Summary: Something as seemingly insignificant as a flower changes the path Sasuke, Sakura, and Itachi were previously doomed to walk. SakuSasu/slightSakuIta
The Pebble Effect
Prologue
When the pain became intolerable, Itachi quickly stood and turned to his partner. "I have business to attend to. When I'm done, I'll return." Kisame gave him a curious look, but didn't speak on the matter. With a nod of his head, his fish-like eyes returned to the bingo book he had been studying. It wasn't the first time the Uchiha randomly took off to handle his so called business.
The foliage around him felt as though it was getting thicker, but he knew it was only the heaviness of his limbs deceiving him. Itachi was just far enough away from their camp sight when he could contain his coughs no longer. The last thing he needed was for Kisame to discover the state he was in. Blood accumulated in his throat only to find its way to the ground where he knelt, doubled over in agony.
This was bad. Never had his sickness caused so much trouble. Actually, with the stronger medicines he had been using, it should have been a little easier. He blindly grabbed at his chest as the next wave of pain hit him. The action caused a white flower to slip out beside him. Staring down at it, he quickly realized it was the flower a small girl had distractedly placed on their table in a tea house they had recently visited. She had apparently grown bored with its beauty and ditched it as her mother dragged the child through the exit.
Curiosity made him pick it up for a quick whiff, only to be disappointed by its lack of smell. As for why he bothered to stuff the thing in his cloak, even Itachi couldn't fathom any actual reason. Now as he studied the bruised petals, the truly frail nature of life became apparent to him. He thought about his childhood with Sasuke. 'Is all beauty so fleeting,' he wondered.
Sakura jerked to a halt when she felt her mind become fogged with what she immediately knew to be a mid-level genjutsu. Whoever set it up wasn't attacking her directly, only aiming to prevent her and anyone else from entering the vicinity. She wanted to know why, but not bad enough to stray from the path that would lead to her one man mission. She had to gather Intel on a petty crime lord of a near by village. With the chunin exams nearing, Sakura wanted be sure her stats weren't too lacking in the missions completed department. Not having an actual team already made her look bad enough.
When she broke the jutsu, though, Sakura realized she was closer to the offender than she originally anticipated. Through a near by bush, she could hear heavy labored breathing and see hints of red peeking through the green. She dashed around it and saw him. What had originally shocked her was the sight of his cloak, which tagged him as a member of Akatsuki. When he looked up, her heart sank.
The sharingan wasn't activated like she was told it would be. She knew it was him, though. The likeliness to her beloved teammate was unmistakable. Shaking herself of the shock, Sakura quickly focused on any and everything that wasn't those dark grey eyes. Sakura counted herself lucky that he was in so much pain. It was the only reason she didn't feel the agony of a sword piercing her body for the next seventy-something hours. To ensure this stroke of good fortune didn't change, she hastily pulled out a vile of clear liquid.
Itachi's arms shook under his weight as he tried to lift his head high enough to see what the leaf kunoichi was up to. Her eyes were trained on his neck. Before Itachi could react, she was on top of him injecting some sort of liquid into his body. When the pain he felt lessened somewhat, he knew it was a paralyzing agent. She would likely kill him once she deemed him incapable of defending himself. That, or drag his heavily drugged body to Konoha for extensive interrogation and then death. Either way, it would leave his brother in a bad position.
There was really only one thing he could do. It might even help him, considering who she was and whose side she was on. "Wait! I'll tell you the truth behind the massacre and then if you still want to kill me you can do so."
Sakura could barely make out exactly what he said over the sound of her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Oh how she itched to drag the kunai in her hand across his throat. What could he possibly tell her that would make her reconsider? Sakura could think of nothing in her current situation. Under any other circumstances, she would jump at the chance to hear what he had to say. However, even with him collapsed and paralyzed, she was frightened beyond belief. Her hands shook like his arms did, and the realization made her step back.
She needed to calmly assess everything. Itachi was in front of her, incapacitated. He was actually pleading to give her information. She could sense no one else around, so she didn't think his partner would be an immediate issue. Being that he was alone, Sakura figured it wasn't a fight that left him that way. Something was wrong with his lungs. Ah, there. The red tipped flower she spotted explained it all.
