Pick any one you want. Oh look, there’s my brother over there! Oh no, I forgot we were playing hide and seek, he’s gonna find me!” Mei shrieked. 

“Quickly Mei, come hide behind me,” Itachi instructed. “I’m afraid it isn’t the best hiding spot, but it’ll have to do.”

Mei smiled and rushed behind his back. “That’s alright, Ita-kun! My brother isn’t very smart.”

Sakura smiled as she watched the boy that was surely Mei’s brother if the resemblance was anything to go by, wander around the booth looking for his sister. 

Just as he got dangerously close to her hiding spot, Mei jumped out from behind Itachi’s back.

“BOO!” she shouted, throwing her arms in the air.

Sure enough, the boy yelped and nearly fell over, causing his sister to erupt in a fit of laughter. 

“Meiiii! What was that for?!” the boy whined.

“C’mon, Micah! It was funny .” 

“Was not! Who are these guys?” Micah asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Sakura and Itachi.

“This is my new friend, Ita-kun, and his girlfriend…” 

Sakura felt her cheeks heat at the implication. “Saki. My name is Saki, and we aren’t—”

“Mei! Micah! Where are you two?” a woman in the distance shouted, cutting Sakura off.

“Oh, that’s our mother so we have to go. It was nice meeting you!” Mei exclaimed as her brother pulled her away in the direction of their mother’s voice. 

Sakura shook her head with a smile and waved at the two retreating children before turning around to realize that Itachi had started off in the direction of a sushi restaurant. She rolled her eyes.

So much for limited mobility.

***

Sakura and Itachi sat across from each other, enjoying the relaxed ambiance of the small restaurant and sipping on the miso soups they received as an appetizer.

“You know, I never would have thought that you’d be good with kids.”

He looked up at her, his usual impassive resolve faltering for a second. However, he recovered so quickly that she would’ve missed it had she not been focusing on him so intently. 

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, Haruno-san.” 

She looked at him then; she really looked at him as she tried to put the pieces together. The man that she’d encountered several times throughout the past few years, the man that was in the bingo books, the man that murdered his family and traumatized her teammate and sensei, the man that had committed countless crimes in the name of Akatsuki wasn’t the same man as the one who sat before her now.

No, this man was different. And the more she observed him, the bigger that difference grew. This was the man that pleaded with her to save his life for the sake of his brother, the man that had been nothing but polite over the past week, the man that trusted a loud-mouthed stranger just because she did, the man that took care of her while she was drunk, the man that didn’t take advantage of her when she was in a vulnerable state, the man that asked if she was okay after a nightmare, the man that accompanied her to a festival, and now the man that was good with children. 

She didn’t know what it was, but now she was certain that she was missing a vital piece of the story, and she’d be damned if she didn’t recover it. 

“Sakura. Just call me Sakura.” 

He gave her a quizzical look but nodded all the same.

“Okay…Sakura.”

Chapter Text

Three weeks ago, if someone told Sakura that she’d be in a sushi restaurant sitting across from the S-rank Akatsuki member that murdered his family and fucked up her former teammate’s life, she would’ve laughed in their face. 

Yet, here she was—and she wasn’t even hating it.

Then again, she wasn’t sure if that was thanks to her company, or if it was the second glass of sake she was on.

“Okay so—when’s your birthday?” she asked.

“Is there a reason you’re asking?” 

“So I can get you a gift, of course,” she said sweetly, batting her eyelashes. 

Itachi’s brows furrowed, and he opened his mouth as if to say something before closing it again. 

She snorted. “I’m just messing with you. Is it a crime to want to know your company better or something? Besides, I’m pretty sure Konoha already knows your birthday.”

He shot her an exasperated look but seemed to loosen up a bit.

“The ninth of June.”

When she realized that he wasn’t going to say anything else, it dawned on her that Itachi might not be great with carrying a normal conversation.

“Now you can ask me something if you’d like,” she offered. 

“When is your birthday?”

Well, it’s a start.

“March 28th,” she responded, eyes widening in realization. “Holy shit—that’s this Friday.”

“You’ve forgotten your own birthday?”

“Well, I’ve been a bit busy with other things ,” she said pointedly.

“Fair enough. I believe it is now your turn, Sakura.”

Something about her first name coming from his lips made her shiver. 

Once again, she wasn’t sure if it was him or the sake.

“What’s your favorite meal?” 

“Mmm…I’d have to say dango.”

“That’s not really a meal.”

“Well, it’s my favorite food then.”

“Fair enough,” she echoed his phrase from earlier. “Your turn.”

“What are your aspirations?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you wish to remain a kunoichi indefinitely, or is there something else you’d like to do?”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind just being a medic-nin forever, but I also wanted to open a clinic for children with mental trauma. A lot of my friends and people around me have had to deal with some pretty heavy stuff, and I think it’s sad that there wasn’t anyone around to help them when they truly needed it, y’know?”

Itachi felt something in his heart soften at her admission. He already held a decent amount of respect for Sakura, but that amount increased substantially when he heard her aspirations. He knew plenty of people in his family who could have benefited from such a clinic, including his younger brother. He was starting to see how selfless she truly was, and he hoped with everything in him that she would be able to accomplish her goal one day.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Sakura. I know that many young shinobi would benefit from your clinic.”

“You really think so?” she asked, awestruck.

“Why wouldn’t I?” 

“I don’t know,” she started sheepishly. “I just didn’t know if it was a stupid idea. Y’know, with all that shit they teach us about the ‘life of a shinobi’. I love my village, but I feel like they push the notion that shinobi shouldn’t feel things just because of their duty. Other hidden villages, like Suna, are even worse about that. I feel that, while there are times when you have to push your emotions to the side, you shouldn’t get rid of them altogether. We shinobi are still humans. Doing such a thing will only cause more damage in the end. Trust me, I know,” she finished bitterly, Sasuke and Sai flashing through her mind. 

“I completely agree with you, and am no stranger to shinobi who pushed every emotion aside for the sake of duty either.”

She was about to question that further, but something in his gaze made her think that he may have been referring to himself.

I’ll save that one for another time.

“Why have you been so nice to me? And don’t give me some bullshit answer, be honest.”

Though he was a bit taken aback at the crudeness of her command, Itachi decided he would oblige her.

“At first, I was merely placating you for my sake because—if I’m being honest —you can be quite…violent when you’re provoked.”

“And for your sake , there better be more to that statement,” she growled.

He gave her a pointed look and Sakura decided to shut her mouth as she realized she was proving his point. 

“As I was saying, at first I was polite to you out of necessity. Now, however, while I still remain polite to avoid any dispute, I have also grown to respect you. At least, to some degree.” 

“To some degree?”

“I do consider you to be a bit of an alcoholic.”

“An alcoholic?!” she shrieked. “That was one time, and Naruto was there and—” 

She cut herself off when she realized the corner of his mouth was lifted up in a subtle smirk.

“You just—did you just make a joke ?!”

“I was merely stating a fact,” he deflected. However, the glint of mirth in his eyes told her he had.

She shook her head, muttering ‘ asshole ’ under her breath. Yet, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

“Sakura…” he started.

“Hm?”

He took a minute to answer her, as he was debating whether or not he should ask the question that had been plaguing his mind for some time. Alas, his curiosity won in the end.

“What was my brother like?” he asked softly. 

Her eyes widened, undoubtedly not expecting that question, but they quickly softened and the surprise was replaced with something nostalgic. 

“He was…troubled. From the moment I met him at the academy to the moment he defected, his eyes were nothing short of cold,” she said sadly.

 “He was strong, though,” she continued. “One of the strongest people I’ve ever known. And even though he would never admit it, I know he loved us. Team 7, I mean. For a while, I didn’t believe he did, and even now I find myself questioning it more often than not; but he did. You’d have to know where to look to even catch a glimpse of it, but his love was there.”

“When did you see it?” he pushed.

“The first time was when he re-awakened his Sharingan in order to protect Naruto, then when he jumped in front of him and took at least a hundred needles for his sake. He claimed his body moved of its own accord, but it was clear that Naruto was dear to him, and that he would sacrifice himself to protect him. He was always that way with both of us, but especially Naruto. Even at the Valley of the End, when they were no longer comrades, Sasuke still spared him. Do you know why he intended to even kill Naruto in the first place? He wanted to awaken his Mangekyo, and the only way to do that was to take the life of his best friend . He considered Naruto to be his best friend, Itachi. With Sasuke, that’s basically a declaration of love. And so, even with the motivation of becoming stronger to face you, he still couldn’t kill him.”

“And what about you?” 

“What?”

“You said my brother loved Team 7. You’re a part of that team, no?  You’ve only told me how he expressed his love for Naruto, but not you.”

Sakura sighed. “That’s because he didn’t love me the way he loved Naruto. I know I said he loved all of us, and there were moments where he did, like when I was badly injured during the chunin exams and he went into a murderous rampage, but I can count them on one hand. To him, I was always just weak. Dead weight. Useless. He was a protector, and he protected me a number of times, but he’s also tried to kill me a number of times. I couldn’t even get him to stay, Itachi. That’s how unimportant I was to him. And—shit…” 

She paused to wipe the tears that began to well up in her eyes. 

This is why he hated you, idiot!

“I blame myself sometimes. I know I made it sound like it was all your fault, but sometimes I wonder if—if I had been stronger—”

“Don’t do that,” he interrupted.

“Do what?”

“Blame yourself for something that was out of your control. Sakura, you were a child. Children shouldn’t be expected to be invincible. You were just unfortunate enough to be put on a team with a jinchuriki and an Uchiha with a burning vengeance. Your standards were impeccably high. I doubt you were anything less than what you should’ve been at your age.” 

“But-”

“And it’s not as if you turned out to be nothing,” he cut her off again. “You’ve trained under one of the three legendary Sannin, you have impeccable chakra control, you’re one of the top medical ninjas in the Five Great Nations, if not the top medical ninja, and you’re an incredibly skilled shinobi. Don’t discredit yourself over someone who was, forgive me for saying this, doomed from the beginning.”

Though she was in awe that he had praised her so highly, she was stuck on the last part of his testimony.

“How could you know that?”

“Because it's my fault that he was doomed. Not yours. Besides, after Orochimaru sunk his fangs into him and stoked the flames of his vengeance, his defection was inevitable. It was only a matter of time, Sakura. You and your team did everything you could, I imagine. There’s no use blaming yourself.”

Sakura nodded, feeling lighter than she had in years. Everything Itachi was saying made sense, even if some of it hurt to hear. 

She would need another glass of sake. Maybe another twenty.

“Thank you, Itachi. I don’t know why you felt the need to tell me all of that, but I’m glad you did.”

He nodded. “And thank you for telling me about him. I know that must’ve been difficult.”

She smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry, you probably wanted to hear good things about him; cute stories or whatever.”

“I wanted to hear the truth,” he insisted. “Whether it was good or bad, I was prepared to hear it. Besides, I fail to imagine my little brother was ever ‘cute’ by that point.” 

“No, not really,” she laughed. “But there was this one time when we were trying to see Kakashi-sensei’s face underneath the mask…”

She launched into the story, eyes as bright as her smile as she recounted the comical facial expressions Sasuke made; how priceless it was to see his normally stormy facade crumble. 

Itachi listened to every word, latching onto every detail he could and trying to picture it in his mind. The image brought a small smile to his lips, and he was happy that his little brother could find small moments of joy with his team, even if they were few and far between. 

He just wished that there could have been more.

***

It was a couple of hours—and several glasses of sake—later that Sakura heard the distinguishable sound. Feeling bold, likely from the amount of alcohol in her system, she gripped Itachi’s wrist and shook him lightly.

“Do you hear that?!” she said excitedly.

“Hear what, exactly?” he asked, though he had a sinking suspicion that she was talking about…

“The fireworks!”

“Yes, what about them?”

She rolled her eyes at his ignorance. 

“Let’s go see them!” she exclaimed, slamming enough money onto the table to pay for their meals before grabbing his wrist again and hauling him out of the restaurant. 

Too stunned to resist, Itachi allowed her to lead him around like a puppy until they reached a secluded bridge that crossed over a small lake. 

The sakura trees that hung over them like a canopy caught his attention. 

The trees swayed in the night breeze; a few of the dainty, pink blossoms fell and danced around them before landing softly in the water below and in their hair. 

They looked at each other then, and Itachi found the sight of cherry blossoms in Sakura’s hair amusing as they blended in perfectly. 

At that moment, she was as beautiful as the tree she was named after.

Noticing the pink that coated her cheeks—he wasn’t sure if it was from the alcohol or from his gaze—he cleared his throat quietly and looked away.

Sakura did the same, and they settled into a comfortable silence as they enjoyed the atmosphere and waited for the next round of fireworks to begin.

After a few moments, however, they ended up standing close enough that they felt their arms brush up against one another. 

They both turned to look at each other at the same time, and—blaming her liquid courage—Sakura allowed her gaze to briefly flicker to his lips. 

This had not gone unseen by Itachi, who made no move to back away. 

Taking this as a sign, Sakura slowly leaned in, her gaze once again focused on his mouth.

Sensing what she was about to do, Itachi began to involuntarily lean in as well, surprising them both. 

Just as their lips brushed against one another’s, a loud crack! ascended over them, startling them both and putting space between them once again.

With a slight blush on both of their faces, the unlikely pair turned to watch the assortment of colors that decorated the night sky. 

And it seemed that if only momentarily, they were no longer enemies whose hands were bathed in blood. 

Instead, they were two individuals who dared to look past each other’s darkness.

Chapter Text

For the first time ever, Sakura longed for Hinata’s presence.

Well, to be fair, there had been many moments during her missions when she longed for Hinata and the aid of her Byakugan, but this was different.

She wanted Hinata there as a friend.

She had always considered the girl a friend, but she never considered going to her for advice like she would with Naruto, Tsunade, or Ino. 

However, Sakura knew she couldn’t confide in those three right now. Not with this. 

All three of them would absolutely lose their shit if they found out that she nearly kissed Itachi Uchiha.

Naruto would beat the shit out of Itachi, Tsunade would beat the shit out of her, and Ino would probably do something stupid like root for her.

So no, her usual support team was not an option. And she couldn’t think of any other potential options besides Hinata. Sure, the girl would probably faint at the revelation, but once she came to she would comfort Sakura and give her solid advice in that gentle voice of hers.

Hinata was a kind girl, almost too kind, and Sakura knew she wouldn’t betray or scold her. She was also skilled with maintaining a calm demeanor—except for when Naruto spoke to her—and Sakura needed that sense of calmness right now. 

Especially right now, given that she was currently on her way back to the inn as she knew she couldn’t hide forever. Since she went out to ‘get breakfast’ before Itachi was even awake, she hadn’t confronted the man since the previous evening. 

She was really hoping that they could both chalk it up to an alcohol induced blip and never speak of it again. However, as much as she wanted to save herself from embarrassment, she was dreading the idea of him closing himself off again when she had just managed to crack him open. Even if it was only the slightest bit.

