When Itachi woke from his medically induced sleep, he immediately tried to move his left arm but found that it remained stationary at his side.
'All those years of training, gone.'
"Don't worry. You can move your arm. We had to immobilize it in your sleep to help it heal but once the medicine wears off, you'll be able to use it perfectly, thanks to me that is." Itachi's head snapped to the hospital bed next to his and saw Sakura lying on her back, looking sideways at him. Itachi scrunched his eyebrows together, confused as to why his protégé was currently in a hospital bed. Itachi scanned her person for injuries and, while she was low on chakra, nothing else appeared to be wrong. Then, Itachi noticed the bandages on her hands and then looked back at Sakura, silently asking for an explanation.
Sakura sighed and lifted her hands to look at them. She could still feel a slight burning sensation on her hands through the bandages and the morphine. She turned to Itachi and informed him of the events that occurred after he passed out.
"Basically, I knocked you unconscious and started healing you. I started running out of chakra and asked Naruto to give me some. His chakra gave me second degree burns in my hands and first degree burns on different places on my body but those have pretty much healed already. And then Tsunade took over healing you." Sakura was going to tell Itachi about stealing chakra from that bunny but she wanted to do it when they were both fully healed and rested.
"How long have we been here?"
"About three days. We had to keep you sedated 'cause it took Tsunade longer than she expected to heal your shoulder completely. I tried to get Tsunade to heal me first so I could help but she refused and made me wait my turn to get healed. So, because of you, I have been sitting here for three days waiting for your ass to get up." Sakura reached back and pressed a button with her elbow and sat back down on the thin and uncomfortable mattress. Minutes later a nurse walked in, clearly annoyed with Sakura but when Sakura pointed to a conscious Itachi, the nurse immediately blushed and bowed to him.
"Uchiha-sama! You are awake." Itachi heard Sakura mumble something along the lines of 'Uchiha-sama my ass' but let it slide.
"Please inform Tsunade I am awake and that I would like to speak with her." The nurse nodded and almost ran out of the room, frantically trying to find Tsunade.
Neither Sakura nor Itachi exchanged words about the events before Itachi was knocked unconscious or Gaara's threat to him. There was a silent understanding between the two of them that such things were not to be spoken of because of the current situation. A few minutes of silence passed before Itachi spoke.
"Sakura," she snapped her head in his direction, almost giving herself whiplash, "I fully accept you as my protégé and vow to teach you everything I can." Sakura showed no outer signs of emotions and nodded in affirmation but hiding her sadness was becoming hard.
'So this means he feels nothing for me…' Sakura shook her head and refocused back on the topic at hand.
"Do you wanna sign something?" Sakura knew that was usual standard operating procedure when it came to these things so that, specifically male-female situations. A teacher and a protégé can spend years together. They see each other in vulnerable positions and they go on missions together, alone. This paper says that if either of them violates their agreement, i.e. start a romantic relationship, then severe punishment will be dealt out. Also, there is a clause that the protégé must not start a romantic relationship with anyone. The punishment varied depending on what was agreed upon but most of the time it was the person who violates the agreement must resign from active duty.
"No but if my family knows, we will." Itachi didn't elaborate any further because Tsunade walked in and looked to Itachi and then to Sakura.
"Glad to see you are awake. I am sure Sakura informed you of the events over the last few days." Tsunade walked over to Sakura and took off her bandages. Under those bandages, Sakura's flesh was severely burned and pus started to leak through the cracks.
"You are lucky I didn't get an infection, Tsunade-shishou." Sakura watched as Tsunade healed her right hand and when she went to go heal her left hand, Sakura pulled away and healed it on her own.
"Go heal Itachi, I wanna train today." Sakura flexed her hands when she was finished healing and started pulling out all of her IVs and stuff. Itachi and Tsunade remained silent as Sakura walked to the door.
"Training ground eleven at five o'clock Sakura. Don't be late." Sakura paused for a second before throwing her hand up in the air as a sign that she heard him and then promptly left the room without another word.
"If your family finds out she is your protégé, it might ruin everything. Your father might kill you for getting so close-" Tsunade started but Itachi interrupted her.
"I know," Itachi flexed his fingers noticing the medication was wearing off just was Sakura said it would, "but if all goes according to plan, realistically, I will not live to see another summer." Itachi, ignoring the look of pity from Tsunade, looked out the window and thought back to when the weight of the Uchiha family had fallen on his shoulders. Itachi still remembered the day his father told him of the coup d'état.
"Father, you cannot be serious! This is traitorous!" Itachi could feel anger swell in his chest for the first time in a long time.
"Itachi, you will not question this. Our plans have already been set in motion, disobey me and I will kill your mother and brother." Fugaku now stood directly in front of Itachi but had to look slightly up at the younger shinobi. Itachi's eyes widened at the threat and looked to the council to argue against my father but they all remained silent.
'I can't believe this…' Itachi tried to take a step backward but immediately encountered a stone wall.
"Itachi, swear to silence upon your mother and brother's lives." Itachi did the only thing he could.
He said yes.
Itachi looked at Tsunade's face and saw the pity in her eyes. He scowled inwardly, not wanting to receive any pity or sympathy from anyone. He may not have chosen his family but the path he followed was one of his own decision making.
