"Do you think it would be of interest to send your student on an ANBU mission?" he raised a perfect brow, watching the woman across from him. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned her chin on her hand. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders as her honey colored eyes fixed him with a skeptical stare.
"Are you questioning my decision?"
"I cannot go against your word, Hokage, I am merely asking," he had a calm, unnerving stare, but she wasn't affected. She didn't really care. "I have heard only little of her and what I do know is because of my brother."
"Then you should be happy. Your brother thinks highly of her," she said flatly.
"That could only be because he has been in a team with her since they were twelve," his tone matched hers. "I believe both of you are quite biased in the opinion. You're her teacher and he has been her teammate for years."
"She passed the ANBU medic exam, which is harder than the normal exam. Get over it, Uchiha, you're going to have to deal with it," the woman sighed. This man could be so difficult and annoying, but she had to deal with him. He was the best captain they had! "She trains with her team every day on the training grounds, why don't you go and watch?" Tsunade waved her hand tiredly. "You're good at being stealthy." His eyes narrowed. Why would she say that?
"Fine. If I do not like what she has to offer, this will be brought up again." He was out the window in another moment and Tsunade sighed. Uchiha men, for fuck's sake; they couldn't just accept things. They had to question everything and give her the worst headaches. She hoped her student wouldn't take him by surprise, though. He might end up very hurt. With a smirk to herself, she went back to her paperwork. Shizune had taken her sake till she finished.
Sakura dodged an attack from Naruto and threw a hard right hook at Sasuke. His eyes widened a fraction and he almost, almost got out of the way before her fist connected with his shoulder. It had been lighter than he expected and he didn't fly as far as he thought he would. She was holding back as she always was.
"Damnit, Sakura!" Naruto was coming back for another attack. "How do you move so fast?!" he tried to aim a kick at her stomach, but she stopped it with a mere flick of her wrist. She was so much more challenging to fight nowadays and she didn't even seem to be trying her hardest! Not that he or Sasuke were, but they made it seem like they were.
"Because I'm faster than you, idiot," she laughed. She ducked under another punch and elbowed Sasuke in the gut. He coughed and turned an annoyed eye to her. How did she do that? Sakura was gone from between them in a moment.
"Shit she's going to break something," Sasuke sighed. "Do you know how long it took us to clean up the last time you destroyed the training ground?" he shouted. Sakura didn't answer, though, and there was an irritated look in his eye. He really didn't want to have to clean up for another day and a half. "Well, we may as well run," he told Naruto. Naruto nodded and looked about to run to safety when there was a heavy thump. They turned their bewildered eyes to the noise.
"Why the hell are you watching us?" Sakura was asking, voice hard as she held the person underneath her, a kunai to his neck. Sasuke immediately recognized him and ran to Sakura. She had done something really, really bad. There was a hand twisted to his back and Sasuke had no doubt the bones were crushed. She was kneeling on his other arm, of which he was doubtful was in one piece as well.
"Sakura, that's Itachi," Sasuke sighed as he finally got to them.
"That doesn't explain why he was watching us," she glowered. Sasuke immediately backed up. She was terrifying when she was angry and he didn't want to meet the business end of her fists when she was pissed off. Naruto was watching from a safe distance.
"You might want to answer her, brother, before she breaks something else," Sasuke said, tone bored at this point. He was certain Sakura would break another of his bones, she was known for that. He also knew she would heal him the second he explained himself.
"I'm not explaining my reasons to you," came the indifferent tone.
"Why is it so hard for Uchiha men to answer a simple question?" Sakura asked, though it was completely rhetorical and aimed at no one in particular. "Why don't you just answer before I throw you through a wall?" she was so pissed off, both of her teammates could see it. Even Sasuke would have answered at this point.
"I don't need to," his tone was still indifferent. Sakura leaned her knee into his back, effectively cutting off his air supply. Sure, she would never kill him. She could just seriously maim him and piss him off just like he was pissing her off.
"Itachi," Naruto yelled, "just answer her, please. If you piss her off, I'll be in the hospital too. I'm an idiot." Sakura turned threatening eyes to him and he held up his hands in surrender, smiling sheepishly and backing away. Sasuke could see that Itachi was giving up. The stress Sakura was putting on his body was starting to get to him. He knew he wasn't about to win this.
"Tsunade told me to watch you." Sakura was off of him in the next moment, smiling cheerily and sitting crosslegged on the ground. The hell? How did her emotions go from dangerous and murderous to happy and innocent in the next moment? He narrowed his eyes at her as he slowly sat up, pain apparent in his chest and his shattered hand and broken arm.