Much too soon she found herself outside of the door to their shared inn room. Taking a deep breath and white-knuckling the handles of her grocery bags, Sakura steeled her composure  and unlocked the door. 

***

Itachi woke up much later than what was ideal. For one blissful moment, he was completely unaware. Nothing, even his own identity, was more than a foggy haze, lost in the bleary early stages of consciousness; one of the reasons he preferred mornings over evenings. 

The first thing he noticed—besides the painfully bright sun glaring at him through the window—was that he didn’t appear to have had any nightmares that night, which was unusual. 

Unfortunately, he needn’t wonder why for very long as the events of the previous evening slammed into his mind at a million miles per hour. 

”Sakura. Just call me Sakura.”

”Okay…Sakura”

“When’s your birthday?”

”What are your aspirations?”

He was starting to see how selfless she truly was.

“I have also grown to respect you, at least to some degree.”

”I do consider you to be a bit of an alcoholic.”

“You just—did you just make a joke?”

”What was my brother like?”

“You’d have to know where to look to even catch a glimpse of it, but his love was there.”

“When did you see it?”

”Do you know why he intended to even kill Naruto in the first place? He wanted to awaken his Mangekyo, and the only way to do that was to take the life of his best friend. He considered Naruto to be his best friend, Itachi. With Sasuke, that’s basically a declaration of love.”

”What about you?”

She paused to wipe the tears that began to well up in her eyes.

”I blame myself sometimes. I know I made it sound like it was all your fault, but sometimes I wonder if—if I had been stronger—”

”Don’t do that.”

“It’s not as if you turned out to be nothing.  You’ve trained under one of the three legendary Sannin, you have impeccable chakra control, you’re one of the top medical ninjas in the Five Great Nations, if not the top medical ninja, and you’re an incredibly skilled shinobi. Don’t discredit yourself over someone who was, and forgive me for this, doomed from the beginning.”

“Thank you, Itachi.”

”Do you hear that?”

”Hear what, exactly?”

”The fireworks! Let’s go see them.”

She grabbed his wrist and hauled him out of the restaurant.

The sakura trees that hung over them like a canopy caught his attention.

Pink blossoms falling and dancing around them before landing softly in the water below, or in their hair.

In that moment, she was as beautiful as the tree she was named after.

They ended up standing close enough that they felt their arms brush up against each other.

They looked at each other at the same time, her gaze flickered briefly to his lips. 

She began to lean in.

He involuntarily leaned in as well, surprising them both.

Their lips brushed against one another’s.

Crack!

He brought his hands to his face and nearly groaned as he returned to reality.

He typically refrained from resorting to profanity, but in this moment Itachi felt that he had truly fucked up. 

He had nearly kissed the woman he was supposed to maintain distance from. He was far from a religious man—as he figured it would be futile given his transgressions—but he prayed that Sakura would forget about last night and never speak of it again. 

Deciding he had spent enough time wallowing in self pity, he slowly rose out of bed, grimacing at the slight aches from his injuries, and ambled over to the bathroom. 

As he stood under the harsh, unforgiving stream of the shower head, he realized how much he missed having Shisui around to talk to. 

***

Sakura thanked every god that might’ve been listening when she heard the shower running as she walked into the room. This meant she wouldn’t have to deal with Itachi for at least five more minutes. She decided to take the much needed extra alone time to tidy up and steel the rest of her nerves. 

Her breath hitched as she heard the water shut off, and she closed her eyes and reminded herself that she was perfectly fine.

’Wonder what he looks like naked,’ Inner Sakura snickered.

Eyes widening at the unexpected and not completely unwelcome image, Sakura shook her head and banished the thought, as well as her inner persona, from her mind. 

Jeez girl get a grip! He’s still an enemy, and he would never want you in that way. 

She was so lost in thought that she wasn’t aware of his presence until quietly cleared his throat. 

Whipping around so fast that she winced, Sakura met Itachi with a fake smile plastered on her face. 

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you come out of the bathroom. Um…I brought some breakfast if you want some?” she offered lamely. 

“That would be appreciated, thank you.” he responded, impassive as ever. 

Not trusting herself to speak, Sakura nodded and began to prepare breakfast for the two of them. 

After they sat down and murmured a short ‘thanks for the food’, they began to eat in awkward silence.

Sakura couldn’t stand it, so naturally she decided to break it. 

“How are you feeling today?” she asked.

“Better. My body is still quite weak, however, and I cannot activate my Sharingan again yet.” he replied grimly. 

She nodded in understanding before opening her mouth without considering the consequences of her next statement.

“I think I might know something that can help.”

As soon as she said it and saw Itachi look up at her with a somewhat hopeful gaze, she immediately wished she could take it back.

Kami, why am I such an idiot?! He’s never going to agree to this and I’m going to look like a complete dumbass.

Sighing and accepting her fate, she decided to just say it. There was no point beating around the bush.

“Well when I was out earlier, I saw some advertisements for the Kisaragi Hot Springs. Apparently, the springs have a lot of natural healing properties that are said to help with pain, illness, and stress.”

When he didn’t reply and just blankly stared at her, she started to backtrack.

”I mean, you totally don’t have to if you don’t want to. It was just an idea that I figured wouldn’t hurt, y’know?” she chuckled sheepishly.

Mentally slapping herself for sounding like a blabbering idiot, Sakura decided the best course of action was to just keep her mouth shut and let him respond.

”That sounds…nice. As you said, there is no harm in trying,” he replied, before returning to his meal.

She felt her ears redden.

”Wait…so you’ll go?”

“That’s what I’ve just implied, was it not?”

He responded without glancing up at her, but she could see the ghost of a smirk on his lips. 

She bristled, but couldn’t help the slight upward twitch of her lips. “Alright then. We can clean up a bit and then head over.”

***

Sakura walked up the stone path that led to the entrance of the mini resort, picking her nails behind her back and gnawing on her lower lip. She was nervous, to say the least. She wasn’t sure why, as they would most likely be separated due to gender, but she still had an anxious pit in her stomach that she couldn’t shake.

As they approached the front desk, a beautiful woman wearing a floral yukata beamed at them and waved enthusiastically.

“Welcome!” she greeted. “I’m so honored that you two have decided to spend your day at Kisaragi’s natural hot springs! So, what can I do for you? We have a lovely couples’ spring—”

Sakura was positive that her face was scarlet as she quickly shook her head and waved her hands in front of her.

“Oh, no, nothing like that!” she laughed awkwardly. “We’re just visiting because my…friend here has been sore recently and we’ve heard great things about your springs and their remarkable healing capabilities.”  

Itachi merely shot her an amused glance that would likely go unnoticed by anyone else, but she knew then that she was definitely rambling. 

The woman nodded slowly, a gleam in her eye that told Sakura that she didn’t quite believe her, but would pretend to. 

“Ah, I see. Well, you’re certainly at the right place! Allow me to quickly fetch my assistant and we will guide you over to our…medicinal springs.” 

“That would be perfect, thank you so much!”

”Of course! One moment please.”

As the woman hurried off to fetch her assistant, Sakura released a breath and turned to Itachi, who was still wearing a slightly amused expression. This irritated her.

“What’s so damn funny?” she demanded.

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you mean,” he replied calmly.

“You know exactly what I mean! You’re looking at me like I’m an idiot.” she huffed.

”I would never,” he stated in mock offense. 

She narrowed her eyes, ready to retort when the woman from earlier returned, this time with another equally beautiful woman beside her. 

“We apologize for the wait. Sir, if you would please follow Hana here. Madame, you may follow me,” the lady instructed with a smile.

Both nodded and followed behind their indicated leaders as they parted ways, with one last longing look between them. 

The older women shared a look as well, but their’s was a look of smugness that went unnoticed by the two shinobi. 

***

The woman from the front desk led Sakura to a wooden door with a padlock on the handle. She made quick work of the padlock and gestured for Sakura to go inside.

“Here you may cleanse and prepare yourself before you decide to venture into the hot spring. Once you are finished, go ahead and step out that other door in the back of the room. Enjoy!”

Once the door was shut and Sakura was left alone, she quickly undressed and bathed before wrapping herself in the soft linen robe on the shelf. She smoothed her hair in the mirror and gave herself a soft smile. 

Taking a deep breath as eagerness filled her in preparation for the spring, Sakura smiled again and pushed open the door to exit the cleansing room. 

However, she was definitely not prepared for the sight of a very shirtless, and presumably naked, Itachi resting against the wall in the spring she was supposed to be residing in. 

And he was very much alone.

It seemed he was not expecting her either, as his eyes widened at the sight of her before he quickly looked away in a pitiful attempt to spare her modesty. 

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I could ask you the same question.”

“I’m supposed to be in here,” she scoffed. “The woman from the desk led me here.”

“Well, my escort led me here as well.”

“Wait but that’s not…this is—”

“A couple’s spring,” he finished for her.

“Shit,” she groaned, covering her red face with her hands. 

A beat later, one of the doors opened and in walked one of the women from earlier with a cart of various items. 

“Hello! I hope you two are settling in. Here are some of the medicinal products you indicated you would like as well as some tea,” she greeted cheerily.

“I’m sorry, I think there’s been a mistake,” Sakura sighed. “We specifically stated that we did not want a couple’s spring.”

“Oh no, hon, we know that! This is the spring we typically rent out for medicinal purposes. You see, it’s not the most convenient to use some of these products within the public springs, which is why private quarters are recommended. Privacy is also great for reducing stress and promoting relaxation!”

“Oh. I see,” Sakura grimaced.

“Don’t worry! I assure you this is far more enjoyable than our public springs,” she winked. “Have fun!” 

Before Sakura could utter another word, the woman scurried out of the enclosed spring, leaving her and Itachi alone again.

Gripping her robe tighter around herself, she slowly turned to face him.

”I’m sorry,” she sighed.

”It’s alright, Sakura. We might as well enjoy it since we’ve already paid, yes?”

His use of her name rendering her voice useless, she settled for a nod instead.

Well, it’s now or never.

Sakura took one last deep breath before stepping into the spring, dropping her robe as she went. 

Only once she was completely submerged and sure that she was completely covered did she risk a glance at her companion. 

Luckily, ever the gentleman he was, he seemed to be gazing towards the open sky rather than at her nudity, which she was grateful for. 

Only when she assured him that she was fully in did he bring himself to look at her, and even then his onyx eyes never drifted below her face. 

The need to break the silence was steadily rising from her chest to her throat until it was tumbling out of her mouth. 

“It feels great, doesn’t it?” she remarked.

“Indeed it does.”

Realizing he wasn’t going to offer much else, Sakura leaned back and closed her eyes, relishing in the feel of the hot waters soothing her aching muscles. 

She absentmindedly began to rub out the knots in her shoulders and neck, letting out a soft groan when she hit a particularly nasty one.

“Are you in pain?” 

The sudden voice startled her, and her eyes flew open and she paused her ministrations, before she remembered that she was not alone, causing her to blush. 

“Um…yeah. Just a bit sore,” she confessed.

“It’s likely from sleeping on the floor.”

“Yeah, probably. Not like I have much of a choice though, right?” she chuckled.

Itachi, however, grimaced.

“Please allow me to…assist you,” he said sheepishly.

“Assist me?” she gawked.

“With your massage. Surely you aren’t capable of doing an adequate job on your own.”

Sakura blushed furiously, and she was sure that if there was some sort of contest for facial redness, she would’ve won.

“N-no, that’s really not necessary,” she stuttered. 

“Please? Otherwise I insist you take the bed from here on out.”

“I can’t do that! What kind of medic would I be?”

“Then allow me to help you. I assure you that I will respect your modesty.”

Oh kami, kill me now.

“It’s not about that!”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s just not…appropriate?”

“Sakura. You can trust me.”

Something in his tone and his gaze told her that he was being sincere. 

“Can I?”

“Yes. I promise.”

Sakura sighed in defeat. 

Well…her shoulders really were hurting. 

Taking extra care to keep her chest covered, she slowly waded to Itachi’s side of the pool, the warmth in her cheeks still present. 

Once she reached him, her eyes met his nervously and he offered her a small smile.

“Turn around, please. Let me know if I hurt you in any way,” he softly instructed.

“Okay,” she conceded, before turning around to face the bamboo wall rather than his face; something she was grateful for. 

For a moment, she felt nothing. Then, just as she was about to turn to make sure he hadn’t left, she felt a pair of hands hesitantly land on her shoulders.

Her lips parted, and she immediately tensed up at the sudden contact before reminding herself that he was trying to help her. 

Relaxing her muscles, she gave a small nod as an indication for him to continue. 

He was surprisingly gentle. His hands were smooth, though she could feel the roughness that was inevitable for a shinobi, but it didn’t deter her. In fact, it made her smile knowing that they had something in common. 

He started with softly rubbing around, trying to locate knots and tension. Once he found them, he began to softly knead to loosen them up before gradually increasing his pressure. 

Sakura closed her eyes and let out a sigh of contentment. His hands felt fucking amazing. She felt like she could just stay here forever and melt under his—

She let out a small gasp that quickly morphed into something similar to a moan as he pressed his thumb into one of the more bothersome kinks.

Oh kami. Please, please, please let him not have heard that!

Unfortunately, with the only sound being their breathing, Itachi definitely heard it. And she knew he had when his hands froze and she felt his fingers twitch.

She coughed awkwardly. “Sorry um…that felt really good?” 

Cha! You and your stupid big mouth! Why didn’t you just keep it shut?!

Thankfully, he didn’t respond right away, but rather continued with his ministrations. Although, this time with seemingly renewed vigor. 

He moved his hands to press around her neck as he spoke. 

“You should tell me what feels good, Sakura.”

She was sure that her blush covered her entire body.

His tone was polite, almost nonchalant, but it was the way he said her name that sent heat straight to the pit of her stomach, as well as the implication of his words.

Deciding she was done with being a bumbling fool, she fired right back.

“What if I like everything you’re doing, Itachi?”

“Then I suppose I’ll just have to continue.”

And continue he did. 

His hands roamed over her shoulders, to her neck, and even went as far as to drift slightly below her collarbone before retreating back to their original position. 

He smoothed out every knot and kink and massaged away any remaining tension, making her feel like she was melting. 

“Kami, where did you learn to do all this?” she breathed. “Maybe the Akatsuki would’ve thought twice before kicking you out had they known you were such a gifted masseur.”

He let out a low chuckle. “My mother used to occasionally massage my shoulders after my training to help reduce soreness. I suppose I may have picked up on some of her technique.”

While she was glad he was being more open again, the admission made Sakura sad. She could tell from his tone that he missed his mother. Terribly.

“You miss her, don’t you?”

His movements paused for the briefest of moments before resuming. 

“I do,” he confessed. 

She placed her hands on his hands to stop him before turning to face him. Bringing them up to his face, she met his eyes once again.

“I don’t know what happened, or why you did what you did, but I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Itachi.”

