AN: I see the need to write this before I forget it. So hope you enjoy!

First Installment: Birthday Gone Wrong

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"Birthday Gone Wrong"

Written by: bloomsburry

Betaed by: ottawa

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Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto

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"Birthday Gone Wrong"

Rated T

Itasaku

General/Possible Romance

One-shot

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Tiredly, Sakura placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a yawn, exhaustion setting in as she trekked through the thick forest, her heavy footfalls echoing around while she adjusted the bag on her back. Her ANBU mask was tuck on the side of her head while her bleak, tired eyes surveyed her surroundings. She recognized the place and knew that she was walking on Shikamaru's barren land. His family owned these acres of land that extended several miles away from Konoha.

She expelled a grateful sigh and continued forward, hefting her bag comfortably on her aching shoulders while she hurried her strides, crushing through underbrush and ducking low to evade the branches. But to her dismay some of the twigs and branches had gotten near her open wounds, causing pain to erupt from the sensitive skin as the branches and leaves all but scratched and brushed against them. She winced though she ignored the pain and protesting muscles while she worked her way through the forest blindly.

She ignored everything except the overwhelming feeling of home which lied ahead of her. Her family and friends would be expecting her arrival. It was the eve of her birthday and Sakura had promised that she would return home to celebrate her becoming of age. At 18, Sakura was everything she had dream of. An ANBU Captain and one of the top medics of Konohagakure, and everything she had feared, being an Anbu meant her life is at risk every time she's on an S-class being an ANBU and a medic had its advantages and disadvantages. And at the moment, Sakura was placed in the latter.

Her suicide mission had taken its toll over her body. After barely escaping from Amegakure, Sakura had immediately raced her way towards home and hoped against hope that she was not being followed.

And now she had a few more hours until the sun peeked from behind the mountains to bask the village of Konohagakure below with its warm friendly rays. Sakura would be there to witness its splendor and she would be there to celebrate her birthday with her family and friends.

Funny, she had thought that she would be there a week before her birthday. It was because her mission had made some set backs that she had to delay returning home. It had been three months ago when she had set up to this mission and Sakura was far from the person she had been then; full of optimism and anger that drove her to nearly choose the wrong decision. Fortunately for Sakura, she hadn't made many mistakes during her mission. In fact, her mission went smoothly in the end and she had obtained what she had been ordered to take.

However, at her current state Sakura wondered if she could even reach home and give the scroll to the Hokage. She was too weak and her chakra was dangerously low that she couldn't even heal her wounds. Sooner or later she would catch infection.

Her black fitting ANBU shirt and pants were torn from several places, exposing some of her flesh which were caked with dried blood and dirt while splinters of wood was embedded on some of the scorched and blistered skin. Surely, infection was not far behind. Sakura had already run out of antibiotic from her medic pack and if she did catch an infection, she couldn't use something to ward it off.

Sakura was relying solely with the thought of Konoha drawing close. She would reach it within time, she told herself. The Konoha medic's would know what to do to her with her afterwards. But now, her concentration should be focused in moving her aching muscles.

Sakura looked like she had been spat from hell. Her pink long locks were tangled and sticking in all the wrong directions while leaves and twigs sifted through it. Dried blood and soot smeared the side of her face; her pale skin was sullen and unhealthy looking, like she hadn't drunk or ate to restore the healthy color to her skin. Dark circles lined underneath her eyes while cuts and bruises marred her once beautiful face, making it look battered; the evidence of a fight which would have killed any ordinary kunoichi.

But Sakura wasn't ordinary. If the bruises and injuries that lined her body weren't proof enough, then you are a fool for underestimating her. She was ANBU; the only reason why she had survived from an S-class mission barely alive but still able to walk.

Haruno Sakura was strong.

She grunted as her weakened foot stumbled across a cumbersome rock. She tipped forward and fell ungraciously on the ground, her head hitting a jagged rock which was obscured by small underbrush.

