I've had this story stuck in my head for months and I've finally decided to get it all out!

A few things before we begin this adventure:

1. The basic concept of this story is a popular one. Sakura gets captured by the Akatsuki. If you are reading this story and find that it's similar to other stories you have read with the same basic plot line, I assure you it's not because I'm coping anyone else's work. It's simply a popular plot and there are bound to be similarities.

2. I try my absolute hardest to keep all the characters in character. I can't stand OOCness. However, sometimes it can't be helped. Characters can be stubborn and in order for them to do what you want them to do you sometimes need to give them a little push. That being said, I do try to keep their personalities as unaltered as possible.

3. This story is rated M for a reason. There won't be anything too dark in the beginning but that will change later on.

There will be warnings.

4. I will update as much as possible but unfortunately I have to also engage in this silly little thing called "real life". I do not like this thing. It is not fun.

Now that all those formalities are out of the way, let's go on a journey with Sakura and Itachi my dear readers!

I do not own Naruto.

My tea's gone cold

I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all

The morning rain clouds up my window

And I can't see at all

And even if I could it'd all be grey,

But your picture on my wall

It reminds me that it's not so bad

It's not so bad

The sun was shining brightly in the morning sky, just as it had every day for the past few months. Summers were always hot throughout the Land of Fire and the Village Hidden in the Leaves was no exception. This summer though was especially hot. Most of the citizens of Konoha had taken to spending most of the day indoors where they could stay cool away from the blistering sun.

Sakura Haruno stepped out into the sun and wiped a trail of sweat off her forehead. It had been a long night at the hospital and she was exhausted. Not only had she overseen three major operations, her supply order from Suna had been late and she wouldn't leave until it had gotten there safely. She supposed she shouldn't complain though. She was used to long shifts and the operations had been successful. Her order arrived, albeit late, without issue and once she had taken stock and made one more round to check on her patients, she decided it was safe for her to go home for the day.

She was hot and tired and all she wanted was a cold shower and a long nap. As she walked up to her front door she could almost hear the water of her shower running. She placed her hand on the door knob and paused. 'Weird' she thought to herself. She could have sworn she had locked her door when she had left for the hospital yesterday. She opened the door and stepped into her apartment and instantly froze. She HAD been hearing her shower running. She grabbed the kunai she kept by the front door and silently made her way to the bathroom. Whoever was in there had just turned the water off and was humming quietly. She paused for a second. Ino sometimes invited herself over and made herself at home in Sakura's apartment, and that included using the shower and "borrowing" Sakura's clothes; even after complaining about them being "way too tight around the chest", much to Sakura's annoyance.

But that couldn't be right, Ino was away on a mission and wasn't supposed to be back for another couple days. No; whoever was in Sakura's shower was an unwelcomed intruder. Sakura gripped the kunai in her hand and prepared to kick the door down, when suddenly it opened. She froze.

Sakura was greeted by Naruto.

A very naked Naruto.

Naruto looked at Sakura with confusion for a second and then awkwardly laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Hey there Sakura."

All she could do was stare in shock. Naruto had entered her house without permission.

"Uh, Sakura...?"

Naruto had used her shower without her permission.

"You in there Sakura?"

Naruto had used her shampoo.

He poked her forehead with a concerned look on his face. "You alright?"

Naruto. Was. In. Her. Apartment. Naked.

"NAAAAAARUUUUUUTOOOOO!" She screamed at him with her fist raised.

"Oh shit..."

She punched him in his face and watched as he flew backwards into the bathroom. He crashed into the wall with a dazed look.

"You bastard! Cover yourself up!"

"Alright alright, jeez..."

"NOT WITH MY TOWEL!"

Ten minutes later Sakura was bringing a cup of tea to Naruto at her kitchen table while he iced the large bump on his head with a pout on his face.

"I don't know why you're so mad. I needed to shower and you weren't here. It's not a big deal."

She sat down in the chair across from him and raised an eyebrow. "And you couldn't use your own shower because...?"

"I ran out of hot water so I figured I would just use yours." He shrugged and took a sip of tea. Sakura's eyebrow twitched. He really could be an idiot sometimes.

