"He murdered his own clan…"

"Sasuke is an orphan because of him…"

"He's an S-rank criminal, one of the most wanted ones in the bingo book…"

"He's a monster…"

"He's killed everyone, except for his younger brother, so he could –"

So he could what exactly? What could he possibly gain from letting his younger brother live – to send hatred coursing through each of his veins – aside from certain death? What could he possibly gain from slaying his entire clan – to stab every Uchiha through the chest – aside from certain death? What could he possibly gain from defecting from his village – to join the most infamous criminal organization known to the shinobi world – aside from certain death?

What could Uchiha Itachi gain, really?

Haruno Sakura had spent weeks rolling the same questions over and over again in her mind. She had written down an entire list of possible reasons, only to rethink and cancel them out. Ever since her, Naruto and their new teammate Sai caught up with Sasuke again, she couldn't help but think about it. The only reason why Sasuke had left, or whatever it was that was happening at the moment, was linking to none other than Sasuke's older brother himself, Uchiha Itachi. And it was quite weird to think that somebody like him – who graduated at seven, mastered the Sharingan at eight, became Chuunin at ten, make ANBU Captain at thirteen and even became one of the strongest ninjas in the village – would just randomly slaughter his clan and leave his village.

Sakura twirled the pen in her fingers, her green eyes scanning the whole list again. She tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear and sighed. She had been at it for days, weeks even, but she wasn't going to give up. She was determined to find out why the heck Itachi had even done it. Unless he was a pretty suicidal person, it didn't really make sense. And she highly doubted that he was suicidal, not with all the attention and compliments he gets from everyone.

Hang on, the attention…

She scribbled it down. Maybe he had been getting far too much attention, and he didn't want it. But even so, he probably wouldn't have killed his entire clan for it, unless he was horribly violent. And she doubted he was violent, too. She had been a bit more observant than the rest of her team, and managed to pick out the fact that Itachi never really seemed to be interested in close hand-to-hand kind of combat. It was always genjutsu, trapping, torturing and just inflicting mental pain on the victim, never anything physical. Even when Kakashi had been knocked out for three days after his clash with the Sharingan master, he had only suffered from pain that he had thought to be real. Sakura had encountered Itachi before, too, when they were going to rescue Gaara from the Akatsuki earlier in the year. He had stayed a good distance away, only using genjutsu as a form of attack unless otherwise necessary.

She scratched 'attention' off her list. She had to admit, she was getting rather…obsessed…with him. What kind of person spends hours in their room, locked up to just figure out somebody that they don't even know? Well, she couldn't say she didn't know him. Everyone did, actually. But, still. Sakura had seen his files in the Hokage archive, and was surprised that there was so little information about him, even if he had been a Konoha shinobi. They had a picture of him when he was around fifteen, she reckoned, in an ANBU uniform and a blank expression on his face. He looked a lot like Sasuke, with the same onyx eyes and dark hair. Hell, she'd be lying if she said he wasn't attractive.

She stood up from behind her desk, putting away the list of reasons. She still had his file with her, and she decided it was time she returned it. Tsunade had given her permission to browse through his files, of course. Zipping her knee-high boots on, she walked towards the Hokage tower and knocked twice on the door to Tsunade's office. After waiting for a few moments, there still wasn't an answer. So, she just twisted the doorknob and poked her head inside. Hmm, the Hokage wasn't in.

Sakura shrugged and walked over to the Hokage's desk, opening the first drawer and pulling out a set of keys. She left the office and walked a few more steps down the corridor, stopping in front of two large doors. This was where all the files of every Konoha shinobi were in, and the missing-nin section was actually out of bounds, locked in a dark corner. Nobody had actually touched those files, really, except for the Hokage and a few others. But even so, there were some files marked with the ANBU Seal that meant they were completely out of bounds. Some ANBU ninja weren't even allowed to open them, and the Hokage had no idea, too.