The raw pain in his eyes caused her heart to crack, and she couldn’t stop herself from wrapping her arms around him and gently pulling him into an embrace. 

He tensed up for a moment before relaxing and allowing her to hold him. He hesitantly brought his arms around her as well, before placing his head in the crook of her neck. 

Itachi couldn’t remember the last time he was held like this. And all he could do was wonder how it was possible to miss something that he never even had. 

Chapter Text

Sakura stood over her bed, sifting through her pack one more time to ensure that she had everything.

Then, she dumped it all out so she could check every individual item off of her mental checklist. Again. For the third time. 

She told herself that she was just being precautious, that as a shinobi she couldn’t afford to leave anything behind. 

However, no matter how many times she repeated that, there was a small part of her that knew she was stalling. 

She just couldn’t figure out why. 

Well, there was an even smaller part of her that had a few theories, but she decided she would ignore them.

It had been nearly three days since her trip to the hot springs with Itachi, which meant that her two weeks were up and it was time for her to head home. 

She knew that she should be thrilled at the prospect of finally leaving the enemy nin who caused her so much guilt and trepidation, but she couldn’t bring herself to be.

Because she was also leaving the man who gifted her with a new perspective, and even joy. 

Sakura knew that she was wrong, that her line of thinking was dangerous and borderline treason, but she couldn’t convince herself that she wouldn’t miss him.

What was worse was how he managed to transform her hatred towards him into something else entirely in only two weeks.

Kami, I’m an idiot!

Her self loathing was cut off by the sound of a door opening behind her, and she whirled around to see the subject of her internal struggle step through it. 

“You’re still here?” Itachi asked.

There was no malice to his tone, only confusion, but Sakura couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by his question. 

“Yeah, sorry, I guess I got…distracted.”

He hummed in understanding. 

“No need to apologize, I just thought you would have left the moment you were able to.” 

Yeah. Me fucking too, Itachi. 

“Well, I’m probably leaving soon anyway. Just gonna finish going through my things and I’ll be out of your way,” she chuckled.

“You weren’t in my way, Sakura,” he said softly. 

Too stunned to reply, she merely stared at him with her lips slightly parted until he turned and walked back through the door he came through.

Nice, Sakura, you scared him off. 

Sighing in defeat, she turned back to her items and began to slowly pack them away again. Very, very slowly.

***

Itachi stood in front of the small jewelry shop, debating whether or not to go inside. He had already placed the order, but he hadn’t paid a hefty amount, so he could still walk away without losing much.

He didn’t want to be too forward—or worse, inappropriate—but he also didn’t want to be impolite. His mother had raised him to be better than that.

And look at what you’ve done now.

He pushed his inner voice back into the dark pit he’d created in his mind. Now was not the time.

Deciding to just go through with it—as his mother would have been very disappointed if he didn’t—Itachi sighed and stepped inside of the shop.

“Ah, hello again!” the kind, elderly clerk greeted. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“Yes, hello. I’m here to pick up the order I  had placed?” Itachi prompted, only slightly hoping it wasn’t ready. 

“Yes, of course. I have it ready for you somewhere back here. One moment, please.”

“Of course.”

A few moments later, the old man returned with a small black box in his hands. 

“Here you are! Go ahead and give it a look to ensure there aren’t any mistakes. If not, you’ve already paid so you’re good to go!” 

Itachi nodded and uncovered the box, examining the item and noting that it was perfect. It was exactly as he ordered it. 

“Yes, it’s perfect. Thank you, sir.”

“Good, good! Come back anytime.”

Itachi nodded and walked back out into the village streets and towards the inn.

He just hoped that she would think it’s perfect too. 

***

Sakura sighed and gave her pack one last look. She knew that she couldn’t sift through it again without being forced to confront the fact that she was indeed stalling. 

She knew that she should probably leave now before he got back, but kami she didn’t want to. Not saying goodbye felt wrong.

She also refused to entertain the idea that maybe she had developed…feelings of some sort. It would be futile anyway. She was leaving, and he was a missing nin. Not to mention, he was also a traitor of Konoha, regardless of whether or not there was more to the story. 

So no, she would not admit to her feelings. She was going to walk out that door, hurry back to Konoha, forget about Itachi Uchiha and return to her actual life. 

And if she let her thoughts wander back to him on lonely nights…that was her prerogative. 

Sakura had a solid plan, and she would’ve followed through with it had she not opened the door to the very man that she was supposed to be forgetting about.

“Oh. Hey.” she awkwardly greeted, stepping back to give him some space to enter. 

“Hello. I’m sorry were you—were you leaving just now?” 

Fuck.

“Yeah, I figured you’d want me gone sooner rather than later,” she chuckled, in a lame attempt to brush it off. 

“Ah, I see. Don’t worry, you can take your time.”

Oh trust me, I have been.

“Oh it’s fine. I’ve already stayed longer than I should have.”

She almost missed the slight disappointment that flashed in his typically emotionless eyes. 

“Ah.”

“What do you have there?” she asked, suddenly noticing the black box in his hands. 

Itachi glanced down at the box, as if just now realizing he had it.

“Ah, I um…I got it for you, actually.” 

That was the first time Sakura heard him stumble over his words. 

“For me?” she asked in shock.

“Yes. As a token of my gratitude for helping me these past two weeks. You saved my life.”

She felt her cheeks burn.

“Itachi—”

“Open it, please. It’s your decision whether or not you keep it.”

Not able to look at him for a second longer, Sakura shifted her gaze down to the box and took it from him with shaky hands.

Opening it slowly, she gasped and nearly dropped it again when she saw its contents.

Inside of the box on a small white cushion was a silver necklace, with a little circle pendant.

However, it was what was inside of the pendant that nearly brought tears to her eyes. 

A dainty, yet beautiful cherry blossom sat inside of the pendant, preserved in resin. Its pink color matched her hair.

“Is this from…”

“The night of the festival, yes. It fell into my hair from one of the sakura trees we were underneath. I thought you might like it.”

“Oh, Itachi, it’s beautiful,” she remarked, slightly breathless. 

“I presume you like it, then?” 

“Kami, I love it. No one’s every given me anything like it.”

The small smile that graced his lips melted her heart.

“I’m glad.”

“Would you…would you mind putting it on for me?” she asked shyly. 

After a brief moment of hesitation, Itachi nodded cautiously and gently took the necklace from its box.

“Turn, please,” he instructed softly.

Turning around, Sakura took her hair and moved it to the side of her neck to grant him better access. 

Bringing the necklace over her head, Itachi gently placed it around her neck before fastening the clasp in the back before stepping away to let her know he was finished.

Placing her hand on the pendant, she turned to face him, seemingly contemplating something. 

Just as he was about to walk way, Sakura leaned forward pulled him into an embrace.

“Thank you, Itachi. Thank you so much,” she whispered.

He froze for a moment, before allowing himself to listen to his heart, just this once. He wrapped his arms around her in return, placing his chin atop her head.

“Happy birthday, Sakura. Thank you for everything.”

She gasped softly before pulling back to face him. 

“You remembered?!”

“You told me it was this Friday, did you not?”

“Well, yeah, but you actually remembered.”

His brows furrowed at that. “Why wouldn’t I?”

She smiled sadly. “Itachi…not even Sasuke would remember my birthday, and he was my teammate.”

“Ah…I see,” he said, slightly embarrassed now.

“You’re blushing,” she accused, a smirk creeping onto her face. 

“I assure you, I am not,” he retorted, despite knowing it was futile after she had called him out. 

She shook her head and laughed before bringing her gaze back up to his eyes. Then, she brought it down to his lips.

Lifting her eyes back to his, she searched them for any reluctance. Anything that might have convince her not to do what she so desperately wanted to.

Just go for it! After all, you don’t know when you’ll see him again and what will happen if you do…

She decided to give into her inner voice, just this once.

“Sakura…”

Fuck it.

Before he could say anything else, Sakura closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his, praying he wouldn’t shove her off.

Itachi froze, overwhelmed by the suddenness and the sensation of her lips. 

Taking his hesitation as rejection, she pulled away and began to step back, shame creeping onto her face.

Before he could register what he was doing, Itachi was grabbing her arm and pulling her back in, pressing his lips to hers with much more intensity than she had. 

He would be selfish, just this once.

After the initial shock of him actually kissing her wore off, Sakura melted into him and moved her lips in sync with his.

They kissed slowly and passionately, a million unspoken words between them. 

Pulling back to breathe, they looked into each other’s eyes once more before closing the distance once again.

Itachi gently backed her into the wall, and she let out a noise of contentment before tangling her fingers in his hair, marveling at how soft it was. 

He tentatively brought his hands to her waist and brought himself closer. He swept his tongue over her lips, seeking permission. She parted them and granted it to him, her tongue dancing with his as he tasted her.

She tasted sweet, sweeter than any dango he’d ever eaten. He decided right then that she was his new favorite treat.

He began to skim his fingers along her sides, and she moaned softly at the sensation, pressing herself against him in a plea for more.

As tempting as it was to oblige her, Itachi knew he couldn’t. Not now, and maybe not ever.

Using all of his willpower to pull away, he looked down at her as he tucked her pretty hair behind her ear.

“You know we can’t, Sakura,” he whispered.

“I know,” she breathed, her lips swollen and pink from their little tryst. “Is it bad that I wanted to, though?”

He chucked and brought his lips to hers for one last peck. “Trust me, you aren’t alone.”

She smirked. “Is that so?” 

“Very much so,” he grinned.

She brought his forehead down to rest against hers and sighed.

“Maybe in another life,” she whispered sadly.

“Perhaps,” he murmured. “But I’ll be forever grateful that I had the privilege of knowing you in this one.” 

She pulled him in for one last embrace, feeling a tear slide down her cheek. 

***

Sakura stood in the marketplace, stocking up on food and other necessities before her journey back to Konoha. 

She should have been excited to return home, to see her friends and coworkers at the hospital. 

Instead, all she felt was grief. 

As a shinobi, she was no stranger to grief. It was a gaping hole that made her feel hollow; empty. 

She knew she would go home and cry until her head throbbed and her eyes were dry. Then, she would be numb, and throw herself into her work until she either forgot or moved on. 

But she never really did move on, or forget. No, she would simply learn how to cover up the hole until she convinced herself that it wasn’t even there at all. 

She wasn’t in love, not like she was with Sasuke. This was different, she was sure of it. 

But why did this hole feel bigger? 

Sakura was brought out of her thoughts as the clerk handed her the food she had asked for. 

“That will be 200 yen, please.”

“Yes, one second.”

She began to rummage through her pack for her money when a masculine hand placed 200 yen into the clerk’s hands. 

“That should cover it,” an eerily familiar voice said.

The clerk nodded. “Thank you, have a great day.”

Sakura grabbed her food and turned to thank whoever had paid for her, only to freeze and drop all of it when her eyes landed on the all too familiar onyx eyes and spiked black hair. 

“Sasuke…?”

“Hello, Sakura. I was hoping we could talk.”

***

“What the hell are you doing here?” Sakura demanded. 

She was currently standing across from him in a secluded area behind some houses. Probably not the best idea, but he had insisted they had their conversation in private. 

“And here I thought you’d be happy to see me,” he said casually, his eyes flickering to hers.

She snorted. “Yeah right. What do you want, Sasuke?”

“I need your help.”

“Excuse me?!”

“I’m assuming you know why I left.”

“Yeah, some stupid bullshit about getting revenge on your brother, right?”

His lips tightened but he nodded all the same. 

“Yes. As you know, Itachi is…strong.”

“No shit. What does that have to do with me?”

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Still as annoying as ever, I see.”

She growled. “Well if I’m so goddamn annoying, why are you even asking for my help?” 

He looked at her once more, his expression returning to seriousness. 

“I need a medic.”

“Why me, Sasuke? I’m not the only medical ninja in the world.”

“No, but you’re the best.”

Despite her anger towards him, she couldn’t help but feel pride at his reluctant admission. After all, both Uchiha brothers have commended her on her skills. 

“While that may be true, you’re insane if you think I’m going to help you, Sasuke. Not after everything you’ve done.”

“What if I promise to return to Konoha after I’ve killed him?”

A year or two ago, she probably would’ve accepted his offer without a second thought. However, things were different now. 

She walked towards him and paused a few feet away, looking him square in the eye. 

“I’m not helping you, Sasuke. Not now, not ever. So you can forget about it and find someone else,” she spat.

She meant to walk past him and take her leave when she felt his hand encircle her wrist.

“I didn’t want it to be this way, Sa-ku-ra,” he whispered into her ear.

“Get the fuck off of me!” she turned, directing a chakra infused punch to his jaw but he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Shit, a shadow clone.

Before she could wonder where he went, she felt a presence behind her. 

She turned around, realizing her mistake far too late. 

His eyes were no longer black, but rather a dangerous red that haunted her nightmares. And she looked directly into them.

Her body went limp as she fell into his genjutsu, and he caught her before she could hit the ground.

“Tsk. So annoying,” Sasuke grumbled, before glancing around and rushing away.

He failed to notice the small crow that was perched on the rooftop overhead. 

Chapter Text

Itachi sat in the armchair, his gaze fixed upon the door that Sakura had left through not too long ago. He was relentlessly searching his heart for the guilt he knew he should have felt, but it was nowhere to be found. On the contrary, the burning lust he’d felt with his lips pressed against hers lingered still, much to his annoyance. He wasn’t sure that he’d ever felt anything like that before, and if he had, he couldn’t remember the last time. 

He knew he shouldn’t have kissed her back. He should’ve let her back away, he shouldn’t have engaged.

He should’ve remained indifferent. 

Itachi had never had an issue controlling his impulses and emotions. Even before he became a rogue ninja, he’d always prided himself on his ability to maintain his composure. This ability made him invaluable as a shinobi, especially during his time in Anbu. Hell, he even managed to put on quite the show for Sasuke, when all he wanted to do was gather the small boy in his arms and apologize until his lungs gave out. 

Yet, it was the pink-haired kunoichi whom he’d never met that managed to break through the cold exterior surrounding his heart. But why?

Sure, she was beautiful, possibly one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. But there were many beautiful people in the world, what made Sakura so different? He supposed it could be her exotic features, like her soft pink hair and bright emerald eyes, but he knew it was more than that. 

He supposed that he could relate to her in some aspects, with them both being shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. Even if she wasn’t yet up to par with him, she was still remarkably strong and impressive, both as a medical ninja and a soldier. 

She was also kind, and even though she could be quite temperamental, he found that it was one of the things he loved about her. She was a giver, and Sakura didn’t just love, she loved deeply and wholeheartedly. He longed for a love like that, and he was ashamed that his foolish brother had taken it for granted. 

Realizing that he was getting quite off track—he was supposed to be convincing himself that he did not harbor feelings for her—Itachi sighed and decided to try and activate his Sharingan. 

