A/N: This is my first Naruto fic. But I enjoy writing it. For those who wanted me to continue my other fics, please understand that those have been discontinued for the time being as they are going under serious reconstruction. They will be updated once I can bring myself to it.

As for this piece of fiction, I'm a fan of Sakura/Itachi tales. I just happened to read one of an author's fics (Mitsukishiroi's Evolution, Metamorphosis, Memento, and Salvation) and was suddenly addicted to stories about our favorite pink-haired kunoichi being paired up with the cold brother of Sasuke Uchiha.

Since I'm new to writing this type of anime, I'd like feedback. However, if I get more hits, alerts, and favorites, then I'll continue to write in the manner that I'm writing in currently. But if you think it needs help, I'd like to know.

Also, I'm not sure about this beta thing…if someone could kindly explain it to me, I'd be grateful.

Enough rambling on my part and more reading on yours, so I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer:I don't own Naruto.

The Promise to Protect

By BlackFrost

Chapter One

The Power of Loyalty

"So, you think you're ready for this, Sakura-chan? Are you sure you're prepared for such a long mission?" A certain blonde boy asked worriedly as he gazed upon his best friend's face. "I don'tthink you should go."

"Don't try to stop me, Naruto-san. I want to do this. If I don't, this void will only grow until I can't take it anymore." Sakura replied as she calmly packed her bag, readying herself for the three-year-long A-Class mission.

Being the ever clueless person he was, Naruto gave Sakura a strange look. "What do you mean by void?"

"What I mean, Naruto, is that I need to keep myself occupied so that in time I will forget Sasuke-kun. If not, I'll continue to suffer. I'm not saying that I'm trying to give up on him, in fact, I never will. But I don't want to face the torture of long years of thinking about the past. I'm just trying to get on with life without Sasuke-kun as best as I can but I'll never forget him."

Naruto remained silent throughout her short speech. The topic of Sasuke was still a sore spot for Sakura. He'd observed her reaction every time someone mentioned Sasuke around her. He saw how her eyes would drastically reflect an inhuman loneliness and how it'd seem as though she were in thought.

'Yup…' The Kyubi container thought admittedly. 'She's in love with him…but…' His thoughts were interrupted when she turned to him and flashed him a half-hearted smile.

"Well, this is it for now, Naruto. Thanks for helping me pack what I really needed." She giggled. He'd stuffed her bag with boxes of instant ramen, claiming that the only thing she needed were the noodles to survive.

His grin stretched from ear to ear. "You're welcome, Sakura-chan."

"But you do know I'm not taking everything you'd stuffed in there, right?"

Naruto hung his shoulders in obvious defeat. "Yes…I know," he replied as he began to leave her small apartment. He paused at the threshold of the doorway and looked down at her small frame. "Who're your teammates this time?"

"Um…I think it was Neji-san and Shikamaru-san."

Nodding his head in approval, Naruto flashed Sakura a dazzling smile that rivaled Gai-sensei's famous grins. "That's a good team. Neji and Shikamaru should be able to watch over you."

Sakura frowned slightly. "Naruto-san, I'm perfectly capable of fighting. You should know this already. I don't need them to be constantly guarding me. They're only going to escort me to the manor and come back. That should tell you that I will be alone on this particular mission. There is no way Tsunade-sama would let important ninjas like Neji and Shikamaru stay away from the village just to do an A-Class mission. They're most likely going to have S-Class missions like regular Chunins do."

Naruto could only agree. Nothing was said after this as Naruto departed from Sakura's presence to go home.

Sakura watched him walk away from her small window in the kitchen, feeling forlorn and depressed. When did Naruto ever get so close to her? When had he wriggled his way into her heart and brought out a friendship she'd never felt before with anyone? When had the annoying little brat become her best friend that she could trust and depend on?

She couldn't get an answer for this but, then why would she question their strong bond?

One question, however, still lingered in her head as she checked her bag again.

"When did he get so tall?"