His decision to go along with his father's plan was his own 'and', Itachi thought as he looked at the second hospital bed and smirked, 'my decision to defy my father is also my own.' Itachi looked back to Tsunade and noticed she was done healing. He stretched his arm in circles and felt no pain. 'Amazing.' Itachi stood from the bed and grabbed his clothes before changing in the bathroom. When he came back out to the room, Tsunade was still standing there waiting for him.
"So, Tsunade-sama, is the poison ready?"
"Itachi, I told you it won't be ready until the spring. This is a very difficult poison to craft and cannot be done quickly. One screw up could mean the end of your entire clan." Itachi nodded and turned to walk out the room, many thoughts invading his mind. "Itachi, you aren't having second thoughts are you?" Itachi didn't give an answer; instead he walked out his hospital room and towards his apartment.
'Can I really slaughter most of my clan?' Itachi wandered into his clean apartment and lay down on the bed, contemplating the answer but had none to give.
Sakura looked down at her hands, remembering the feeling of taking that small bunny's chakra and killing it. Sakura tried to feel for chakra in the trees and animals around her as she walked to training ground eleven but felt only a blank void of space.
"I know I did it, I am not crazy." Sakura tried to focus even harder but still found nothing. She could hear the twigs snapping from animals crushing them and the leaves rustle in the wind but she could not find that same trace of chakra she found in that bunny. "Fuck!" Sakura kicked a rock and stuffed her hands in her pockets and pouted out of frustration. She walked past a bench and sat down, only planning to rest for a few minutes. Sakura closed her eyes and allowed the muscles in her body to completely relax. Sakura waited, not entirely sure of what she was looking for but sent her chakra underground towards a group of ants. Sakura kept her chakra there and waited to finally grasp the concept of stealing nature's chakra. Finally, Sakura felt a tiny pull from her chakra, as if it was being drawn to another source. Sakura went to reach out to it when she was shaken from her meditation.
"Hey asshole! What the hell-" Sakura looked up to see Itachi staring down at her with one quirked eyebrow.
"Sakura, it is almost six." Sakura gasped and looked to see the sun almost fully set. 'Wait, did he come looking for me?' Sakura looked back to Itachi but found he was already walking towards the training grounds.
"Matte! Itachi!" Sakura sprinted to catch up with Itachi who was walking at a slower pace than she was used to. "Itachi," he turned his head towards Sakura, "I need to tell you about something that happened as I was healing you." And with that, Sakura told him that she took another beings life by stealing their chakra. "I know it sounds crazy but I felt my chakra surge after I took whatever I took from that small bunny." Itachi remained silent until they came to the training ground.
"What was going through your mind when you took it's chakra?" Sakura blushed and looked down at her feet, not being able to look Itachi in the eye when she said this.
"I was focused on saving your arm." Sakura looked up at Itachi and noticed her had his katana in his hand. Sakura cocked her head to the side only seconds before Itachi ran the katana over his leg, effectively cutting his femoral artery. Sakura gasped and ran over to him, catching him before he fell to the ground. Sakura started to gather chakra in her hands but noticed none came and suddenly she felt extremely fatigued.
"I took your chakra. Get it from another source or I will bleed out." Itachi gripped Sakura's arm because of the pain shooting throughout his body. Itachi could feel the blood running down his thigh and soaking into the ground but the pain made it hard to focus.
"You idiot! I don't even know if I can do this!" Itachi smirked weakly before moving his hand upwards to grasp Sakura's cheek softly. He turned her head towards him and almost dropped his hand but Sakura held it there out of pure instinct.
"I believe in you." And then Itachi passed out from the sheer pain of his wound. Sakura nodded, still able to feel the warmth of Itachi's hand pressed against her skin, and set to work. She placed her hands over Itachi's wound, which was dangerously close to a certain part of him, and focused on the world around her.
'I need to heal him.' Sakura repeated that phrase numerous times and finally she found what she was looking for. Sakura started taking chakra from every small source she could, avoiding people. She started with the grass around her and spiraled outwards, gathering chakra from every source possible. Sakura could feel Itachi's wound stitching itself up and when it was finally closed, Sakura sat back on her haunches. She looked at Itachi, who was slightly pale, and reached for her medical bag. She pulled out a simple two way needle and stuck one needle in her arm and another in Itachi's. Sakura opened the valves and her blood ran down the tube into Itachi's arm.
"Glad I looked at your chart and saw we have the same blood type." Sakura whispered to herself as Itachi got some of his color back. She stopped the flow of blood and collapsed next to Itachi.
When Itachi and Sakura awoke, the first thing they noticed was that everything was dead around them except for the imprint of where they were sitting and laying. The grass was brown, the trees wilted and the leaves all shriveled up. Sakura saw numerous animal carcasses lying about and she could feel the tears well up in her eyes.
'I did all of this?' Sakura stood up weakly and walked around. It was a circle with a diameter of about forty feet of pure death besides Itachi and Sakura.
Itachi stood up and looked around before glancing at Sakura. He knew she was going to be disturbed by what she saw but this was an incredible skill that Itachi must force Sakura to harness. It is a great tool for a shinobi with no morals. Itachi saw this ability as a killing tool while Sakura saw it as a healing one.
