Chapter 3: It's Not Up to You

-X-

If he thinks I'm going to cower before him because he's ANBU, he's sorely mistaken, Sakura thought fervently as Itachi pointed at a tatami mat, indicating for her to sit down. Shisui's countenance was nervous, not just because he had heard of Sakura's legendary short fuse but also because of Itachi's sudden and suspicious changes of mind.

One thing was clear: He didn't know who was going to play their cards first. And it would be better for him if he wasn't around to see them explode, so he slipped slowly towards the door, hoping that his cousin wouldn't catch him.

Vain hopes. "You can go, Shisui," Itachi deadpanned as he made his way towards the mat. Sakura bristled when the Uchiha Heir lowered himself next to her, sitting at her side with a blank façade. "You can come back in one hour to lead Haruno-san outside the District's premises."

Maybe Shisui was older, but certainly he was not the stupidest. Praying for her not to attempt to throttle his cousin and for him not to slice her throat, he nodded numbly, exiting the living room and leaving them alone.

Turning his head slowly to the angry pink-haired medic, Itachi nodded. "You may begin."

Sakura's cheeks flushed in anger. "You can't tell me what to do! You know nothing about medical procedures!"

"I agree," he shot back smoothly. "That is why you need to begin at some point. My migraine is at its peak."

She scowled, raising her hand and placing to fingers none-too-gently over his temple. However, as soon as she molded some of her chakra inside his head, her face changed drastically.

Itachi's black eyes detailed the sudden alteration in her features, from incredibly angry to surprise, and then settling into intrigued concentration. Filing this interesting event away in his mind, he watched her close her eyes, feeling her energy prodding inside his head.

"Close your eyes," she said suddenly. "Your optic nerves are drawing too much energy."

"My Sharingan is not activated," he replied, but complying with her order.

"I know, but any shinobi can force a bit of chakra into their eyes," she explained in her best lecturing voice. "Only the ones with doujutsu can draw chakra naturally in order to activate their bloodline trait, but that doesn't mean that we mortals can't squint to try to see better at a far target."

He didn't respond to her sardonic statement, concentrating in what she was doing with her chakra. Her energy was strangely warm, and its greenish glow could be perceived by his senses, even with his eyes closed.

"You've been using your Sharingan too much," she diagnosed after a while. "The chakra overuse is debilitating your nerves. That's why you have been experiencing so many migraines..."

She might be right, he pondered absently, as her chakra surrounded the nerves and soothed them, the pain slowly ebbing away.

After a moment, she withdrew her fingers. "You can open your eyes."

He did so, reveling in the relief of having his eyes back to a normal state. Looking around the living room, he examined the colors of the adornments and pictures that littered the space, detailing them.

"How did you find the problem so quickly?" he asked smoothly, finally looking at Sakura, who was staring at his gaze with a critical eye. She sighed and stood up.

"After its use, your Sharingan must rest appropriately," she said, glancing at the family pictured that had given everything away and avoiding his question. Sasuke's baby form was incredibly cute, sleeping in his mother's arms. The other two handsome boys smirked at the camera, as if sharing a secret joke that only them knew about. "Otherwise it can damage the nerves. I don't know about the Sharingan's processes, but Kakashi-sensei seemed to have migraines all the time. I figured you had the same problem, but your optic nerves are less resented than his when I first examined them."

"I understand," he replied thoughtfully.

"Very well... now, can you tell me what did you do to Sasuke-kun for him to want to surpass you so much?"

His blank façade stared at her, making her eyebrows knit in annoyance.

"You heard me," Sakura said, pointing at the picture. "As his older brother you are supposed to look after him, not driving him to a mindless competition."

"What makes you think I am forcing him to do what he does?" he asked expressionlessly. "He is a shinobi. He does what he is ordered to do."

"How can you say that?" she asked incredulously. "Sasuke changed from a nice kid into a cold man, seemingly following your steps!"

"Sasuke is not following any of my steps," he replied curtly, crossing his arms on his chest but making no attempt to rise from his sitting position. "He's following a path that was devised by our Clan. He is the next Heir if I fail to fulfill that position," Itachi's eyes glinted with sarcasm, as his words were hard for him to believe. "But even now his actions are weak."