There was a loud crack as rock hit bone and Sakura was almost out instantly. Pain had burst at the contact and Sakura then found herself succumbing to unconsciousness. She was weak and vulnerable; easy prey by any huge beast lurking in the dark. But it was beyond Sakura's control.

She couldn't defend herself if something or someone found her.

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Red sharingan eyes regarded the fallen woman, noting the injuries that marred her pale skin and the blood that pooled from the fresh wound on her head. Like a hunter hunting his wounded prey, he had finally stumbled upon his prize and noting its worth.

Although to Itachi, the woman was worth nothing but a mere conveyance orchestrated to indirectly deliver the scroll that could bring down Konoha.

Silently and with lethal movement, he had been stalking her, following the clumsy trails she had left after she had escape from Amegakure, where the Akatsuki base was located.

Uchiha Madara, his mentor and the true leader of Akatsuki had told him about the kunoichi since she had snuck into the village. Then he and Kisame had been assigned to carefully watch her and find out why she was there.

It didn't take a week for Itachi to find out her true purpose and immediately report it to Madara. She was there for the scroll that contained the blue prints of the village. Her Hokage must have wanted to find out the village's weak points.

Then Madara had surprised them by ordering to let the kunoichi live while she had snooped and interrogated the rain ninjas in search for the scroll. Itachi had been wary of Madara and silently wondered what he was planning. Later on, he was to know and the remaining Akatsuki members what Madara had intended to do with the kunoichi.

He had wanted for her to take the scroll but not the real blue prints; instead he had replaced it with a fake scroll that would bring Konoha's downfall. It was Madara's purpose to mislead the leaf ninjas and Itachi knew that Konoha would fail if they attempted to attack their base. Akatsuki was already preparing for war and Itachi was sent to make certain that Madara's plans didn't fail.

Itachi wondered how the woman reacted when she had successfully escaped from their base with her limbs intact and her soul still attached to her body. He just hoped that she didn't underestimate them like Kisame had done to her and the rest of the Akatsuki members who hadn't participated in feigning a capture.

It was solely because of Madara that she was still alive. He had ordered him and Kisame to use half their strength while fighting the kunoichi when she had tried to sneak out from their village, already carrying the scroll. The other Akatsuki members, Pein, Konan and Zetsu had secretly watched while Madara deemed it not worth his while to waste time watching them fight. Instead he had left as soon as he ordered them to confront the kunoichi.

Even if it was two against one, the kunoichi had been a formidable opponent, easily disabling Kisame by slicing and cutting the flow of his chakra with a chakra scalpel and breaking his Samehada with her incredible strength.

Itachi had been left to fight her while he could recall Kisame cursing and swearing his worthlessness on the corner. But despite her impressive fighting style, her finesse with weapons and the swiftness of her movements, she was nothing compared to Itachi's ungodly speed of combating even if he had been holding back half of his power.

The kunoichi paled in comparison to his sharingan and he had constantly (if he had caught her eyes) directed his genjutsu torture at her and then blasted the black flames of his Ametarasu towards her, maybe a little off course from its original target.

Itachi had held back while the kunoichi hadn't stop from attacking him in all directions. He had seen that look in her eyes; the look of a woman driven by revenge and it did all in Itachi's power not to fully fight her. He had been nearly fatally injured from her sweeping chakra laden hands if it hadn't been for Kisame who had distracted the kunoichi from totally splitting his skull in to two.

He knew why she had been determined to kill him. As what he had read in her personal profile, Haruno Sakura was a member of Team 7 and the team mate of the kyuubi jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto and his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke. He was curious what had driven her to accept that mission. Was it for his brother? Or for the kyuubi vessel?....Or was it both?

Itachi scrutinized the woman at his feet. He concluded that it was the last one. The woman valued friendship and love while that kind emotion was lost to Itachi. The only emotion he had was reserve for his brother and his Village. What he felt was only the purpose of living up to the 4th Hokage's expectation and to his massacred clan.

Peace.