He closed his eyes and began to meditate, taking deep breaths and trying to focus on his senses in order to clear his mind. Meditating had always been a welcome reprieve for him, and while he typically had little trouble getting into his headspace, he found that his thoughts kept circling back to pink hair and cherry blossoms. 

Itachi opened his eyes in frustration, realizing that his efforts were futile as long as he was preoccupied.

He lightly bit his thumb and formed the familiar signs for a summoning jutsu, pleased when his favorite black crow appeared in a puff of smoke. His chakra was returning. 

“Ebony, I have an assignment for you.”

***

Sakura groaned as she gained consciousness, feeling a dull throb in the back of her head and a pit in her stomach.

She went to rub the bleariness from her eyes when she had the alarming realization that she couldn’t move her arms. Suddenly panicked and alert, she registered a few things at once as she took in her surroundings.

One, she couldn’t move her arms because they were restrained behind her back with chakra restricting cuffs. Two, her legs and ankles were also subdued this way. Three, she was chained to a stone wall, and presumably in a cave somewhere. 

As her memories came flooding back, Sakura growled in anger and tried to break the cuffs around her wrists. That bastard! She couldn’t believe he had the audacity to kidnap her and then take away her chance at a fair fight by restricting her chakra. 

What a fucking coward.

Before she could begin to formulate a plan, she heard steady footsteps echo throughout the cave, growing louder as they drew nearer.

She didn’t want to be afraid, but she couldn’t help the chill that traveled up her spine as she thought about his intentions for her. Would he kill her? Torture her? Trap her in another genjutsu? She felt her breathing grow shaky as her pulse became slightly erratic. 

Before she could contemplate the matter further, she felt a shadow loom over her. His shadow.

“You’re awake,” he remarked in that deep timbre of his that she once drooled over. Now, it made her stomach drop. 

“Let me go, Sasuke.” She cursed the slight shake in her voice; she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of her fear. 

“I’m afraid I can’t do that just yet, Sakura. I still have use for you.” The pure ice in his tone made her repress a shiver. 

“I don’t care. I will never be a pawn in your fucked up game. Let me go or so help me, I will break these pathetic chains and put you six feet under with my bare fists before Itachi ever gets the chance,” she growled. 

His responding smirk was infuriating. “I would love to see you try, Sakura. I can’t imagine you’re any less weak than when I had the displeasure of being on your team.” 

“Why don’t you come and find out, asshole?” She tugged on her chains again, pissed that she didn’t have access to her chakra. 

“Now that would just be a waste of time,” he scoffed.

She seethed. “Fuck you, Sasuke.”

He rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. 

“You have two options. Either you become my medic and I’ll let you go once I’m finished, or I can kill you now. Your choice, Sa-ku-ra.”

Her blood ran cold at the casualty of his statement, and she felt a pang in her heart. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that he would really kill her. After all they’d been through he would just toss her aside like nothing for the sake of revenge. She shouldn’t have been surprised, he’d tried to kill her once before, she just never got used to knowing that he would. She felt tears of frustration and betrayal begin to prickle behind her eyes. 

“How can you be so evil, Sasuke? What do you even gain from all of this? Killing Itachi and anyone who stands in your way won’t bring your clan back.” 

“I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand my pain. I’m not evil for doing what needs to be done. No, how can I be evil when he still exists?” he laughed humorlessly. 

She resisted the urge to scream that Itachi wasn’t evil. This wasn’t about him, and it certainly wouldn’t help her case.

“What makes you think you’re any better than him?” she laughed. “Murdering people who loved you? Sounds awfully familiar doesn’t it?”

His eyes snapped to hers, his anger becoming prominent.

“Shut up!” he snapped. “Don’t you fucking dare compare me to him. I’m nothing like him.” 

“Who are you trying to convince? Me? Or yourself?”

“Sakura. I’m warning you. Stop fucking talking,” he bit out. 

“Is this what they would have wanted?” she pressed. “Would your mother and father be proud, Sasuke? I’m sure they would be overjoyed to know that their own son betrayed the Uchiha name because he couldn’t control his emotions. Losing one child would have been hard enough, but now they’ve lost two.” 

She wasn’t sure what she was hoping to achieve by provoking him, but she certainly wasn’t expecting his eyes to bleed into red as he rushed forward and backhanded her. Hard. 

Sakura’s head whipped to the side from the force of his slap, the horrible sound echoing throughout the cave. She sat there, stunned and defenseless as he brought his foot up and kicked her ribs hard enough to break one. 

She cried out, falling over to the side from the impact, her head hitting the stone floor. She felt her tears mix with blood that was trickling down from her nose and lips. She felt blood begin to pool beneath her head from where she hit it as well. She tried to breathe, but every inhale hurt as a result of her broken rib.

Her heart hurt even more. 

She let out a sob as she looked up at her former teammate who was now standing over her, his onyx eyes emotionless as he stared at her broken form. 

“What have you become?” she whispered weakly.

She wasn’t sure if her tear-blurred gaze deceived her or if she truly recognized a flicker of regret pass through his cold facade. Either way, that’s all it was; a flicker. 

He didn’t respond to her question, but rather shook his head and walked away. 

“You have thirty minutes to make your decision,” he called back carelessly.

Sakura waited until she heard the sound of his footsteps diminish into nothing before she allowed herself to fall apart and cry. 

***

After summoning his crow to trail Sakura and ensure her safety, Itachi tried everything he could think of to clear his mind. 

He read, meditated, stretched, showered, and even strolled around the village for a bit, relishing in the anonymity he had here.

Just as he was about to treat himself to a stick of dango, Ebony flew down and perched herself on his shoulder. He immediately knew something was wrong. He instructed the crow not to return until Sakura was back inside of the village gates or something else happened to her. It was impossible for her to make it back to Konoha so quickly, and he felt dread pool in his stomach as he realized what that meant. 

“Take me to her,” he instructed the small bird, knowing that she would have finished trailing Sakura before reporting back to him. 

Ebony squawked in response and took off towards the village exit. Itachi could only pray that he wasn’t too late.

***

Sakura groaned weakly as she felt someone urgently shaking her shoulder. Had it been thirty minutes already? Shit, did she pass out? She tried to open her eyes but the violent pounding in her skull wouldn’t allow her to, causing her to whimper in pain. 

“—wake up, come on. Sakura, you need to get up I think you have a concussion.” 

At the distant sound of her name, she tried to open her eyes again and managed to crack them open the slightest bit, dumbfounded when she realized the voice wasn’t as distant as she previously thought. And that it happened to belong to Itachi.

Yep. I’m definitely dead. 

Realizing that she must’ve already been in the afterlife, Sakura allowed her eyes to droop shut again as she sank back into the ground. 

“No, no, Sakura, please. Sakura you need to stay awake. We need to get you out of here. Shit.” 

Yeah, there was no way that Itachi Uchiha had actually come to her rescue. Itachi would never curse like that. 

She startled awake and almost cried out in pain when she felt herself being positioned up and against the wall, her head lolling to the side. 

“Sakura, look at me. I need you to look at me.” 

The new position caused her brain to flicker on and start working again, and she realized with relief that Itachi wasn’t a figment of her pitiful imagination. 

Bringing her eyes up to meet his as best as she could, her lips parted and she called out to him.

“Itachi…”

He breathed out a relieved sigh and gently cupped her face. “Shhh, don’t try and speak, alright? Let’s just get you out of here.” 

He went to break through her restraints when he noticed her eyes shift to something behind him and widen in alarm. That was the only warning he received before she brought her foot up and kicked him in the stomach as hard as she could in her weakened state.

“Get the fuck off of me!” she shouted at him. 

Itachi shot her a confused look before he realized what had caused her to panic. He stood and turned around to face his younger brother, his violent chakra signature unmistakable. 

“Itachi. I must say I wasn’t expecting you so soon,” Sasuke remarked casually, though Itachi could see the trepidation in his eyes. 

“You are quite conspicuous, little brother, so I assumed you were.” 

The younger Uchiha merely smirked and shook his hand, a sadistic sense of confidence overtaking him. 

“It doesn’t matter. Now that you’re here, let’s settle things, shall we?” 

“Certainly. However, it will be us settling things. I see no need for the little kunoichi you have chained up in the corner.” 

“Why, you want me to let her go? You’ve gone soft, Itachi.” 

“Hardly. I just don’t care to dispose of innocent lives,” he deadpanned, knowing full well the effect that cut would have on his brother. 

Sure enough, he was right. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and the taunting smirk that teased his lips was nowhere to be found. 

However, instead of foolishly charging at him in anger, as Itachi hoped he would, he directed his attention towards Sakura instead.

“Sakura, make your decision now. Assist me or I’ll cut you down too.”

Sakura gulped and shot a nervous glance in Itachi’s direction before setting her jaw and looking back to Sasuke. 

Itachi knew then that he had a choice, and that he would leave that choice up to Sakura. If she chose to help his brother, he would accept it and allow himself to be killed by the both of them. However, if she chose to cross his brother…

“I’ll help you. Sasuke, let me help you,” she said confidently, fixing a glare in Itachi’s direction. He felt his heart crack. 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her for a moment but obliged her nonetheless. 

“Defy me and I won’t hesitate to kill you,” he informed, forming a series of hand signs that caused Sakura’s restraints to break open. “Hurry up and heal yourself. I won’t have you slowing me down.” 

Sakura stood up and rubbed her sore limbs, nodding once at Sasuke before engulfing her hands in green chakra and bringing them to her side, presumably healing a rib. Itachi grimaced at the sight, furious that his brother had hurt her. 

His younger brother turned back to face him, a cold sneer contorting his features. 

“I’ve been waiting years for this moment. I can’t wait to see you dead at my feet,” he snarled.

Before Itachi could come back with a response, Sakura rushed up behind Sasuke and placed a glowing green hand at his pulse point. 

“I’m sorry, but you’ll just have to wait a little longer,” she muttered. 

He watched his brother’s eyes widen in shock before morphing into pure rage. Before he could retaliate, however, his eyes drooped shut and he began to crumple to the ground, Sakura catching him before his body made contact. He was completely unconscious. 

“Sakura…” Itachi breathed.

“We have to hurry. This won’t last long, he’s fighting me,” she stated, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the cave exit, a slight limp in her step.

“Sakura wait,” he said, stopping her from walking any further. “What are you doing?” 

She rolled her eyes. “I’m trying to get us the hell out of here before he wakes up!” 

“Why did you—”

“Because I know that there’s something you’re not telling me. I couldn’t just—I couldn’t just let him kill you. Look, let’s just get out of here, okay?”

He merely nodded, completely at a loss for words. Sparing one last look at his brother’s unconscious form, he squeezed Sakura’s hand and together they fled the cave. 

***

There were dark storm clouds circling overhead when they made their escape, and only thirty minutes later it started to downpour. 

Sakura grit her teeth and pushed through it, fleeing in the opposite direction of Kisaragi. They couldn’t go back now that Sasuke knew they had been there. 

It started to rain harder, droplets pelting against their faces and drenching their clothes and gear. She didn’t stop.

“Sakura, hold on,” Itachi pressed, struggling slightly to keep up with her. She had forgotten he may still be recovering.

Still, she ignored him. He would just have to suck it up for a while. 

“Sakura, wait,” he said again, this time grabbing her bicep and pulling her to a stop on a tree branch. 

After gaining her balance back, she whirled around and pulled herself from his grip.

“What the hell, Itachi?! I know you’re probably in pain but we can’t—”

“It’s not me that I’m concerned about,” he muttered.

“What?”

“You didn’t finish healing yourself. I can tell you’re still injured, and with the rain it’s dangerous for you to keep going like this.”

She scoffed. “Itachi, please, I’m a medic nin—”

“Yes, and you think that as a medical ninja you would take better care of yourself,” he chastised.

“I take perfectly good care of myself!” she defended, though it sounded like a lie even to her own ears. “We just don’t have the time to be worrying about that right now.”

“You’re paranoid.”

“I am not.”

“You are. Come on, I’ll carry you. There’s a cave just ahead we can stop at until the rain clears,” he said, turning his back to her and crouching down, an implication for her to get on.

“No way. I’m not letting you carry me, Itachi Uchiha.”

“You can be so stubborn at times,” he murmured, his voice a blend of exasperation and amusement.

Sakura crossed her arms and glared at his back. There was absolutely no way in hell she would let herself be carried like some fucking princess. Especially not when she was perfectly capable of moving on her own.

“You’re just wasting time, Sakura.”

“Fine, let’s go then,” she said, taking a step towards him. 

He let out a relieved sigh, clearly glad that she was finally taking his offer. She smirked at his naivety. 

She walked over and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

“Race ya there.”

That was the only warning she gave before she took off and was racing through the trees, heading in what she hoped was the general direction of the cave. She couldn’t contain her laughter as she heard Itachi mutter what sounded suspiciously like a curse. 

Her ribs cried out in pain, her head continued to throb, and her legs ached in protest, but as the rain cascaded over her skin and its scent filled her nose, she couldn’t bring herself to care. 

Just as she heard Itachi gaining on her and began to worry that he would catch her, she saw the cave enter her peripheral. 

Bingo.

She took a sharp right and flew down towards the cave, smirking in triumph when she reached it. 

Turning around to boast her victory, her face dropped at the sight of Itachi. He was pissed.

His jaw was set and his eyes were a shade of dark that she didn’t think was possible. His cheeks were flushed and his soaked hair was sticking to his face and neck. Though she should’ve been scared, terrified even, she couldn’t help but snicker at him. 

“You look like an angry, wet kitten,” she teased.

She saw his cheeks burn red, and his eyes softened for a moment before hardening again.

“Sakura.”

She slowly started to back away towards the cave wall, a mischievous grin on her face. 

“Itachi.”

He began to slowly walk towards her. 

“You should’ve let me carry you.”

Her smile dropped.

“Are you serious right now? I told you I don’t—”

She squeaked as he suddenly cut her off by pressing her against the wall, kissing her urgently. 

After realizing that he wasn’t truly angry with her, she softened and melted into the kiss, letting out a sigh of contentment. 

Before things could get too heated, he pulled away to rest his forehead against hers. 

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he whispered.

She smiled. “Yeah, me too.” 

He leaned back down to kiss her once more, placing his hand on her side. She winced at the action, causing him to pull back quickly. 

“You’re hurt. I apologize, I should’ve remembered.”

“No, it’s alright,” she assured, reaching up to kiss him again when he pulled himself out of her reach. She frowned.

“You need to heal yourself and rest. I won’t touch you again until you do,” he said sternly, but not unkindly. 

Sakura huffed but listened anyway, sitting down and leaning against the wall behind her as she began to finish healing her ribs. 

“Not like you touched me to begin with,” she grumbled to herself.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” he asked innocently. She knew damn well that he heard her, so she merely sent him a glare.

He shook his head, an amused smile dancing across his lips. 

“Well, maybe if you do as you’re told, I’ll reconsider,” he stated calmly, the implication in his words sending heat straight to her core.