Sakura's eyes widened with disbelief. "What? Weak?" she repeated. "He'd graduated first in our class! He's a Jounin! How can you say he's weak? Sasuke is your brother!"

"And as my brother, I know his power," he countered impassively. "He is nowhere near to catch up with my standards or our Father's, much less our Clan's. Sasuke is weak even if he is a Jounin. He is not ANBU yet."

"You want him to become a killer?" she queried, as she couldn't believe her ears. "You want him to join ANBU?"

"That is Sasuke's decision. All of our cousins are in high-ranking positions, from ninja ranks to the police ranks. He is the only one with a simple Jounin status. And our Clan does not approve him... or his team."

And there's when Sakura's short fuse chose to manifest itself.

"You know what? You might be the Mighty-and-Powerful Uchiha Itachi," she said loudly, snatching her fruit bag from the tatami mat. "But you certainly don't understand how much Sasuke looks up to you. You don't care shit for your brother, and how stupid of you that is! He drives himself so hard, that you simply don't get how valuable he is, even if you, your Chichiue or your stupid Clan don't see it."

Itachi's silence and hard gaze made her scoff in frustration, crossing the fine line between resentment and recklessness.

"I can only hope he doesn't become an emotionless killing machine such as yourself!"

A blink of her eyes and she found herself pushed to the wall next to the family photo, her bag all but forgotten on the floor, as his black orbs glittered threateningly and his hand clasped her throat firmly but not harshly, even allowing her to gasp in surprise.

"I strongly advise you to think before speaking about matters you do not know about," he whispered, without taking his eyes from her.

"Why don't you think before belittling your own brother?" she replied, seeing how his dark orbs narrowed dangerously. She was scared of him, he could see that perfectly. His dark, cold aura was enough for everyone to retreat from his mere presence. But her eyes, despite betraying her fear, also showed a great deal of anger... and something Itachi had not seen directed at him in the gaze of coworkers, partners or his family.

"Do not make me repeat myself, Haruno-san," he murmured smoothly, closing his hold on her throat a little bit as his other maintained her body against the wall next to the picture that occasioned this entire conflictive situation. "Sasuke's position within his family is not of your concern."

"It is my concern because you don't act as family, we are more his siblings than you!" she choked.

"You must have a death wish, Haruno-san," he said in a mocking whisper, but retreated quickly when he felt her chakra gathering in her hands.

"And you must have a stone for a heart," she whispered, coughing to regain her breath, rushing out of the house but not before gazing at him.

His Sharingan was activated in his annoyance at the kunoichi, and his crimson eyes detailing explicitly the significance of her glance. He had seen pity, of all things, in her eyes. He had seen worry for his little brother and disappointment for him.

Deactivating his bloodline trait, Itachi breathed deeply, taking in the scents of the apples and peaches forgotten by their owner.

-X-

It took a long while for her to calm herself, but surprisingly just a little to flee the Uchiha District, without waiting for her escort.

How dare he behave like that? she raged internally, as she dashed towards the location where she was about to encounter her shishou. Three days had passed since her epic clash with the Uchiha Heir, and she was nowhere near pleased with the outcome of those events.

Growling low in annoyance and fury at the memory of those dark eyes, gleaming with sarcastic amusement and mockery, she entered the clearing, noticing that the Godaime Hokage was already there, waiting for her.

"You look like hell," she saluted bluntly, taking in Sakura's scowl and risen hackles. The pink-haired medic didn't answer, but Tsunade's sharp gaze noted the tensing in her chin. "What happened?"

Sakura looked to her feet, still unable to respond. Letting out a sigh, the blonde Hokage nodded and clasped her hands.

"Alright, you don't have to tell me anything. But let's blow off some steam, shall we?"

Lifting her emerald eyes to those amber orbs of her mentor's, Sakura nodded, pulling on her gloves and slipping on her regular stance, grateful that Tsunade hadn't pressed her to spill the humiliation she felt since she set foot on the Uchiha manor.