He had sacrificed and killed for peace. That was his only desire; a world with no war but as he gazed down at the woman who carried the scroll that would lead for the downfall of Konoha, Itachi started to hesitate.

The woman was an expendable pawn, but an expendable pawn has her uses and Itachi had been sent there to secure the Akatsuki's plans. It was tempting for Itachi to just draw out his old katana that he had gotten from his years in the ANBU and cut off that weak heartbeat pulsing on the woman's throat with the stroke of his glinting black blade. But Itachi remained still.

He began calculating his next move. He hadn't expected the kunoichi to just fail her mission upon stumbling a rock, and he would be wasting his doggedly pursuit if he allowed her to die there, and it would mean Madara's plan would fail.

It was tempting for Itachi, when peace and chaos hung in balance in the hands of a woman….. a woman who just turned eighteen a few hours ago.

He was amused with himself that he even got the time to recall her birthday and her exact age. But his photographic memory had served him right for recalling the accurate details that he had read from her personal profile. That simple but significant recollection made him decide. He was going to make sure that the scroll arrived safely to its rightful destination; Konaha's current Hokage.

However, how can the scroll reach the Hokage when one of her subordinates was unconscious? And Itachi knew exactly why he's there.

He was there to save the woman's life, spare her life and give her a few more years before someone kills her. Hopefully, he wouldn't be the one who will kill her. Itachi had always mentally cringed at the thought to kill or fight someone from his village. Instead, he had used his tsukiyomi to weaken them and let Kisame finish the job. Since Kisame wasn't there, Itachi could hardly kill the woman, even if it was mercy killing.

Itachi considered the kunoichi, remembering how the woman had easily slipped into his guard and kick him right in the gut when he had fought her. His eyesight had been slightly unfocused, giving the woman the chance to disarm him and escape.

Her unexpected punch had only bruised him, but if it was induced with her chakra, certainly Itachi would be sporting a damaged organ or maybe a hole in his stomach, considering what she had done to the trees and buildings when it had gotten her way to do some damage to him.

"Hn," He mumbled thoughtfully, running his eyes over her unconscious body while his mind worked on what to do with her. Madara had clearly stated in his well-modulated voice that he was supposed to be giving the kunoichi a chase in a false attempt of retrieving the scroll from her. It would look suspicious if the Akatsuki hadn't even made a dire move in taking the scroll back.

Although Itachi had been force to slack his fighting style before, Madara had told him to give it his all when he was faced with some of leaf-ninjas once the kunoichi crossed the borders of Konoha. He would have to wound the woman badly, and maybe if given the chance, Itachi would have to kill leaf-ninjas to clear an escape path. Truly, his future looked bleak from where he was standing.

Another death would be place in his hands. And as he looked at the woman, the thought of exposing her to mental torture when he fought her swiftly disintegrated. There was no use when the woman was unconscious and almost at deaths door to put up that false fight that Madara had ordered. From what he could see by the way her head injury was bleeding profusely, Itachi knew for a fact that she was going to die if she wasn't given any immediate medical attention.

Thinking fast, Itachi bent down, his voluminous Akatsuki cloak flapping beside him as he reached towards the woman. Itachi would have to tend to her wounds and if he was lucky, he would have that fight.

The hems of his cloak gently brushing against the blades of the grass while he carefully deposited the woman into his arms, and then speedily caught her knapsack before it slipped from her slacken grip.

His sharigan pierced through the dark as he started forward. Black and red cloak swishing quietly as he carried the woman like she weighed nothing, Itachi plunged into the darkness. Moving with swiftness of a deadly assassin, the shadows welcomed him and the woman in their cold embrace. Not a whisper of the wind or the treads of the man's foot permeated the eerie stillness in the dense forest.

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Sakura woke up to the excruciating throb on her head, her hand automatically flying towards the area and encountered the bandages wrapped around her wound. She groaned as her world tilted upon sitting up, then righted slightly as her bloodshot eyes peered through heavy lidded lashes to survey the place where she found herself.