"See, that wasn't so hard was it? Now stay still," she smiled and moved closer to him, her healing chakra already passing over his wounds. She was healing him? Why? He'd been impressed with her speed and the fact that she had noticed him masking his chakra in a tree. She had caught him unaware and taken him down. That didn't happen very happen.
"Why are you healing me?" he asked, watching her with an unreadable stare. Sakura shrugged. Sasuke and Naruto were sitting next to each other, looking rather relieved.
"You're Sasuke's brother and you gave me what I wanted. Anyways, I could always break your hand again if you'd rather go to the hospital," she raised a skeptical brow to him. He didn't answer, just let her heal him. This was the first time he'd ever even talked to her, really. He'd seen her around the Uchiha compound from time to time and even in the streets, but hadn't really tried to talk to her. "I heal them after I hurt them anyways, wouldn't be fair if I didn't for you," she indicated Sasuke and Naruto with a jerk of her head. "Why did Tsunade send you to watch us?"
"You are scheduled on my next mission as my medic and I wanted to see your skills for myself." Ah, so he wanted to make sure she wasn't a liability for him. He couldn't afford liabilities. Sakura only shrugged and laid his hand down, going to his chest now.
"I may have uncontrollable emotions, I'm not a heartless killer," she said, giving him an honest look into who she was. "I may let my emotions get the better of me sometimes, but I'll always have my teammates' backs." She was telling him that sometimes she wouldn't listen to him, but he wouldn't have to save her. It was a helpful look into the way her mind worked.
"Thank you for your words," he said quietly, watching her heal him. She was certainly good at what she did. She hadn't even faltered in hurting him like she had. She had numbed the pain, probably because she knew he was a part of the village, but had still hurt him without hesitation. Her anger was something his brother cowered at, and he didn't know his brother to cower at anything, much like himself.
Sakura finished with his chest rather quickly and went to his arm. "I didn't do anything I couldn't fix easily," she said, shrugging. "If I hadn't known who you were, I assure you, it would have been much worse." Itachi was slightly surprised at her dark words. She, apparently, really didn't like being threatened.
"Your attention to what is around you is quite admirable," he commented. "I was surprised when you attacked me." Sakura faltered for a moment.
"Is that a compliment, Uchiha?" she asked, amusement in her voice.
"I suppose it is. I am not nervous to have you on my team." Sakura didn't falter this time, but she did shrug.
"I've been on ANBU missions before, you know," she said, passing her hand over his arm once she was done, making sure it was finished. "I just haven't crossed paths with you. I passed the exam well over a year ago." Why had he not heard of this? He was quite confused. How had he not been on a mission with her yet?
"Ah. I expect you at the checkpoint at noon tomorrow, then. You know what to do." Sakura nodded a slight smile on her face. She would be briefed at the checkpoint. Not many were privy to the workings of ANBU and their briefings were often held in secret, at the checkpoint a few miles outside the village.
"Anything else I should know?" she asked, patting his arm and standing up, offering him her hand. He took it, although barely needing it, and she pulled him up easily. How strong was this girl? She was more than a foot shorter than him and he had to guess he had at least a hundred pounds on her. How did she do that?
"It'll be a month long, so pack accordingly. Mostly on the border." These details were all he could allow and she nodded in understanding.
"Well, other than that, would you like to get lunch with us?" she asked. She didn't really want to invite him, he'd throw their balance off, but it was the polite thing to do. She was surprised, though, when he nodded.
"You owe me for breaking several bones." She narrowed her eyes at him.
"You're a douche," she muttered. His amusement grew. It certainly was easy to get her riled up, but she did owe him, just a little. He followed her to where the other two sat, talking about a new brand of kunai or something. "Come on, idiots, let's get lunch."
"Sakura, won't you cook for us?" Naruto asked, hopping up. Sakura was definitely annoyed, he could tell, but he didn't care. "Come on, it's been a month!" Sakura sighed. She only made them lunch once a month because they asked for her to cook way too much.
"You have to split the bill with Sasuke for what you want," she shrugged.
"Fine," Sasuke said, looking to his brother. Was he coming with them? He must be. Itachi was like a shadow most of the time and didn't stay in the same place for too long. He thought it was a little long for his brother to hang around, but he must have his own reasons. Sakura began walking off towards the exit of the training grounds.
"Are you joining us, brother?" he asked as they walked.
"I feel as though I am owed something for the broken bones she caused," Itachi said, staring straight ahead. Sasuke wanted to laugh. His brother was just hungry. He didn't care in the slightest that Sakura hurt him; he just didn't feel like trying to find something he wanted to eat.