Several hours later and the complete obliteration of the clearing, she had calmed enough to entrust her master with the entire story. Tsunade's eyes blinked in astonishment, and then a gleeful laughter filled the site.

"I can't believe your nerve, Sakura!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms in an attempt to get a grip on her mirth. "You went too far! You should be thankful that he didn't cut your throat in retaliation!"

"Shishou!" Sakura groaned, burying her face in her gloved hands, feeling Tsunade's reassuring presence next to her. A pat on her shoulder and the laughter gone, another sigh was heard from the busty blonde's lips.

"Sakura, the Uchiha Clan is a family that isn't to be trifled with," she said, as both made her way around the holes and craters that littered on the clearing. "They and the Hyuuga are like the sun and the moon, very different and opposite. While the Hyuuga accept my decisions as Hokage albeit grudgingly so, most of the Uchiha like to argue with me about my quirks and judgments. The Clan Head is nothing but an uptight bastard, and I believe that the fruit never falls too far from the tree."

"Are you saying that Sasuke--" she caught her tongue at the habit of placing the endearment in the younger Uchiha's name. "Are you saying that Sasuke is following his father's steps?"

"Nah, not likely," Tsunade answered seriously. "And neither Itachi, actually. Fugaku thinks I'm not suited to be Hokage, despite being in this position for more than seven years. He's still resentful because the Elders chose me instead of his son Itachi to lead the village. It's not my fault that the Council Elders judged him too young."

Sakura's eyes went wide and her feet stopped. "What?!"

"Yeah, but I'm not worried about it because Itachi made clear he doesn't want the position," Tsunade waved a dismissing hand. "He just wants to remain in his rank. He knows I'm more suited for this than him, despite what the Uchiha Elders say about this. Although for a while I thought that he weaseled out the whole situation because of the insane amounts of paperwork that this job ensues."

Two feminine chortles signaled their arrival to the eastern village gates, where Izumo and Kotetsu were expecting their Hokage with a bunch of papers and scrolls for her to sign.

"See? It never stops," Tsunade observed with an exaggerated sigh, as Sakura laughed behind her hand. "Tomorrow at the hospital, Sakura," she added, placing her stern mask on her lovely face again, the relaxing moment between teacher and student finished. "Shizune will teach you a medical ninjutsu she'd been developing."

"Hai, Tsunade-shishou," she said, bowing respectfully. "Tomorrow morning it is!"

A distracted wave was her goodbye as the Godaime was almost drowned among her assistants' chatter. Sakura breathed deeply, pulling off her gloves and stretching her arms as if she was trying to reach the sky.

With her spirit finally at peace thanks to the moments spent with her mentor, she retied her hitai-ate after a hurried combing of her tresses with her fingers, while she wondered where Naruto was and if he was free in order to get some lunch with him.

It was a reassuring thing that Tsunade had relayed those little facts to her. She still hated Itachi, no matter how high Sasuke had placed his sporadic teachings to his little brother. Well, it wasn't as she hated the man's guts, but certainly she was really irked by Sasuke's situation within his family.

And then there was Shisui's little deceit. He was one of the very few Uchiha she had met, and she really thought him to be kind and nice. Sasuke was cold and distant; a very accurate resemblance to his older brother's way to conduct himself. Shisui was funny and pleasant, so unlike those Uchiha she had encountered in the hospital or on missions.

If on cue, a person she didn't expect to see so soon approached her.

"Sakura-san!" he exclaimed, calling for her attention. Turning around, she saw Uchiha Shisui hurrying to catch up with her. She whirled again and began stomping her way to the market. "Wait, Sakura-san!"

She turned again, scowling something fierce at the raven-haired man that had ran to meet her. "What?" she growled. "I don't have anything to say to you or your cousin."

Shisui hastily lifted his hands in a placating gesture. "Sakura-san, I have come to ask for your forgiveness," he said hurriedly. "I have wronged you, and I humbly ask for your mercy."