The loud sound of rushing water broke through the incoherent haze in her mind and watched in near fascination as the waterfall became clear in her line of sight. She was sitting on the stone slab near the small waterfall; a plunged pool was at the center with jagged, wet rocks receiving the watery blows.

Sakura was in the middle of clearing with a waterfall standing deliciously close to her and she was puzzled why she had gotten there in the first place. She dimly recalled that she was walking on some godforsaken place where the moonlight hadn't even filtered through the thick canopy of trees above her. But right now, she was half lying on the grassy bank with the stone slab underneath her and with the rays of the sun warming her face and body. It was morning and Sakura didn't know how long she had been out.

She was supposed to be in Konoha before the dawn broke through the horizon and judging by the sun highly visible in the azure sky, Sakura deduce that it was nearly afternoon (or if it isn't already).

Gingerly, Sakura moved her weakened limbs and silently cursed as her head began to throb something fierce. She put a hand on her head while she levered herself, a grimace appearing on her pale face as she sat up properly. She looked cautiously around, looking for someone who had tended to her head injury.

The blood had been stopped and Sakura was a little bit skeptical when she noticed that the wound was bandaged rather neatly into her head as if the person knew what he or she had been doing, and after going through the stuff in her medical pack, she knew that the bandage had been hers. She minutely frowned. She couldn't understand why a person had painstakingly taken the time to bandage her wound and then left her. She would have expected someone to wait for her to wake up before leaving.

But the mystery was too much for Sakura as her head throbbed painfully again and momentarily stopping her from mauling the things in her mind. After a few minutes, the pain slowly diminished into a dull throb and by that time, Sakura concluded that her savior had left her for good. He or she must have been long gone before she had woken up. Whatever made Sakura decide to wait for him or her to appear?

Sakura shook her head in exasperation, yet it only served to increase the pain in her head. Stupid,she thought, mentally berating herself for wasting time in waiting for her unknown rescuer. She should have prioritized the scroll first than saying thank you to the Good Samaritan.

The scowl on her face disappeared as she recalled the scroll. Wait, the scroll! She nearly launched herself on her knapsack in her panic as she hastily searched her bag for that small, rustic blue print.

Her hand brushed against something papery and Sakura let go a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. Slumping on the ground, she stared at the scroll in her hands and then hardened her face into determination.

Sakura was going to give this scroll to her Shishou, although still exhausted and weak after maybe hours of sleep, Sakura didn't want to be delaying the culmination of her mission.

She would be back in Konoha and then probably celebrate her birthday by taking a nap that she righteously deserved.

Without thought, Sakura stood up, steadying herself slightly as her world seemed to tilt after her sudden movement. Then after regaining her balance, she pulled her knapsack over her back and slowly but deftly, strode ahead. Her sight set towards home, unaware of a pair of red eyes following her, and waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Sakura didn't know when she had begun to notice that someone was following her. If she had been exhausted and preoccupied as the night before, she would still be unaware of the silent threat behind her. Hours of sleep had allowed her to gain some needed rest and focus that she had been lacking after she had fought the two Akatsuki members, Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigake Kisame.

Sakura suspected from the slightly indiscernible chakra behind her that it was the former of the two who was following her. Quickening her steps, Sakura half ran and half walkrd towards the looming borders of Konoha, her gait with a limp to it as the sight of home beckoned to her.

Almost there. She jogged; her vision becoming a blur as she all but stumbled on the uneven ground, though she couldn't fathom why she was still upright or her legs seems to have the minds of her own. She was walking blindly, like a drunken woman while she batted exhaustion and unconsciousness with a stick.

"A bit more," She whispered, sweat dripping from her forehead while her shirt and pants was sticking to her like a second skin. She felt feverishly hot and Sakura knew that the infection had finally set in. She needed to arrive at Konoha to fend the infection off or she might be fight it with her life, not that she already was when the presence behind her drew even closer, as if sensing her weakening.

"Come on," She gasped, her eyes rolling on her head as she stumbled forward, a hand reaching for the throbbing area on her head. Crimson blood had spread across the snowy white bandages as her wound had opened during her journey.

