Okay, so let's get it straight. As much as I adore Sakura and Itachi, I don't own them, or anyone from Naruto.
"Itachi-nii! Itachi-nii!" A little pink haired girl called into the edge of the forest, as she had been told by her nii-san. After a few moments of waiting, she plopped down on the surrounding grass and sighed. For the fortieth time since she picked it that morning, she smelled the flower in her hand. It smelled just like the cherry pie her mother would bake, and the peppermint candies her father would give her. Although the scent didn't match her Itachi-nii, the flower itself did. The scarlet red petals and the night-black center of the rare flora had instantly brought to mind her nii-san's beautiful doujutsu. The flower mimicked the determined, protective, burdened, hopeful eyes of her Itachi-nii. While everyone else fell for the stoic Itachi, she could tell what was truly hiding underneath his mask. The pinkette didn't notice a raven from the treetops vanish into nothingness, but as she twirled the grass between her fingers, she did notice the change in the wind. She looked up expectantly.
"Hi Itachi-nii!" The little girl greeted, unaware that she had already known where Itachi was going to be before he had arrived at said spot. But he noticed. He always did. He allowed a small smirk to grace his face for a moment before poking her nose, not unlike the way he poked his otouto's forehead.
"Itachi-nii! I have a present for you!" As she said this, she put the flower right up under his nose. The scent instantly slacked his muscles and the mixture of peppermint and cherries held so many precious memories that he was quickly tempted to sink into them. Then he remembered where he was.
"Where did you find this flower, Sakura-chan?" He asked her. Sakura smiled, grabbed his hand, and started running. As she pulled him along, he quickly noted that she was faster than his little brother. Swiftly, he pulled and secured Sakura onto his back, and kept running in the direction she had been pulling him in. She accepted the piggy back ride with a giggle. Now, as the unofficial navigator, she kept a sharp eye out for her forest markers. She saw the first willow tree, and tugged at Itachi's collar.
"Go North." She instructed, and Itachi obeyed. They passed a very round bolder. "West." She said, and again Itachi complied.
"Itachi-nii, do you think we can go up – " Sakura cut herself off with her own gasp as Itachi propelled both of them up into the treetops, graciously avoiding any twigs that could hurt either him or his companion. The foliage broke through, and he stopped. The pinkette grinned maniacally as Itachi gave his first sign of weakness in front of someone else besides his mother. The lake sparkled magnificently in the midday sun, and on its banks there were hundreds of the flora that Sakura had so graciously given to him. The array of red flowers, outlined by other flowers of the field, stood out with their bright color and scent. The peppermint and cherry smell carried to their noses as a gentle breeze reached out to the pair in the treetops.
"Do you like it, Itachi-nii?" She whispered in his ear. He jumped down, kneeling as he came in contact with solid ground and let his pink-haired companion slide off his back. She settled for sitting down on the outskirts of the red flowers, and he sat beside her. Instead of poking her nose, he ruffled her hair. Once again, she beamed with brightness, and they sat in a comfortable silence, both enjoying the sea of red in front of them. A few hours were spent lazily in the bright meadow, inhaling the scent of cherries and peppermint. Itachi found himself succumbing to a drowsy, content state, until he heard a growling coming from right next to him. He looked to his left to see Sakura putting her hands on her tummy, with a disgruntled expression. Itachi stood up, and she automatically put her arms up towards him, with no move to get up. He gathered her up into his arms, and with her secure in his grasp, he sped off towards a familiar house. Sakura made a point to point out all the flora of the forest on their way, what their uses were, if they were edible and such. He smirked.
Only a child with pink hair would find the fun in knowing plant life of forests. Yet Itachi 'hn'-ed when appropriate, letting her know he was listening. The forest thinned out again, into two winding paths towards a large, beige villa. Cutting through the tailored lawn, he could see in the distance, a woman with strikingly white hair, sitting on the porch of the villa, engrossed in a book. Hearing her daughter's voice, the woman looked up, and smiled. Itachi was there in a moment, and put Sakura down in order to allow the older woman to hug him.
"Itachi-chan, how nice of you to find Sakura-chan for me." She complimented. The two just smiled behind her back.
