Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing Chapter 1. And also thanks to littleredcoat for all her hard work the mistakes I made in this chapter. Here's the next chapter up for your reading pleasure.
The Truth behind the Mask by elle6778 – Chapter 2
(beta-ed by littleredcoat)
Lost in his own thoughts, Itachi sat at the bank of the Nakano River.
Ever since the day he had sensed her chakra in Sound, he had been feeling restless. His ignorance of what exactly was happening out there did not sit well with him at all. He still was not certain if what he felt was a resurrection or the real person. She had not been close enough for him to determine which one it was.
How could she possibly be alive?
Even though her body had never been found, the evidence of her death had been strong enough to dispel any doubts. There had been too much blood and mangled flesh interspersed by strands of pink. According to a somber Kakashi, who had been the one sent to look for her when she had failed to return from her mission, no one could survive that. Based on other things he had found on the site, Kakashi had also deduced that she had been ambushed by rogue nins.
So what exactly had he come upon one week ago?
Tsunade had looked grim when he and Shiranui had reported on the sighting, but she only told them that she would look into it. Itachi could not imagine how horrified she must feel at the possibility that her surrogate daughter was being resurrected. He had requested that she keep him updated on any progress on that front, but she seemed distracted and had simply waved them away.
Several weeks had passed now and he had heard nothing on the topic. If Tsunade had not found Sakura using her slug summons, it could mean that she was merely a resurrection. The very idea that the once vibrant kunoichi was being used as a puppet thoroughly disgusted him. She did not deserve such a fate.
Itachi still remembered the first time he had noticed her. Under their mother's request, the twelve-years-old Sasuke had reluctantly invited his two new genin teammates and their sensei home for dinner. His first assessment of Sakura's conduct was that she would not make it far as a kunoichi at all, not unless there was a drastic change in her attitude. The girl had been unable to keep from simpering at Sasuke throughout dinner, much to Sasuke's discomfort. Then, not much further into the very same meal, Itachi had promptly changed his mind when she had violently smacked Naruto upside the head. Her eyes had flashed with temper as she told the blond off for speaking with his mouth full. Itachi had finally concluded that the girl had spirit and could potentially go far if she did not allow herself to be distracted by her attraction to Sasuke.
A few years later, Sakura had managed to become one of the top medics in Konoha, second only to Tsunade. So it had not come as a surprise when at eighteen, she had begun preparations and training for the ANBU intake examinations. Tsunade had placed Sakura with his ANBU team for her field training and that was when he had gotten to know her better. He had learnt in the half a year of missions that Sakura was more than ready for ANBU, as well as the fact that her true personality was not the simpering version, but the aggressive and no-nonsense attitude she had always used when dealing with Naruto. In fact, her determination and explosive temper had become a great source of fascination and amusement to him over those months. He had no doubt the frequently-battered Shiranui Genma would agree with him.
All this convinced him that she would not be so foolish as to agree to the absurd marriage proposal that had stemmed only from Fugaku's ambition to get closer to the Hokage. However, much to Itachi's bewilderment, Sakura had actually accepted. He had not expected her to go through with it. Things had gone from bad to worse when he saw her spirit being dampened under the pressure of the Uchiha clan.
Itachi clenched his fists, realizing then that he had hoped that against all odds that she was still alive. He always felt the pressing need to make things right for her.
It was sheer foolishness.
He should be focusing on his mission, the one that could potentially mean another war if he did not succeed. Fortunately, there had been some progress over the past year. They had managed to convince Onoki to use his special technique to pinpoint the stone tablet's original hiding place in Earth Country's mountain range. Onoki had demanded payment in the form of two of Tsunade's specialized medical jutsu but it had been worth it.
The Tsuchikage had succeeded in locating where the stone tablet had once been buried. Unfortunately, they had also found out on that day that the stone tablet had broken into five separate pieces upon Madara's death and the sections would only be visible one thousand and eight hundred days after that day.
That one thousand and eight hundred days had ended just a few months ago, whereupon Itachi had finally come across some useful information. There had been a handful of sightings of an image floating in the sky of something which looked like a slab of engraved stone. It was rumored to appear in the desert sky in northern Wind Country during the full moon each month, formed from suspended particles of sand. However, it was not visible to everyone.
When he and his ANBU team had gone to investigate the rumor during the last full moon, he had been able to see the floating particles. However, only one out of his three teammates had been able to do the same. He had attempted to touch it, only to find that it was protected by something akin to the Kazekage's ultimate defense. Long fingers of sand had slashed at him each time he tried to approach the floating image.