Deciding not to respond, Sakura bit her lip and continued to heal her injuries, albeit at a much quicker pace. 

***

Nearly an hour later, Sakura was finished and tried (but failed) to stifle a yawn. Of course, Itachi noticed.

“You should sleep.”

“‘M not tired.”

“Sure you’re not.”

“But you said—”

“I know what I said, Sakura. But you need to rest for right now.” 

Realizing that she wasn’t going to get what she wanted, she rolled her eyes and complied. After about ten minutes of tossing and turning, she decided she couldn’t do it.

“Itachi.”

“Hm?”

“I need you to tell me what happened.”

She saw him stiffen.

“What are you talking about?” 

“Don’t play dumb. The night of the massacre. I need you to tell me what really happened. Please.” 

“Sakura, please—”

“No, Itachi, I’m not asking anymore. I’ve betrayed my teammate and put my life at stake for you again. If you don’t give me a good reason for doing so, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. Or you.”

He sighed and brought his hands up to pinch the bridge of his nose before leaning back, his gaze distant. He stayed like that for a few moments, watching the rain fall before he decided to speak up. 

“I understand. And I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me that you won’t tell a soul of what you’ve learned.”

“Okay. I promise.”

“I’m serious, Sakura. Not even Naruto.”

“Kami, I won’t!”

He sighed and shook his head. 

“It would be easier for me to…show you.”

Her brows furrowed in confusion before understanding dawned on her.

“Like…a genjutsu?”

“My Tsukuyomi. I’ll use it to show you my memories from that night.”

“Wait, but your Sharingan…you can’t activate it again yet.”

“I will for this; I have to.”

“You could hurt yourself.”

“I’m fully aware of the repercussions. And I’m willing to deal with them for your sake. Just please don’t make me regret this, Sakura.”

She nodded. “I won’t. I promise.”

“I have to warn you…what I’m about to show you will likely change your opinion about many things. Things that are greater than me or the Uchiha clan. Everything you’ve ever known about your village and your elders will change. I need you to make sure that you’re okay with that.”

Sakura would’ve been lying had she said that his words didn’t unsettle her. She took in a shaky breath and thought for a moment before nodding. She needed closure.

“I’m okay with that. Please, just show me.”

He nodded once before closing his eyes, seemingly very focused. They sat there across from each other in silence for a few moments as she watched his jaw clench and unclench, his brows tightening. Soon enough, blood began to seep from his closed eyelids, trickling down his cheeks like tears. 

“Itachi, you’re bleeding!”

He held up a hand as a gesture for her to be quiet, and she complied. A few seconds later his eyes snapped open, and they were no longer black.

She stared into his crimson eyes, the black tomoe blended together in the menacing swirl of the Mangekyo. She felt a mixture of fear, awe, and fascination.

“I’m going to show you now, is that alright?” he asked softly, looking into her eyes.

She gulped but nodded all the same.

“I’m ready.”

Chapter Text

When Sakura opened her eyes, she found herself surrounded by the trees of the Uchiha training grounds; the warm sunlight and birdsong a stark contrast to the storm of a reality she was in. 

She took a moment to take in a deep breath and fully absorb her surroundings. Kami, she missed Konoha. 

Unfortunately, she was not here to reminisce. 

It wasn’t long before the sound of two young voices reached her ears, and she turned her head in their direction, smiling as she caught sight of a much younger, happier Sasuke pleading with his big brother to help him with his shuriken training.

It was evident that they couldn’t sense her presence as this was merely a memory, so she made herself comfortable against a tree and quietly observed, her eyes capturing every moment of her younger teammate to steal as a memory of her own.

“But Nii-san! You promised you would help with my shuriken training today,” little Sasuke whined, his cheeks puffed out in the most adorable manner. 

Itachi simply smiled and shook his head lightly. “I’m sorry, Sasuke. I’m afraid I have an important mission tomorrow that I must prepare for.” 

Sakura couldn’t help but notice the trepidation in his eyes as he spoke.

“Hmph. You’re such a big fat liar!” 

Itachi closed his eyes, clearly suppressing a chuckle at his brother’s antics, before waving him over.

Sasuke’s eyes immediately lit up as he bounded over to his brother, eager to learn. 

However, as soon as he reached him, Itachi merely poked his little brother’s forehead, causing him to stumble back with a frown.

“I’m sorry Sasuke, maybe next time.”

She let out a small gasp as she recalled the echo of that same phrase the first time she’d asked about his past. 

“Fine then, watch this!” 

Before Itachi could respond, Sasuke raced off towards the trees, two shuriken in his hands. 

“Be careful, Sasuke! You could get hurt—”

Sure enough, there was a loud thump followed by a poorly suppressed groan. 

Sakura cracked a smile as Itachi shook his head and walked over to where his younger brother was sprawled across the forest floor, picking him up to carry him upon his back. She followed them as they began to head back towards the compound. 

“That was so fun, Nii-san! Will you train with me again sometime?” Sasuke asked excitedly, his injury already forgotten.

Itachi hesitated for a brief second before responding.

“Sure, Sasuke. But I’m going to start taking missions soon, and starting tomorrow you’ll be apart of the academy. We won’t have as much free time as we do now.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, as long as you promise to still spend time with me sometimes!” 

“Yes, Sasuke. I promise.”

***

Sakura blinked as she suddenly found herself in the corner of a dimly lit room. Itachi stood before his parents, his boyish face serious as ever.

“Itachi,” his father spoke. “You serve as the Uchiha clan’s pipeline to the village nerve center. You understand this, don’t you?”

“What are you saying, Father?”

“You will be our eyes and ears regarding all matters pertaining to Konoha. A spy, if you will.”

Itachi’s expression hardened. “Why would I spy against my own village?”

Fugaku shook his head with a grimace.

“Ever since the attack of the Nine Tails, the Uchiha clan has been shunned by this village. They foolishly blame us for what has happened, and we have been subjected to unfair treatment by our own people for years. Don't you see, Itachi? They don't trust us, and they never will."

"What are you planning to do about it, then?" 

“I will orchestrate an attack against the Hidden Leaf. It will be carried out by the Uchiha clan.”

Sakura gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth as if they might hear her.

“That's your plan?" Itachi scoffed. "Prove their accusations to be true? How will that solve anything?" 

Fugaku chuckled darkly. “Oh, my boy, I am not seeking to solve anything. I am seeking to finish it. You’re either for us, or you’re against us, and this damned village has placed themselves against us. I will not stand for it, not after all we’ve done.”

“I suppose negotiation never occurred to you, then?” Itachi deadpanned.

Fugaku’s lips tightened, his hands twitching as he directed a glare towards his eldest son. 

“Don’t think you’re special, Itachi. You’re either with us or against us. I ask that you stand with us, but if you choose not to, so be it,” he spit, the threat evident in his tone.

Itachi’s eyes narrowed for a split second before he regained his composure and nodded. 

“Very well, then. I’ll be your spy, Father.”

Fugaku nodded before walking towards his son and clamping a hand on his shoulder. 

“I knew you would make the right decision. Don’t let me down, son.”

***

The scenery changed again and this time she was standing inside of the Hokage’s office; Lord Third, Itachi, Danzo, and the other village elders were present as well. 

“The suspicions regarding an Uchiha coup d'état have been confirmed, then.” The third Hokage stated, addressing Itachi grimly.

“Yes, Lord Hokage,” he replied.

“We have no choice but to counterattack immediately,” Danzo snarled.

Sakura rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to flip him off. She couldn’t stand that old bastard.

“And how do you propose we do that?” Itachi said lowly, though she suspected he already knew the answer.

“We eliminate them,” Danzo scoffed. “They’ve been an unnecessary threat for quite some time now, wouldn’t you agree?

Sakura drew in a quick breath as she watched Itachi’s hands curl into fists. Lord Third seemed to have noticed it as well.

“Now Danzo, surely there are other options. Negotiation, for one—”

“No,” Itachi interrupted. “Pardon me, Lord Hokage, but my father is a very stubborn man. He is unwilling to negotiate with anyone of the village and that will not change.”

A beat of chilled silence passed throughout the room as everyone processed what that meant.

“We have no other choice then,” one of the elders spoke up.

“Yes, I’ll have to agree with Danzo,” another said.

“We must protect our village.”

One by one the elders voiced their agreement with Danzo as Itachi stood by numbly and watched. She had a sickening feeling of where this was going. 

“Enough,” the Hokage commanded.

“You know what must be done, Sarutobi,” Danzo drawled. “To neglect this decision would be neglecting this village and its citizens.” 

Despite the disappointment clear on the Hokage’s face, Sakura knew that he was inclined to reluctantly side with Danzo. She could see the resignation etched upon his features. 

No…

“I’m very sorry, Itachi.”

They wouldn’t…

“ROOT will be the one to—”

“No.”

Please don’t do this…

“I beg your pardon?” 

“I said no,” Itachi cut Danzo a cold glare as he spoke before turning to face the Hokage. “I will carry out this mission.”

NO.

Sakura’s eyes widened as her knees threatened to buckle underneath her. There was no way Lord Third would allow this to happen.

“Itachi, are you certain you are capable of doing this?” 

“I know I will not be capable of staying even if I don’t. Consider this my final mission as a Konoha shinobi. Please, Lord Hokage, it must be me.”

“You understand that you will have to defect as soon as it is done, correct? You will be forever marked as an enemy of the Leaf.”

Sakura’s heart shattered.

“I understand, Lord Hokage. Konoha is my home and I will do all I can to protect it.” 

With one last somber look, the Hokage sighed. 

“Very well then,” he paused. “Itachi Uchiha, I hereby assign you to your final mission as a Konoha shinobi. You are now responsible for the eradication of the entire Uchiha clan. Upon success, you will leave the village immediately and never return. This mission is classified and is not to be shared with anyone outside of this room under any circumstance. No one can ever know the truth, is that understood?”

“Yes, Lord Hokage.”

He nodded. “Dismissed.”

One by one the elders filed out of the room until it was only Itachi and Lord Third. 

As the boy with the weight of a village on his shoulders turned and began to walk towards the door, his leader called out to him.

“Thank you for all you have done, Itachi. I wish that things could be different, and I hope that you know you will always be Konoha’s hero. Even if this village will never know, I will carry this guilt to my grave. I am truly sorry.”

Itachi nodded once before turning and walking out the door, not bothering to look back.

***

This time, Sakura was prepared for the scenery change. However, she hadn’t expected to find herself in the middle of the forest surrounding Konoha, especially not at night. 

A few beats passed before Sakura felt an eery presence and looked behind her to be met with a familiar, yet unfamiliar, face.

She sucked in a quick breath as she found herself staring into the eyehole of an orange colored mask she’d grown to loathe. However, his hair was longer here; shaggier. Still, the hideous mask was a dead giveaway of his identity, even if she didn’t know his name. 

Though she knew he couldn’t actually see her, she felt uncomfortable standing in his direct line of sight. She decided to take to the tall trees above to observe instead. 

It wasn’t long before Itachi stealthily jumped down from the tree to her left, landing silently on his feet. Sakura held her breath in anticipation.

“Madara Uchiha,” he greeted the masked man. 

No fucking way. 

“Itachi, was it?” Madara replied cooly, his voice much deeper than her recent encounters with him. It sent a shiver down her spine. 

“Yes. I need your assistance.” 

“You know how I feel about the Hidden Leaf, Itachi. And your little clan.”

“I’m well aware. I think you’ll find that my proposition favors you just as well.”

“Let’s hear it then.”

“I need your assistance with the eradication of my clan. My sharingan alone will not be enough to face them.”

Madara let out a deep chuckle. “I would be more than happy to settle the score with those old fools.” 

“On one condition,” Itachi cut in.

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“You vow to never harm the Hidden Leaf village…or my younger brother.”

“I thought I was eradicating the entire clan?” 

“No. You’re assisting me with most of them. Leave my family to me.”

“Very well then. Your conditions are…acceptable. When do we move?.”

“Tomorrow night after everyone has gone to sleep. Meet me outside of the village gates.”

“I’m assuming you’ll be forced to defect after this, yes?”

Itachi paused for a moment before slowly nodding.

“Yes.”

“Hmm. Well, there’s always a place for you in my…organization. If you’re interested.”

“Your organization?”

“The Akatsuki.”

Sakura gasped, nearly falling out of her tree. Madara Uchiha was leading Akatsuki; not Pein. 

“I will consider it.”

“Please do, Itachi-san. I will meet you tomorrow. Don’t be late,” Madara murmured before teleporting away.

Once he was gone, Sakura watched as Itachi brought a hand to his face and crumpled against a tree. She couldn’t imagine the pain he must’ve been in for him to allow his stoic facade to falter. She longed to wrap her arms around him, wishing for a moment that this was more than just a genjutsu. 

***

She could feel the sorrow in the cool night air before anything had even happened. It was a feeling so heavy it was suffocating.

Sakura knew then that this was the night.

Taking a deep breath, she began to meander throughout the Uchiha compound until she caught sight of a fleeting figure.

Itachi.

She didn’t bother trying to follow him; she knew what this part was. Instead, she slowly made her way over to his old home, deciding it would be better to wait for him there. 

Sakura watched as he entered his parents’ bedroom window, silent as ever. Still, they were ready for him, as if they knew what terrible fate awaited them. Maybe they did. 

She watched as his parents kneeled on the floor, facing away from him. She watched the tears trail down Itachi’s cheeks; tears that no one else would ever see.

She watched as they muttered something incoherent, as she couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in her ears. She was powerless to stop what she knew would cause years of pain and suffering. She could only watch. 

She watched as Itachi drove his katana through the hearts of his mother and father, face emotionless minus the tear stains that marred his cheeks. 

She felt tears of her own begin to blur her vision as her cheeks suddenly grew wet. She didn’t make a sound; she sat there and watched, sobbing silently. 

She watched as the bedroom door was thrown open by a much too young Sasuke, his innocent eyes widened in horror as he took in the scene. 

Then, she watched as he saw Itachi, his big brother, standing over the corpses of his dead parents, and she about lost it.

“N-nii-san! What happened to mother and father?! Who would do such a thing—”

Sasuke was cut off as a kunai landed in the wall directly beside his head, his face frozen in sheer terror.

“Nii-san? D-did you do this?”

She watched, helpless, as Itachi stalked over to his younger brother, his eyes morphing into crimson.

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut…she couldn’t bear to watch this part.

When she opened them again, she was no longer in the bedroom bathed in blood. 

She was standing outside of the Uchiha home, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. Itachi and Sasuke were sitting side by side on the porch.  

“We’re flesh and blood, I’ll always be there for you,” Itachi spoke quietly. “Even if it’s just as an obstacle for you to overcome.”

She watched as Sasuke turned to look at his brother, his little brows furrowing in confusion.

“I’ll always be there for you, Sasuke, even if you grow to hate me,” he continued, smiling sadly. “That’s what big brothers are for.” 