The next morning Sakura woke up bright and early. She readied herself for a long day and in less than an hour, she was all set. But she failed to notice that it was 3 in the morning and that 99 of the village of Konoha was fast asleep.

She started toward the entrance of the village and sat in the very same bench that she and Sasuke had sat in the day they were assigned into their teams. Memories flooded through her mind and she closed her eyes in honor of those pastimes. This spot was where she'd admitted to Sasuke her admiration for him. But that was a long time ago.

Even now she still admired him and his power. She was still trying to accept the fact that he'd left for one of the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, just to receive ultimate power. She understood the need and want for power, she'd experienced it many times when people thought of her too weak and defenseless to be left alone in missions. But if he wanted power that bad, couldn't he just continue to study in Konoha? Why go to another village and country?

'I completely despise that Orochimaru now. Not only did he hurt Sasuke-kun when he put that curse mark, but he also stole Sasuke-kun away from all of us here in Konoha. We're the ones that really care about him…' Sakura thought venomously. But then a name suddenly popped up in her head. Just then it dawned on her that it was not completely Orochimaru's fault.

"It's that older brother of Sasuke-kun. It's his fault! He's the one who drove Sasuke-kun to be power-hungry, to accept that snake's offer, to leave his friends in Konoha. It's all that darned brother of his. What was his name again?" She paused a moment to ponder on the man's name. Her eyes narrowed when she was able to recall the man's name.

"Uchiha Itachi…" She hissed murderously.

An icy breeze blew by and whipped her short pink locks in the harsh air. Sakura gasped and sat up straight, green eyes wide. She wasn't expecting a sudden rush of air like that. But something other than that had her senses tingling. She could've sworn she'd heard somebody whisper something in her ear after she muttered the eldest Uchiha's name. She thought she'd distinctively heard someone say, "Yes?"

She shook her head stubbornly and convinced herself that it was only the wind.

Fatigue starting to creep upon her again, Sakura decided to head back to her apartment and try to get as much sleep as she could before the time came for her to leave.

"Sakura-san, are you in there?"

Groggy eyes snapped open when Sakura heard somebody knock lightly on her door. Sakura sat up and rubbed her eyes before grabbing her discarded bag and heading to the door to answer it. When she opened it she saw Shikamaru and Neji standing before her.

"Sorry guys. I woke up too early and went back to sleep a few hours ago."

Both of the boys nodded their heads, understanding completely.

It was then that Sakura noticed that they had slight bags under their eyes. Did they sleep late and wake up early just like her? She wasn't able to tell and knew it was best not to find out.

"Let's go." Neji said and turned to go, Shikamaru in tow.

Sakura shut her door and locked it securely before following both Chunin ninjas.

After six hours of traveling, with a five minute break every hour, they stood before a large manor just on the border of the Water country. It looked like the large mansions that Sakura had always seen in fairytale books where the evil nemesis would reside. The manor was surrounded by an iron gate that was more than just a bit rusty.

The house itself didn't look too great either. Doors were black with soot as if something had burned long ago and left souvenirs to tell the tale. The roof looked just about ready to crumble and Sakura must've seen at least thirty rats come out of one rat-hole under the floorboards.

She gulped nervously and wondered why she'd taken the assignment. For three long years she'd help manage an estate with a widow whose wealthy spouse had died three weeks after their marriage. The woman's servants had deserted her and she was living on her own. She'd asked a wandering traveler to pass the news to Konoha so they'd send someone. The woman would pay an abundant amount of money to benefit Konoha's funds if they'd send someone to help her get back on her feet.

A grunt was heard at Sakura's side.

"Hmph. How troublesome…" Shikamaru noted monotonously. He cast a wayward glance at Sakura. "Good luck. This place looks like a wreck. I bet the money isn't going that great either. Perhaps it is appropriate for it to be classified as an A-Class mission."

Neji only shook his head pessimistically. "At least you're going to be away from that Naruto and Lee for three years. Shikamaru and I might have them as our teammates at least fifty times while you're gone."