That was when it became clear that in order to reach it, they needed the Kazekage's assistance. When the Hokage had explained the situation, the Kazekage agreed to assist, but like the Tsuchikage, he did not expect to do it for free.
Sabaku-no-Gaara wanted a certain scroll from Sound, but he did not wish Suna to be implicated in the crime. The relationship between Suna and Oto had always been shaky.
Now, with that particular Sound scroll in Konoha's hand, and ready to be handed over to the Kazekage as payment, they were closer to obtaining the stone tablet. If anyone could get their hands on the stone tablet, it would be the Kazekage.
The rustling sound nearby told him that he was no longer alone. As usual, his cousin was the one to interrupt his musings. The man seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to disturbing his peace.
"Oi, Itachi."
He did not look up as he greeted, "Shisui." Then, a second later, he observed, "You're a clone."
"The clan meeting has started so I can't leave, so I created a clone to fetch you."
"I'm not attending."
Shisui's clone sat down beside him. "I think you need to come."
Itachi tensed, at then glanced sideways at his cousin. "Trouble?"
Shisui nodded. "Back to the old grumblings of how the Uchiha is made subservient when we're the most powerful clan. You know the rest." He sighed heavily. "At least they stopped the nonsense when Sakura was around."
Itachi almost winced. It seemed to be the only good thing that came out of that wreck of a marriage. Everything else had gone as wrong as it could have.
"Now, without any solid hope to progress further up the political ladder, the elders are stirring up trouble again," Shisui grumbled. "We really don't need this."
"Perhaps one of them should find a Senju woman to marry," Itachi intoned drily.
"The only one left is the Hokage." A bark of laughter escaped his cousin. "I can just see Hikaku-Ojisan proposing to Tsunade-sama."
Itachi felt his lips twitch in amusement. He had no doubt that the Hokage would send Uchiha Hikaku flying through her office window to land miles outside Konoha should he be foolish enough to propose to her. Not to mention he was a couple of decades younger than the Hokage.
"Come on, Itachi. Let's go."
Knowing that he did not have much of a choice, he stood up with a heavy sigh and left.
000
000
"You're being paranoid. No one is following us, yeah."
Sakura peeked out of the hood of her sand-colored cloak, scowling at Deidara. "I'm not being paranoid," she protested.
"Tsk!" Shaking his head, Deidara continued to walk down the crowded street.
It was dawn in a small village to the north-east of Suna. For the past two weeks, based on a quiet word she had with a fresh produce vendor in a Waterfall Country village, she had been gradually steering them to Wind Country, picking up minor missions along the route.
She stopped at a fruit and vegetable stall.
"Good morning, Ne-san!" the young blonde girl behind the stall greeted with a sweet smile.
"Good morning."
"Our apples are really good today. Sweet and crisp." She gestured at the oranges. "And we have a twenty percent discount on these if you buy more than five."
Sakura smiled. "That's good." She picked up an orange to look at briefly before she reached for the tomatoes. They were red and a little bruised, and there were not many on display.
"Those look a little soft, yeah," Deidara muttered behind her.
Ignoring him, she asked, "How much are these?"
The girl named a price, grimacing as she did so. "I know they are a little expensive. We can't grow them here so they're imported. We're the only stall here that has any."
She nodded. "Tomatoes are not so popular with the locals here?"
"Not really."
"That's tough. At least visitors like us buy them, right?"
The girl shook her head with a sigh. "There aren't that many visitors hereabouts. And I don't remember the last one who bought tomatoes. Must have been months ago. Good thing I quite like them myself, so whenever they don't sell, I'll eat them." Her eyes went to Deidara. "What about you, Nii-san? Would you like some?"
"Hate tomatoes, yeah."
Sakura elbowed him, and then picked up a couple of apples and a tomato. "I'll take these."
The girl placed her selection into a paper bag and then took the payment for it. "Thank you, Ne-san. Have a good journey."
Walking away, she took out the tomato and bit into it, savoring the sweet-tart flavor. Tomatoes always brought back memories of Sasuke. She remembered how the lunch boxes his mother had packed for him would always have tomatoes in them, and how Naruto would tease Sasuke about his 'diet'. Those genin days were some of the best days in her life.
Shaking the memories away, she finished the tomato and took one apple for herself, passing the other to Deidara. Together, they walked further into the village as they finished their fruits.