In a quick moment, Sakura's eyes flashed in anger. "Is this some kind of sick joke that you and your-your--cousin had devised to mock me?" she asked. "I don't want to have anything to do with the likes of you both!"

Shisui's dark orbs widened in surprise, realizing what she had concluded from his words. "Oh, no, Sakura-san! I have come on my own volition, I promise you! I felt bad for leaving you with Itachi, really! And then he was very upset for something you told him... but I told him that it served him right for offending you!"

The rushed explanation seemed to get to Sakura, deflating her anger somewhat.

"What are you doing then?" she asked, eyebrows still furrowed. "Do you want me to forgive you for having a bastard for a cousin?"

"Well... yeah," he said sincerely, his face suddenly sheepish. "I never meant to trick you, you see. When you noticed the photograph I was about to tell you that I did know Sasuke-chan, but then Itachi entered the living and messed up my whole plan."

A pink brow rose in disbelief. "Sasuke-chan?"

"I always call him like that because he gets mad every single time," he offered, scratching his head and laughing nervously. "Sakura-san, I'm truly sorry for what had happened because of me. I have come looking for you; Kotetsu-kun told me you were sparring with the Hokage, so..."

"Wait, you went to the Hokage Tower?" she asked skeptically. "Looking for me?"

"Hai," he nodded. "When Itachi told me you had healed his migraine I felt really bad for how I tricked you. Then he refused to tell me why you had left in so much haste, so I figured you had a disagreement."

She snorted, surprising the Uchiha. "Disagreement is a pretty mild word, Shisui-san," Sakura said with a dry smirk, rubbing her neck unconsciously. "But, why did you go to the Hokage Tower?"

Her evasive maneuver and her gesture weren't lost on the observant ninja. "I was told you worked with Tsunade-sama when you aren't on the mission roster, but I did not find you there, and Shizune-san was not there either."

"She's at the hospital," she replied absently. "And you went all the way there just to apologize?"

"Well..." he started to nod, then he looked away in embarrassment. "Yes, but also to return you these," he unhooked a bag of fruits from his belt. "I bought you a new bag, I hope you don't mind."

She seemed surprised, but then she let out a laugh. "A peace offering, Shisui-san? Fine, you win. You are a nice man, even if your relatives aren't."

"Actually... I was hoping for something else, you know," he said cheekily. "I also was told about your amazing chakra control and strength, so... how about a spar?"

Sakura blinked. "You want to spar with me?" she repeated skeptically. This was a surprise, for not even Sasuke wanted to spar with his teammate, as he deemed her weak and predictable, not realizing that she just couldn't spar with him because of his scathing remarks.

He nodded with a grin. "One of my colleagues told me you were incredibly strong, so I wanted to see that for myself."

"Your own cousin doesn't like to train with me," she replied, crossing her arms. "Why would you?"

"Let's say that I would like to see how the training with Hokage-sama pays off," he said lightly, offering her a smirk.

Her emerald eyes flashed, narrowing challengingly.

"You're on, Shisui-san," she answered with a deceptively sweet smile. "Let's meet here at the end of the afternoon, shall we?"

"Very well," he said, matching her grin with one of his own and handed her the bag, waving as he retreated down the street.

Sakura sighed deeply, her brows drawing together as she walked back to her apartment. A hot meal and a nap would get her chakra reserves back into full level, and then...

Shannaro, she smirked.

-X-

Shisui was there when she arrived, leaning on a tree trunk.

"I was told that you are familiar with the Sharingan," he said by way of greeting. She pursed her lips in a mocking grin.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she said pulling her gloves on as they walked to the obliterated clearing she used in the morning with her shishou.

"Having Hatake Kakashi as your sensei surely would have taught you a thing or two," he prodded lightly, changing his entire façade by smiling mischievously.

"Maybe," she teased, as she watched him survey the area. She could tell he was amazed at the path of destruction that was blatantly displayed in the clearing, but his face didn't change from the nice smile he had on.

"I see Tsunade-sama was kind of pushy with you this morning," he offered, scratching his head. Sakura shrugged and surrounded a crater with a critical eye.

