The Pebble Effect

Author's Note: Things will probably seem like they're moving fast in this chapter. It's just my way of creating more arm room so I can write the way I want. It'll be better by chapter 2 and so forth. BTW Thank you to any and all reviews! They are like cherries on top the ice cream that is writing this. I will probably update this once a week, sometimes sooner.

Chapter 1

Sakura smiled warmly at Naruto as he proceeded to regale her with the details of how he was going to become stronger and stronger until he brought Sasuke back. A moment passed as she stared at him, delightfully inspired. Then out of nowhere, the determination in his eyes slowly dissolved into what Sakura could only place as melancholy.

Sometimes she forgot that she wasn't the only one missing the brooding ninja so much. It was times like these that made her want to tell Naruto the truth, if only get rid of that look on his face forever. He was the sun to her sky. Sakura knew that without him, having Sasuke back wouldn't even matter. That was why seeing the normally optimistic boy down made her wonder if telling only him would be so bad.

Still, she knew saying anything to anyone could have disastrous effects for Itachi's plan. Sakura honestly didn't know how she felt about what the Uchiha was trying to do. His intentions were certainly good, but were his actions truly necessary to see things end well? She was no where near as intelligent as Itachi, but Sakura understood his plot perfectly.

There were holes in it. Sasuke could get rejected by the village in the end. He could decide to settle somewhere else or be 'tainted' by someone like Madara. Itachi had even pointed out some of these possibilities himself. The worse thing about it, in Sakura's opinion, was that any of this could happen despite Itachi's sacrifice. 'If only there was a way I could save him,' she thought. Selfishly, she wanted her cake and to eat it too.

That was something Sakura hadn't told Itachi. She still thought about ways to make sure he came out alive in the end, while still making Sasuke stronger. As for the rest, all she could do was trust in the older brother's abilities. She would do all she could to see that things worked out the way he wanted. If that meant keeping her mouth shut, then so be it. She had given Itachi her word that she would tell no one what she knew. Naruto taught her that promises weren't something a real ninja took lightly.

She just wished Itachi had a little more faith in her. She could still sense the crow perched in one of the trees near by. The first time she noticed the damn thing was after a particularly harsh training session with Tusnade. It had been about three weeks after their run-in.

Her first reaction was bewilderment. The lone sharingan focused intently on her alluded to who it belonged to. Then she felt anger. Itachi certainly didn't believe she would betray him, did he? Well, he was probably just being cautious. It was his precious little brother's life at stake after all. If he really didn't trust her, he probably would have just killed her when he got the chance. Finally, she was mortified.

Just how long had that thing been watching her? Did it see her shower? Or what about that time she let Ino practice kissing her? She didn't want Itachi knowing about that, much less seeing it. Oh god, did he see it?

Her face had turned three shades of red before she charged at the thing in blind fury. Did she catch it?

No. That was far in the past though (just a year) and she could probably catch it now. Sakura just let it follow her because she didn't care anymore.

She had told the crow as much on the night Naruto returned. Like the raven in Poe's famous poem, it sat on her window sill for hours croaking unnecessarily. Needless to say, Sakura apologized the next morning.

Now as she pretended to listen to Naruto's adamant chatter, Sakura couldn't help her mind's wandering. She thought about that crow. She thought about Itachi. And she dreamed about Sasuke.

Pein dropped his arms down from their previous position. They had just finished sealing another tailed beast. He looked around at the remaining members of Akatsuki. Everyone appeared to be in a foul mood do to the lengthy process involved in sealing. They were making good progress, but it had come at a price.

Sasori had been killed by a leaf kunoichi and a retired granny from Suna when they captured the sand jinchuuriki. Hidan and Kakuzu had foolishly been defeated because of some random leaf jonin Hidan murdered. Now he was being told that Orochimaru just fell to Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi's little brother. Orochimaru was a former member, but the fact remained that petty leaf ninja had a knack for killing the people in his organization.

Well the timing was a little earlier than expected, but they were ahead of schedule anyway. He would show the fools in the leaf village what pain really was. For whatever reason, Itachi had been a lot more dedicated to getting things done faster. Pein didn't really care to know why.

He just concluded that the Uchiha were all insane geniuses. It would certainly explain Madara's choice in alter egos. There were but two jinchuuriki left to capture. Kisame and Itachi would get the eight-tails while Pein took care of the brightly attired Naruto. Before that, however, there was a pesky sensei he needed to handle.

Sakura's heart nearly jumped from her chest at the news. Sasuke really had gotten strong if he could take one of the legendary Sannin down all on his own. She briefly wondered if he would come back now, but dismissed the idea quickly. He would definitely want to fight his brother alone.

She glanced over to where Naruto stood beside her. His mind was obviously racing with thoughts. For her it was good news. It meant that Itachi's plan was working. How did it make Naruto feel, though? When he pumped his fist in the air excitedly, Sakura knew she had her answer. "Alright," he said, "Just you wait Sasuke! I'm coming for your ass!" She raised her eyebrows suggestively at that.

Horrified, Naruto quickly corrected, "N-No! I didn't mean it that way!" Giggling, she brushed the hand that reached for her away and strode from the office. She made her way home to take a much needed nap. A loud tapping on her window woke her hours later.