"So what do you assholes want?" Sakura asked as they walked up to the market. There were quite a few stalls outside, but if they wanted something to do with meat, as they often would, they'd have to go inside the butcher's.
"Not ramen, idiot," Sasuke said immediately, smacking him upside the head. Naruto glared. "How about your chicken, Sak?" he asked. She hadn't made her chicken in a while and he was obsessed with it. He didn't know what she put into it, but he loved it.
"The chicken would be a fine substitute to ramen," Naruto said, bouncing around. Sakura caught him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back to their little group.
"Embarrass me, Naruto, and I will personally see to your dick being chopped off," Sakura said darkly, releasing him. Naruto flushed and looked at the ground. No way was he going to say anything else. Itachi couldn't help but watch the three. He had never seen Sasuke so comfortable around anyone else, not even his family. He seemed at ease with the other two and there was a much calmer look in his eyes than usual.
Sakura only began walking to several of the stalls, the boys in tow, and she didn't keep her word. She bought all of the ingredients she needed. She did make Sasuke and Naruto carry the bags, though.
"Why don't you make Itachi carry some?" Naruto whined. Itachi was just trailing behind them, an unfathomable look on his face, hands in his pockets. He looked at ease, though couldn't quite tell. He could still help, though.
"Itachi's my guest, moron," Sakura shrugged as they walked into the butcher's shop. You asked me to cook; therefore you have to carry the bags. If Itachi wanted to carry something, he'd say it." She already knew that much about Itachi. If he thought help was needed, he would offer it. Naruto only sighed.
Sakura paid for the chicken and led them out of the store and to her apartment. It wasn't in the worst part of town, that was for sure, and it was very close to the hospital. She was often called in early in the morning and she wanted to be there as quickly as possible. Itachi had never needed to know where her apartment was, but was surprised. Shisui, his cousin, had an apartment in this very building. Speaking of his cousin, he was just walking up too.
"Hey there, little cousins!" he waved. "What's with all the bags?"
"Lunch at Sakura's!" Naruto was the one to answer and Sakura just rolled her eyes. She knew Shisui, but didn't spend too much time talking to him. She sighed, knowing she should invite him to lunch, too. It was only right. She had his cousins with her.
"Want to join?" she asked as they walked up. Itachi was surprised. The way she held herself around him, she didn't know him very well. She was inviting him anyways. It was confusing to say the least. After all, though, she had invited him and she barely knew anything about him, either.
"Lunch with my two little cousins?" Shisui seemed to think for a moment, but his kin knew he was just pausing for dramatic effect. "Of course I would love to join in on that," he smiled down at the small woman that held the door open. Sakura only shook her head. Shisui was putting on the charm, as Sasuke had several times to get something he wanted from her.
"I'm going to kill all of you by the end of this," she muttered, leading them up the stairs. She unlocked the door and let all the men file past her, though Itachi didn't. He gestured towards the opening and waited unitl she walked in first. Was he polite because it'd been rammed into him as a kid, or was he just being a gentleman because he wanted to? Sakura couldn't help but wonder. Sasuke and Naruto were taking the things out of the bags and placing them on the counter, just as she'd taught them.
"Naruto, can you take Tori for a walk?" Sakura asked. Naruto loved her golden retriever. "Oh, and would you mind watching her while I'm away?" she just remembered. Naruto was already reaching for the leash as the dog woke up in her crate. Sakura only put her in there while she was out because she had a bad habit of eating pillows.
"How long will you be gone?" Naruto asked, opening the crate to let her out. Tori jumped on him and he laughed, petting her.
"A month or so. Just take care of her will you? No ramen this time or I won't heal the broken hand this time," Sakura warned, taking out a cutting board. Itachi watched her interactions with interest again. She knew her teammates were scared of her strength and ease of breaking bones. She used it to her advantage, even though it made her come off as violent.
"I'll probably get a mission before you come back, so should I give her to Ino?"
"Yeah, just make sure you bring the crate to her. She, unlike you, actually has furniture she cares about," Sakura shot at him, already cutting up vegetables. Sakura certainly moved fast in the kitchen and Itachi didn't really know what to do with himself. He just stood by the door, arms crossed and leaning against the wall. He wasn't much for social interaction.
"Here, Itachi," Sakura said amid the clamor on the other side of the room where the rest of her guests were arguing about something or other. She handed him a glass of juice and pulled him to sit at the breakfast bar. She certainly was forceful, but perhaps she thought he was uncomfortable? He only sipped the juice she'd given him, surprised when he did. It was certainly interesting, but he didn't mind.