She wasn't going to make it.

Unbidden, tired tears fell from her eyes as she stopped to right herself, nausea rising from her as she teetered, the feeling of vertigo only making it worse for her.

Then the ground drew closer to her face as she fell forward, hitting the ground with a resounding thump while dust and pebbles scattered around her. She groaned, trying to move her aching muscles and manages to crawl. Like a turtle, she was moving only a foot distance away when a kick made its way to her ribs.

Pain burst from the unexpected assault, Sakura groaned out loud while a foot nudged her and force her to roll to the side. Her pain filled eyes meeting those of Itachi's blank stare and instantly shut her eyes before he could draw her into his genjutsu.

"Onna,"

She heard him say before she felt a blade pressed against her neck, the tip of the weapon grazing the vein on her throat where she could feel the pulse leaping in accordance to the fear and contempt running in her veins.

"Uchiha Itachi," She spat, her eyes remain shut as her hand reach out and grab the blade. Rivulets of crimson blood spurted out from her hand as the blade cut her palm. She tried to force the blade away from her throat and in her attempt to remove the weapon, her palm slide over the cool metal and successfully cutting her.

Her lips thinned as she felt the pressure from the other end increased. Itachi was taunting her. She knew where she lied.

She could never escape from Itachi alive and he was proving it as the blade slipped against her palm and pressed back towards her throat, specks of blood appeared on her throat beneath the turtle neck ANBU shirt as the tip of the blade prick her.

Sakura's eyes flew open, emerald eyes flaring with anger and hatred as she locked gaze with the Uchiha Clan murderer.

"Foolish," She heard him murmur before she was suddenly lifted up by the scruff her neck, drawing her eyes level to his and Sakura raised her hand to fight him with her fingers. Her nails raked his face, scratching one side of his face and drawing blood, and as usual she didn't hear any hiss of pain from him.

"Bastard," She snarled, kicking at his shins and clawing him like a she-cat. Itachi merely blinked at the blood that streaked from his wound and grabbed for her neck, his hand instantly closing around her windpipe, squeezing.

Sakura choked and struggled hard, her hand digging into his wrist while stars erupted over her periphery. Darkness slowly engulfed her; her struggles became futile while her eyes could see his imposing outline looming in front of her.

Tears fell freely from her eyes without her knowing while her emerald gaze flickered over his.

Then he suddenly released her throat.

Sakura gasped for breath while she slowly slid to the ground, her hand unconsciously gripping her cloak.

"SAKURA!"

She heard someone call for her but her brain still needed air, which was why she couldn't think straight.

She heard yelling, followed by the clash of metals while the figure in front of her moved. Sakura flopped ungraciously on the ground, still breathing hard while the fight above her went on.

"Sakura," someone was kneeling beside her and by the soft hand that move over her face, Sakura concluded it was female. Possibly Ino or Hinata, or a kunoichi she didn't know off.

"Sakura, we're going to take you to a medic." This time, the voice was certainly male by the low authoritative tone, and when she felt herself being lifted, the familiar scent of him wafted towards her.

"Neji?" She whispered, trying to focus her eyes on him, and could make out an ANBU mask. Hyuuga Neji was also a captain of his ANBU team. Then it must mean that Lee and Tenten are with him.

"Tenten, send a red flare to the watchmen. We must alert them of an intruder." Neji ordered.

The brunette nodded her head while taking something from her weapon scroll. Within seconds, a red light illuminated the sky and alerted the watch man on the tall borders and instantly sending platoons of shinobis.

Neji watched the flare descend back on the ground while they could hear the fight to their right, where Rock Lee was fighting the Akatsuki member. Neji had never seen that enraged look that flared in his team mates eyes and understood that the sight of his love, all bloody and hanging on the enemy, must be the reason why.

Turning to his other team mate, Neji commanded. "Tenten, take Sakura back to Konoha." He placed the pink haired woman into the brunette's surprise hands. "I'll help Lee."