She put the keys into the hole and turned twice, the door swinging open to reveal a large, dark room with shelves and shelves of files. She walked towards the corner of the room, and found the little space in which Itachi's file belonged to. Tsunade had taken it for her, but she supposed she had no choice but to put it in back herself. But that was when the shiny ANBU Seal on the file beside his caught her eye. She could make out quite clearly in the dark that Itachi's name was written on it.

What? He had two separate files? Sure, he was an ANBU Captain and all, but even so, a missing-nin would only have one file, for any other more private mission reports and whatnot would be declared, well, public. Sakura made sure nobody was watching, and gently took the file from the shelf. The ANBU Seal glowed crimson in the dark, but she didn't pay it too much attention. She opened the file and started scanning through whatever it was that was inside. There were just records and records of his missions – all completed, until… She saw a mission report written in red ink, while the others were black. It was an S-ranked mission, and the moment her eyes fell on the first paragraph, she gasped.

Uchiha Itachi, Captain of ANBU Squad Twenty-Seven

Mission assigned: [S-Rank – Final] to annihilate the Uchiha clan

Assigned to by: Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzou

Mission summary: Konoha is under threat of being overruled by the Uchiha clan. Uchiha Itachi (though originally assigned mission with squad and clan member, Uchiha Shisui – deceased) is to assassinate the Uchiha clan and prevent the coup d'état.

Mission status: Completed

The shuffling of footsteps could be heard, and Sakura scrambled to put everything back in place. She had just emerged from the missing-nin section when the door to the room opened and a masked ANBU ninja stood at the entrance. "Sakura-san," He greeted the pink-haired kunoichi. Suspicion seemed to lace his words. "What are you doing here?"

"I was returning Uchiha Itachi's file," Sakura replied coolly. "Tsunade-sama gave me permission to view it. You may ask for her confirmation, if you don't believe me." She walked towards the entrance of the room, where the ANBU ninja seemed to stand there, unwilling to move. She stood next to him, waiting for him to step aside so she could pass. After a few moments, he did, and Sakura seemed to simply walk pass him like nothing had ever happened, when her heart was practically going to come up to her throat and fly out of her mouth any time.

The Hokage's apprentice raced back home as quickly as her legs could carry. She darted into her room and slammed the door shut behind her before dropping to the wooden floor. What in the name of Kami-sama…? Mission to annihilate the Uchiha clan because Konoha was going to be overruled by them – hell, this had to have been a mess up! She couldn't believe it. No, a mission had to be impossible. But then, the ANBU Seal on the file had made it official – it was a mission assigned to Itachi – by the Third Hokage and the leader of ANBU Root himself. Even so, if Itachi had been from the Uchiha clan, why would he have wanted to wipe out his whole clan? He could have refused the mission… unless, he wasn't allowed to.

Sakura stumbled to her feet and grabbed the list of reasons off her desk, whisking out a pen, she started to write the new information down. If Itachi had been forced to finish the mission, he could have double-crossed Konoha and helped the Uchiha clan – she knew he was skilful enough to do that. No, if he didn't abort it, something must have prevented him from doing so – a deal? All in all, it was a mission and every shinobi had the right to abort one, but what exactly was the price?

The Uchiha clan had planned a coup d'état, and if a coup d'état were to neither completely fail nor succeed, it would result in massive civil war, in which Konoha's defence would definitely be weakened, allowing other villages to attack. And what were the chances of the Uchiha winning? Sure, they were a talented clan, but they were completely outnumbered – Konoha had a lot of shinobi, and the number of ANBU Root members alone was more than those of the main branch Hyuuga clan. The Uchiha would have lost, but not completely, because, like Sakura had thought, they were talented, skilful. A civil war would most likely be the result. So, that had been the price. It made sense now that Itachi had to kill his clan. And it obviously meant that he had placed Konoha before the Uchiha. And it made sense now; he had never done physical harm to many people unless it was completely necessary.