He watched her cook. She was very quick and obviously knew what she was doing. When she shut the chicken in the oven, she was cutting up lettuce and vegetables for a salad, or so he presumed. He usually watched his mother cook at home and so this was comfortable for him. She tossed everything for the salad in a big bowl and then collapsed in a chair next to him, her own glass of juice in her hands. She didn't try to join the others on her sofa and chairs, but he didn't know why she sat beside him, either. He wasn't exactly the best at social interaction like this.
She didn't say anything, though. She was silent as she drank her juice and turned slightly to watch the others. They were still arguing about something, but she didn't care to listen. She liked having them around, but she just wanted to sleep before her mission tomorrow. She had been called into the hospital this morning and hadn't gone to sleep yet. She hadn't been expecting to cook, either. She slid into a light doze when the oven beeped. She was struck out of her stupor and she made to get up, but Itachi was already up. She watched, speechless and mouth open as he pulled it out of the oven and put it on the stovetop to cool. He sat back down beside her without another word.
"You didn't have to do that," she said quietly, a pout in her voice. She didn't like people doing things for her and he could see it. He only set his blank black eyes on her.
"You are tired. I am a guest and therefore should offer a hand when needed," he said. She didn't look at him, instead finding the countertop much more interesting. He spoke down to her and she didn't like it. Though there wasn't a condescending tone in his voice, she still couldn't help but feel that way. She couldn't find anything to retaliate with.
"Hey, Sakura, is lunch ready?" Naruto asked from his seat on the sofa.
"It's just cooling down, Naruto," she sighed. She really was tired. She could keep going and going if she wasn't at home, but the second she got there her tiredness caught up with her. Sasuke sent Naruto a warning look not to annoy her any further and Naruto caught it, looking down. Sakura was tired, they could both hear It in her voice, and she was really easy to anger when she was tired.
Sasuke got up and Naruto followed him. They pulled out plates from Sakura's cupboard and began serving everyone. Sasuke put any and all dishes in the sink to soak. He'd take care of them later while Naruto put the small woman to bed. She was often hard to get into bed and if one of them didn't force her, she wouldn't go to bed for hours. She always seemed to have something to do.
"Here, Sakura," Sasuke said, placing a plate in front of her. She lifted her head and looked at it blankly before he handed her a fork as well. She made a soft whine in the back of her throat before beginning to eat. This must be normal, Itachi thought. Sasuke seemed to know exactly what to do. He and Naruto sat back on the sofa, handing a plate to Itachi and Shisui.
She was an excellent cook; he had to give her that. Even though she looked tired as anything and had probably just wanted to go back to sleep, she had managed to throw something together that was simply fantastic. She was looking a little sluggish while she ate and when she finished, she pushed her plate away from her and rested her head on her arms.
Itachi picked her plate up with his own and put them into the almost full sink. He wasn't about to wash the dishes, they didn't seem ready to be washed yet. He didn't know if he could go, yet, but didn't really want to leave without Sasuke. He had to ask him a couple things about the small woman and thought he would give him a straight answer.
"Ah, well, that was great, but I've got a mission to sleep for, so I'll be off," he winked at Itachi. "See you assholes later," he was out the door a minute later, Sasuke and Naruto just nodding along. They still hadn't finished their food. Itachi just sat beside the tired Sakura, waiting. Naruto finished his plate first and went to put it in the sink, Sasuke soon behind.
"Bring her to bed, Naruto," Sasuke said simply. "I'll get the dishes today." Naruto only nodded.
"Come on, Sak, you're tired," Naruto was actually quiet for once as he pushed an arm under her legs and wrapped his other around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and whined softly as he lifted her. He only laughed and shook his head. She was trying to tell him no, that she had too much to do, but she was so tired it just came out as an annoyed whine. He carried her down the hallway to her room and tucked her into bed.
"Alright, Sasuke, I'll see you tomorrow morning," Naruto yawned. He got Tori's leash from the hook and put it on the dog. "I'm off to clean my place. Hinata's supposed to be coming over tonight." Ah, yes, the only time Naruto would clean his apartment. Sasuke only waved him off while he was doing the dishes.
"Sorry, brother, she was tired. She's usually a great hostess," Sasuke said, hoping his brother didn't hold her tiredness over her. "She was called into an emergency at the hospital early in the morning. When she got out, it was time to spar with Naruto and I. She wouldn't cancel and just go to bed."
"It's quite alright," Itachi said. "She seems to know what she's doing." He wasn't against having her on his team now, but he was still a little held back from the idea. He had never had such a small woman on his team.
"Whatever you do, don't tell her to hide out of harm's way. She'll take it as you thinking her weak and she'll go against your orders anyways. She's a little spitfire and would rather be defending her teammates and backing them up."
