Itachi sighed as his brother left him on the sidewalk of a bustling Konoha, chilled and scared, but his expression showed nothing. Why wouldn't that boy tell him anything?
"Itachi?"
Sakura's sweet voice wrapped around his name and sent shivers up his spine.
"Yes, Sakura?"
He asked, turning to face her. She apparently heard him asking Sasuke about what was bothering enough to make him cry, and that his brother had told him nothing, despite all of his prodding.
"He does trust you, Itachi, despite what you may think."
The Uchiha smirked humorlessly.
"And how do you know that? He never tells me anything of any importance and he thinks he always has to take care of things by himself! He never lets me in."
Sakura was shocked by his outburst of emotion. It's true that, while he had been with her, he was showing more than a passive face, but that was always in private. To burst out like that in public must mean that he was extremely bothered by his brother's lack of trust. She smiled.
"That's not true. You remember when the clan wanted you to assassinate the Hokage? Sasuke wasn't there during the meeting, and when I asked him why, do you know what he said to me?"
"Enlighten me."
"He said, 'What do they need me for? Itachi's there. He always makes thing better. He makes bad things go away. I want to be just like him one day.' And you did. You made it go away."
Itachi's eyes widened in surprise. He remembered that. His brother was only seven at the time. He felt himself reach out to Sakura and she wrapped her arms around his waist as he wound his around her shoulders, taking in her scent. His tears were hidden by her hair.