But then, why kill the whole clan…except for his younger brother, Sasuke? Great, Sakura sighed. Now Itachi had to go around and make things complicated, messing up everything as she scribbled more information down on the paper. Honestly, she just wanted to ditch all of it and just blamed him for filling Sasuke to the brim with hatred and revenge, for the lust to grow stronger and stronger and just stronger –

Her emerald eyes widened as comprehension dawned on her. It was for Sasuke to grow stronger. Now everything was falling into place. Uchiha Itachi had placed Konoha before the Uchiha clan, but he had placed his younger brother before everything else, including…himself. She stared back down at the list of reasons as to why he had killed his clan, why he had defected from Konoha, why he had thrown everything behind him. Only two words stared back at her while the others were crossed out.

Peace and Sasuke

Sakura could feel tears pricking the corner of her eyes. Sasuke had got it all wrong. He was out to kill his older brother, the one who had protected him. And she felt like slamming her head into a wall for wishing that he could hurry up and kill Itachi already, so he could return to Konoha. Now he was somewhere out there hunting for him and she couldn't really do anything. She couldn't take this matter to Tsunade – her master would kill her before she had time to reason. She had no freaking idea where the hell Sasuke was so she could talk some sense into him. But would he believe her anyway? No, she guessed not. That only meant finding Itachi, and she hadn't a single clue where the Sharingan Master was anyway.

Whatever it was, she was hell-bent on proving his innocence. Because people like him didn't deserve the life he was living right now – being chased by hunter-nins, ANBU squads and even by his own brother, who he actually loves so much. But how the heck was she going to do it? Naruto…she could tell Naruto. He would understand. He had to.

Jumping out the window, she landed softly on the ground and began running towards her best friend's house. She hopped onto the nearby roof and jumped into the air, landing in front of his door. She didn't waste any time knocking on the door. Instead, Sakura, being Sakura, kicked the door open. She looked around, shouting, "Naruto!" She walked into his living room, into his bedroom, into the kitchen – but he wasn't there. She made her way towards the bathroom and knocked twice. "Naruto, are you in there?" No reply. Damn it, where was he when he needed her?

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" A voice asked. Startled, said girl turned around to look at her other teammate, Sai.

"Sai," She exclaimed. "I was looking for Naruto. Have you seen him?"

"I think he went to train with Jiraiya-sama in another town. He just left this morning." The dark-haired boy eyed her up and down. "Have you been crying?"

"Ah, no," Sakura shook her head, dusting her black skirt. And she briefly wondered if he would believe her, or…if he could help her. Sai was a member of the ANBU Root, under the orders of the very same person who told Itachi to murder his clan. And heck, he would have killed Sasuke if Naruto hadn't talked some sense into him. But if she told him the truth of the Uchiha massacre, would he turn her in for reading the ANBU files, or would he aid her? She decided not to tell him anything. "Never mind, if you see him coming back, just tell me, okay?"

Sai nodded, and the two of them left the place. Night time was rolling in and there was still no word from Sai – Naruto hadn't been back, and is most likely not to until a few more days. Sakura couldn't wait until then! Anything could happen within a few days. Itachi might even be dead for all she knew and she couldn't bring herself to accept the fact that she would not get to prove his innocence and allow him to live the life he truly deserved – as a hero of Konoha. She couldn't let Itachi die, she wouldn't. Lying on the bed staring at the ceiling, her eyes widened ten times the usual size.

Did she just think…she wouldn't let Itachi die?

That one word was so simple, almost everyone knew about it, and yet it carried so many meanings. Sakura gulped, and began questioning herself. Why wouldn't she let Itachi die – aside from the fact that he was innocent and all? Well, maybe it was because he was actually a very peaceful, sweet and kind-hearted person beneath the cold wall he had put up. Maybe it was because he was amazingly handsome. Maybe it was because she had focused all her attention on him for so long that she actually developed some sort of feeling for him along the way, despite never meeting him face-to-face in a proper, civilized conversation. Konoha and Akatsuki were always at each other's throats, after all.

Oh Kami, this wasn't good at all. If she was developing feelings for him, she should stop them. That sounded easy. But heck, it wasn't. She would close her eyes occasionally in the night now, and the only things that popped into her mind were an image of Sasuke and Itachi laughing together, or just Itachi sitting on the railings of the Hokage Tower, admiring his beloved village. But at one time, a rather…interesting…image had appeared. It was her and Itachi, holding hands and walking down the Konoha streets, just talking and laughing. She couldn't say she hadn't liked that image either.