"I have never fought with her, I don't know what to expect," Itachi sighed.
"When she yells to look out, she's going to hit the ground," Sasuke immediately went into it, wanting his brother to be prepared. "She does it to give her team the upper hand when a surprise is needed. She'll dart between you and your enemy and dispatch him while he's distracted with you. She'll watch your back and will sacrifice herself for you. She can take it. I've seen her come back from a punch clear through her stomach. She's tough."
"I don't doubt it," Itachi responded indifferently. "She found me in that tree without either of you noticing. She is not slow to harm others she sees as a threat. She numbed the pain I felt from her, though. I could have thrown her off. Does she do that a lot?" Itachi saw it as a weakness. Sasuke finished washing the last dish and gestured to the door.
"She only does that for people she knows," Sasuke shrugged as they walked out the door. "She was threatened by you, but recognized who you were. She wouldn't have stopped you if you did throw her off, but she wouldn't have healed you. I suppose you could call it her initial test. She tests you to see if you'll stay down or threaten her more. You chose correctly."
"To get this straight, she would have harmed me more if I were to throw her off me?" Itachi was intrigued. He had never known such a fiery enigma and her entire personality was interesting. How did someone like her function?
"She would have broken a few more bones and then refused to heal you unless I begged," Sasuke snorted. "That's just how she is. If she's mad at you, it's better to stay down. Even you wouldn't get away unscathed, brother." Itachi only nodded. Sakura seemed to be a good ally to have on his side, even if she seemed a little odd.
"You should have seen her when I got injured a few missions ago," Sasuke said, a tone of humor in his voice. Itachi remembered that. Sasuke had been supposed to be home a week after the mission began, but he was in the hospital for half a week after he returned. There had been internal bleeding and Sakura had done all she could, but he still had to recuperate a couple days.
"What happened?" he asked. Sasuke had never told him, but he had never asked before.
"We were ambushed. Sakura had been on edge all day and Naruto was riling her up, which was probably why her guard was down. We fought with them pretty equally for a while until the ninja I was fighting slashed my stomach and did something to my heart. Sakura and Naruto flipped, but Sakura was more in control than the idiot. She charged the guy that attacked me and killed him in a minute while Naruto was dealing with the rest. She started healing me right there while fending off other attacks."
"She seems adept at knowing her priorities," Itachi commented. Dispatch Sasuke's attacker and then heal him as quickly as she could. He was surprised though, how did someone that small kill someone else in a minute? He just couldn't quite believe it. Sasuke only shook his head at the look in Itachi's eyes.
"Sakura might be a tiny little thing, but she knows exactly what she's doing, brother. She took you down quite quickly, you know. She'll fight for what she believes in and she'll fight against you. Just let her do what she does best and you'll all get along."
"How should I allow her to do what she does if it against my order?" Itachi raised a brow at his younger brother. Sasuke only shrugged.
"The only time she's going to is if you're in danger or there's someone that needs to be healed. She'll always go to someone in need if she deems them innocent. She's got a good judge of character, so don't worry. She'll piss you off, a lot, but she's a good person, all in all." Itachi only nodded. Sasuke didn't think very much of anyone, so his highly esteemed words of the small woman meant something. She seemed to keep her teammates in line, at least.
"Why will she try to protect me?" Itachi asked, thinking it was a silly thing to do. He didn't need to be protected; neither did the Hyuuga or Shisui, the ones that were assigned to the mission as well. He was wondering how she could have such a feeling of protectiveness over her teammates when they weren't Sasuke or Naruto.
"Sakura thinks everyone needs to be protected," Sasuke shrugged. They were entering the family compound now and their conversation would soon end. "Sakura knows that there's at least one person out there that cares for each of her teammates and she doesn't want those unknown people to cry. She cares a lot." From the look in Sasuke's eyes, it was something he loved about her. "She puts herself in obvious danger to protect those around her, even people she doesn't know. That's just how she is," Sasuke shrugged. "You never have to worry about her, though, she'll be fine."
"I do not know her well enough to worry over her," was all the older Uchiha said. They were at the main house now, where Sasuke still lived with their parents. Itachi had taken one of the smaller abodes near the private training grounds. This was where they parted ways.
"I know that, brother. She'll be a little brash, that's just how she always is, but she won't outright challenge you. She will sass the everliving fuck out of you if you aren't careful, though." Sasuke wanted to laugh, thinking about the small woman sassing his intimidating brother. He couldn't even imagine Itachi's reaction to being spoken back to in that way. He didn't really care to try, the thought was funny enough.