Sakura smiled sheepishly at what they were saying. "Well, thanks for bringing me here even though I don't know why Tsunade-sensei sent high-ranking ninjas to accompany me when Ino and Hinata-san could've escorted me here."

Shikamaru and Neji shared a brief look before turning to Sakura, seeming to have something to tell her. They closed in on her slightly and looked around cautiously.

"Tsunade-sama forgot to mention that you're to do some spying while you're here." Neji started and shifted his stance slightly.

"There are rumors going about that there is a scroll of great importance hidden here in this household. It supposed to have vital information on Konoha. If anybody were to find that scroll, especially our enemies, the village would be in grave danger. We'd experience the same devastation of Orochimaru's ambush if that scroll were to fall into the wrong hands." Shikamaru informed gravely.

"It's part of your mission to find that scroll and return it to the village as soon as possible." Neji put in.

A confused looked flitted by on the kunoichi's face. "Why on earth is a scroll of such value in a dump like this?" She questioned as she pointed to the dismal estate.

"The spouse of the widow was a great ninja in Konoha. He was close to Tsunade-sama and she trusted him to take care of the scroll. He decided to hide it in his house, I guess, for safekeeping."

Sakura sighed exhaustedly. What an interesting mission. She didn't know if people usually took missions like this, but if they did, it must've had its own strange quirks. 'How hard could helping a lady get started again? I bet I could get her back on her feet in less than three years.' She thought to herself optimistically. She voiced her thoughts and smiled inwardly when Neji and Shikamaru agreed wholeheartedly.

"But then again it wouldn't be an A-Class mission if it were that easy. So whatever comes your way, I wish you good luck. You're going to need it in such troublesome place." Shikamaru stated and glared at the manor.

Neji nodded in agreement.

After a few minutes of going over her mission again, Shikamaru and Neji left to head back to Konoha.

Staring at the estate she'd reside in, Sakura groaned and trudged toward the abode with no enthusiasm in her step.

A year went by noticeably fast as Sakura did most of the housework. The widow's name was Mishigaki, Ayame. She was incredibly beautiful with her long black locks and piercing green-grey eyes. She wasn't that tall, but she wasn't too short either. Her personality was one that was rarely seen the world today. She was sweet, honest, and kind all at once. Her smile was always filled with happiness.

But one thing Sakura noticed right away was the deep sadness that lingered in her eyes. She could relate to what Ayame was feeling. She'd often felt that way whenever she thought of Sasuke. But Sakura never revealed her similarity of emotions to Ayame, feeling as though it would be too much for both of them.

One particular winter evening, Sakura was cleaning the flooroards when she noticed soft white flakes gracefully land itself onto the floor she'd just scrubbed. Looking up at the ominous dark clouds, she sighed and relished the last of the warm breeze that blew by. She opened her eyes when she heard light footsteps coming her way. She spotted Ayame walking toward her.

"Hi Ayame!" She said cheerfully.

Ayame beamed back and kindly asked Sakura to stop the cleaning. "You've done so much during the past year. Thank you for everything."

Sakura stood up from her kneeling position and brushed off some snow on her shoulders. "Don't worry about it. I'm glad I took this assignment. Otherwise, I wouldn't have met such a wonderful person like you."

Ayama laughed gently. "Well, I think I'll head to the garden and take whatever flowers I have left before the snow decides to smother them." She said and walked off another smile on her face.

The pink-haired shinobi watched her friend's retreating figure before heading off to fix supper. As she passed by the room she slept in, she saw a scroll with the Konoha insignia sealing the rolled up parchment.

At first Sakura stared at it, not knowing what it was for. But then her mind went back to the day that she'd arrived at the Mishigaki residence. She remembered the other part of her mission. She gasped.

"It's the scroll of Konoha!" She whispered excitedly to herself and picked up the scroll.

She inspected it closely and noticed that it was slightly yellow with age. The thickness of the paper prevented any ink from showing. It was also quite light in contrast to the way it practically resembled a watermelon.