Uzumaki Naruto only returned five days since Sakura discovered the truth behind Uchiha Itachi. And she had been worried sick over…well, Itachi, actually. Konoha's most loyal kunoichi, apprentice to the Godaime Hokage and one of the best field medics in the village had sort of, well, fallen in love with their most infamous S-ranked 'criminal'. It was already eight o'clock at night, but the pink-haired girl had wasted no time dashing over to her best friend's house and throwing his door open, shouting, "Naruto!" Said boy poked his head out of his bedroom, with spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She smiled a little and shut the door. "Good, I have something to tell you. It'll sound insane, but it's the truth, and you have to believe me, okay?" And with that, she told him everything.

"S-Sakura-chan…" Naruto murmured; his eyes wide as watermelons. And for a moment, Sakura briefly wondered if he doubted her story. "I believe you." He grinned, flashing his white teeth. "Don't worry, I'll tell Tsunade baa-chan about it, and I'll make sure she won't kill you or anything. If she tries, she can give up her title of Hokage, because this is for one man's freedom." He jumped to his feet and ran towards the Hokage Tower, with Sakura running behind him. He was just this enthusiastic when it came to something that linked to Sasuke. It was always for his best friend, just like she is for her lover.

Wait, her lover?

Sakura blushed. She couldn't have just referred to Itachi as her lover. It was…absurd! Naruto entered Tsunade's office first. The Hokage looked up from her paperwork with her sparkling hazel eyes. "Oh, Naruto, welcome back, I haven't seen you in a while, I can't say it's a pleasure though."

"There's no time to joke around, baa-chan," Naruto said seriously, and for once, Tsunade was taken aback. "I want you to hear me out, don't interrupt, and don't hurt anyone. Sakura-chan told me you gave her permission to view Uchiha Itachi's file. When she was returning it, she noticed a second file on him. Admit, baa-chan, even you thought every missing-nin only had one file. This means someone's hiding something. It turns out Itachi is innocent – the Uchiha massacre was planned, it was a mission! You can see the files for yourself, baa-chan, if you don't believe us." He was speaking so quickly it seemed almost impossible to hear. But the pure excitement of getting a possible lead on his best friend's whereabouts laced his voice.

"Naruto, that's enough!" Tsunade retorted, slamming her hands onto the desk and standing up. "Uchiha Itachi is an S-class missing-nin who caused Sasuke to defect from Konoha and seek Orochimaru for help instead. He murdered his clan in cold blood. Although I will say I'm surprised that he has two files, Sakura wasn't even supposed to view the one marked with the ANBU Seal in the first place."

"But I did and it can't be helped now, can it?" Sakura snapped back. Tsunade was surprised. She had never snapped back at her before. "Sasuke-kun left because his hatred for his brother grew, only because he saw his brother murder his clan in cold blood. Sasuke-kun didn't know why his brother slaughtered his clan." Tsunade seemed hesitant. Just a little push and she might just let her go. She couldn't give up, couldn't face pessimism now. "Tsunade-sama," Sakura pleaded. "Please, Uchiha Itachi is innocent. I need to find him."

The Hokage's hazel eyes darted towards the paperwork on the desk. And she suddenly grew very interested in how lovely the handwriting of the nearby village's chief seemed. Sakura sensed that she was ignoring her request, and allowed her shoulders to sag. "Tsunade-sama…" The room was silent, and Naruto seemed to be a little angry.

"Come on, Sakura-chan, we're leaving." The blonde announced, grabbing his teammate's arm. Tsunade didn't seem like she was going to say anything, so Sakura nodded sadly and turned to walk out of the office.

"Wait," Tsunade's voice sounded behind them. And they whirled around, hope flashing in their eyes. "I won't check on the ANBU Files, but I will trust you. And everything you say had better be true, or I will personally kill you." She sighed, rubbing her temples before looking up and pointing at her student. "Sakura, I'm assigning you an A-ranked mission to find Uchiha Itachi and bring him back to Konoha alive."