"Thank you for your insights," was all his older brother said. "I'll see you after we return," he waved in goodbye. Sasuke only shook his head at Itachi's back. He hoped they wouldn't return with Sakura at his throat. They were both pretty hard to get along with.
Itachi was thinking over all Sasuke had said. This woman was certainly different. How could she put her life in danger for someone she barely knew just because she didn't want their family to cry? How could she let her emotions get the best of her to the point she disobeyed a captain's orders? He didn't know. She had told him that her emotions governed her sometimes. From what Sasuke had told him, she had been telling the truth.
He was sure this mission would be interesting. He would no doubt clash with her. All that mattered was that she would have his back and heal the members of her team if it was needed. That was all he needed to know and Sasuke had assured him of that.
The next day, all the members of the team were sitting in the small shack at the checkout point. They didn't have to put on their masks until they reached the border, and so talked freely for a few moments.
"Alright," Itachi said, garnering the attention of the other three. "We are going to take out a band of s-class rogue nins on the edge of our borders. We should try to ambush them, but they are incredibly skilled." He passed out three files and waited for the others to read them. They were all pretty quick readers.
"So that's why I'm here," Sakura said lightly, passing a look over the last file. There was a skilled medic with the rogue nins and he was quite good at severing arteries. Sakura could stop her teammates from bleeding out, of course, but it definitely took a skilled medic.
"Are you up for it, little one?" Shisui teased.
"I can shatter your wrist if you think I can't," she idly said. "I might heal it if you're nice to me." Shisui turned red and turned quickly back to the file he was reading. Itachi couldn't help the small amused smile on his face. No one noticed, thank god.
"It'll take us a week to get to the border and then we'll need to track them. Hopefully, they are not on the run and we can surprise them during the night," Itachi finished. His teammates nodded. They all stood and shouldered their packs, Sakura hoping she didn't forget anything. She hated long missions and hoped there would be a town or two so she didn't end up hunting rabbits for meals.
They set out on a grueling pace, but most of them were used to it. Sakura was lagging and she knew she would need a little help keeping up with the three males. She sent a small, steady stream of chakra to the soles of her feet so she could push off the trees harder and keep up. She kept her eyes and ears open, especially since she was at the back. She didn't want to be surprised.
They ran until the sun had left the sky and it was quite dark before stopping where they were. They leaned up against different limbs of the same tree.
"First shift?" Itachi asked. Sakura raised her hand. She liked taking the first four hours of watch. She didn't like being woken up when it was still dark. Itachi only nodded to her and the others were already pulling things out of their pack. There wasn't much talk as they ate their rations. Sakura had been on several ANBU missions and this was usually how it was. Quiet as hell. She didn't mind. She usually had to deal with Naruto and Sasuke's endless bickering.
Itachi was still awake a few hours later and was sitting next to her, for some reason. She didn't really mind it, just kept her eyes moving through the dark trees.
"Why don't you sleep?" he asked, staring in just about the same direction she was. Sakura only shrugged. She wasn't usually tired on missions. She would push herself until she was in her apartment and could fall on the bed, sleeping for days at a time. "Sleep, Sakura. You need your strength." Itachi hadn't been planning on spending the entire watch with her, but couldn't find sleep. He wanted company. He had sat next to her in an attempt to fill that void and he hadn't minded they didn't talk.
"Fine, fine, stop annoying me, Uchiha," she said. She arranged her pack behind her and pulled out a blanket to curl under. Sleeping against a tree wasn't comfortable, but she didn't care. It was better than making a camp and allowing others to track them. Itachi watched while she got comfortable and closed her eyes. He could move now. He should. He had no reason to take up the limited space on the tree limb next to her, but he didn't want to move. She still intrigued him.
He didn't sleep all night, but that didn't bother him. He had too many thoughts and some of them turned into nightmares. He wasn't alert when he slept and therefore chose to forgo it more often than not. He didn't move from Sakura's side either, though the other two were on different tree limbs. She was important to Sasuke. He didn't want anything to happen to her and make Sasuke sad.
A few days later, they were sitting in a seedy motel in a small village. They had gotten a lead that the rogue nin had passed by there, but there hadn't been a sign of them by the time they arrived. Itachi had only sighed and directed them to the cheapest motel they could find.
"What are you doing?" Shisui asked Sakura right before they were going to go back into town. Sakura was shrugging off her uniform and pulling on civilian clothes. There was a slight blush on the other two's faces, Neji even looked away, but Itachi nor Sakura seemed to care that she was openly in her bindings.
"Do you expect the manager to give us a room if my 'husband' and I are dressed in ANBU gear?" she asked, shrugging. She had had to do this before, being the only woman on most of her ANBU teams. After the first time, she began using civilian clothes.