Sakura jolted out of the bed when she heard it. The chakra signature she sensed belonged to Neji and there was no way his presence at her house so late could mean anything good. She slid the window open and moved aside so he could crawl inside. "You can sit on the bed," Sakura informed him softly.

Her stomach twisted at his grave expression. Neji ignored her suggestion and said, "I'll stand, you sit. Tusnade will probably summon you later, but we don't think it's fair to have her talk about it any more than she has to." For a while after, he didn't say anything at all. She tilted her head a bit in annoyance.

Why did he feel the need to pause for so long? Did he think being regarded as a genius meant that everyone else needed extra time to understand him? Neji took a few steps closer and muttered, "Your teammate's sensei has been killed."

Sakura rolled her eyes. That was all? "Yeah, I know that already Neji."

"Not Sasuke's," he said. Shocked, Sakura nodded in understanding. Lord only knew what such news would do to Naruto. She wasn't sure if she should seek him out or let him deal with it alone. In the meantime, she would fix some tea to calm her nerves and listen to whatever else Neji had to say about the incident.

Sakura was a wreck two days later. Naruto left to train with some damn frogs, while everyone else pulled their hair out trying to figure out the secrets of Pein. For a little while, Sakura felt like she was drowning in her uselessness again. So what if she was one of the best. Healing people wasn't always enough. Then it hit her. She would use whatever time she had left to find a cure for Itachi's disease.

All emotional aspects aside, Itachi was still more valuable to them alive than dead. Anyone could attest to that. Back when she first met Itachi, Sakura had just started getting a feel for the medical ninjutsu she was now regarded as a prodigy in. Just like he did, she believed there was no way to combat an illness other doctors obviously couldn't handle. That was different now. Sakura had an idea of what he had and she knew she could fix him. The only challenge would be treating an unwilling patient.

Sasuke stared down at the ground. He was exhausted and frustrated. Deidara hadn't given him any clue as to where Itachi was. To make matters worse, he would need about a week's worth of rest before starting his search again. Karin Eagerly coerced him into biting her. Sasuke complied, and was halfway into completing the task when a clone of his brother approached him.

"Sasuke"

Sakura knew it would happen eventually, but why now? Itachi's shadow clone had just informed her about the fight that would soon take place. Naruto had recently defeated Pein. With her mentor in a coma, the village being re-built, and other villages getting antsy about Akatsuki, there couldn't have been worse timing.

There was just too damn much going on. Being that there was no way she would miss the fight, Sakura knew she needed to come up with a good alibi. She was needed at home and her disappearance would be noticed. Then an idea hit her. It was perhaps a little iffy, but it was all she had. Dashing through the forest where she had met up with Itachi's clone, Sakura quickly made her way back to the village.

She ran straight home to pack. Apart from the standard crap she always took with her, Sakura made sure to bring a change of clothes for both men. Her father wouldn't mind. She also packed a few extra bits of equipment in case she needed to operate on site.

Lastly and most importantly, she knotted a necklace tightly about her neck. Attached to it were three vials. They were the cures for the three conditions Sakura believed Itachi could be suffering with. Without actually studying him properly, she couldn't decide on any one. She had been sure to number them, because giving him vial one when he had the sickness that required vial three could cause more damage.

When she finished packing, Sakura left to put her plan in action. First she needed to find someone to report to. A new Hokage had yet to be decided upon, so she opted for informing her friends instead.

Chouji was the first person she spotted, along with the intimidating company of his father. She smiled politely at him before focusing her attention on Chouji.

"If anyone asks, Choji, tell them I'm off to meet with Naruto in Kumo where he is doing his special training. I miss him! And Captain Yamato probably won't be enough to control him if he gets any crazy ideas."

Chouji nodded, but his father stopped her before she could run off. "Wait! You will do more good here in the village. I'm sure Naruto can handle himself. It is just training as a precaution against the Akatsuki."

Sakura frowned. She had a feeling anyone older than twenty would logically object. Part two of her plan was needed, then.

Playing the part of a love-sick teenager as best she could, Sakura sighed dejectedly and cast her eyes downward. She tried her hardest to summon tears to her eyes with thoughts of Itachi's impending sacrifice. When she felt they were watery enough, her line of sight met his dead on.

Shakily, she said, "I know that, but I'm so lost without Naruto. It won't matter if I'm here because I can't concentrate on my work while worried about him." Before her eyes, Chouji's Father went from a grizzly bear to a gummy bear. Sakura smiled. And here Itachi though he was a good planner.

Madara nodded when Zetsu told him that Sasuke and Itachi were fighting. Zetsu mentioned that he thought Itachi would win, but Madara paid no heed to the man's (or thing?) words. He already knew what the outcome would be, and as such only needed to be there when it was over to collect Itachi's remains. However, when the time to leave neared, Madara encountered a problem. "Konan, don't tell me he got to you too." The damn Uzumaki brat never ceased to stand in his way somehow. By the end of their conversation, his good mood was ruined completely. He could just run, but she might cause problems for him later. Madara decided to just kill her and catch up to Sasuke afterward. The choice was a bad one, he would soon find out.