"Good, when do we leave?" Naruto asked excitedly, but Tsunade only shot him a glare.

"I said Sakura, not you." Naruto was going to ask why, but Tsunade beat him to it and answered his questions. "Nobody from Team 7 is to accompany Sakura. And yes, Naruto, I have a particularly good reason why. If Itachi is to be found with any other Akatsuki members and you are present, they will most probably attempt to kill you and extract your bijuu, like what they did to Gaara. Hatake Kakashi is obviously out of the picture, since he is well-known and Itachi already knows of his strengths and weaknesses, if a fight were to break out. Yamato cannot go with her, either, because his Mokuton specialties would best not be revealed to the enemies. Sai cannot go because he is part of the ANBU Root squad, and any such member would not be trusted by Itachi. Oh, and you can leave as soon as you're ready. Tell Kakashi about this, I'm sure he'll let you use Pakkun as a tracking system."

Tsunade opened a drawer and scanned through the seemingly countless files and bags of items before pulling out an ANBU mask. "This was Itachi's ANBU mask. Tell Pakkun to give it a little sniff and he'll lead you to where Itachi is." Sakura took the delicate mask in her hands. "Good luck, now get out. You're giving me a headache." Even so, Sakura couldn't help but smile and bow as she left. Tsunade sighed as the door closed behind the pink-haired kunoichi. At first she thought Sakura would do it for Sasuke. Well, actually, she still did. But the way she had been so insistent on proving Itachi's innocence and begging the Hokage to give her some help gave her some doubts. Sipping a small cup of sake, she simply allowed herself to wonder if her student had developed…unwanted feelings…for the Uchiha assassin – Uchiha Itachi, she corrected herself.

She parted ways with Naruto, dashed into her house and packed up her travelling bag, slinging it over a shoulder before running off to find her sensei. She spotted him staring at something on display by a bookshop. "Kakashi-sensei," She called out to him. The Copy Ninja turned to give her a wave. "I need your help – well, more of Pakkun's, actually." She quickly briefed him of her mission, and even he seemed a little hesitant. "I'll be fine, Kakashi-sensei, I'll have Pakkun anyway." Sighing, he did a quick Kuchiyose no Jutsu and summoned the entire team of ninja dogs. "Hi Pakkun," Sakura greeted the little dog with a pat on its head as it barked. "I need you to help me track someone down." She held the ANBU mask to its nose, and the dog sniffed for a few moments before its own eyes widened.

"This is…Uchiha Itachi's scent." The pink-haired medic simply nodded, not saying anything else. Pakkun hopped off from one of the larger ninja dogs' head. "Follow me." She bid her goodbye to her sensei and followed the dog. They left the village and entered the nearby forest, hopping through trees. "His scent is rather faint; he's quite far away. It would probably take at least two hours to get to his position, by which then he could have already moved. Also, it's too late in the night and exhaustion would creep over you soon. Perhaps we should just set up a camp for tonight."

Sakura stopped, landing on one of the tree branches. Pakkun paused and turned around to look at her. Uchiha Itachi was better than average shinobi. He knew well to mask his Chakra, and even his own presence, possibly his own scent. That's why it was so tough to track him. Besides, if Tsunade had his ANBU Mask all the while, why didn't she just get Kakashi to track him down and bring him back in the first place? Comprehension dawned on her – her master had simply sent her out to satisfy herself. She narrowed her eyes in anger and clenched her fist, but just then, she knew exactly where to find the Sharingan Master. "Pakkun," She talked to the dog. "It's alright, thanks for helping, but I should just get back to Konoha. It's dangerous, after all. Can you help me thank Kakashi-sensei when you get to him?"

Pakkun seemed to hesitate, as did the other ninja dogs. But he nodded and disappeared with a poof. Sakura snapped her head back towards the direction of Konoha. Oh, she knew just too well where to find him. Inserting more Chakra to her feet to boost her speed, she made a sprint towards the highest hill surrounding Konoha, but not inside the village. She had gone there several times to gather herbs, and it gave a wonderful view of her beloved village. She dashed up the slope and finally got to a clearing. The twinkling lights of the Konoha streets amazed her, and so did the feeling of another's presence.