Should she open it? If so, what secrets of Konoha did it secrete?

A sudden scream interrupted her chance to decide. Sakura stuffed the scroll in the pouch she carried around her waist and hurried to where the sound of distress came from. She immediately knew it was Ayame, so she hurried to the garden.

She'd underestimated the speed of snowfall once she was outside. The entire area was blanketed in the soft flakes and was quickly beginning to make small snow dunes. The snow had already covered the frail flowers that were in bloom and was on its way to burying anything else. The whole place looked absolutely white. It really was a winter wonderland.

But two dark imposing figures ruined the magic and brought Sakura spiraling back to reality. The look on their faces struck fear to the very core of Sakura's conscience. The tall one was holding Ayame above the floor, by the neck. A large bandaged blade was slung around his shoulders and rested against his back. From the side view, Sakura could see that there were lines that resembled…gills? His pale blue skin eerily matched with the white snow flakes falling to the ground. His black pupils were trained on Ayame's suffocating face. He smirked maniacally.

He wore a navy blue cloak with red clouds. The collar was high enough to cover the lower half of his face. When she looked to his forehead as to which village he belonged to, she saw that he was from the Hidden Village of Mist. But the symbol was slashed with an even line. She could barely see the headband thanks to the hat that he wore.

"Tell me where the scroll of Konoha is." He demanded coolly.

Ayame gasped, trying desperately to break the man's inhuman grip. "I…don't know…what…you're…talking about!" She bit out.

"You lie. Tell me!" He shook her lithe body lightly, giving barely a hint of his power.

Sakura drew a kunai from her pouch and threw it to the man. Just when it was about to hit him, it fell to the ground. Confusion was evident on her face as she tried to make sense of the situation. It was then that she took notice of a third person that hid behind the tall man's dark frame.

Beneath the straw hat, she could see everything under the eyes. His face resembled Sasuke's in such a way that it made her catch her breath. His mouth was obscured by a coat that looked exactly like the man that held Ayame by the throat. His was shorter than the taller man and it would've seemed comical if they didn't look like they were assassins about to complete a mission.

Sakura couldn't see his eyes, but she knew that he was staring directly at her.

She growled protectively at the two intruders and gave them her best emerald eyed death glare. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

The taller man slowly turned his head to let his black pupils stare right at her. That was when Sakura got a good look at the taller man.

'He looks like…like…a fish!' She thought, shock flowing through her veins.

The man flashed the pink-haired shinobi a wicked smile, revealing many sharp teeth. "Hello." He said.

Snarling uncharacteristically, Sakura brought out another kunai and prepared herself for a direct attack. "Answer my question!"

The fish man smirked. "My, my, we have a feisty one." He commented dryly.

Sakura lurched forward and took out another kunai and two shuriken. She planned to throw the weaponry at the two men and while they were distracted by the weapons, she could land a hit or two just enough for the tall fish man to let Ayame go. But when she tried to execute her plan, the weapons fell just as quickly as she'd thrown them and she found herself on the cold ground.

A warm hand was tightly wrapped around her neck as it kept her grounded to the floor. She tried to loosen the grip, but found it impossible to even try.

Looking up, she saw that it was the companion of the fish man. His face was still slightly shadowed by his hat, but she could see his features clearly due to the closeness of their faces.

She gasped when she saw his eyes. They were both blood red with three black rings that resembled commas, surrounding the pupil.

'He reminds me of…'

Those commas were spinning rapidly and soon Sakura found herself feeling quite drowsy. But one person kept appearing in her mind.

'Sasuke…' She thought before she blacked out.

Half of her expected to see the familiar snowy world she was just in, and the other part of her wanted to see the comfort of her own apartment in Konoha.

But when Sakura opened her emerald eyes to see where she was, she was shocked to find herself lying upon a lake of water with rough clouds speeding across a blood red sky like shooting stars.

Wait a minute, since when was the sky red and when did the clouds ever move that quickly?