***

When Sakura opened her eyes once more, she knew she was back to reality. She sat there for a moment in stunned silence, tears streaming down her face. 

When she finally brought her gaze up to Itachi, she found him already looking at her. His eyes were back to their usual black, and the blood he’d shed was dry. There was a sad knowing in his eyes, yet he also seemed more peaceful than before. 

“Are you alright?” he asked softly.

She took in a shaky breath and began to nod, before pausing and slowly shaking her head instead. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have shown you—”

“No.”

“I’m sorry?”

“No, I—I needed to see that. I’m just a bit blindsided right now, sorry.”

“You have no reason to apologize, I understand that was a lot. But please don’t blame your village for my transgressions.”

“How can I not?” she sobbed, finally allowing the dam to break and the tears to fall freely. “They took everything from you and your family. And for what? Some stupid coup that they caused in the first place? Itachi, you’re a hero. Without you, Konoha wouldn’t even exist anymore. Kami, this is so fucked—”

“Please, Sakura. You shouldn’t say those things. I made my own decisions and now I must live with them. I don’t deserve consolation, I don’t deserve you.”

“Do you even hear yourself right now? You deserve to be happy just as much as anyone else, if not more. Hell, you deserve a lot more than that! The village elders are the ones to blame for this. They took advantage of your sacrificial nature and you didn’t deserve that. They failed you, Itachi. We all failed you. You are just as much of a victim as Sasuke is and you both deserve justice.”

“I don’t deserve anything besides death at the hands of my brother, Sakura. Don’t speak on things you have no understanding of,” he said angrily. “I have murdered my entire clan, tortured my little brother, caused him to defect from his home, from you, and I’ve nearly killed you and your teammates several times. How can you stand there and say I deserve justice when there are so many people I’ve hurt that will never receive theirs?”

“Because it’s not your fucking fault!” she yelled. “Konoha made you into this. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s true. You say I don’t understand, but I happen to believe that I’m the only one who truly understands that you aren’t the bad guy here.” 

Itachi brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he began to pace around the cave, clearly frustrated. A sudden thought struck her.

“Does Tsunade know?”

“No, I assume not. The only people who would know are Danzo and the elders. And it’s going to remain that way,” he added pointedly.

Sakura rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t do that, it’s your secret to tell. Besides, I couldn’t without incriminating myself, remember?”

He nodded once before moving to sit at the mouth of the cave, his gaze fixed upon the endless downpour. She sighed and went to take her place beside him. 

“You have to tell Sasuke,” she whispered, her voice barely audible above the storm.

“No.”

“Why not?!” she challenged, louder this time. “He deserves to know the truth.”

“All he needs to know is that I committed an unforgivable crime. He needs to have motivation to kill me.”

“God, you’re such a damn martyr! No one else needs to die, Itachi.”

He laughed humorlessly. “You speak of justice, yet this is the only way for my brother to receive his. He needs this more than he needs the truth, Sakura.”

“What he needs is his older brother,” she shot back, standing up suddenly.

He stood up after her, towering over her as she stared defiantly into his eyes, refusing to back down. 

“How would you know what he needs?” 

“Last time I checked, I wasn’t the one who abandoned him,” she scoffed, immediately regretting the words once they left her mouth.

She saw the hurt flash across his face before quickly being replaced with indifference.

He turned his back on her and walked out into the rain, intent on leaving. Of course, she followed him, not caring if she got wet.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him back to face her, the rain pelting against their skin and soaking their hair and clothes once again.

“I won’t let you kill yourself, Itachi.”

“It’s a shame that it’s not up to you,” he muttered, ripping his arm from her grasp and walking away. 

“Go home, Sakura,” he called back, not bothering to turn around.

She watched him walk away until he was completely out of her sight. Falling to her knees, she lifted her hands to her face and sobbed on the forest floor. A raw, guttural scream erupted from her throat, overshadowed by a clap of thunder. She sat there, helplessly drowning in her own tears as they mixed with those of Mother Nature. 

Chapter Text

Sakura ambled through the village gates, hair still damp and her mood even damper. She searched herself for any fragment of happiness or relief at the familiar sight of her village, but she came up empty-handed. 

The Hokage mountain caught her eye, and she couldn’t help the grimace that graced her lips as her eyes roved over the face of the Third Hokage. How an esteemed leader could throw away the life of his most faithful warrior baffled her. 

Itachi may not harbor any resentment towards the old man, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t. 

She had to shut her eyes and will away the tears that threatened to form at the thought of him. Kami, how was she supposed to face Tsunade like this? How was she supposed to face Naruto? He would be able to see right through her, and his first suspicion would be Itachi.

He wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, but she promised Itachi that no one would know the truth, and that included her best friend.

It seemed that all it took was a thought to summon him. She turned a corner and was met with the one person who’s interaction she wanted to put off. 

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto exclaimed, colliding into her as he pulled her into a tight embrace. “You’re finally home!”

Despite herself, she hugged him back and felt her spirits lift a bit. Man, this boy had a gift.

“Yep!” she chirped, possibly a bit more enthusiastic than necessary. “I sure am!”

He pulled back to look at her then, a flicker of worry passing through his eyes.

Shit, shit, shit!

“Are you ok—”

“Just fine, Naruto!” she cut him off with a smile so wide it hurt her cheeks. “I’m actually running late to report to Lady Tsunade, so I’ll have to catch up with you later. See ya!” 

Before he could say another word, she clasped her hands together, forming the sign for a teleportation jutsu. She wasn’t too fond of pulling tricks from Kakashi-sensei’s book, but this situation called for it.

Naruto stood there, the only remnant of his best friend being the cloud of smoke she’d left behind. He shook his head in exasperation before making his way to Ichiraku’s. She couldn’t fool him, and she knew that. However, he knew Sakura would come to him when she was ready. 

***

Her meeting with Tsunade went better than Sakura had expected. Since she had already given the Hokage a brief mission report via Lady Katsuyu, there wasn’t much to be said besides pleasantries.

Of course, the older woman immediately knew something was off with her apprentice when she requested to return to her hospital shifts right away. Sakura was a hard worker, sure, but she also had this habit of throwing herself into work whenever she was faced with internal conflict. 

Assuming she just needed some space for reflection, Tsunade granted her request and didn’t press on the issue. Sakura was strong, and her mentor trusted that she could handle her problems without her meddling. 

However, strong didn’t mean invincible, so she made a mental note to check back in with Sakura in a few days if she wasn’t looking better.

***

She shouldn’t have been surprised to see her other blonde best friend sprawled out along her couch when she opened the door to her apartment; Ino had always been somewhat abrasive.

“What’re you doing here, Pig?” she sighed tiredly, though she was secretly happy to see her friend again after so long.

“Well hello to you too, Forehead,” the blonde quipped. “Figured I’d stop by to let you know that we’re going out tonight!”

Sakura scoffed as she set down her stuff on the counter. “Oh yeah? Who?”

“You, me, and Sai!”

She bit back a smile at the mention of Sai. She was happy for her two friends, but it was still quite the shock to see those two together sometimes.

“I don’t know, Pig. I’m kinda tired,” she lied, faking a yawn.

She felt bad for lying to her best friend, but all she wanted to do for the next week was curl up under her covers and cry. And maybe masturbate. But mostly cry.

However, it seemed that the Yamanaka already had her mind set.

“Bullshit, Forehead. You’ve been on a vacation for the past two weeks that you didn’t even bother to tell me about! You owe me.”

Sakura crossed her arms and sent a half-hearted glare in Ino’s direction. 

If only she knew.

However, Ino could never know. No one could. So, she sighed and nodded in defeat.

Besides, maybe she could find someone to take her mind off of…him.

Great. This is gonna be just like Sasuke all over again.

“Oh, pretty necklace by the way,” Ino said, gesturing at Itachi’s little parting gift. “Where’d ya get it?”

“A gift shop in the village I stayed in. Come on, Pig, let’s go get ready,” she deflected quickly.

Ino shrugged and walked into the bedroom. Sakura brought a hand to the little cherry blossom pendant that hung around her neck; she hadn’t removed it since he’d put it on her. She barely managed to contain the sob that threatened to escape. 

***

Not having enough energy to keep up with Ino and Sai’s dancing, Sakura decided to spend her time at the bar instead. Besides, as much as she wanted to have fun with her friends, being around a happy, socially acceptable couple wasn’t the easiest thing for her right now. 

Sipping on her third cup of sake, she observed the unlikely couple with a sad smile on her face. She loved Sai and Ino dearly, and she couldn’t be happier that they found each other. Yet, she still caught her mind wandering back to a certain rogue ninja with raven hair and piercing black eyes. 

And it definitely wasn’t Sasuke.

An hour of drinking and wallowing in her self pity had passed before Sai stumbled over to her barstool, a drunken Ino slumped against his shoulder.

“Hey, Ugly. I think I’m going to try and take Ino home. Will you be alright on your own?” he asked sheepishly.

She chuckled at the endearing nickname before reassuring him that she would indeed be alright. She was a shinobi after all, and she could handle her liquor.

Well, there was that one time in Kisaragi when—

“—try and find someone.”

Her rather embarrassing train of thought was cut off by a question from her still conscious friend.

“Sorry, what?”

Pink dusted Sai’s cheeks as he cleared his throat before repeating himself. 

“I said, I think you should try and find someone.”

Sakura couldn’t believe she was hearing Ino’s words come out of Sai’s mouth.

“Why do you say that? Man, you’re really starting to spend too much time with Pig.”

“Perhaps. I might not be the best with emotions, Sakura, but even I can see that something is bothering you. I just thought that maybe finding some company for the evening would help.”

His abandonment of the nickname told her he was being genuine. Well, as genuine as Sai could be. Her heart warmed at the thought.

“I promise I’m okay, Sai. Thank you, but if it makes you feel better I can try and find someone for tonight.”

His lips turned upwards into a small smile, a far cry from the creepy fake smile he once used. She was elated to see her good friend’s progress in empathy. 

“Good. I think Ino would appreciate it too. She mentioned something earlier about you, and I quote, ‘needing a good fuck’. I’m sure you know what that entails,” he smiled cheekily.

Sakura shoved down a laugh and instead brought a hand to her face. 

I gave Sai way too much credit.

“Of course she did,” she deadpanned. “Well, be careful. Get the Pig home in one piece, okay?”

He nodded. “Goodnight, Ugly. Be safe.”

***

It had been another half hour and cup of sake when a young man caught her eye. He looked to be in his early twenties, and she could tell from his stance and the way he carried himself that he was a shinobi, possibly even Anbu. His dark, slightly shaggy hair and even darker eyes is what drew her in, and she knew exactly why. She didn’t know who he was, of course, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t find out.

He seemed to feel her eyes on his back, as he turned around and made direct eye contact with her. She gave him what she hoped was a flirtatious smirk and averted her gaze to the bartender.

“Can I get a refill, please?” she asked sweetly. 

The bartender nodded and was about to go and refill her drink when a new voice spoke up beside her.

“Go ahead and put that one on my tab.”

The bartender nodded once again and Sakura turned to meet the welcome stranger, though she had a premonition of who it was.

“Do you make it a habit of paying for stranger’s drinks?” she asked playfully.

“Only the pretty ones,” the man she’d been admiring earlier replied. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Oh, it’s more than okay. What’s your name?” 

“Haru. And yours?” 

“Sakura,” she smiled.

He smiled back. “If I’m being honest, I already knew that. You’re the Hokage’s apprentice, after all. You’re beautiful, by the way.”

She blushed and looked down, partially because of the compliment and partially because of the recognition.

Though, she did feel beautiful tonight. She borrowed a short, sage green dress from Ino at the blonde’s insistence and even allowed her to fix her hair and makeup. Her pink locks fell in soft curls along her shoulders, and her lips and cheeks were a rosy pink while her eyes were dusted a warm brown. 

And of course, there was Itachi’s necklace, which matched perfectly just to spite her.

“Thank you, Haru. You’re not so bad yourself.” 

It was Haru’s turn to blush as he glanced away nervously. Sakura giggled. It appeared that, while his looks were strikingly similar to a certain Uchiha, his personality differed; something she was grateful for.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked shyly.

“I’d love to.” 

Haru grinned and gently took her hand, pulling her towards the dance floor. She smiled back, genuinely excited to dance with a guy. 

Even if it was because he looked like someone she’d rather forget.

They were both shy at first, but the alcohol seemed to have granted them both some extra confidence because soon they were moving in sync with one another, the beat of the music carrying them away.

The more time that passed and the more they both drank, the closer they got to each other. Soon enough, Sakura had her back pressed against Haru’s chest. She began to grind back into him, searching for his reaction.

Sure enough, his hands traveled down to rest on her hips and he held her there firmly, but not unkindly.

“Careful there, pretty,” he spoke against her ear. “Don’t wanna get too excited now.”

She turned around to face him, leaning in until her lips grazed his.

“And why not?” she whispered. 

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to resist you,” he whispered back, not quite kissing her but coming very close.

“What if I don’t want you to resist?” 

“Then I would suggest we take this some place else.”

She leaned back and bit her lip, thinking for a moment. Sai’s words floated back to her.

You should try and find someone.

“Okay, then. Your place good?” 

“Are you sure? It’s okay if—”

“I’m sure,” she cut him off, smirking. “Lead the way.”

He grinned and took her hand once more, leading her out of the bar.

***

The second they flash-stepped into Haru’s apartment, Sakura was all over him. It was uncharacteristic for her, but alcohol and the urge to forget made her bold. 

It seemed that the dark haired stranger had no objections though, merely chuckling and kissing her back just as eagerly. 

She broke the kiss to work apart the buttons of his black dress shirt, fingers moving quickly. He took the hint and moved his hands to the zipper at the back of her dress, pulling it down as she reached the last button.

As soon as the last button was undone, Haru shrugged off his shirt and Sakura stepped out of her dress, left in only her white lacy undergarments. 

They stood there for a moment admiring each other, the only sound being their heavy breathing. Haru had the toned body of a shinobi, sure, and he was undeniably hot as hell.

And had this been a different timeline, one where she had never met Itachi, she definitely would’ve appreciated it enough to sleep with him. 

However, in this timeline, no matter how much she drank or blurred her vision, she couldn’t see the one she truly wanted. She couldn’t see Itachi.

Haru seemed to have realized her hesitance at the same time she did. His gaze softened and he offered her a small smile.

“There’s someone else, isn’t there?” he asked, not unkindly.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.

“Hey, hey, shhh. Don’t cry, it’s okay. We don’t have to do anything,” he reassured, taking a tentative step towards her and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She shook her head and covered her face with her hands.

“I really did want you. Well, I wanted to forget him, just for one night. I’m sorry I lead you on like that.”

“Don’t worry about it. I understand. Let’s get dressed and then I can walk you home, okay?”

“You don’t have to do that, I can protect myself.” 

“Believe me, I know. But what kind of gentleman would I be if I let a remarkable young woman walk home by herself after dark?”