'I could use this to heal people on the spot.'
'This would be perfect for assassination missions.'
But neither realized that this ability would get Sakura in more trouble than she bargained for.
Sakura and Itachi decided to call it quits, both exhausted from the blood loss they experienced. Sakura was extremely tired when she walked into her apartment so she walked to her bed, stripping her clothes off as she walked, and crawled under the covers and fell asleep immediately.
Itachi, on the other hand, lay in his bed for most of the night, contemplating his options and his situation with Sakura.
'Hana will be returning next month fit for duty so we will be going on regular ANBU missions. That only brings us to about late September, early October and the ANBU exams aren't until the end of December. Also, Yuki wants me to convince father to call off the wedding.' Itachi sighed and buried his head in his hands, allowing for a moment of emotion to etch into his face. 'When did my life become so fucked up? Oh yeah, when my father thought becoming ANBU by thirteen was a good idea.' Itachi got up and walked out of his apartment towards the compound.
Itachi sometimes walked this route, reminding himself of the days when he would walk home from the academy on his own. Itachi was only six when he became a chunnin and he remembered running to his mother every day, complaining about how all the older kids were slow and he was bored in class. Mitoko begged his father to keep him as a chunnin but Fugaku pushed his son to become a jounin at around eleven and then ANBU captain at thirteen. Itachi knew that he would go down in the history books as one of the smartest shinobi to exist. 'Yeah, and murderer of entire clan.' Itachi stopped and looked up and to his right and saw Sakura's light already turned off. Itachi allowed for his lips to curve upwards into a small and almost unnoticeable smile when he thought of the young pink haired woman. Itachi knew that Sakura would have made a great mother to any kid one day and felt a sort of sadness for taking that opportunity away from her by asking her to become his protégé. Itachi knew that Sakura's intelligence should be passed on to the next generation but decided to be selfish for once in his life. Itachi didn't understand the feeling that awakened his body at the small thought of Sakura but it was akin to happiness but not quite.
Itachi clenched his fist and remembered this spontaneous act of grasping Sakura's cheek in his hand. It was an involuntary movement but he was even more curious by Sakura's reaction; grabbing his hand so it did not fall to the ground. A brief moment of curiosity flooded Itachi on Sakura's feelings towards him but the moment was fleeting and he reminded himself of the agreement.
"Once a protégé has been chosen, the protégé may not start a relationship until they have trained a protégé of their own; to ensure that the teachings will continue on. If the protégé does not choose one of their own by the age of thirty five, then-" Itachi stopped, almost choking on his next words, "then the punishment given protégé must give up the title of shinobi and never practice ninjutsu again." Itachi allowed his eyes to drop to the ground in slight shame.
'So because of my selfishness, Konoha may lose its best medic-nin and Sakura might give up children and being a shinobi.' Itachi knew all of this before starting to train Sakura but never felt any hesitation until now. Itachi didn't understand what was happening but he knew that these next few months were not going to be easy and feeling like this about your protégé wouldn't make it any easier.
Sakura woke up around ten thirty in the morning and stretched her sore limbs. Chakra depletion did a number on her joints so she stretched longer before going on her job through the woods and the village. Sakura passed many of the Rookie 9 on her run, surprised to see so many of them in the village. She didn't see Naruto or Sasuke but figured they were probably training for the upcoming ANBU exams as well. Sakura knew she was getting stronger but wondered if she was ever going to come out from behind their shadows. Sakura wanted to be independent from those two in battle if she needed. She wanted to hold her own without the support of either and Sakura knew that the ANBU exams would help show that desire. She knew Naruto and Sasuke only meant the best by protecting her but Sakura knew that she would not get better as a shinobi if she never fought her own battles.
Sakura ran to the training grounds and started warming up slowly. She didn't want to do too much because she was training with Itachi later but her body needed to get loose. Sakura went through her genjutsu, taijutsu and kenjutsu for about an hour and a half before sitting down to mediate. Sakura closed her eyes and started searching for the chakra of the other living beings near her. Sakura could find the chakra but had nowhere to put it.
'That's it!' Sakura got up and sprinted to the Hokage tower. Luckily Tsunade was there with no one else because Sakura barged in, panting and trying to get out her sentence in one breath.
"I want you to teach me Nimpo Sozo Saize!" Sakura looked at Tsunade, her hand bracing the door frame for support. Tsunade paused only for a second before nodding her head, yes. Sakura smiled widely and Tsunade called her over. "Now?"
"Yes now. I do not have a lot of time to teach you the hand signs. It is fairly simple for people with perfect chakra control. When you finish the hand signs," Tsunade showed Sakura, "you transfer about three fourths of your chakra you have now into the jutsu to sustain the mark. Once you receive the mark, then you transfer as much chakra as possible into it. You can put almost an infinite amount of chakra in but I must warn you, this deteriorates your life faster than you think." Sakura nodded, still practicing the hand signs as she listened to Tsunade.
"Well, it's not like I have a lot to live for." Sakura shrugged and walked towards the door but Tsunade stopped her.