Tenten nodded, slinging Sakura over her back while she eyed her captain. "Be careful." She said before taking off.

Sakura heard all this but instantly, her vision went black. She was already unconscious when the medics took her from Tenten's back.

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That had been easy. Itachi thought as he walked back into Amegakure, having successfully lost the leaf-ninjas that had been hunting him since he had left Konoha. The scroll must be in the Hokage's hands by now. He concluded silently.

His voluminous cloak swished silently as he walked the deserted streets of the village. The moon peeking from the clouds over him while he retraced his steps towards the Akatsuki base.

The woman was still alive and that Itachi had made certain. As what he had calculated correctly, ANBU patrol was going to be rotating the area where the woman had been crawling over. And his judgment was very accurate. He would have killed the woman if the ANBU patrol hadn't arrive, though he knew that he couldn't do it. It was only for show; him trying to kill the kunoichi for stealing the scroll from the Akatsuki.

Surely, Konoha would never doubt of something amiss.

The cold wind blew against him, the tinkling of the small bell attached to his Akatsuki hat, rung eerily around the silent street.

Itachi halted, looking up at the full moon and couldn't help but wonder what had happen to the woman. He could still remember her eyes, glittering with tears and the pain starkly clear that Itachi had paused to stare and considered stopping. Though the thought of Madara and losing his trust had made Itachi proceed with his act; his act that would be the root of his betrayal.

Sooner, when the war breaks, Itachi would be the first one to leave Akatsuki, and finish his mission that the 4th Hokage had left him. He would destroy Madara and his organization.

However, he couldn't do it by acting suspicious. When Madara had assigned him in securing the scroll, Itachi knew that he was testing him. Testing if he could be trusted and deserving to remain within the organization, where he would know everything of their plans. He wouldn't hesitate for the second time.

Itachi started walking, his eyes though thoughtful were alert while a hand reached for the necklace that always hung around his neck, seeking it for it's familiar presence. When his fingertips brushed against his bare neck, Itachi froze; his hand stilling on the column of his neck while his eyes flickered, trying to remember when he had last felt it.

Then his eyes narrowed, recalling the fight with the kunoichi. As she had been trying to escape from the Amegakure of rain and ended up confronting them, the woman's chakra laden fist had insistently been aiming for his head, intending to snap it or crush it. And Itachi dimly recall hearing a small, distinct tearing sound and felt the necklace loosening around his neck. Yet Itachi was certain that it was still hanging around his neck when he had given pursuit, it was even still with him when he had found her bleeding on the ground after hitting the jag rock.

But when he had been lurking on the forest and waiting for her to wake up, Itachi had felt the lost, though his full attention was on the woman that he scarcely noticed the absence of the necklace.

Itachi's brow creased, his lips tightening as he decided that he couldn't possibly go back to that forest in search for the necklace. It was lost and Itachi had no desire to waste his time in search for it, even if it had been given to him by his deceased fiancée.

With a jerky movement, obviously angry at himself, Itachi strode towards the Akatsuki base in a particularly dark mood.

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Sakura sighed, leaning back on her pillow as the door finally closes. Her birthday passed by with her lying unconscious on the hospital bed. It was three days later when she had woken up only to be bombarded by her family and friends visiting and celebrating her belated birthday and giving her a head ache that matched the throb from the wound on her head. Although she could hardly participate when her limbs were restricted for minor movements, Sakura had been grateful for their presence. She had always reminded herself of her family and friends back in Konoha when she had stayed on a dank apartment in Amegakure. The thought of home had always given her strength when she had thought that she was going to fail her mission. Konoha had provided her the will to accomplish her mission and the desire to return home safely… with the scroll of course.

Sakura leaned further back and settled her bandage head over her pillow, her bed was propped up into a semi-fowler position, allowing her to sit up.