"She would get lost in that wilderness if it weren't for you. Come Itachi-chan, Sakura-chan. I'm sure you both are hungry. Sakura ran up to catch her mother and Itachi took two long strides so that he could match each female's pace. As they gathered in the kitchen, the servants bowed to the passing party, and Emi Haruno playfully shooed her servants out the kitchen. They complained about needing to fulfill their duties, but Emi just laughed them off. The two children sat at the main preparation counter, and were content to try her dishes as she cooked them. She laughed as Sakura tasted the spicy wasabi. Her face scrunched up so much, and Emi laughed so hard, that Itachi couldn't help to break into a smile. This was the one place where he could afford to be himself. Suddenly the kitchen doors bust open, only to reveal a brightly red-haired and violet eyed man. Ken'ichi Haruno came in and hugged his wife around the waist, and kissed her softly on her cheek. Then he grabbed Sakura, spun her around, and kissed her forehead. He proceeded to give Itachi a nuggie, which Itachi endured with great patience. But he did poke the man back in his stomach. Well, it was more of his abdomen muscles. He knew that the Harunos were retired ninja, deflected from minor villages, and he knew they kept in good shape. Mrs. Haruno, otherwise known as obasan to Itachi, was a former medic-nin, very skilled in her old village. And Mr. Haruno, ossan, was the top in his ranks in his old village. They still kept in shape, it was obvious. Now being profitable merchants, and with Mrs. Haruno acting as a traveling doctor, they had enough money to last them, and Sakura, a few lifetimes. They were the merchants that were rich, but worked hard to keep it unknown to who they were. Itachi was sure that the merchant world would be very surprised to find that their top competitors were simply two retired shinobi. Young and retired, but former shinobi nonetheless. Together, they sat down for the impromptu meal Mrs. Haruno had prepared, but scrumptious. No one spoke until their plates were clean. Mr. Haruno smiled at the children.
"You know, they say that silence during a meal means that the food is excellent." He winked, and Itachi nodded his head in acknowledgment while Sakura giggled. Mr. Haruno looked down at his watch.
"Time to go back, isn't it? We don't want Fugaku to know you've been fraternizing with 'commoners', now do we?" He laughed softly and shook his head. Itachi bowed to both Mr. and Mrs. Haruno.
"Thank you obasan and ossan for preparing me the delicious meal." And deep down, he really meant it, all formalities aside. Mrs. Haruno ran to hug him again.
"Itachi-chan, it was nothing. You know you are welcome here anytime, at any hour of any day." He nodded in acknowledgment. As she let him go, a pink haired blur crashed into Itachi's lower abdomen.
"Come back soon Itachi-nii, okay?" He softly patted her back as he usually did when he left her house.
"Alright Sakura-chan." With a silent wave, he transported himself away from the Haruno household. Ken'ichi shook his head.
"That boy is such a mystery." His wife and daughter just smiled.
Later that night, after he excused himself from the less-than-pleasant dinner that one of the servants prepared, Itachi began to settle into a random thought pattern. He shifted through memories, and his mind replayed a particular one.
"Itachi, you are being assigned to a B-ranked, month long mission." Sarutobi instructed him. "You are going to guard a wealthy merchant, Ken'ichi Haruno, his wife, Emi Haruno, his daughter, Sakura Haruno, and all their cargo as they travel to Rock to participate in the trade this year. This is your last mission before you qualify for the jonin, Itachi." The eleven year old Itachi bowed.
"Hai, Sarutobi-sama."
Itachi walked to the gates the next morning, and not five minutes later, was greeted by a red-haired man. He bowed deeply, and his wife and daughter, with white and pink her respectively, bowed as well.
"Thank you for accompanying us on this boring mission, Itachi-san." Itachi bowed back.
"All missions are necessary. I am ready to leave at your word, Haruno-san." The elder man smiled at him.
"Alright, everyone let's go!" Itachi couldn't help but to notice the pink haired girl's laugh, who he had identified as Sakura. The merchant family was an unusually happy one.