"Sakura, wait." She turned around to face her shishou, her eyes turning colder by the second to Tsunade, "you have a support system here. Live for them."
"I am sorry Tsunade but my parents died young and I have no siblings. While Naruto and Sasuke have been wonderful, I have no family left in this world. If I had children, they would have no one to call 'grannie' or something. I don't mind losing a few years in order to help someone else keep living that actually has a family." Sakura left the Hokage's office without listening to Tsunade's response. She kept walking, not sure where she was going, but couldn't help the fighting the tears that threaten to fall.
'No, I refuse to cry.' Sakura took a few deep breaths, calming her eyes and her heart. When Sakura finally looked around, she noticed she was at training ground eleven. 'Of course, my mind brings me to the place that makes me think of Itachi.' Sakura kicked a small rock and sat down in the middle of the clearing. She started the hand signs for the jutsu and when she was about to finish the sequence, someone interrupted her.
"Sakura, stop." She whipped her head to the left and saw Itachi leaning against a tree. Sakura remained quiet and started the sequence over again but before she could get to the third one, Itachi grabbed her wrist to stop her. Sakura in turn, grabbed his and twisted on the ground before kicking up with both her feet into Itachi stomach, sending him flying. Itachi recovered in the air and crouched down when he reached the ground.
"What do you want Itachi?" Sakura was surprised by the coldness in her voice but refused to dwell on the matter when there was a possible upcoming brawl with a powerful opponent.
"You cannot learn that jutsu Sakura." Sakura stood there with her fists clenched in anger and frustration. She looked Itachi dead in the eye and spoke her next words very clearly.
"You can't stop me." Before Sakura could blink, she felt pain in her stomach and then in her back, leading her to believe that Itachi had just unleashed a powerful kick to her gut and she landed against a tree. Sakura staggered to her feet, quickly healing her bruises and got into her taijutsu stance. She waited for Itachi to make the first move.
The two shinobi stood there for almost a minute before Itachi was suddenly in front of Sakura, grabbing her throat and pinning her to the tree. Itachi expected Sakura to lose her mind when he did this so he placed his mouth next to her ear and whispered softly to her.
"Wrong answer, kounichi." Sakura put her head down, as if in shame, but instead it was to hide the smirk that graced her face. Sakura grabbed Itachi's wrist and before he could react, snapped it in a bone crushing grip. He immediately let go and cradled his hand against him. Itachi could feel the bones rub together when he tried to move his arm. Itachi, even with his superior knowledge and experience, was at a disadvantage with only one arm. This meant strictly a taijutsu and kenjutsu fight. Itachi got into his position, minus his right hand, and faced Sakura. This time, Sakura attacked first.
Sakura knew calling Itachi out like this was a suicide mission but she refused to be completely bossed around by Itachi. She made this decision on her own and Itachi had no place interfering. She wouldn't die before she got a protégé, Tsunade made that obvious, so Itachi should have no problem with her learning this jutsu. If anything, it would make her stronger and her protégé stronger because she could teach this technique to him or her.
When Sakura charged, she knew she couldn't do a head on attack because Itachi would see right through it. Sakura put her hands together and gathered the correct amount of chakra.
"Kage no Bushin!" Then, about four Sakuras appeared. Itachi could clearly see with his sharingan that all of these were fakes but knew Sakura was trying to distract him. Itachi dealt with three of the clones and went to attack the fourth when he felt a chakra signature closing in behind him. He took out his katana and turned to face Sakura at the last possible second. Blades clashed and sparked from the impact and Sakura used her one arm advantage to push Itachi backwards. Then, Itachi felt metal at his neck.
'Shit, the clone.' Itachi sent an elbow backwards and received a cut on his neck before the clone disappeared and the kunai dropped to the ground. Itachi sent a low kick to Sakura and picked up the kunai in one motion before throwing it at her, embedding it in her stomach. Sakura, mid-air, gathered chakra in her hand and quickly healed the wound before throwing the kunai back at Itachi. He easily blocked it but it forced him to allow Sakura to land and they faced off again. Sakura charged, the look in her eyes becoming more and more like Itachi's, cold and calculating. She disappeared again and quickly reappeared behind Itachi and sent a kick to his side. The kick connected but Itachi used his hands to grab Sakura's foot and bring her with him to the ground. Itachi used the momentum to bring Sakura under him and threw her to the ground and landed on top of her. He grabbed both her hands in his right and brought a kunai from his holster and brought it to her neck.
When Sakura opened her eyes, she noticed two things; she had a kunai to her neck and Itachi was straddling her. Sakura visibly blushed at the contact and could feel her pulse speed up. She looked into Itachi's eyes and felt herself drawn to them. She couldn't explain the feeling but she knew that she wanted to be as close to Itachi as possible. Sakura could feel her heart pounding in her ears and a numb sensation washed over her body. Sakura bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back a moan. Sakura could feel Itachi's lower half pressed up against hers and fought the urge to lift her hips.