Sakura stood up and was about to squeeze the water out of her sopping wet clothes when she noticed that she wasn't alone in the strange world she was in. Looking up, she saw the short man that stood behind the guy who resembled a fish. He still had his hat upon his head, preventing her from seeing his eyes. But Sakura already knew what his eyes looked like. Come to think of it, it was the same color as the sky.

Mustering enough courage to speak, she opened her mouth to say something but her voice refused to sound. Sakura grabbed her throat in shock and once again tried to speak. But no sound came out.

"Your attempts are futile." The man said in a deathly calm voice. He was more than 100 ft. away but it sounded as though he'd spoken those words right in her ear. "While you are under the influence of my Sharingan, you cannot do anything that is of your own will. In this world, I control everything… including you."

She breathed heavily, telling herself this was just a nightmare.

The man walked ever so slowly toward her, effectively making her back up in the process. Every step he took made shivers run down Sakura's spine.

"I can do anything to you. I can torture you when I haven't laid a finger on you, or executed any jutsus."

Gashes of blood appeared on Sakura's arms and legs, oozing the red liquid that supported life.

He took another step. "And since I can torture you and possibly kill you here and back in the world you are familiar with, could you tell me where the scroll

of Konoha is?" It wasn't a question, more like a demand.

Eyes narrowing in protectiveness, Sakura leapt a few inches away, distancing her and the man even more. She attempted to speak again, but still found that she couldn't get a word out.

More slits of blood came and unbearable amounts of pain shot through her, bringing her to her knees. Her eyes began to feel heavy and lidded. She felt like she'd been traveling for days, months actually.

The man remained silent. "See, that's another thing about my sharingan. I can control the amounts of time that a person can feel. Right now, you are experiencing the exhaustion of no rest for the time period of two months."

Unable to keep herself up, Sakura lay on the ground like a wounded animal and began the slow process of recuperating. She couldn't let this man take the scroll. That was something she wouldn't dare let happen! As a shinobi, she vowed to herself that she'd always protect the village of Konoha…even with her life. If dying by this man during a mission, she'd take the responsibility just for Konoha.

But in this particular situation, if she died then they'd take the scroll without even putting up a fight. So in this case, she must stay alive.

Suddenly the man was standing beside her limp body. "Now be a good kunoichi and hand over the scroll. I know you have it."

Sakura shuddered in fear of the man. She'd seen someone like him, someone who resembled him too much. Remembering the thoughts she had before she found herself in the world with a red sky, she immediately knew who this man was.

As if sensing that he'd had his identity figured out, he allowed a ghost of a smirk cross his features. However, he still had a mission to complete. "Give me the scroll, kunoichi."

Struggling to be heard, to say something, Sakura glared spitefully at the man. Ever so slowly she parted her lips and replied, "N-no."

The smirk disappeared in a flash and was replaced by an impassive look. His sharingan eyes contracted slightly. He'd used enough power to make her quiet, to shut her up, but apparently it wasn't enough to keep her silent. He noted his underestimation and decided to let her speak, releasing his hold on her voice.

The moment Sakura felt her voice return, she grimaced at the pain she felt at her sides. Making the decision to not stand up, the pink-haired kunoichi stared up at the man she increasingly began to despise. "I won't ever give you this scroll. It's important to my village. Why on earth would I ever give you a scroll of such value?"

"Because," He drawled lazily. "I'm strong, you're weak. I'm the predator, you're the prey. I'm the murderer, you're the victim. You will die if you don't give me the scroll."

"No!" She snapped and absent-mindedly held the pouch that held the scroll.

"Hm…so that's where it is." He murmured lowly and backed away a few steps.

Sakura looked into his face once again and stared back into the cold, red orbs that he possessed. In seconds she found herself back in the snowy world that she'd been in before. She was sprawled on the ground, still clutching the pouch. She immediately spotted the fish man a few feet away with no Ayame in sight. Where was Ayame?

The effects of the man's sharingan were still keeping Sakura to the floor out of pure exhaustion.

She saw the fish man approach his shorter companion.