"Yeah, but how are you going to fight in a skirt like that?" Shisui asked as she put it on. Shisui had just changed the top half of his uniform to a regular t-shirt. It was stupidly easy for men, Sakura decided.
"I don't feel any danger, but if I have to end up fighting in the half an hour it takes to get in that room, I'll be fine," she huffed, stuffing her uniform back into her pack. "I don't know if you've ever fought in a skirt and heels, but it really isn't that hard. I've been training to do it since I was a little girl," she shrugged. "You have to be ready for everything, right?" she fixed him with a skeptical stare.
"I suppose you're right," Shisui said with a laugh. "Alright, ready?" Sakura only nodded, handing her pack off to Itachi. He was the only one she really trusted with her things. Itachi and Neji jumped into the trees surrounding the small village. They would come through the window of the room when Shisui and she got it.
"Here," she reached into a hidden pouch on her upper thigh and handed him something. It was a silver ring, incredibly fake and a little too big for his slender finger. He put it on anyways, seeing Sakura pull one out that fit her better. "I carry these around just in case," she said, shrugging at his curious glance.
It wasn't hard to get the room. The manager only smiled at their joined hands and handed them a key. Sakura was a good actor, Shisui thought. She had even reached over to kiss his cheek in front of the manager, making the man think they were actually newlyweds. Shisui took the key from him and led her to the room.
Itachi and Neji were in the room a few moments later. Sakura was stretching her arms over her head and took the bag from Itachi when he held it out to her. "I'm taking a goddamn shower," she said, heading for the bathroom. The three men let her go and merely sat around the small room, quiet again. She was out of the bathroom not even ten minutes later, dressed in her uniform again and pulling her damp hair back into a ponytail. She pulled out a pouch from her pack and pulled her utility belt from her waist, tossing them both on the table.
They watched her for a long minute before Shisui spoke up.
"What are you doing, Sakura?" he asked, not taking his eyes off her as he crossed to the table and leaned on it to watch.
"Prioritizing my medical supplies. One of our enemies goes for major arteries, and I have to make sure I have what I need so you idiots don't bleed out before I can heal you," she said shortly. Neji said nothing, only got up for his turn at the shower. "This is adrenaline," she held up a few syringes. "It'll keep your heart from stopping when you go into shock from loss of blood. It'll keep you conscious. She tucked it into one of the more easily accessible pockets on her utility belt. "Tourniquets to try and stop the bleeding," she held up a few elastic strips of fabric. "And coagulants," She held up more syringes that were blue in color instead of clear. "It'll stem the bloodflow so I can stitch the artery back together before you die."
"What's the worst artery this guy could cut?" Shisui asked, interested. Itachi, on a bed with a book, leaned his ear towards the conversation. He was interested as well. He would like to know where he really shouldn't get cut in fear for his life.
"The carotid artery on your neck is the worst," Sakura said conversationally, though she spoke in a clipped tone they recognized as her 'hospital voice.' "If you get cut there I only have seven minutes to save your life. So please, either fall near me or just don't let him near that area," she smiled cheerily. Shisui only shook his head. She was a funny one, huh?
"Are there other arteries?" he asked. He had thought there was only one in the neck that could kill you. Sakura grabbed his wrist, forgetting about her other medical supplies for a moment.
"There's one here," she indicated his wrist, "but that takes ten to twenty minutes to completely bleed you out, depending on how deep the cut. And there's one on either side here," she indicated the places on his chest, "of course, here," she indicated his heart. "There is a couple here," she pointed somewhere in his stomach, "but those are a little harder to get to. Here," she indicated somewhere very close to his groin and he couldn't help the light flush, "but short of cutting your dick off, it'll be fine."
"Oh, what a relief," he joked lightly. She only rolled her eyes, but there was a slight smile on her face. She moved to continue.
"There are a few in your legs. Here," she indicated the place on his upper thighs, "Here," she patted the back of his knees and somewhere a little lower on his leg, "And here," she stroked a finger along the back of his heel.
"Where do you think he'll be most likely to strike?" Shisui was asking good questions, the type Itachi would have asked. He was still listening and watching out of the corner of his eye. This was important to know.
"Well, obviously the neck because that's the easiest," she said, pressing a finger to the middle of her chin. "The wrist is harder to get to because you'll be moving it a lot, so I wouldn't expect him to try for that unless he managed to get you in a hold. I wouldn't expect him to go for the stomach, and he's far too sadistic to go for the heart. If he kills by going for major arteries, he wants you to suffer."
"Interesting," Shisui commented. Sakura was a smart little woman, huh?