"Don't hide, Itachi," Sakura spoke aloud.

And within a few seconds, a hand curled around her throat and she was pushed up against a tree trunk. Her emerald eyes snapped up to meet a pair of onyx eyes which belonged to none other than the man she had been searching for. His skin was pale, just like his younger brother's, but the deep tear troughs beneath his eyes made him look older and more mature than his actual age. His dark bangs framed his perfect, handsome face. But his perfect, handsome face, despite having the ability to give off a smile that would make hundreds of girls faint, remained passive. "You are the Godaime Hokage's apprentice," His voice was silky, and he continued, "Haruno Sakura." She fought the blush that was threatening to creep onto her face due to their close proximity. But how did he know who she was? "Yes, I am." She replied confidently. "And I'm here to take you back to Konoha."

"And what makes you think I would willingly return to the pathetic village where my unintelligent clan members once lived?"

"Then why are you here, watching over your pathetic village?" She retorted, and for a brief moment, he had been silenced. "Why are you trying to hide the truth of what happened that night, the truth of how you really feel about Konoha, the truth of why you really did it?" And possibly for the first time in a long while, thousands of emotions swam through the older Uchiha's usually blank eyes. She knew? "I read your ANBU file, Itachi. I know what happened. And if you won't go back to declare your freedom, I will." The hand around her throat tightened and she winced in pain. Itachi stared down at her, hard. "You cannot possibly comprehend what it felt like, and what I am thinking of now. Do not think that just because of one stupid file and one stupid truth, I will walk into that village and once again become their faithful shinobi."

Sakura grew angry now. A sudden surge of confidence and courage caused her to smack away Itachi's hand with the use of a bit more Chakra. His eyes seemed to widen a bit, but she stared up at him with…determination? "I know you want to be. And you think I don't understand?" She snapped at him irritably. "You weren't the only one who loved Sasuke! You weren't the only one who lost him! You weren't the only person he hated, even if you loved him! I can't know how it feels like to massacre a clan, but I damn well know how it feels like to be hated, crushed and betrayed." She felt the tears well up in her eyes and she cursed herself for appearing so weak in front of him. "Why didn't you just tell him the truth? Why did you let him hate you?"

Itachi was silent for a few moments. Only Sakura's soft sobs were heard. "Don't you hate me?" "I used to, but then I knew about the truth," She shook her head and blinked her tears away. She reached out a hand and gently placed it on his cheek. "There's no way I could hate you…not when you're so full of hatred towards yourself." Itachi didn't respond, but his eyes seemed to soften a bit. "I-In fact, I think…I think I love you."

His onyx orbs darted towards her face, examining her every feature – her pale, smooth complexion, her pretty sparkling emerald eyes, and her short, beautiful pink hair. He didn't miss the pink blush that had crept to her face. "You…love me?" He asked in a whisper, and she nodded a little, avoiding eye contact with him. He asked, "How?"

"I-I know, we don't even meet regularly in the village like with the other guys, b-but… I was so focused on you for weeks, to figure you out so I could help g-get Sasuke back that I didn't actually realize I had…fallen in love with you." She blushed. "You're actually very sweet, and kind-hearted. You want peace and you're…well, loyal." What could he say, really? He didn't even know this kunoichi, only that he had always watched her return from her missions ever since Sasuke defected from Konoha. He had always prayed that she would return unscathed. He had never wanted to hurt her; even during her team's rescue of the Shukaku Jiinchuriki. He had always silently helped her eliminate one or two enemies during her missions without her ever knowing. He had wanted to kick Sasori's damned puppet corpse from one corner of that stupid cave to the other for nearly killing her. He had been tempted to threaten Danzou to blurt the truth out to the village, so he could settle down in Konoha again, and maybe be with her, to help her get Sasuke back. He didn't even know when it all started, but maybe it was when Pein had told him of Sasuke's defection, and he made a brief trip to his village to check on everyone – the Kyuubi boy had been out cold, and a few of his younger brother's friends had been injured badly. But the one that bled the most – although not physically – had been her. And he just couldn't stand to see such a young girl shatter.