"Um, Itachi. Can you please get off?" Sakura looked to the side and Itachi sat back on his feet, pressing himself further into Sakura before getting off. Sakura lay in the grass, catching her breath before sitting up. Itachi offered her a hand and she took it graciously. Itachi pulled Sakura to her feet but pulled a little too hard and Sakura fell into his chest. Sakura placed her hands on Itachi's chest and felt her whole body mold into his. Sakura stared at Itachi's chest but eventually her gaze went upwards and finally she looked into Itachi's eyes. She gasped at the proximity but neither of them moved, both mesmerized by the other. Sakura's eyes flickered down to Itachi's lips and then back up to his eyes. They both started moving closer and Sakura tilted her head a little bit but before their lips made contact, a voice interrupted them.
"Um, Itachi-san." Sakura flew away from Itachi at lightning speed and looked to her right and saw Yuki Fuku standing, looking down obviously embarrassed she caught the two. Sakura immediately froze, realizing that Itachi's fiancée saw them almost kiss. And then Sakura realized that she almost kissed Itachi. She looked back at him and saw that he was confused as well by that moment.
"Later Itachi." Sakura quickly disappeared, leaving the two Uchiha's to their thoughts and conversation.
"Yuki-san—"
"It's okay Itachi-san. I know that look; I look at a man the same way you look at her. This same man is the reason why I want you to call off the wedding." Yuki let Itachi register her words.
"Yuki-san, you are mistaken. Sakura is my protégé." Itachi knew it was dangerous to tell Yuki this information but she was asking him to disappoint/disgrace his family so he figured she would keep his secret.
"Itachi-san, I did not come her to lecture you but that is not the way you look at your protégé." Yuki walked up to Itachi and placed her hand gently on his. Itachi looked at her hand and then to her face before sighing lightly.
"Yuki-san. It will be difficult for me to call off the wedding. Plans are being set into motion but we must stall. Argue with your father about the dowry and such. Try to get him to fight my father for a few more months. If that doesn't work, I promise you I will call it off." Itachi didn't know why he felt so compelled to not marry Yuki but boiled it down to her own happiness and desire to be with another man.
When Yuki first confronted Itachi about calling off the wedding, Itachi was surprised to say the least. He thought that Yuki wanted to marry him and therefore could not think of an adequate answer. He remembers Sakura's face flashing in his vision as soon as Yuki made the request but dismissed the idea. He told Yuki that this would take an effort on both sides and she was hesitant but agreed. She explained to Itachi that there was someone outside of the clan that she had fallen in love with. The man already shared his plans to propose and Yuki was forced to tell him of her situation with Itachi. The man was upset but refused to give up and asked Yuki to talk to Itachi.
Itachi looked down at Yuki and extended his arm to her, out of politeness and guided her back to the Uchiha compound.
Sakura, when she returned to her apartment, immediately jumped in the shower to wash off the numbness of Itachi's touch. She brought her hand to her lips and bit her lip.
'I can't believe I almost kissed him.' Sakura shook her head and finished in the shower. She walked over to her dresser and got dressed. Then, Sakura walked up to her calendar and she looked at the date.
"August 29th." Sakura flipped a few pages and went to December. "Exactly four months till the ANBU exam." Sakura didn't know if she was stronger, having only fought against Itachi these last few weeks. She flexed her arms, noticing that her muscles were getting bigger and every inch of fat had been trimmed from her body. Sakura stepped on her scale that read total body fat, in percentage. When the number finally appeared, Sakura gasped.
'5 percent?' The last time Sakura got on the scale, before her training with Itachi, she was at about twelve percent body fat. Sakura stepped off the scale and went to the kitchen to make herself dinner. Then, Sakura went to bed.
Sakura and Itachi ignored the moment they shared that August day and continued to train. Mostly Itachi spoke, still mad at Sakura for trying to learn that jutsu and since Sakura lost, she refrained from completing the jutsu out of respect. After a month more of training, Sakura had made significant improvements in every area of ninjutsu. She was more than proficient in kenjutsu, already started to learn the katana and her taijutsu was on par with Gai and Lee. Itachi watched as Sakura grew every day and saw the traces of her inner child disappear. Sakura started to become a cold and calculated shinobi and Itachi knew to keep his distance.
Itachi could feel some sort of attraction towards Sakura but knew he could no act upon it. She was a striking beauty and no man could truly deny that but regardless, Itachi kept his distance from Sakura, except during spars. He knew that he was treading on dangerous waters but Hana was being put back on the active roster tomorrow and Itachi already had a two week mission lined up for the day after. Itachi watched as Sakura practiced the fireball jutsu he taught her today. He could already see her fingers were slightly burned along with the corners of her mouth but she refused to stop until Itachi told her to and so far, Itachi was pushing Sakura past the her breaking point; again. When Itachi finally called for their training session to start, Sakura allowed for her fingers to heal on their own, creating slight calluses. Itachi walked up to Sakura and looked her dead in the eye.
"I will be leaving on a two week long mission. I want 100 pounds added to your weights by the end of the two weeks and I expect you to have mastered that jutsu along with others I will teach you tomorrow before I leave." And with no other words, Itachi disappeared leaving Sakura to walk back to her apartment alone. Ever since that 'almost' kiss she and Itachi shared, he had been nothing but cold to her but she understood. They were both fighting something between them which became increasingly harder to do when they were constantly around each other. Sakura had spent more time with Itachi in these last two months than she has spent around Ino. Almost six hours a day were dedicated to Itachi's training session and Sakura didn't get to see much of anyone else since she would return to her apartment, shower, eat and then sleep.