The Hokage, her shishou had visited her that day and had congratulated her for retrieving the scroll. The busty blond had forgotten all about it when Sakura had arrived in Konoha, looking nearly at death's door and her shishou had immediately tended to her before she lost more blood. The Hokage had only remembered the scroll when Sakura had told her about it, and had hastily took the scroll from her when she had handed it.

That was three minutes ago and the ominous feeling that Sakura had quelled before reared inside her. She knew war was upon them. The Hokage would be showing the scroll to her advisers and Shikamaru to plan for an attack against the Akatsuki. It would be days or even weeks when they could put that entire plan into action. Sakura just hoped that it wouldn't be too soon. She would want to enjoy that short peace within Konoha before she went out and joined the rest in the battlefield.

Sakura squirmed underneath the hospital covers, her knapsack where she had taken the scroll bounded in her lap as she tried to adjust her position, trying to find a comfortable spot. A moment later, she was sighing comfortably as she sunk deeper into her bed.

Another minute ticked by and she was uncomfortable again. Confined to bed and with nothing to do, Sakura easily got bored when there was no one there to keep her company. Naruto was probably off with Hinata somewhere while Kakashi was reading one of his perverted books again. Tsunade would be busy arguing with her advisers and might use Shikamaru as a barricade against them. Thankfully, Shizune was running the hospital as the head nurse while Ino is probably training with her team like rest of her friends. They knew that war was coming and they were preparing for it.

While her family, her mother and father…well, they liked to send her flowers. That's all she can say.

Sakura gave a frustrated sigh, opening her eyes to stare at the light above her. Being in the hospital was pure hell. She understood Kakashi's aversion to it significantly.

When boredom threatened to overcome her, Sakura started searching her knapsack for something to do. Maybe the senbon she had bought in Amegakure could keep her occupied. She would try throwing it across the room and pin the petals of withered flower on the wall. That would serve as an entertainment.

She was rummaging in her bag when she caught something out of the ordinary.

That isn't mine, Sakura thought as she pulled the necklace out from the bag, drawing it closer to her face to inspect the weird circles tied to it.

She frowned as she recognized. She had seen this necklace before but she couldn't pin point to where to.....

Or whom…..

Instantly, Sakura's eyes had narrowed as she inspected the necklace.

Surely, it couldn't be. She wondered as she carefully touched it with her fingers, tracing the circles with curiosity. But how did it get there?

Sakura stopped moving. "No," she whispered staring at the necklace. "That isn't possible. There is some kind of explanation to this. He must have tried to look for the scroll and his necklace fell."

Though when she tried to remember the time when Itachi had even come close to her bag, she came to a dead end.

She hadn't even recalled him reaching towards her bag when they had fought. For someone who wanted the scroll badly, he hadn't even tried to take the bag from her where she had been too obvious, tightly drawing it closer to her person, as if she were hiding something important; and that was the scroll that they had wanted from her.

The only time she had let go of her bag was when she had fallen unconscious after hitting that rock. And that was the only occasion when Sakura had totally let her guard down.

The fresh bandages on her head when she had woken up near the waterfall were solely from the medic pack that she had place in her knapsack. And that could only mean one thing. Someone had opened her bag and save her.

"No," Sakura shook her head fiercely. "There's no way." She whispered, her face drawn into a frown.

"If he saved me, then why did he want to kill me back then?"

The only one who could answer was Uchiha Itachi himself.

It was time for another confrontation.

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Next up: "Payback"—sequel

Summary: War broke between Konoha and Akatsuki, where the Leaf Village was left defenseless. The Akatsuki leader took this as the chance to overtake Konoha and sent two Akatsuki members to secure their position on the Village........and with one of them wanting payback.

AN: Hope you enjoy. Itachi in here is the version where he is the good guy. I know there are a lot of spoilers to those who haven't read the latest manga (which is currently on 446.) but I still hope you enjoy it.

And as for my long chapter stories, I'll update it later. If my respective muse comes back. I'm afraid I'm still sporting an author's block. However, I still hope you enjoy the oneshots. I'll write the sequel to this and maybe another one-shot.

See you next time!