"Let's say she is one of the most enthusiastic sensei I've ever had," she replied noncommittally. "Ready?"

Shisui smirked, shaking his head in amusement, but when he raised his eyes again she encountered the reddish glow of the Sharingan. "When you are, Sakura-san."

She nodded, narrowing her eyes and raising her fists into her regular taijutsu stance. Without waiting for her to complete the stance, he flew at her, slipping a kunai into each hand and slashing towards her. She dodged and somersaulted back, releasing two shuriken in her jump. They started to run around the clearing, as he kept on throwing a barrage of weapons at her, mainly senbons and kunai. She dodged them expertly, displaying a repertoire of avoiding moves that were her pride and joy as a medical ninja.

"Oh come on, Sakura-san!" he exclaimed. "Are you going to run forever?"

"As the matter of fact," she shot back as she fell from a leap and clenched her fist. "NO!"

Her fist impacted the ground, raising it with a wave of dirt and power that made the Uchiha stumble in his running, almost diving face first into the crater that she made. Flipping back, he turned his head from side to side, looking for his opponent and finding anything.

When his feet touched the ground, a hand shot out of it and grabbed his ankle, but he managed to slip out of its grasp and leap onto a tree.

"Sakura-san, you're being awfully sneaky," he said seriously, surveying the area from his vantage point. "Whatever happened with a straight spar?"

"I say you're being incredibly whiny, Shisui-san," her voice whispered in his ear, startling him. An eerie wind blew through his bangs, making him understand that he had been caught in a genjutsu.

"Kai!" he shouted, dispelling the illusion with the proper hand seal. He looked to his left and right, not finding any trace of his pink-haired combatant. Only when he trailed his eyes on the ground, looking for a trace of her chakra signature, he noticed a faint shadow growing on his.

Shisui barely had the chance of jump away when Sakura dived down and smashed her fist on the ground again, shattering the earth with noisy cracks and an explosion sound that made the hairs at the back of his neck prickle in high alert. He hadn't see anything like that, for he had never seen the Hokage's moves either.

She leapt on the edge of a rock. "Come on! Are you afraid of this, Shisui-san? I thought the Uchiha didn't fear anything!"

"Damn right we don't!" he shot back at her taunts with a scowl, flying at her while making some seals she didn't recognize. Only when he took a deep breath her eyes widened in surprise.

"Shit!"

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" he yelled, launching the fireballs at top speed at the kunoichi, who didn't think twice into retaliation. Picking up a boulder, she used it as a shield against the flames and after she kicked it towards Shisui, who jumped away from it.

"Let's dance, Uchiha!" she screamed, punching the ground several times, which started to shake in earnest under his feet and shaking off many trees. He had to jump repeatedly to avoid falling into the shockwave of the earthquake formed by her fists, but a spike that suddenly shot upwards got him, throwing him off balance.

"Hah!" Sakura scoffed fiercely, flying at him and managing to hit him at last with a roundhouse kick and making his body soar into a tree trunk that all but exploded with the violent impact.

"Fuck," he groaned in pain, only to be rewarded with a gleeful laugh.

"See, Shisui-san, the field was my doing as well," Sakura teased with a sweet smile, landing next to him. "To be honest, I did the whole thing because Tsunade-shishou wanted me to vent a little."

"A little? Kami, you're a vicious opponent, Sakura-san," he observed, snapping his eyes at her when she kneeled, a green glow bathing her hands.

"I think I'm mellower than many shinobi I know," she answered with ease. "Even all my teammates are quite wild--oh damn, your leg is broken."

"Shit," he cursed softly. "I'm so going to be told off by my superior."

"Serves you right for challenge me," she said sarcastically. "Send your superior to me and I'll handle him, I think you'll have to lie down for three days at least. I shattered your tibia rather nicely."

"Nicely?" he repeated incredulously. Sakura snorted.

"Yes, the shards of bone didn't puncture any artery. Now, shut up for a moment, please. I'm trying to seal it back together."

Shisui complied, while his eyes wandered over the wreck she made in the clearing in order to gain an upper hand on him. Trees were down for the count, the ground looked as if it suffered from a tectonic shift, leaves were scattered everywhere, as well as branches and general loose dirt.