Sakura didn't mind her forced anti-social tendencies because of Itachi but she did miss her friends. She figured after the ANBU exams, her life would become filled with missions, some of which might include Naruto and Sasuke if they pass as well in Tsunade's desire to keep team 7 together. Kakashi had gone back to ANBU after they all had become jounin. Sakura figured it was a superiority complex thing and Kakashi felt the need to be a level above the three of his pupils.
Sakura sighed as she felt her muscles quiver under the hot water as she bathed her body. Sakura had not realized the strain she was constantly putting her muscles through but no matter how hard she pushed herself, she never pulled or tore any muscles while training with Itachi from pure over exertion.
'I guess Itachi knows when to call it quits.' Sakura could feel the burns on her fingers tingle under the water but they didn't hurt, Sakura made sure of that. When Sakura was fully dressed, she looked back at her calendar and sighed.
"Three months. Bring it on." Sakura added fifty pounds to her weights and then decided to walk around the village. "I need to get groceries anyway." Sakura moved, albeit slowly, towards the market. Sakura did the calculations and the total added weight on each band was now equal. Every week, Itachi added twenty five pounds. In total, Sakura had about two hundred pounds to each, bringing the grand total on each weight to almost four hundred pounds. Sakura was astonished that she could carry this much weight without chakra but realized that her muscles slowly grew accustomed to the weight over time, making it easier for her body to handle.
"I wonder if Itachi will let me take off my weights during the ANBU exam…" Sakura knew the answer would probably be no but hoped for the best anyway. "I want to see how fast I am…" Sakura chuckled as she reached the market and started to get her groceries which consisted of vegetables, chicken and some noodles. She stopped at Ichiraku and decided to get some ramen while she was out. She was going to get a table by herself but a group of her friends; Ino, Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, Tenten, and Neji were gathered around a table and called her over. Sakura graciously ordered a beef ramen and sake and joined the group. She sat next to Sasuke on the end and smiled, happy to be with her friends.
"So Sakura, how is the training going?" Naruto asked his mouth full of food. Sakura took a bite of her ramen and a sip of her sake before giving her answer.
"It's tough but I am learning a lot. I am afraid I am not getting stronger but we will see when the ANBU exams come around." She saw Sasuke and Naruto nod but noticed their hands clenched.
'They are nervous… why?' Sakura didn't have long to contemplate the idea before Neji asked her a question, very softly.
"And how are the Uchiha's taking the knowledge of Itachi training you?" Sakura snapped her head to Neji and saw him smirk knowing he was talking about her being Itachi's protégé.
'Oh no.' Sakura gulped and looked to Tenten to tell Neji to back off.
"That isn't fair Neji. You especially know what Sakura is going through." Neji looked embarrassed before grabbing Tenten's hand under the table.
"To answer your question Neji, Itachi-san's family does not know the extent of our training. They believe I am paying him for lessons so I would appreciate you keeping your mouth shut." Sakura grabbed her sake and took another swig.
"I do not mean to bring out anger Sakura. I am just sending a warning. Uchihas can be assholes when it comes to this thing. They are picky about who learns their secret jutsus and such. Criticism will be extremely mean and you will get more shit from that family than you realize. Normally, Itachi would be forced to pick within their clan and the elders expect that much from him after he marries Fuku-san." Sakura's fist clenched at the name of Itachi's fiancée, which only went noticed by Sasuke, and Neji excused Tenten and himself from the table. They left quietly and Sakura looked down to her hands.
"Do you guys think I should stop training with Itachi?" No one answered immediately, all not wanting to give Sakura the harsh truth.
"Yes." Sasuke was the first to speak up and turned to Sakura with a protective gleam in his eyes. Sakura looked down at her hands, knowing that Sasuke was right.
"Why?" Sakura couldn't help but ask, wondering if it was only jealousy on Sasuke's part.
"Because he will only hurt you Sakura." Sasuke said nothing else and Sakura departed, leaving behind her friends and her half eaten ramen. Sakura walked the dark streets of Konoha, still carrying her groceries. The weights had become much easier to deal with and became lighter the longer Sakura walked. Suddenly, someone was in front of her.
"Shishu-san." Sakura nodded her head to the older, flirtatious Uchiha. He nodded back and smiled crookedly.
"Sakura-san. I would appreciate a moment of your time." Sakura nodded and walked next to Shishu, who had grabbed her groceries in one hand and offered his arm with the other. Sakura took his arm out of respect and walked side-by-side with the Uchiha. Sakura felt nothing as she touched Shishu and waited for him to speak.
"I have come to you tonight Sakura about my baby cousin."
"I assure you Sasuke is fine—"
"I am not talking about Sasuke." Shishu looked down at Sakura and she immediately blushed and looked away from his intense gaze. Sakura tried to pull away from Shishu but he held her tight to his side. Sakura gave up the fight and decided to talk to Shishu.
"Nothing is going on with Itachi. He is simply training me and I am paying him. I don't see why everyone is so critical."
"I know a few things Sakura. And I want to tell you what I know because I want you to talk straight with me." Shishu led them to a bench and sat them down.