She smiled at the cheesy statement, grateful for Haru’s kindness.

“Okay. Let me put my dress on.”

***

They made the short trip to Sakura’s apartment side by side, talking and laughing the whole way. They were really getting to know each other, and though the evening didn’t turn out as she had planned, she was glad that she had met Haru. 

Before long they made it to her doorstep, and Sakura turned to thank him. 

“It’s no problem. And hey, I meant what I said at the bar. You really are beautiful, and more than that you’re kind and strong. I would love to see you again, even if it’s just as friends. I guess what I’m saying is, I’m always here if you need anything. You know where I live.” 

She smiled, feeling tears of gratitude threaten to spill. 

“Thank you, Haru. For everything. You were really understanding and kind tonight, and I appreciate it. I would love for us to be friends, so feel free to hit me up whenever too, okay?”

He nodded and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. “Of course. Goodnight, Sakura.”

“Goodnight, Haru.”

***

That night, Sakura collapsed onto her bed, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them tight. She felt the tears fall down her cheeks, one by one, until she couldn’t contain herself any longer and she began to sob. 

She cried loudly and painfully, not giving a damn if her neighbors heard. She hadn’t allowed herself to cry like this since Sasuke had tried to kill her, but this felt like a completely different pain. 

She dug her nails into her skin and gnawed on her lip until it bled, desperately trying to avert her attention to physical wounds rather than the gaping one in her heart. 

She cried and screamed and pleaded until her voice grew hoarse and her eyes dried out, wishing she was anywhere but the twisted reality she was bound to. 

Chapter Text

The shuriken embedded itself in the tree with a dull thunk, exactly in the spot Itachi had intended. 

It had been quite some time since he’d done shuriken training, but he felt the simple fundamental was a necessary aid to his recovery. He felt closer to his typical self than he had in weeks; his injuries healed and his Sharingan restored. Of course, he had Sakura to thank for that.

Sakura.

The thought of the pink-haired medic he’d grown to care for in a peculiar way disheartened him. He refused to admit that he missed her company, though he knew he was only lying to himself. 

Itachi Uchiha was no stranger to being alone. In fact, he frequently sought the comfort of solitude. However, it had been a while since he’d felt lonely. 

And in the wake of Sakura’s absence, loneliness was all he felt. 

He hadn’t intended to hurt her, though when he heard the sounds of her sobs over the pouring rain he knew he had. In doing so he knew that he’d broken his promise to Naruto, and he faintly wondered if he was now being hunted by Akatsuki, Sasuke, and a jinchuriki. 

He knew he had to leave, he couldn’t allow himself to linger and listen to her sorrow, lest he lose restraint and return to her. So, he did what he always did: he fled. 

Of course, against his better judgement, he’d summoned Ebony to trail her on her journey back to Konoha to ensure her safety. 

He didn’t have an excuse for failing to call the crow back once she’d returned, though. He had allowed the bird to linger in the shadows for a bit longer, only calling her back once the remnants of his conscience forced him to. 

His relief at the sight of her safe return was overshadowed by the strange pit he felt in his stomach when he saw her dancing with another man at a bar. The gnawing feeling only grew as the memories from his summon continued to flash before his eyes. 

The pit morphed into a sinkhole when the man kissed her, and Itachi realized what he was feeling. 

Jealousy. 

It was ridiculous, really. He had no reasoning or justification for envy. He also had no justification for the desire to wrap his hands around the man’s neck, yet here he was. 

He shook his head in a vain attempt to clear his thoughts and threw another shuriken. He could only hope that Sakura had a good evening, and that she had forgotten all about him and the borrowed time they shared. Though, the selfish part of him secretly hoped she hadn’t. 

Then again, he was beginning to find that the selfish part of him was much bigger than he previously thought. After all, there was no reason for him to share his memories with her. It nearly shattered the timeline he’d been constructing ever since that fateful night. 

She was the first person to know the truth, and she was also the first person to not look at him like the monster he was, at least in a very long time. 

When the glaze that was typical of those subjected to his genjutsu faded from her eyes and they refocused on him, he didn’t find what he’d expected to. There was no fear, disgust, or anger in her beautiful green eyes. Instead, they were full of sympathy and compassion. Those were two things Itachi knew he didn’t deserve. 

When she began to cry, he nearly lost it. She wasn’t crying for the reasons she should have been. She shouldn’t have been crying for him, yet there she was. He could barely register the fact that she was the one apologizing over his shock. Now, however, the realization made him scoff. As if she had done anything wrong. As if she could ever do anything wrong. 

Sakura was perfect. Well, nobody was perfect, but she was the closest thing he’d seen to it in a while. And he didn’t deserve perfect, or anything remotely close to it. He deserved one thing, and that was death at the hands of the one he loved the most. 

He closed his eyes as he began to ruminate on his death. For as long as he could remember, he desired nothing more than death. It wasn’t until he met Sakura that he felt unsure. Even now, he briefly entertained the idea of heeding her last words of advice to him. 

“You have to tell Sasuke.”

He wondered, for a moment, what his life would be like if he showed his brother the truth, just like he showed Sakura. Would Sasuke weep for him as she did? Would it even change anything at all? 

He didn’t allow himself to wonder for very long. His fate was set in stone; he didn’t deserve any other life. He didn’t deserve a life at all, not after he took so many. Though, the fact that there was someone who believed he did brought a small, sad smile to his face.

Maybe in another life, Sakura. 

***

Sasuke tossed another log into the fire, running a hand through his disheveled hair in frustration. When he’d woken up from his involuntary nap, the first thing he felt was rage. He had stormed out of the cave, determined to find the two traitors and snuff them out. However, the rain made it nearly impossible to track either one of them, and that was disregarding Itachi’s clever evasiveness. 

He resorted to cursing loudly, destroying everything around him in a bout of pure fury and betrayal. The latter emotion confused him when he finally took a moment to reflect on the irony of it. 

He knew how much he had hurt Sakura when he left her on that bench. While he couldn’t bring himself to regret it, he grudgingly admitted that he could have been a bit gentler about the whole ordeal.

He wasn’t expecting her to reject his offer, nor did he expect her temper to rival that of the infamous Slug Sannin’s. However, deep down he was able to understand why. 

What he definitely was not expecting, nor did he understand, was her alleged alliance with his traitorous older brother. Sasuke could see how much Sakura detested him now, but was it really enough for her to team up with the source of his trauma?

No, it couldn’t be out of spite. Though it appeared that she was no longer the meek little girl he once knew, Sakura still wasn’t a spiteful person. And even if she was, she would never betray her village or her loved ones in favor of vengeance. 

So what the hell is her motive?

It shouldn’t matter. No matter how many times he repeated that mantra in his mind, his heart still failed to cooperate. He wasn’t sure when he started caring about Sakura again, but he knew he had to. Otherwise, this wouldn’t be bothering him so much. 

For the briefest of moments after he’d struck her in the cave, when she gazed up at him with glassy, grief-stricken eyes, he felt regret. First, for allowing her to rile him up like that. It was such an obvious ploy and he fell for it like an idiot.

Foolish little brother. 

Then, for hurting her. Physically. He had let his anger get the best of him and he lost control. Again.

Foolish little brother. 

And finally, for everything else. Every hateful word, every punch, every dirty look, even. For that split second, he regretted it all. 

Foolish. Little. Brother.

He squeezed his eyes shut, willing that grating, taunting voice to vanish. Alas, it offered him little reprieve; he wasn’t sure if he preferred the eery silence that followed. 

He had given Sakura thirty minutes to make her decision, but in reality it was thirty minutes for him to collect his composure and muster up the courage to follow through with his threat if need be. 

At that time, before she had stabbed him in the back, he wasn’t sure if he would’ve been able to kill his former teammate in cold blood. 

Now? Now, not only was he sure he’d be able to, he yearned for it. She had become the next target of his vengeance, her reasoning and their history be damned.

He didn’t need to know why she chose to betray him after so many years of loving him. All he needed to know was that she did, and that was more than enough justification for him. 

While Sakura’s betrayal couldn’t compare to his brother’s, it still hit deep and he couldn’t fathom why. After all, he’d spent years acting as if he hated the girl, so why did her actions suddenly bother him? 

He chalked it up to simply not handling betrayal well, but deep down he knew it was because he had assumed she’d always be the one person he could return to. And to have that reassurance ripped away from him so harshly? Well he was definitely stunned, to say the least.

Sasuke grimaced, annoyed to have wasted so much time on such trivial things. Instead of sulking around, he should be hunting down the two traitors and finally achieving his revenge. 

He stood up, intent on doing just that when he felt an ominous chakra signature make itself known. 

He turned to face the intruder, kunai in hand and Sharingan ablaze. 

An orange mask with a single eyehole was what first caught his eye, but as his gaze traveled down and he caught sight of the telltale black cloak with red clouds, he scowled. 

“Sasuke Uchiha,” the man drawled, his voice deep and unfamiliar. “I’ve been searching for you.” 

“Who are you and what the hell do you want?” he spat.

The man merely chuckled, though there was no humor to be found.

“Ah, I see you did not inherit Itachi’s patience. No matter, it saves me the breath.” 

Sasuke seethed. “Hn, yet you still seem to be keen on wasting it. Get to the point.”

“Very well, then. I have a proposition for you.” 

“I’m not interested in making deals with any of you people,” he scoffed.

“Don’t be so sure, now. I think you’ll find that striking a deal with me will turn out to be very fruitful for you.”

Sasuke huffed, but decided to hear him out.

“Go on then, I don’t have all night. What is it you want?”

The man chuckled once more, though there something sinister in it to beheld. 

“I will personally aid you in tracking down and killing Itachi Uchiha.”

“Hn. And what do you want in return?” 

“Simple. I want you, Sasuke Uchiha, to pledge your membership to the Akatsuki, and take your brother’s place.” 

***

It had been about two weeks since she’d returned to Konoha, yet Sakura still felt as if she wasn’t home. She had been picking up extra shifts at the hospital in an effort to keep herself as busy as possible, yet no matter how much she crammed into her days, her nights were still as depressing and lonely as ever. 

No matter how hard she tried to fall asleep, her thoughts would always drift back to him. After a few days of tossing and turning with little rest, she decided to try and make use of the time instead, either by training or reading up on old medical textbooks. 

Despite the alarming lack of sleep, Sakura didn’t allow her quality of work to drop. She was still the best medic in the world, and she intended to pour as much of her focus and energy into that. After all, it was much better than the alternative.

However, it seemed that healing chakra could only erase so much. The dark circles under her eyes and general weakness of her body due to lack of an appetite was noticed by her peers. 

She always assured them that she was fine, but she could see that knowing look in their eyes. None of them really believed her. Thankfully, none of them were bold enough to pry with the exception of her closer friends. Which is why she’d been making it a habit to avoid Ino, Naruto, and Tsunade, and so far she had been quite lucky. 

It seemed her luck had run out though, for when she returned to her apartment well after 11 p.m, Naruto was sitting on her couch, a worried look in his eyes. 

“Naruto—”

“What’s going on, Sakura?” he cut her off. “And don’t bullshit me, I know something is wrong.” 

This was exactly what she had been hoping to avoid, so she decided to play dumb.

“What makes you think that, Naruto?” she asked sweetly, laughing in a way she hoped was natural. 

“Look at you! I mean, no offense Sakura-chan, but you look like shit. I know you’re not sleeping or eating, and you’re constantly working. Which, by the way, is what you do whenever you’re upset.”

She hated the way he could see right through her. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about but I’m—”

“You’re not fine, so please don’t lie to me right now. I know I’m an idiot but even I can see that. You’ve been acting this way ever since you got home. Is it—”

“Don’t. Don’t say his name. Please, Naruto,” she interrupted, covering her face with her hands so he wouldn’t see her glassy eyes.

When she finally uncovered her face, she saw Naruto looking at her with a sad sort of understanding. 

“You miss him, don’t you?” 

She couldn’t hold it in anymore, she burst into tears. 

Naruto quickly rushed over to her and gathered her in his arms, shushing her and kissing the top of her head. 

“I don’t…know what’s…wrong with me,” she sobbed. 

“Shh, shh. There’s nothing wrong with you, Sakura-chan.” 

“I’m just so…confused! I’m supposed to hate him. Sasuke—”

“Doesn’t matter. He doesn’t matter, Sakura. You do.”

She pulled away to gape up at him.

“What?”

“That came out wrong, didn’t it? Well, what I meant was, he left us. You shouldn’t beat yourself up over hurting someone who isn’t even here anymore. I love Sasuke, and I want him to come home, but he can’t keep holding you back. Clearly, if you don’t hate Itachi, you see something in him that’s good, because you’re a good person. I trust your judgement because I trust you, Sakura. Always.”

She buried her head into her best friend’s chest, crying in relief and pent up sorrow.

“Thank you, Naruto. I swear, he isn’t what everyone thinks he is…” 

“Hey, like I said, I trust your judgement. I don’t need to know everything right now. I just need to know that you’re gonna be okay.”

She looked up at him and offered him a weak smile, tears still trailing down her cheeks. 

“I will be.” 

“Hell yeah you will! You’re the strongest person I know. If you want, I can spend the night. Or at least until you fall asleep.”

She laughed. For the first time since she returned, she genuinely laughed. 

“That would be nice, thank you, Naruto.”

“Anything for you, Sakura-chan! Believe it!”

***

She woke up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and tears she wasn’t aware she had shed. 

Sakura sat there for a moment, taking in deep breaths and desperately trying to forget the nightmare she’d just escaped from. 

Though, her current reality was a nightmare in itself.

Sensing Naruto’s calm chakra levels in the living room— she assumed he had passed out on the couch and forgot to leave—she was thankful that her little up-burst didn’t wake him. 

She knew she couldn’t go back to sleep—at least not yet. So, she opened her window as quietly as possible and slipped through, the cool night breeze filling her lungs.

Sakura silently leapt from rooftop to rooftop, heading in the direction of the training grounds. Whenever she couldn’t sleep, punching a few trees into the ground always helped. 

However, when she finally arrived, she realized she wasn’t alone.

“What are you doing here so late, Kakashi-sensei?”

He looked up from his signature orange book, pretending to be surprised at her presence. She knew better, though. Nothing got past the infamous copy-nin.

“Ah, my favorite student. Y’know me, just catching up on some light reading. I could ask you the same thing, Sakura-chan.”

She sat down in the grass beside him. leaning back against the tall tree that was supporting his back. 

“Couldn’t sleep. Figured I’d make use of the time and train a bit.”

“Ah, I see. You’ve been having trouble sleeping quite frequently lately.”

She whipped her head around to face him, shock etched across her features before she quickly masked it. Seeing the knowing gleam in his eye, she knew she was too slow. 

“Excuse me?”

“The past week you’ve come out here, same time every night. You punch poor defenseless trees until the sun comes up.”

She scowled at him.

“Are you stalking me or something?!”