"You won," he conceded softly. "When did you perform that genjutsu?"

"When I was underground," she said with her eyes closed. "It was the only way to keep my technique from being copied with those blasted eyes of yours."

Shisui laughed out loud. It was a simple but completely effective way to keep the originality of that simple illusion, one so subtle than he didn't even notice when he fell under it.

"It was a neat technique," he commented. She smiled, numbing his leg in order to shoot a surge of chakra to reunite and remold his bone.

"Kakashi-sensei is the only one that copied it, because I used it in an open battle," she relayed truthfully. "I was so mad, because I had developed that jutsu on my own."

"You can't blame a Sharingan user to copy everything, you know," he teased her, earning himself a swat in his arm. "Ouch, Sakura-san, you're quite aggressive."

"Live for a while with my teammates and you'll see real violence, Shisui-san," she replied with a laugh. "Sit down for a moment, I need to see if I pulled a muscle."

Shisui hissed in mild pain. "What did you do?"

"That is exactly what I want to know."

Both contenders turned their heads at the steely, cold voice that resounded on the clearing. Sakura's eyebrows knitted together when she saw who the newcomer was.

However, Shisui didn't appear surprised. "Did you enjoy the show?"

Itachi didn't answer his question, firing another one instead. "Do you think you'll be fit for a mission in two days?"

"No, he won't," Sakura's hard voice countered. "He will need another healing session to check if the bone is completely sealed."

"I am sure we can find another medic-nin to perform such session."

Sakura snorted at his outrageous remark. "It's not about the healing, Uchiha-san," she said, finally allowing her eyes to lock upon his cold glare. "It's his own system that needs to convert the energy into his own before attempting to prod his pathways again. Besides," she added, looking at Shisui and offering a little smirk, "I'm out of chakra. It will take a little while before I can check up on the healing, and it is well known that bone-setting injuries are better healed if only one chakra signature is the main actor on the wound."

"I'm sorry, Itachi," Shisui said, but his face didn't show any deject for his state. "Doctor's orders."

The Uchiha Heir narrowed his eyes at his cousin. "You are lucky that I won't report you to my Chichiue."

"Pfff, as if he's the Mighty ANBU Commander," Sakura muttered, standing up. "Say, Shisui-san, you think you can come over to my office tomorrow? I'll look at your leg there."

"Sure thing, Sakura-san," he said with a little, devious smile. "Don't forget your fruits."

"I think I'll make a peach cake... that, if Naruto doesn't get frisky and wants us to gather for ramen. See you, Shisui-san! Uchiha-san."

It took a lot of effort for the older Uchiha not to laugh at the pink-haired fast change of voice tones when regarding the two males. She had been warmly pleasant when she addressed him, but scathingly cold when she bid goodbye to Itachi.

Watching her retreating form, he shook his head, to look at his cousin. The younger Uchiha had his very own onyx-colored eyes set on the pink-haired kunoichi's back, his arms crossed and a mild frown on his face.

"So, about the mission," he said, snapping his cousin into attention. Itachi raised his shoulders for a moment.

"Code Blue in Sand," he responded. "I will handle it."

"Be careful, you oaf."

"Hn," Itachi grunted, walking away.

Shisui's features suddenly changed into surprise. "Oi! Itachi! Don't leave me here, you bastard!"

A little mocking chuckle was heard, and then nothing. Shisui sighed deeply, letting his head fall on his chest in defeat.

-XxX-

AN: The Sakura I'm portraying is a little bit spunkier and moodier than her canon character. Let's say that having a life full of belittlements and underestimating from her teammates made her behave so. Also, Shisui's personality is entirely of my own imagination. Being an Uchiha made him behave like an arrogant prick on some occasions, but I find quite endearing that he provides a little comic relief to Itachi's grim life. Also, Shisui being an ANBU Op along with his cousin is my own way to provide a little fanservice, so who's against that? xD
Once again, much love to Sometime.Usagi for her lovely beta!