Still, she couldn't be completely angry with him. Despite his more annoying habits, he was good company and she valued the time they spent together. She watched him sipping his tea as he went on about something funny Kiba had said to him earlier. She never really told him out loud how much he meant to her and she felt a little guilty about it but in her heart she knew that Naruto didn't need her to tell him; he knew. And she knew he felt the same way. They were very close, and even though they had joined their team only recently, Sai and Captain Yamato were also part of that bond that all of Team Kakashi shared.

Bonds. That word held so much meaning. Bonds were what tied them all together; herself, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Captain Yamato, Sai, and…

No. She couldn't think about him. She wouldn't.

But that was a lie and she had to admit it. She thought about him all the time. No matter what she was doing he was always there in the back of her mind. Her long-lost teammate. Her childhood crush. The boy she still yearned for. He was out there somewhere, growing stronger so he could kill his older brother.

He was growing stronger, and she was here in the village treating the wounded. She was not ashamed of her path as a medic nin, not at all. And she was definitely much stronger than she had been three years ago. Training under Lady Tsunade had paid off well. She was a renowned medic, especially now that her skills were admired not just in Konoha but in Suna as well after she saved the Kazekage's brother. Gaara had been very grateful to her for saving Kankuro's life, as was the rest of their village.

Yes, she had a lot to be proud of. But still, she couldn't help but remember the promise she had made to herself. She would work as hard as she possibly could, to not only catch up to Naruto and Sasuke, but to pass them. She refused to have to look at their backs anymore.

Those thoughts brought her back to Sasuke. She supposed she would always be looking at his back now. Always chasing him, always trying to find him; to bring him home.

"Hey, Sakura!"

She was brought out of her reverie and saw Naruto looking at her.

"Sorry Naruto, I spaced out! What were you saying?"

He looked at her sympathetically. "You were thinking about him weren't you?"

Her smile faded and she looked down at her hands, still holding her tea. "Yeah, I was. How'd you know?"

"You always get a sad look on your face when you're thinking about him." He reached over the table and put his hand on hers. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She looked at him sadly. He was always looked so happy, but she knew that just below his bubbly surface, he was just as sad as she was. She may have lost a teammate and her childhood crush, but he had lost his best friend. She knew he was suffering as much as she was; probably even more so. She placed her other hand over his. "I just miss him; you know? It's been three years since he's left and it still feels like it was just yesterday. I want him home so badly." She couldn't stop her voice from cracking but she held back the tears.

Naruto looked at her with guilt in his eyes. "I'm so sorry Sakura… I promised you I would bring him back, and I haven't yet." He looked down ashamed. "I broke my promise."

"No Naruto, don't blame yourself!" She squeezed her hand and offered him a smile. "I know you tried. You tried so hard, and I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am to you for wanting to keep your promise. It's not your fault you couldn't get him to come back."

Looking up Naruto returned her smile, his eyes alight with the fire she so often saw there. "I'm not giving up on my promise." He vowed. "I swear to you Sakura; I will bring Sasuke home. We have a plan now, remember? We're going to find that bastard brother of his and use him to find Sasuke. He'll come home Sakura, I know he will."

She gave him a smile that didn't quite match his.

After Naruto finished his tea and left, Sakura wandered to her bedroom and sat on her bed. She was exhausted and thinking so much about Sasuke had exhausted her mind even more. She looked at the picture on her nightstand. It was the group photo of Team 7 when they had first become a team. She smiled sadly as she looked at them. Kakashi-sensei still looked the same, but herself and Naruto looked very different now. They had both grown taller, especially Naruto. He had turned into a very handsome young man. But it wasn't just their appearance that had changed over the last few years. They had grown emotionally and mentally as well. Naruto was still Naruto, and she was positive he always would be; but he had matured. He had a certain kind of wisdom to him now, and he had grown into an amazing shinobi.

She had changed as well. She was no longer the naïve young girl in that picture, who's only goal in life was for Sasuke to notice her. She no longer shied away from danger every time it reared its head. She was so much stronger than she used to be; both emotionally and physically.

Her gaze moved to the third member of Team 7. Sasuke had changed as well. She could still see him standing there, at Orochimaru's hideout. He had also grown taller, slightly taller than Naruto; and like Naruto, he had grown into a very handsome young man. But it wasn't his appearance that had shocked her. His indifference towards them had destroyed her heart.