"I'm still hungry, yeah. You want to grab something else to eat?"
Sakura shook her head absently, her eyes already locking on a small domed building with black smoke rising from its chimney. It looked like she might find a blacksmith there. "I want to check that place out. It might have some useful weapons we can get."
Deidara eyed it without much interest. But he muttered, "Maybe I should get a new supply of kunai."
"I can get it for you if you want." She turned to him then. "And you can go get me some anko dumplings."
He raised a brow at her. "Is that an order? Did I offer to buy you food? Do I look like a lowly servant to you, hm?"
She rolled her eyes. "Are you getting it or not?"
Tapping his right cheek, he said, "A kiss here is all I ask for in payment, yeah."
Sakura shot him a glare.
"Or maybe on my lips?" he suggested innocently.
"Deidara…" she ground out in warning.
Chuckling, Deidara held up both hands. "Fine, fine. No kisses. Those anko dumplings won't fill you up much. I'm getting some onigiri for myself, yeah. I'm sure you won't object to some umeboshi ones, hm?"
"I guess."
It still surprised her just how well he knew her. But then again, they had spent practically every waking hour together for the past year. It occurred to her then that despite her brusqueness with him and their constant bickering, she actually liked Deidara after she had gotten to know him.
Or perhaps that was just her old loneliness talking. With him, she had never experienced that debilitating feeling of being not good enough. Deidara made her feel like herself. She might not share everything about her past with him, but she had never needed to pretend to be someone she wasn't. Sometimes, this made her want to pull him into a big hug. She would, if not for the fact that he would probably try to grope her.
And he was even buying her lunch today. Again.
"What's with that look, hm?" he asked softly.
Suddenly, his face was far, far too close to hers. So close that their noses were almost touching. She could see the darkening blue hue of his irises and feel his warm breath on her face, and the intimate sensation sent goosebumps rising over her arms. The back of her neck grew heated and her breath caught in her throat.
Confused and discomfited, she jerked back and the moment was broken.
Turning away, she muttered, "Let's make a move. We'll meet back in front of the apothecary."
And then she fled.
Fled. Because she refused to let him see the flush on her cheeks or anything else that might betray her unease.
What the hell was wrong with her? All these signs pointed to the fact that she was attracted to Deidara. What was she doing? She could not allow herself to be distracted like this. Things usually ended badly for her when she allowed herself to feel any kind of interest for someone. She only had to remember what she had gone through for the last man she had feelings for. It was about as bad as things could get. Why would she risk putting herself in that position again? It was not worth it. Besides, he was not even her usual type.
She scowled inwardly. Come to think of it, her usual type was the cause of the biggest heartbreak she had ever experienced in her life. Perhaps it was time to rethink her preferences.
The sight of the domed building shifted her attention. As she drew closer to the building, she could see that there was a large opening to one side. Edging closer, she called out, "Hello?"
A sweat-slicked shaven head popped out. He looked to be about a few years older than her own twenty-one, the bulging muscles peeking out of the soot-stained apron telling her that he was not new to physical work.
"You're the blacksmith?" she asked.
"Yes," the young man acknowledged with a nod. "Can I help?"
"I'm just looking to buy some new weapons."
"Ah." He scratched the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "We don't sell directly to customers. Our products usually go to Sunagakure. But you can try the shop in the next village, around twenty miles to the west. They have a good selection of imported weapons there."
Oh, she thought, disappointed.
"I'm sorry I can't help you," the man said, drawing her out of her contemplations. "Try the other village."
Smiling at him, she said, "Thank you. I think I'll do that."
000
000
Itachi stood in the middle of what seemed like a never-ending expanse of desert, where nothing but the sky, the full moon, the sand dunes and the occasional cacti could be seen from his position. He could see why some chose to stay in this country. At times like this it was eerily beautiful.
He glanced up at the shimmering image of part of a stone tablet floating in the sky. "Kazekage-sama. Do you see it?"
"I don't see it." Suna's leader looked puzzled. "But two of my shinobi had reported sightings of it in the past."
Itachi pointed northwards in the direction of the tablet. "It is there. You might be able to feel a concentration of energy."
The Kazekage stilled, closing his eyes. The fact that not everyone could see the image intrigued Itachi. At first, he had thought that the Hyuuga, possessing the Byakugan, would be able to see it, but that was not the case. Apparently, one needn't possess a doujutsu to be able to see it. One only needed to have a particular bloodline or ability. Tenzou, who was acting as a lookout for them right at this moment, was able to see the stone tablet. The two Suna nins who had seen it were related to a clan possessing a powerful wind-based kekkei-genkai. However, their own kekkei-genkai was comparatively weak, for the bloodline had gradually diluted over the generations.