He scrunched up his eyes in that familiar eye crinkle.

“Of course not. I come out here quite frequently myself, to be honest. The first couple of times I saw you were completely by accident. Then, I made it a habit to check on you. And now, I feel the need to confront you.”

“How come I’ve never noticed you?” she whispered.

“I make it a point not to be seen. You should try it sometime,” he quipped.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Well, say what you’re gonna say.”

“Oh I’m not gonna say anything. I figured I would let you do the talking,” he spoke softly, before grabbing a half-empty bottle of sake from his other side and offering it to her. “Care for a drink?”

“Is it appropriate for sensei’s to offer their young pupils alcohol?” she teased, taking the bottle nonetheless.

“Most definitely not. Good thing you are not my young pupil anymore. I consider you as apart of my family, Sakura. Though, I could take my bottle back if you’d prefer—”

“No, no that’s alright,” she laughed, taking a swig of the familiar liquid. “So, you see me as an equal now?” 

“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, now. I am still your superior role model, of course.”

She chuckled and shook her head. It was moments like these that made her happy to be home. 

They sat together in comfortable silence, sipping on sake and just enjoying each other’s company. It was a half hour later when Sakura started talking.

“Have you ever wanted to be with someone you knew you couldn’t have?” she asked, not looking up at him and taking another swig.

She could feel his eyes on her for a moment, and just when she figured she wouldn’t be getting an answer, he spoke up.

“A very long time ago. Why do you ask?”

“I can’t really talk about it. There’s just someone that I find myself missing so much even though I know I shouldn’t.” 

“It’s not Sasuke, is it.”

It wasn’t a question.

She looked up at Kakashi to find him already scrutinizing her; the understanding in his eyes was clear. 

“No,” she whispered. 

He nodded and turned his gaze back towards the lightening sky. 

“You have a big heart, Sakura. Other shinobi may tell you it’s a flaw, but in my eyes it’s a priceless gift. In this world full of hatred and war, we need more people like you. Your heart is what makes you the world’s best medical ninja. It’s because of your heart that you’ve come this far, Sakura. Listen to it.” 

She could feel tears pooling in her eyes.

“What if…what if he’s not a good person?”

“I believe that the world is hardly ever as black and white as we sometimes make it out to be. Good and bad comes from a person’s own values and belief system. Really, none of us are good people because we’ve all wronged someone in our life. We’re all just doing what we can to survive. Behind almost every action is a reason. You just have to decide how you feel about that reasoning. Don’t let other people define what makes someone good for you or not. That’s up for you to decide.” 

Sakura realized two things at that moment. One, that her inner conflict over caring for Itachi stemmed from the morality of her friends and village. After seeing and feeling everything that he went through that night, she would never call Itachi a bad person. No, he was a selfless hero who gave his whole life for a village that betrayed him. 

The second thing she realized was that her old sensei was actually a fucking genius.

“Thank you Kakashi, you have no idea—”

She was cut off when a shinobi clad in Anbu gear landed gracefully in front of them. 

“Hatake Kakashi and Haruno Sakura, you are both being summoned to the Hokage’s office immediately.” 

Sharing a nervous glance with each other, they both nodded and stood up, making their way to Hokage Tower in silence.

***

When she and Kakashi arrived, she was surprised to see both Sai and Naruto there as well. 

A mission.

They immediately bowed and took their place beside their teammates.

“You’ve summoned us, Lady Tsunade?” she asked tentatively.

“Yes, Sakura, I have a mission for the four of you, effective immediately.”

All four of them collectively held their breath in anticipation. An urgent mission before the sun was even fully up was not typically a good sign.

“Sakura, do you remember that civilian village I sent you to do reconnaissance on?”

“Of course I do. Is something wrong?” 

“Well,” she sighed. “No point beating around the bush.”

Sakura sucked in a breath, praying to Kami that Itachi wasn’t somehow spotted or something. 

“Kisaragi Village is under attack.” 

Chapter Text

The flowing water of the forest stream was a calm sight for Itachi. Ever since he was a young genin, he strived to be like water; smooth and graceful, yet strong and protective. 

He submerged his hands in the water, allowing the cool waves to splash over his palms as if it could wash away the impurities they’ve committed. 

Alas, when he removed his hands, they were just as tainted as before. 

He knew he shouldn’t go back. It was stupid, reckless, and very risky. But, Itachi didn’t have anywhere else to go, and Kisaragi Village had offered him nothing but fond memories. So why wouldn’t he spend the last few weeks of his life there? 

It was particularly selfish, for he knew that if Sasuke were to find him there he would likely destroy the entire village in rage. Yet, Itachi couldn’t let go of that irrational piece of hope that told him he might find her there as well. 

That piece of hope was what made him decide to return to the little civilian village despite the risks. He knew he didn’t deserve happiness, but Sakura’s assurance seemed to have stuck with him, so he decided to give in once again. 

He stood and departed from the stream with reluctance. He was close to the village now, he would probably reach it within another hour or so. 

Before he could make it too far however, he heard two small, familiar voices calling for him. 

“Ita! Ita-kun! Is that you?!”

He turned to see Mei and Micah bounding towards him as fast as their little legs could carry them, a fearful expression on their faces.

As soon as they reached him, they hunched over and panted. It appeared they had sprinted all the way to the stream, which was concerning.

“Yes, it’s me. Is everything alright?” he asked tentatively, crouching down to reach their level. 

“No!” Mei shouted, tears welling up in her eyes as she began to sob. “Our village…Mama and Papa…”

“Shhh, it’s okay now, I’m here. Micah, can you tell me what happened?” 

The boy nodded. “Our village is under attack, Ita-kun! Mama told us to run and find help, but we didn’t know where to go. Please help us!”

Though he knew that interfering would risk drawing attention to himself, he knew he couldn’t bring himself to deny the small children of their plea. After all, the village was entirely civilian. They wouldn’t be capable of defending themselves against even the most inexperienced of shinobi. 

He nodded, softening at the immediate relief that washed over the children’s faces.

“You two will need to stay here for now, though, your village isn’t safe. I will leave a friend to watch over you while I am away,” he instructed gently, summoning his favored crow.

“This is Ebony. She will watch over you and report back to me should anything happen. You two need to stay here, stay quiet, and stay hidden. I will cast a jutsu that will help, but I need you to be brave and obedient. Can you do that for me?” 

The children nodded, mustering up their bravest expression. Itachi smiled softly, having grown quite fond of the two siblings despite their few encounters. 

“Good. I will be back for you soon. Do not leave this area.”

Just as he was about to head off, Mei stepped forward and grasped his hand lightly, her smaller one shaking. 

“Please save our village, Ita-kun. And Mama and Papa.”

He knelt down to her level and returned her hand to her, poking her lightly on the forehead. 

“I give you my word.”

***

Team Kakashi raced through the forest trees towards Kisaragi Village; Sakura’s heart in her stomach. While she hadn’t been in the civilian village for long, it held a special place in her heart after her time with Itachi. Not only that, the people who lived there were so kind and gentle. She thought of little Mei and Micah, and prayed to kami they were safe somehow. 

“So, the Shirogane are a clan of puppet wielders? How interesting,” Sai comments thoughtfully, being the only one in the group who had never faced them before. 

“Correct, but it isn’t in the same way as Kankuro, or Sasori of the Red Sand. These puppets have a form of free will, able to act and fight without the use of chakra strings,” Kakashi informs.

“How do we defeat them?” 

“Well, the Shirogane are infamous for their puppet walkers, and there are three different types; clawed, kamikaze, and mecha. The clawed account for the majority of the walkers, and their abilities match up with their name.”

“Believe it! Those puppets got claws worse than Kiba’s!” Naruto exclaims, shuddering slightly. 

Sakura rolls her eyes at her best friend’s dramatics. “Whatever, Naruto. Those kamikaze are the real pain in the ass.”

“What are the kamikaze?” Sai asks, pulling out his sketchbook as if to take notes. 

“The kamikaze are typically better suited for the destruction of large bases or multiple enemies at one time. They attack by igniting themselves and then charging at whoever or whatever they intend on blowing up,” Kakashi explains casually, almost as if commenting on the weather.

“And the mecha?”

“They have a technique similar to my lightening release, only in a much weaker form. They launch orbs of lightening at their opponent or utilize melee attacks if in close enough range. Still, it’s best to be wary of them.”

“Yeah right! It’s just a bunch of wooden dummies, I’ll kick their asses straight into the ground, believe it!” 

“Now hold on, Naruto,” Kakashi chastises lightly. “We haven’t told Sai about the Master Puppet yet.”

“But we destroyed the Master Puppet the last time, it would be impossible for it to come back,” Sakura reasoned.

“For all of our sakes, I hope you’re right, Sakura,” Kakashi sighs.

“What is this Master Puppet?”

”The Shirogane clan’s proudest creation,” Kakashi starts. “It’s basically a giant puppet that has the abilities of all three walkers and then some. It’s lethal, and is said to be capable of destroying nations.”

“I don’t recall seeing this clan in the Bingo Book.”

“That’s the whole reason they created these puppet walkers, Sai. The Shirogane Clan was comprised of mediocre ninja. In an effort to become more powerful, they created the puppet walkers. However, once it was discovered that these walkers were the result of human experimentation, they were outlawed and the clan was shunned by the Five Great Nations—”

“So then they got all pissed off and created a giant Master Puppet!” Naruto interjected.

Kakashi cut an exasperated look in his direction. “I’m afraid that’s about right. However, the Master Puppet gained a form of free will and began to turn on its creators. Out of fear of being overpowered, the clan sealed it into five spirit orbs and hid them, swearing revenge upon the nations that shunned them.”

“But you’ve fought this Master Puppet before? Meaning it was reconstructed at some point?”

“Yes, we fought against three members of the clan and they were able to locate all five spirit orbs, thus resurrecting the Master Puppet. However, as Sakura said, we defeated it along with the remaining members of the clan.”

“Then how is this clan still active?”

“Well, it appears we’re about to find out,” Kakashi said, turning his gaze forward.

Sakura had once again reached Kisaragi Village. Only this time, it was engulfed in flames.  

***

Itachi raced through the trees, desperate to reach the village before it was completely destroyed. He never cared this much about his Akatsuki missions, but he supposed he held a level of sentiment for the village he shared with Sakura. 

Then again, he’d always had a soft spot for children too.

He could only hope that he wasn’t too late.

***

Sakura’s fist smashed through another puppet walker, though the satisfying sound of splintering wood did little to lift her spirits.

There were hundreds of them. 

This was nothing like the last time she had fought against these strange wooden creatures. Not only were there ten times as many, they were stronger too. 

Team Kakashi had yet to find the shinobi controlling these puppets, but Sakura knew they were here somewhere. They had to be. 

Desperate to find them, she spread her chakra around her, allowing it to envelop the entire village as she shut her eyes, concentrating for any foreign signal.

After about thirty seconds of searching, she finally found what she was looking for. Although it was faint, extremely so, she detected the steady hum of concentrated chakra coming from beneath the hot springs.

Aha! Got you bastards.

Temporarily distracted by her small victory, Sakura failed to notice that one of the clawed puppet walkers had snuck up behind her, its clawed hand raised high as it began to bring it downwards, aiming for her head. 

As she heard the telltale whoosh of wind, she knew it was too late. 

Sakura Haruno was going to die.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she prepared for the feeling of razor sharp claws piercing her skin.

However, it never came. Instead, the sharp metallic ringing of a kunai reached her ears as it deflected the claws. 

She spun around with a smirk, prepared to tease Naruto for taking so long when her breath caught in her lungs.

It wasn’t Naruto who had saved her life.

The puppet walker that had nearly claimed her life laid defeated in the dirt, mangled beyond recognition. 

And standing over it, with not a single scratch or hair out of place, was Itachi Uchiha, kunai in hand as he panted lightly. 

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. What was she supposed to say to the man who had claimed her heart and then broke it in the span of three weeks?

“A ‘thank you’ would suffice, you know,” he said teasingly, an echo of the phrase she said to him when they met.

“Thank you…” she echoed back. “What are you doing here?”

“Mei and Micah found me in the forest. They asked me to help their village.”

“And you came?”

He nodded. “And now I’m thankful that I arrived when I did.”

She frowned. “Don’t do that. Don’t act like you care for me when you just left me after everything that happened between us. Do you have any idea how fucked up that was?!” 

“Sakura—”

“Save it. We don’t have the time. I got a location on the shinobi behind this and I intend on saving this village,” she snapped, turning and walking away. 

However, his hand on her wrist stopped her in her tracks.

Whipping around to punch him, she paused at the look in his eyes. She wasn’t sure what that look meant, but something about it softened her.

“Let me come with you. Please.”

She pursed her lips, contemplating for a moment. 

“Fine. After all, you did promise those kids you would save their village. Let’s go.”

***

They moved around the hot springs, using Itachi’s sharingan to pinpoint exactly where their enemies were hiding. 

When they reached the center of the resort, Itachi held out a hand to stop Sakura. 

“Here?” she asked.

He nodded, gesturing to the ground beneath them.

“They’re underneath. However, there’s something else that I don’t recognize. It isn’t a shinobi, but it’s accumulated a large amount of chakra.” 

“That must be what I was sensing earlier. Well, only one way to find out,” she smirked, raising her fist and setting it alight with chakra. “You ready?”

Itachi paused for a moment, then nodded.

Sakura returned his nod and then focused her attention on the ground beneath her. Taking a deep breath, she slammed her chakra laden fist down into the ground, creating a massive crater with nothing but darkness stretching endlessly below. With one last look to the man beside her, she took a deep breath and gracefully jumped down. Itachi shook his head with a slight smirk before joining her. 

After free-falling for what seemed like ages, their chakra laden feet finally reached the dirt below. Sakura blinked and took in her surroundings, noticing that the flicker of a torch was the only light provided. Below the torch were four entry ways leading to four separate tunnels, each of them identical.

“How are we supposed to know which way to go?” Sakura groaned.

Itachi said nothing, choosing instead to point to something behind her. 

Turning around, Sakura didn’t see anything at first. However, she quickly noticed a cluster of chakra in the corner of the dark space.

“Release!” she shouted, slamming her hands together in the familiar sign.

Sure enough, the genjutsu faded away, and in its place was a wooden trap door. Sakura turned to beam at Itachi before catching herself. 

He isn't your friend. He left you.

Her smile turned into a scowl before she turned from him and walked towards the trap door. Itachi followed, slightly miffed. 

Sakura opened the door slowly, displeased to find that there was nothing but a rickety old ladder that lead down into more darkness. However, this darkness had a strong chakra signature emitting from it.

"Do you feel that?” Sakura asked.

Itachi nodded in response, his Sharingan flashing momentarily in the darkness. 

“Who will go first?” he questioned, though he already knew what her answer would be.

”Follow my lead,” Sakura commanded.

Itachi obeyed and followed her into the darkness, determined to do whatever it took to protect his light.