He had even tried to kill Naruto. His best friend.

His hatred had consumed him and he saw only the path of revenge. It was a path he was determined to walk alone; he had made that clear to her the night he left the village. She had begged him to stay. She had even begged him to take her with him when he had refused.

Could she have done it? Could she really have betrayed her village for him if he had given her the chance? Part of her didn't want to know the answer to that. She had been so young and foolish, who knows what she would have done to be with the boy she had loved.

'Still love.' Her inner self corrected as she laid down on her bed and stared up at her ceiling. It was true. She had never gotten over him no matter how hard she had tried. And heaven knows she had tried.

She often wondered why she still carried such a torch for someone who had been nothing but cold to her. Even before he had left, Sasuke had never shown any interest in her. Sure, he had never been hostile to her back then, but he certainly had never been warm either. But she supposed feelings weren't always logical. She felt how she felt and that was that.

And now they had a new plan to find him. His brother. His clan-killing, psychotic, Akatsuki affiliated brother. She didn't know very much about Itachi Uchiha, other than the fact that he was a terrible person.

She felt herself drifting off to sleep, her mind filled with visions of a boy with Sharingan eyes.

Sakura ran toward the hokage tower, cursing her alarm clock for not being loud enough. She had fallen asleep the previous day and had slept like a rock. Her lack of sleep from working so much at the hospital had caught up to her and she hadn't woken up until almost noon the following day. She supposed she should be grateful for the sleep, but today was not the day for it.

Today was the day they were to be briefed on their mission to find and capture Itachi Uchiha.

Sakura reached the Hokage's office and practically crashed through the door in her haste.

"I'm sorry I'm so late my lady!" She panted as she looked around the office.

Naruto and Kakashi sensei were already there, along with Sai and Captain Yamato.

She looked at Lady Tsunade who seemed less than pleased at her sudden appearance. Sakura supposed it was due to her tardiness.

"What did I miss?" She asked.

Lady Tsunade glanced at Kakashi who looked uncomfortable. He looked at Sakura and seemed unsure of what to say.

"Well," he started, "we were just leaving for the mission."

"Great," she replied, "you can brief me on the way."

Kakashi scratched the back of his head and looked like he'd rather be anywhere but in that room. "Actually Sakura, there's been a slight change in plans..."

Sakura frowned at him, confused. "What kind of change?"

Lady Tsunade answered for him, "It's been decided that you will not be going on this mission."

Sakura stared at her, unsure if she had heard correctly or if she had imagined it due to the fogginess in her head caused by too much sleep.

"I'm sorry, I must have heard you wrong. I thought you said I'm not going." She laughed, but stopped when Tsunade gave her a pointed look.

"That's exactly what I said."

"But... my lady, I don't understand!" She rounded on Kakashi who seemed to want nothing more than to melt into the background. "Who decided this?!" She demanded.

"I did." She turned back to Lady Tsunade, confusion and hurt on her face.

"My Lady, if this is because I was late I'm so sorry! I won't be late again, I mean, I hardly ever am! I was just so tired and I fell asleep and then I didn't hear my alarm and-"

"Sakura that's enough." Lady Tsunade held up her hand to stop her. "This isn't due to your tardiness. I made this decision based on other reasons."

"What other reasons?!" She demanded.

"Watch your tone!" Tsunade hissed. "If you want me to be completely honest, I don't think you're cut out for this mission."

Sakura felt like the floor had disappeared from underneath her. She stared dumbstruck at her mentor and tried to find words.

Naruto stepped towards her with sympathy in his eyes. "I tried to make her reconsider Sakura, but she wouldn't budge."

"Why?" She asked, ignoring Naruto. "Why am I not cut out for this mission?"

It was Sai who answered, "The Hokage believes that your personal feelings may jeopardize the mission. She feels that the love you have for the traitor may make you irrational."

Sakura rounded on Sai, her eyes blazing. "His name is Sasuke, Sai. Call him 'traitor' again and I'll punch your face in." She hissed.

Sai simply looked at her with his blank expression. "Case and point."

"Don't take this out on Sai, Sakura; he didn't make this decision, I did."