The Kazekage tensed suddenly, his eyes opening, letting Itachi know that he had sensed the presence of the shimmering stone tablet.
"I found it."
The sand from the Kazekage's gourd shot out to surround the location where the tablet was. Almost immediately, the desert sand shot upwards to intercept the Kazekage's sand. The Kazekage pulled back his sand, and the desert sand subsided in response.
"There is a sentient barrier around it," the younger man remarked quietly. "Interesting."
"Aa."
The Kazekage stayed still for a while, mulling over his options. A few minutes later, he nodded decisively. "I know what to do."
As he watched, the Kazekage directed his sand to spread out thinly over the ground nearest to the hovering image of the stone tablet. The particles of sand seemed to be sinking into the ground, mixing with the desert sand. The Kazekage carried on until his gourd was empty. Then he brought his hands together to perform a series of seals. When the technique took hold, the air began to vibrate with power. Even the sand beneath Itachi's feet began to shift.
"Move back, Uchiha."
With a nod, Itachi leapt backwards. At the same time, a disc of sand formed under the Kazekage's feet, lifting him up into the air.
The sand continued to shift in larger and larger waves, radiating outwards from the area closest to the stone tablet. A recessed circle began to appear as more sand was displaced. There were a few black marks visible, but it was still mostly obscured.
A minute later, the trembling stopped and there was a deep crater in the middle of the desert under the suspended stone tablet. At the base of the crater was a circular pattern of black seals. There was something dark and sinister about it, Itachi could not help but think. However, considering that it had a connected to Madara, that should not be too surprising.
The Kazekage frowned at the seals. "This is unfamiliar to me."
Itachi studied the patterns. "It is not Konoha's." After a brief pause, he called out, "Tenzou."
The older ANBU appeared in a cloud of smoke. "Yes, Taichou?"
"Can you disable the seals?"
Tenzou went closer, squatting down beside the outer perimeter of the patterns of seals. He studied it for a while and then said, "Aa."
"Disable it, then."
Tenzou sat down cross-legged, and then formed a long, complicated string of seals before he pressed his hands down to the ground. Chakra spread out from his hands and drifted forwards to his target. The black symbols began to waver as his chakra hit them. It took Tenzou some time, but eventually, the symbols faded completely.
Almost immediately, particles of sand up in the air coalesced into a solid mass, giving shape to a segment of a stone tablet. Engraved on it were jutsu symbols which were incomplete. Itachi suspected that the information would only make sense if all five segments of the stone tablet were reassembled.
Using his chakra-powered sand to bring the segment of the tablet to him, the Kazekage studied it with interest. From where he stood, Itachi could make out some of the markings, but knew that with only one segment, one could not do much with it. They needed all five segments.
"To think that such an innocent looking object could be so powerful," the Kazekage murmured thoughtfully. "This stone tablet is dangerous."
"Aa."
Especially in the wrong hands. The one who possessed the complete stone tablet would have the means to absorb their enemy's kekkei genkai, wiping the bloodline limit away from the original clans. By doing so repeatedly, one could assume the position of superiority over others. Or so they hoped. It was an underhanded manner of achieving power, one which disgusted Itachi.
The Kazekage stared at him meaningfully. "The Hokage is certain of her decision?"
Itachi inclined his head. "Yes. You are to safeguard this segment. We cannot afford for any of the pieces to fall into enemy hands or reassembled."
The Kazekage eyed the segment of the tablet warily. "Suna is… honored by the Hokage's faith."
"The Hokage appreciates your assistance." Reaching into his vest, Itachi retrieved the Sound scroll and held it out. "As requested."
The redhead received it with a nod. With a few flicks of his fingers, the scroll unfurled. Seemingly satisfied with what he saw, he said, "Thank you."
Itachi hid his surprise that the contents were so easily revealed. Konoha nins had attempted to open the scroll ever since they had obtained it, but was never successful. No one knew what the scroll contained.
As if reading his thoughts, the red-haired leader of Suna supplied, "It is something Orochimaru held over my father to ensure his cooperation during the attack on Konoha years ago."
"Aa." Watching the still-floating tablet segment, Itachi asked, "May I inspect the tablet?"
The Kazekage gave him a questioning look.
"This one might provide a clue as to where the others are located," Itachi explained.