"Well, where is it Itachi?"

Emerald eyes widened in realization when she heard what the fish man had said. No wonder he resembled Sasuke so much! He was Sasuke's evil older brother.

Itachi pointed a finger with polished nails at the pouch Sakura was weakly guarding. "Be quick about it. The Leader would like us back soon."

"We take the other lady, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay." He said and turned to look at Sakura's limp form. "Now be nice and let me take the scroll." He crouched down beside her and reached out to take the scroll from the pouch.

Sakura only gripped the pouch harder, feeling this solidity of the scroll beneath the thin cloth.

"Aw, don't put up a fight, missy. Now let me just gently move your hand so I can take this scroll from you." The man grunted and easily pried Sakura's death grip on the scroll with no effort. He eventually brought out the scroll and flashed an evil grin at her before turning to Itachi. "I have the scroll. Let's go!" He tossed the scroll to Itachi and headed on to pick up Ayame who was on the ground about fifteen feet away from her, covered in snow.

Another jolt of pain flashed through Sakura and she cringed. She gasped slightly when a two kunais and shuriken landed a centimeter away from her nose. She looked up at her supposed attacker, inwardly bad-mouthing the man. She briefly wondered why he hadn't killed her yet.

Itachi regarded the girl with an uncaring gaze. "There is no need for death when we've retrieved what we needed." He said evenly with his deep alluring voice. He turned abruptly and vanished into thin air, leaving no traces of his presence except for the footprints in the snow.

She expected to find the fish man still there, but was devastated to see that he had left with Ayame.

Staring up into the night sky, Sakura went over the chain of events that had happened in less than an hour. She failed two missions in one night.

'How could this be? I've never failed a mission.' She thought to herself and breathed in a gulp of air. She'd betrayed Konoha. In her eyes, whenever someone wasn't able to finish the mission assigned to them, they had instantlylet down the trust put into them by Konoha. 'I've betrayed the village, Tsunade-sama, my friends, Naruto, and…and…'

No…she wouldn't dare think about the boy. But her self-pity got the best of her.

'I've betrayed Sasuke-kun…'

At that thought, a lone tear escaped from her right eye as she slowly closed her eyes in complete exhaustion.

Sakura woke up many hours later still outside but buried in mounds of snow. At first she was confused, but then the memories flooded back and she sighed in dejection. She wished she'd remained unconscious.

Willing herself to sit up, she noticed that the once acute pain had dulled insignificantly. She brushed off the large amounts of the white flakes off her clothes and shakily stood up. The area swirled dramatically and she found herself closing her eyes to focus on standing up straight.

Once she recovered her bearings, she remembered the words Itachi had spoken when she was in that strange world. She didn't want to be weak, to be the prey, to be the victim, and she most definitely didn't want to die. But her curiously firm loyalty to Konoha had her thinking twice about what action she was to take.

Should she go and retrieve Ayame; or run back to Konoha's safe and welcoming environment? Torn between two decisions, Sakura sighed and sat down on the snow coated porch.

Ayame was her charge, her mission, her friend. Was Ayame so invaluable to the kunoichi that she sent her away with two obviously strong nin?

If she went back to Konoha, what in the crazy world had she accomplished?

You'll be a true failure, Sakura. If you back down you'll show to the world that you are weak, that you're scared. Is that what you want? Huh? Inner Sakura asked ferociously.

Frowning outwardly, Sakura growled at her rebellious conscience. 'No. NO! I can't let that happen.' She replied.

'Then do something about it. Don't just mope around. Go to Ayame and bring her back!'

Finally beginning to see things clearly, Sakura stood up suddenly and regretted that she did a few minutes later as her vision began to swim. But she'd made up her mind. She would bring Ayame back and take the scroll safely back to Konoha. She wouldn't give up.

Walking slowly back to her room to prepare for another trip, Sakura renewed her vow to be loyal to Konoha.

Author's Note:Well, please review! Remember, feedback is good. But no flaming! Thanks.