"T-That's out of the point." Sakura stammered, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Please, Itachi, just go back to Konoha. People like you…don't deserve this. I'll back you up on everything. Just tell them the truth."

Itachi returned his gaze towards her. "Only on one condition," He told her quietly, and she nodded. He leant forward and placed his lips to her ear. "Stay with me." He didn't notice how wide her eyes had gone. Instead, he moved his face closer to hers and gently brushed his lips against hers. She was as pink as her namesake by the time he pulled away. She just stared at him in shock, but made no protest when he entwined his fingers in hers and began dragging her towards the village. They had only gotten to the gates when she tugged on his hand. He turned towards her, raising an elegant eyebrow in confusion. Sakura stood on her tip-toes, mentally cursing herself for being quite short, before placing a long, gentle kiss on his lips. He didn't protest, didn't pull away until she did.

So they got to the Hokage Tower, and Itachi was then, once again, declared a shinobi of Konoha. The next morning, Tsunade – after reading through his entire file about five times – told the entire village about his past, his decision and the massacre. News got to Akatsuki, of course, and they had lost a valuable piece in their game. Months went by, and Itachi was helping the remnants of Team 7 track down his younger brother. It took a few days smacking some sense into Sasuke's head, and in the process, Itachi had nearly died twice, causing Sakura to go on a rage and destroy almost an entire mountain. Of course, thankfully, Sai and Naruto had been there to reassure the pink-haired girl that both the Uchiha brothers were safe. Kakashi and Yamato, on the other hand, had a harder time restraining her when she got into a panic attack and unknowingly created craters with each step she took.

Years rolled by and peace seemed to be seeping in. Akatsuki had seemingly diedout. Kisame, who had always remained a loyal comrade (well, friend would be an overstatement for a member of a group of individuals), had met up with Itachi several times to inform him on the organization's recent plans. Tsunade hadn't been happy with it, but she had let it pass, and Kisame had soon earned himself his own Konoha shinobi membership. Well, it was six years since Sakura had gone out to find Itachi. Uzumaki Naruto had successfully achieved his dream of becoming the great Hokage, while Tsunade retired and went off drinking and gambling – not that Shizune actually minded anymore. There weren't any paperwork anyway. The Uchiha compound was reopened again and only Sasuke and his now beloved older brother, Itachi, who resided in there, until…

"It's me." Itachi walked into the Hokage's office. Sakura had been chatting with his younger brother and her best friend, the Hokage, when he came in. The trio weren't the only ones in the room, though. Most of the other famous Konoha 12 had come, each carrying reports of their missions or just lazing around. Being the Hokage's friends had its privileges, he supposed. She turned around and smiled at him, as did everyone else, including his younger brother.

"Hi Itachi," Naruto grinned cheekily. "I haven't seen you in my office in a long time! Here for a mission?" The blonde-haired Hokage then winked at him.

"Actually, no, I've come here for a request." Itachi smirked. "The Uchiha compound is huge, as you know, and only Uchiha members are allowed to reside there. And, of course, only Sasuke and I are the remaining Uchiha members alive. But I fear it's becoming rather quiet and lonely, so I have just one request…" He trained his onyx eyes on the pink-haired girl. She raised an eyebrow at him, her emerald orbs sparkling. He reached a hand into his pocket and took out a simple, silver ring. "Marry me, Sakura?"

She paused, staring wide-eyed at the ring, before allowing her eyes to bore deep into his. She smiled. "It's obvious you're not going to take no for an answer, Itachi."

Itachi smirked and slid the ring onto her finger. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "You know me so well, Sakura." And with that, he bent down and kissed her.

I hope you enjoyed reading it! I know it's a bit more of thoughts than dialogues and all that, but it took me a while to get the whole thing through. I had to put myself in Sakura's shoes and figure it out - in a way. Do give me comments! It's my second Itasaku fan fiction.

And thanks for reading! :)

Kyoso-no-Umarekawari