"Very well."
A few seals later, a murder of crows burst into existence. They encircled the tablet, studying it. Itachi had to assume that the rest of the segments possessed similar energy characteristics. That was the only lead they had.
"If you wish, one of my sensor nins could assist in the search," the Kazekage suggested.
"We will keep the offer in mind, Kazekage-sama."
Task completed, both he and Tenzou followed the Kazekage back to Suna.
000
000
Deidara glared sideways at the kunoichi walking along with him. She was silent, brows furrowed as if she was preoccupied with some important debate in her head. Or maybe she was just ignoring him, knowing that he was not happy about their latest mission.
How the hell did she expect him to be happy with it? She had been completely out of line this time. It was his turn to pick the mission and he had seen something absolutely perfect in the contact's books; taking out a whole clan of shinobi in Lightning Country. Instead, she had chosen a mission close by, meaning that they would be staying here three nights in a row, something which carried no small amount of risk for missing nins like them. People would start to remember them after three days.
He was about to open his mouth to voice his complaints when she stopped and then turned towards him. She still looked distracted and it sent suspicion rushing through him. She had been doing some strange things lately.
"I need to go off for a while. I'll be back in a couple of hours."
So he was right to be suspicious. "Go off? What do you mean, go off?" He scowled at her. Normally, something like this was no big deal since both of them had their own private shit to deal with. But today, he didn't feel like backing away. "You went off in the middle of last night as well."
Her eyes narrowed. "You were spying on me?"
"Tch! Don't change the subject, yeah. You expect me not to notice when you crawl out of the window in the middle of the night? What do you think I am, hm? A genin?"
"It's none of your business what I do in the middle of the night."
"Fine! You could be screwing half of the village for all I care, yeah." Her face went red, but he charged on, "What I want to know is why the fuck you took this lame ass mission? Pay's shit compared to the one in Lightning."
"The Lightning one? The client wants an extermination of a Lightning Country clan!" she shot back incredulously. "Are you out of your mind?"
Sometimes, he forgot how soft-hearted she was. It was irritating as hell. "I go along with that bleeding heart shit of yours often enough, yeah. Will it kill you to go on my sort of mission for once?"
Her expression turned stony. "Feel free to leave."
He groaned out loud. Not this again. He was so exasperated he could almost feel her scrawny neck snapping under his fingers. Hell, he should walk away. But then, he would be missing a personal medic. Besides, she was pretty amusing at times and they worked well together. He could do worse than to have a partner like her.
He snorted inwardly. Why couldn't he just admit that he had grown attached to the girl?
Without waiting for him to respond, she spun around and walked away while he stood there like a fool glaring at her retreating back. When she had disappeared off into an alley, he decided to follow her. Usually, he did not care what she was up to, but whatever that gotten her so preoccupied this time might indirectly affect him when she was distracted during their mission. So it was best that he found out what it was.
Besides, he was curious.
He usually never cared enough to mask his chakra. If any fools decided to attack him, then it was their funeral. But Sakura would know that she was being followed if he did not bother to mask it this time. So, reluctantly hiding his signature, he trailed after her.
After an hour, he realized that she had planted false trails, one of which he had followed. Aside from pissing him off royally, this also made him wonder what exactly was she hiding that was so important. Yes, the unwritten rule about their partnership was to mind their own businesses, but still…
Shaking his head, he continued to hunt for her, this time shaping clay ants to help him search. Fifteen minutes later, information came through from one of them. Ten minutes later, he was at the outskirts of the village. There were upturned delivery wagons scattered here and there amongst the cacti and palms, but there was no one in sight. Where the hell was she? This was where his ant had said she was.
Then he saw a movement between a cluster of broken wagons. There was a flash of something which looked like black swirl on orange. And-
An enormous, prickly cactus flew towards his head.
"What the fuck-"
He ducked as the cactus whipped over his head. And when he looked up, a scowling Sakura was there, holding the damned cactus between her gloved hands like it was some kind of giant bat. The fat, spiky thing was at least ten feet long. It was just wrong to see someone as petite as her swinging something like that around without breaking a sweat.
And it was hell of a turn on.
"I can't believe you're following me," she snarled. "What happened to privacy, huh?"
He straightened, frowning. "You almost smashed my head with that cactus!" he accused irritably. "Put it down, yeah!"
Sakura arched a brow. "Yeah?"
She swung it at him again, forcing him to leap away. Once he landed on his feet, he glowered at her. "Enough, yeah. That's just not on!"