Straightening up, Sakura came to a decision. Itachi watched various emotions fleeting across her face, until it froze in something akin to confused determination. (If that were at all possible) "You inhaled a dangerous toxin when you came across that flower, but it's strange. I've never read about a case so severe."
Itachi took a minute longer than normal to process what she said, then frowned at the odd turn of the conversation. His voice was low when he spoke. "I'll explain that too. I'll tell you…everything." Damn! He could barley talk. "You sho-
She cut him off with a loud, "Stop!" Then more gently, "You will only further damage your chance of survival. I'm going to take you to the nearest shelter so I can treat you then call for back up and-"
She sighed when he nodded his head in disapproval. "What?"
"No back up. No one else can know."
Sakura suppressed a shiver. Itachi was either a really good liar or he had something very interesting to tell her. What she was about to do could be the stupidest thing she'd ever done. It could be the smartest. Sighing again, she muttered, "Only one way to find out," before lifting his body effortlessly and taking off.
It was well past midnight when she finally had him healthy enough to speak. They had settled in one of many abandoned cabins on the outskirts of a razed village. The original poison she used to paralyze him had to be replaced with something slightly less effective so that he could breathe better. As an extra precaution, she tied him down with razor wire. Sakura pulled out a kunai and pointed it at his face. "You ready?"
"Yes. Sit down."
She frowned at the command, but did as he asked. "And put the kunai away. Its unnecessary and you should just relax." Annoyed beyond all reason, Sakura pricked his side with the weapon. "Put it away, my ass!" she screamed. "And what do you mean 'relax'? This isn't a bedtime story you're about to tell me."
Itachi wanted to roll his eyes, but didn't. "Ok, if you want to be difficult. Well…" He started his story with some history, which confused her. She thought she knew all there was to know about Konoha's foundation. Then as he progressed further into his tail, she understood the significance of it. So many things that once baffled her now made sense. Sakura had always known about the massacre, but never really thought about it extensively. She knew Naruto didn't have parents. She never questioned why. How could she have been so blind?
By the end of Itachi's detailed explanation, Sakura was horrified. A coup? Ordered genocide? It was all too much to wrap her head around. The very idea that he was making it all up left her mind about halfway through. There was no way such a detailed story that checked out better than his original motive for the crime could be fabricated on such short notice. The fact that the elders had a hand in it only fortified her belief. And Itachi…
"Itachi! Sacrificing yourself is completely unnecessary! Sasuke, the villagers, and even the Hokage would understand. We could easily put those old farts in their place, I'm sure! You don't need to die. I-I can help you protect him." She gripped the blade in her hands tighter and lifted it to her chest. That's what it all felt like, a kunai to the chest.
"You don't understand, Sakura. I am going to die from this sickness and even if there was a way for me to live, it would be as a missing nin, alone and miserable. If through my death I can grant Sasuke the power to defend himself from people like Madara who want to use him, than why not?"
Sakura could feel the heat of her tears rolling down her face. She had to look away from his eyes. It was all too much. The bed shifted when he wiggled a bit to free himself. Still, she didn't look up. "He was your teammate. You care for him, right?"
She nodded enthusiastically and whispered, "More than life itself."
He smiled a bit at her answer before continuing. "Then allow my plan to play out, Sakura. There are obstacles he must overcome before he can live normally. I am simply the tool he will use to do so. Look at what I have done. Order or not, who would want to live with such a thing?"
Sakura was crying harder now and clutching herself as if she would physically come undone. "It's so unfair! How could this happen to someone like you…you" She couldn't get the rest out through her sobs. Itachi closed his eyes. He appeared fatigued before a stern look came over him. "Even when I am dead, you mustn't tell anyone of this. It would only cause more distrust amongst everyone."
"You have my word," she said, looking as if it pained her to do so. Solemnly, she asked, "Won't you at least let me heal you? Oh and when you fight Sasuke, I want to be there so I can heal him and take him home when I'm done."
Itachi nodded. "Do what you can, but don't over exert yourself. I'll let you know when and where when the time comes. Come alone or not at all. I can't have your psychotic teammate interfering. Train hard and become someone he can depend on."
She smiled at the mention of Naruto, and then deflated when she realized it would probably be a while before she saw him again. She could really use his warm personality to cheer her up at the moment. "Itachi, thank you. To me, you are the epitome of the perfect ninja…and an even better man."