She turned back to Tsunade, trying to keep her temper in check. "With all due respect, my lady" She ground out, "if you think my personal feelings will jeopardize the mission, then why are you letting Naruto go? Are his feelings not a problem? He's just as desperate to get Sasuke back as I am!"

Tsunade sighed. "If I had it my way, Naruto wouldn't be going either. However, as it stands, he's our only hope that this mission will succeed."

Kakashi put a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder. "The Akatsuki is after the Nine Tails. Naruto is our best chance of luring Itachi out of hiding."

Sakura was struggling to keep her temper in check, and she her patience was quickly slipping. Inside, she was raging. She hadn't trained so hard just to be left behind.

She glared boldly at Lady Tsunade, not backing down when the Hokage raised her eyebrow as if daring Sakura challenge her authority.

"Is this really about my feelings, or do you just think I'm too weak?" Sakura hissed at her mentor.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Watch yourself Sakura. Keep talking to me like that and I'll send you flying out of this office. This has nothing to do with your physical strength. It's your emotions that concern me."

Sakura balled her fists at her side. "So you don't believe in me." Before she knew it she was yelling. "So all the time I spent training with you was for nothing?! You don't think I'm good enough, is that it?!"

Kakashi intervened before the shocked Hokage could counter. "Sakura, that's not it. We know how strong you are-"

"No you don't!" She glared daggers at her former sensei, "how could you of all people possibly know how strong I am? You never cared about my training!"

Kakashi stared at her in shock. "Of course I cared Sakura, you're my student."

"Oh am I? That's funny, because from where I was standing it seemed like Naruto and Sasuke were the only students you cared about. You put a lot of effort into their training, but never once did you take the same time or care with mine." She couldn't keep the hurt from her voice and she knew Kakashi heard it when he looked down with guilt.

"Sakura, enough. I know you're angry but you don't need to take it out on people." Tsunade scolded. "My decision is final, and throwing a tantrum won't change my mind. If anything it proves that you're too emotional for your own good."

Naruto took a tentative step towards the fuming kunoichi.

"Listen Sakura, I'm upset about this too. I would give anything to have you out there with us on this mission. You know I would. But Sakura I promise you, I'm going to accomplish this mission and I'm going to get Sasuke back!"

Sakura turned to him. She saw the determination in his eyes, and usually that would be enough to convince her. But not this time. She looked at her friend coldly and said, "The last time you promised that you failed."

Naruto flinched as though she had stuck him. She instantly regretted saying it. He looked down at the floor, hurt and guilt in his eyes. Everyone else was staring at her as though they didn't know who she was.

Suddenly the room felt too small, she couldn't handle it. She felt like she was suffocating.

Without another word she bolted from the Hokage's office and out of the tower. She didn't know where she was going, she just ran.

How could this be happening? She had trained so hard and now she was being left behind again. It wasn't fair.

Once she stopped running she realized she wasn't in the village anymore. She collapsed on the ground and panted heavily. She knew she had made a scene back in the Hokage's office, and she felt horrible for what she had said to Naruto. He hadn't deserved that. She had just been so angry. How could Lady Tsunade think so little of her? Hadn't she proved herself over and over again? She was almost as strong as Tsunade herself, and her medical skills were unmatched. She had saved Kankuro's life when no one else could; hell, she had killed a member of the Akatsuki! True, Lady Chiho had helped quite a bit but it was through their combined skill and teamwork that had put an end to Sasori's life.

She stared at the ground in frustration. Why did no one have faith in her? What more would she have to do to be appreciated? If she were allowed to go on this mission, she would be able to show everyone that she wasn't useless. That she could be beneficial to the team and that her emotions wouldn't get in the way of their goal.

But she was banned from the mission; she couldn't show them.

She blinked.

'Wait,' she thought, 'maybe I can show them.'

She stood up and clenched her fists.

She had been banned from going on the mission with Naruto and the others, but that didn't mean she couldn't go after Itachi Uchiha. She could go without them and prove once and for all that she was a capable kunoichi.

Sure, Tsunade would be angry with her for leaving the village; but when she returned with the elder Uchiha brother as her prisoner, Tsunade would have to forgive her. And maybe then she would stop being looked at as the useless, emotional member of Team Kakashi.

She smiled then, and looked up at the sky.

'Yes' she thought with determination, 'I can do this. I'm going to find Itachi Uchiha.'