"What is not on is the way you're spying on me." She threw the cactus to the side like it was just a twig, and then brushed the needles off her gloves before planting her hands on her hips. "I'm not happy about this, Deidara. I thought I could trust you."
He snorted at the word. "Trust? Sakura, please. 'Trust' is an expletive in a missing nin's vocabulary."
She rolled her eyes. "Just don't follow me again. Or I'll make you sorry."
"What were you doing out here?"
She shrugged. "Personal."
He huffed, knowing that he would get nowhere this time. Still, he could always try it again the next time she disappeared. Sooner or later, he would get lucky and catch her in the act. Whatever the act was.
"If you're done nosing about, then let's go, Deidara."
"What? Go where?" He glanced up to the sky. It was only mid afternoon. The mission was not due to start until night.
Sakura beamed at him. "Clothes shopping."
Deidara groaned out loud.
000
000
The sun had risen up high in the sky, and was now in the process of descending. His weariness was bone-deep when Itachi had finally reached the border village between Wind Country and River Country. Tenzou had chosen to accept the Kazekage's hospitality and stay the night before returning to Konoha. Itachi, however, did not wish to delay his journey. As it was, it would take a few days to reach Konoha. So he travelled until the night turned into day, and was now turning into night again.
Once in the village, he walked until he found the flapping sign denoting the entrance to the one and only inn there. He walked up to the reception desk and requested a room. The lady gave him an appreciative look, the sort which he often received and wished that he didn't, before she slid him the keys.
"First floor. Up the stairs and turn left. The room is at the very end." She smiled at him. "It's one of our better ones."
Thanking her quietly, he took the keys and followed her directions to his room. As he walked down the corridor, he wondered just how long it would take before he received news from the rest of his crows. Or even whether the step he had taken would even be fruitful. Still, he had to be patient. It would take time for the crows to scour all the different countries. It could be weeks before he even heard anything.
Loud, obnoxious laughter filtered through the thin walls.
"I can't believe you're planning on turning up like that. The dress looks terrible like that, yeah."
"What is that supposed to mean? Why don't you wear the dress if you think you can make it look better?"
Itachi stiffened, and his steps halted.
The voice.
"I would, except I don't have the necessary curves, yeah… Not that you have much of those to speak of in the first place."
"WHAT did you say? You DID NOT just insult me!"
"Just pointing out the obvious… or the not-so-obvious. Seriously, though. You need to lose those chest bindings and pull the dress down a little. It's not meant to be worn so high. Can't you see it looks ridiculous, hm? Stop wasting time and trust me for once."
The words spoken by the male and the female rushed through Itachi's mind as he struggled to process what he was hearing. There was no mistaking that female voice. Coupled by what he had detected a few weeks ago, this could no longer be a coincidence. But how? And why? The girl seemed to be speaking freely, which suggested that her existence was not the result of Edo Tensei.
There were indistinct shuffles, muttering, and murmurs from within now. As hard as he strained to hear, Itachi could not discern their conversation. He expanded his senses, probing for more information on their identity. He had not been able to do this before as they were too far up in the air, but this time, they were close enough.
He could feel the male's unrestrained chakra, raw and strong. It was the exact same signature he had felt back in Sound. He learnt nothing about the female except that she was subduing her chakra, giving the impression that she was a mere civilian. He would have believed that if he had not felt her chakra spike the last time he saw them.
"There! Is this better?"
A soft wolf whistle sounded. The man was undoubtedly leering. Itachi's jaw tightened, but he fought the urge to force open the door to confirm his suspicions.
"Hm, much better!"
A snort followed that proclamation.
"Let's make a move then. We don't want to turn up late. It would attract too much attention. Wait, let me fix your tie. And please, don't blow up anything this time, alright? Try to do subtle for once."
"Spoilsport. I still can't believe you took this mission for us, yeah."
"You know why, so stop whining about it."
"Tch! Let's just get this over with then."
The moment the door opened, Itachi knew that he would be discovered. That would not do. He needed more information before he could allow them to see him.
With that thought, he sped silently to his room, opened the door and disappeared within just in time to hear their door open. He waited for their presence to fade before he exited his room and proceeded to trail them, his expression grim.
If the female in there was truly Sakura, then he required some answers from her.
Before he brought her back to Konoha.
000
000
A/N: Hope you've enjoyed that. The story will speed up in a couple of chapters after I get all the background out of the way. As always I would love it if you could leave a review. Thanks!
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