The group would travel for one week to Stone, trade for two, and make their way back in another week, hopefully with less things bought then they had sold. On the first night, Itachi helped to set up camp, surprisingly with his employers as well. Their six year old daughter was extremely adamant that everyone help out with putting up tents, getting food, and starting the fire. After Itachi was done, he set up patrol, and returned to camp. There he saw Mrs. Haruno, making dinner with her daughter, Mr. Haruno looking around for fruits for desert. Itachi hadn't known there was an apple flying his way until he caught it, along with a few blackberries.
"Every growing Chunin needs nourishment. The bags under your eyes aren't only from a lack of sleep, they're from a deficiency of fiber, vitamin A, and potassium." A soft light twinkled in Mr. Haruno's eyes. Mrs. Haruno cut into the conversation.
"I can also see that you're lacking in Vitamin D. It's a good thing this fish has a lot of that. Itachi-san, come join us." He was about to respectfully decline until Sakura came up to him with a handful of cherries.
"And these have Vitamin C!" she exclaimed happily. Before he could respond, she had pulled him in between herself and Mrs. Haruno at the fire, and he actually found himself enraptured with the adult's conversation, just as much as their daughter had. That night, as Mrs. Haruno had put their daughter to sleep, and readied herself for bed, Mr. Haruno had pulled him aside.
"Itachi-san, I apologize for putting you in this mission. We have a few missing nin after us, is all. I don't doubt your abilities, I fear for your safety. Most of these nin are A-ranked but a few are S-ranked." Itachi nodded to his employer.
"I accepted the mission. I did not know of this information but it will be very handy. Thank you for your concern, Haruno-san." The next night, he had to kill a band of A-ranked missing nin. Mrs. Haruno healed his wounds as the sounds of fighting had awakened her, but not Sakura. Itachi stood obediently as the woman used her yellow chakra to heal him.
"There, are you all better, Itachi-san?" She asked him, smiling.
"Hai, thank you, Haruno-san." He said as he pulled his shirt sleeve down. She gave a soft chuckle.
"I suppose Sarutobi-sama did not mention that you would be traveling with retired nin. I believe it is something to prepare you for ANBU. You will not know everything about your opponents or your teammates." He stored this information in for later use.
"Thank you for your advice, Haruno-san." She nodded and went back to sleep.
The next five days had gone easily, but every day had become livelier and happier, with his increased interaction with the Haruno family. They grew on him faster than mold grew on old cheese. Their passing knowledge, their advice, was more valuable to him then relentless training that the clan had imposed on him. And Sakura was always the light of their traveling group. They had gone and come back with favorable profit and no more attacks. Itachi's reputation had preceded him. He had led the Haruno family back to their home, and before he could leave, all three of them had embraced him in a tight family hug.
"Thank you Itachi-chan." Ken'ichi said.
"Yes, many thanks Itachi-chan." His wife agreed. But Itachi could not help but smirk at the six year old's voice.
"You were awesome Itachi-nii! Come visit me, Kaasan and Otousan a lot, 'kay?" She exclaimed as she hugged him. "I had a bunch of fun." He accepted their family hug.
"I will be sure to visit you, obasan and ossan as much as possible, Sakura-chan. That is my promise." She beamed, and he took his leave.
And to think if I had never accepted that mission, how inwardly miserable I might've become. He thought as he drifted to sleep.
While Itachi had been sifting through memories, a light had still been on at the Hokage tower.
"You know, Ken'ichi, I know of your origins." Ken'ichi Haruno bowed.
"Of course, Sarutobi-sama. Thank you for letting me stay here, once again." Sarutobi nodded.
"I fail I have neglected to entrust you with information that you may find crucial." Sarutobi said, and Ken'ichi allowed himself to be surprised.
"And what information is this, Sarutobi-sama?"
"We have a village orphan, and his name is Naruto Uzumaki." Sarutobi said, calculating the man's reaction.
"WHAT?" Ken'ichi screamed.
(Beams) I'm so glad everyone liked the first chapter! I'm writing this down in a journal first, and then typing it up, so believe me when I say I'm working on this. Thank you everyone for reviewing and adding this story as your favorite!