"I know that you aren't paying Itachi. I know that you are his protégé and I know that he has a really difficult few months ahead of him. And yet, with all these other distractions, he picks now to train you, knowing that it would occupy most of his time. Now Sakura," he turned to her again, "tell me why my baby cousin would take on that addition distraction."
"Shishu—" But Shishu held up his hand.
"I also know that Itachi is being abused by his father and the council." Sakura gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Sakura had suspicions about the wounds but now that they were confirmed, she felt fear flood to every inch of her body.
"We must tell the Hokage!" Sakura turned her body to Shishu, concern covering her face. Shishu smirked.
"I have tried Sakura but I didn't tell you that last piece of information for you to rat out my uncle behind Itachi's back." Sakura blushed slightly, being caught at thinking of that idea.
"So why did you tell me?"
"To gauge your reaction." Sakura's mouth opened and her hand came up and across Shishu's face and the slap resounded throughout the darkness. Shishu smiled and brought his hand up to his cheek.
"You bastard! Playing with my emotions like that. How do I even know you were being serious about Itachi's father." Sakura started to walk away but Shishu grabbed her and threw her against a tree and trapped her between the tree and his body.
"First, never touch me again like that." Sakura looked straight into Shishu's eyes, refusing to back down. "Second, I would never lie to you about that and third, I was gauging your reaction because I needed to know the extent of your attraction to my cousin." Sakura gulped visibly, becoming nervous by the proximity to Shishu. Shishu noticed and pressed his body closer to Sakura's and she froze. Every fiber of her being was frozen still except her eyes. She looked up at Shishu and noticed his face moving closer. Sakura lifted her hands to push him away but Shishu stopped before he got any further.
"Nice of you to join us, Itachi." Shishu put his forearm against the tree, above Sakura's head and turned his head behind him to look at Itachi. By turning his body like this, Sakura was able to see Itachi and knew that he was not happy.
"Itachi—"
"Do not speak, Sakura." Sakura kept her mouth shut, the anger spewing from Itachi's voice. Itachi turned his gaze from Sakura to Shishu who had a smirk on his face. "Get away from her." Shishu brought his hand to Sakura's cheek and she flinched under his touch.
"So soft… Itachi, have you ever had the pleasure to touch the young cherry blossom?" Shishu knew that baiting Itachi was dangerous but he needed to push Itachi to realize his feelings for Sakura.
"Shishu, last warning. Back down." Itachi took a step forward but before he could react, Shishu turned back to Sakura, grabbed her face and brought his lips to hers. Sakura gasped at the contact and Shishu pushed his tongue into her mouth. Sakura was about to push Shishu away when he was suddenly pulled from Sakura's body and thrown almost twenty feet away. Sakura looked up to see Itachi's back in front of her, protecting her from Shishu.
Itachi saw red when he gazed upon Shishu's lips upon Sakura's. He couldn't control his rage and threw Shishu off Sakura. Then he charged Shishu bringing him to his face and his sharingan was spinning.
"Mad I touched her Itachi? You have no claim to her. You guys haven't signed that agreement. Can't blame her for wanting some male attention." Itachi reached back and punched his cousin in the jaw and followed up with a kick to his side. Shishu lay on the ground in pain and Itachi walked up to him and crouched down.
"Never touch her again. She is mine." Itachi watch Shishu stumble away and looked down at his hands. 'She is mine? What compelled me to say that.' Itachi walked back to Sakura who was still standing against the tree Shishu had her pinned to. Itachi didn't say a word as he walked up to Sakura. He watched as she put her hand to her lips, contemplating the events that transpired. When Itachi reached Sakura, he stood only inches away from her. Both remained quiet but Sakura was the first to speak.
"Itachi… Shishu told me that your father hits you. Is that true?" Itachi's eyes widened but he gave no answer. Instead he lifted his hand to Sakura's cheek and she leaned into his touch. Itachi's body suddenly became numb and his heart quickened by the simple touch. He gazed upon Sakura's face, mesmerizing each line and inch. Her eyes were closed and she sighed deeply in content. Itachi couldn't help as his body started becoming warm, as if he was on fire on the inside. He could feel himself become hard only at the sight of Sakura. He took a step forward, pressing his body against Sakura's. Sakura knew she was trapped but gave no inclination that she wanted to move. She gasped at the feeling of Itachi's body pressed against her. She didn't want to open her eyes, afraid it would break that spell.
Itachi placed his other hand on Sakura's hip, his body moving on instinct alone.
"Sakura." Sakura opened her eyes and gazed into Itachi's. Her mouth fell open slightly and Itachi could feel her chest pressed against his. Itachi couldn't tell if she or he was breathing quickly but he couldn't seem to control his actions or his thoughts right now. Itachi's mind was flooded with Sakura's scent and the ideas coming to his about her body and the things he would do to it. Itachi felt himself become harder by the second, knowing that Sakura would be able to feel the extent of his desire. When Sakura's eyes widened, he knew that he had been caught but before she could voice an opinion he spoke.
"Did you enjoy Shishu's touch?" Itachi's hands clenched a little at the question and Sakura's relaxed a little bit.