"He'll probably go for your neck, your leg, or your heel. They're the easiest to try and hit. Obviously, the heart is as well, but I already explained that. If he hits you in the neck you have thirty seconds to alert me or get to me. If he gets you in the leg, you have a couple minutes, same with the heel. If he hits you in the heart, though unlikely, you have thirty seconds, again, and if he manages to get you in the wrist, you have about three minutes," she instructed.
"Good to know," Shisui said with a smile. Sakura only nodded in response.
"Why are you doing that so early, anyways, Sakura?" Neji had finally come out of the bathroom, a towel in his hair. He had been on several missions with Sakura and she had never prepared this early, mostly when they got close.
"Because we're dealing with s-class rogue nins," Sakura chided lightly. "If I were dealing with something else, it wouldn't matter as much. If I were going up against a chuunin, I wouldn't be nearly as worried as going up against an ANBU," she shrugged.
"Ah," he said, flopping on the other bed in the room. He had had yet to be on an ANBU mission with her, so he guessed that was it.
"Wait," Shisui said, standing straight. "Am I the only one that's been on an ANBU mission with little Sak here?" he asked, something shining in his eyes. Triumph. Apparently he thought that he had something to hold over the other two in the room.
"You've been on an ANBU mission with Sakura?" Itachi asked, raising a brow. He had never heard of this.
"Sure, that's why I requested her for this one," he laughed. "Whenever I've had a two man mission in the past year, it's been with Sakura. She usually gets solo ones though. She always prepares herself pretty early like this and puts up with my endless questions about it. I've learned a lot from her," he smiled down at her. Their professional relationship didn't leak into personal life, though. They didn't spend much time in the village together.
"You get a lot of solo missions?" Neji sounded pretty impressed. Sakura shrugged.
"It's mostly to get information. I'm a great actor. I'm usually gathering intel for your missions," she said. "It works quite well with my medic knowledge and how to scare the people I'm sent after. I usually wear a wig with my mask though," she absentmindedly touched her hair. She would be in a lot of bingo books if she didn't cover the pink locks. She had never found anyone with hair like hers.
"That's usually a smart idea," Shisui laughed. "I like your wig. It's a nice chestnut color." Sakura nodded. "She usually wears it to fights, just in case there's a survivor," he shrugged. Itachi was impressed with how smart Sakura really was. She covered her tracks well. Sakura only shrugged again.
"We usually make sure there isn't a survivor," she grinned up at him. She finished packing all her medical supplies in her utility belt and then went to her pack, breaking out the civilian clothes and the much discussed wig. It was short, like her actual hair. "I'm going to buy food. I can't do these rations anymore.
"I'll join you," Neji was up in the next moment, changing his clothes as well. Sakura tucked money into her bra bindings. She didn't have a purse and this was just easy. They left through the window, not wanting the manager to see her with someone other than who she said was her husband.
"You have been on many missions with Sakura?" Itachi asked his cousin.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. She's a damn good ally, you know. She's pretty terrifying when she starts fighting." Shisui didn't know where this was going.
"Do you battle with her a lot?" Itachi asked. He couldn't help it. The little spitfire was just so interesting and he had never sparred with her. He didn't know much about her, at all.
"We've argued with each other, a lot," Shisui laughed. "She's pretty opinionated. I'm surprised she hasn't started fighting with you yet."
"Sasuke warned me to just let her do what she wants and she'll never fail me," Itachi said indifferently, staring at the wall beside Shisui instead of right at him.
"I wish I had that warning," Shisui laughed. "It would have saved me a few broken bones." Oh, so she beat the shit out of Shisui too? "It doesn't matter. I couldn't be angry with her over with it when she had my back when we were attacked. She's amazingly skilled and she takes down quite a few of them pretty quickly. She isn't weak like the others tried to warn me about."
"I was told she passed the medic ANBU test," Itachi said, seemingly bored. He had been slightly impressed with that when Tsunade had told him, so he wasn't surprised she was skilled.
"I thought she only passed because of Tsunade," Shisui shrugged. "It was the cause for a lot of our arguments."
"Tsunade had me watch her spar with Naruto and Sasuke. She noticed me and attacked. She crushed my hand, broke my arm, and did something to my lungs. I had no doubt of her abilities after that," he said. "I had only been worried because, of what Sasuke had said of her for years, she had always been lacking in skill. She proved me wrong as hell."
"Damn, Ita, I never heard you talk like that." Itachi didn't respond, only waved him off. He would only talk this comfortably around his cousin. "Just wait until you see her fight seriously," Shisui winked, "You'll be so attracted to her, you won't know what to do with yourself."