"Itachi, remember the agreement? I can't enjoy any man's touch." Sakura smiled, a fake smile, at Itachi and his eyes narrowed. He brought his lips to Sakura's ear and she arched into the feeling, pressing herself against Itachi's growing erection. He allowed for a sharp intake of breath to convey exactly how much that movement affected his body.
"And yet, you enjoy mine." Sakura remained silent, her hands grasping Itachi's shoulders. And then, Itachi pushed his erection against Sakura's core and she let out an audible gasp and moaned.
"Oh god, Itachi." And then Itachi lost it. He brought his head back and crashed his lips onto Sakura's. Sakura reacted immediately and opened her mouth to Itachi. He invaded her mouth with his tongue and brought his hand to her waist and pushed her into the tree even harder than before. Sakura responded by wrapping her legs around Itachi's waist and brought her hands to his hair, burying them in his raven locks. Itachi growled when Sakura wrapped her legs around his waist and brought his hands higher up Sakura's body, pushing her shirt up and lightly touching the flat plane of her stomach. Itachi could feel her abs under his finger tips and smirked when he felt the goose bumps cover her skin. Sakura pulled away from Itachi and buried her head into his shoulder.
"Itachi." Itachi shushed her, hoping that silence would make this okay. He brought his lips to her neck and kissed, bit and licked Sakura's skin. She moaned at the contact and threw her head back while thrusting her hips into Itachi's. Itachi bit down hard when Sakura did this, fighting back the moan that threatened to escape. Itachi pulled back and looked at Sakura. Her lips were swollen from Itachi's mouth and her cheeks were flush from pleasure. Itachi's lips quirked and he felt some sort of pleasure knowing that he brought this response out of Sakura. Itachi brought his lips back to Sakura's and kissed her gently this time. Sakura responded and sighed contently. Suddenly, they both felt a chakra signature and separated. Sakura looked at Itachi, her clothes disheveled and brought her hands to her mouth.
"Oh my god…" Sakura shook her head and became increasingly angry. "You bastard! I can't believe you! You deliberately fuck with my emotions for some sick amusement to-to-to outdo your cousin. You sick fuck." Sakura wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and spit on the ground. She saw Itachi's eyes narrow and he went to take a step forward.
"No. Itachi. I am done. I should have listened to my friends. They said you were going to hurt me and I thought you were different. But, just as I thought, you are like every other man in my life. You disappoint me. I thought we could remain teacher and student but obviously you cannot do that. I am sorry Itachi, but I can no longer be your protégé." Sakura turned from Itachi and ran as fast as she could, leaving Itachi with his thoughts.
Itachi watched as Sakura disappeared into the darkness and violently punched the tree that was to his left.
'I can't believe I lost control like that. I need to give Sakura her space. Maybe she will be more amicable when I return.'
Little did Itachi know, Sakura, instead of being upset, was smiling at her devious plan. Sakura was affected by Itachi and his attention but she was playing a game with Itachi. She knew that while she was his protégé, without beating him, she could not learn the jutsu Tsunade taught her. But Itachi was leaving for two weeks on a mission and that gave her more than enough time to learn the jutsu and store a massive amount of chakra. Sakura only hoped that Itachi would take her back as his protégé.
Sakura could still feel her heart pounding while she ran back to her house. She felt a tingling sensation on her lips and her skin felt like it was burning where Itachi's hands touched her. She knew that this was getting out of hand but she needed to keep learning from Itachi up until the ANBU exams, and then she was going to call off being his protégé. Sakura felt a little remorse for playing Itachi this way but couldn't think of another option. She needed to be ready for the exams and the only way she could do that was by playing along with Itachi. Sakura knew that if she stopped learning from him after the ANBU exam, he would have enough time to procure another one, she hoped. Sakura knew this plan could completely backfire in her face but it was her only option.
When Sakura arrived at her apartment, she sat down on her floor and made the appropriate hand signs and whispered, "Nimpo Sozo Saize." Suddenly, Sakura was surrounded by her chakra and a mark started to appear on her forehead. Sakura felt her chakra drain from her body and come to a point between her collarbones. When Sakura was finished, she got up slowly and went to the mirror. When she noticed she didn't have a mark between her eyebrows, like Tsunade, she saw a small mark on her chest. It looked like two C's mirroring each other but the curves were more elongated. The mark was long ways, almost as if it was connecting her collarbones together. Sakura traced the mark and noticed it was almost tattooed into her body.
Sakura walked over to her bed, stripping her clothes like always as she approached her bed and crawled under the covers. Sakura knew that she didn't have to meet Itachi tomorrow and wouldn't see him for two weeks so she slept soundly, relishing in the freedom she felt to make a choice on her own for once.
Itachi didn't sleep that night, like always. He continued to replay the events of the night in his mind. The feeling of Sakura pressed against him, her skin under his fingertips and the desire he felt when he pressed his lips to hers. Itachi stared up at his ceiling in his apartment with a blank stare. Itachi didn't know what to think anymore.
"Shit." Itachi really didn't know what else to say. Everything in his life was falling apart and Itachi felt so out of place. Usually, Itachi's life was in complete order but ever since he met and started to train Sakura, his ideas and beliefs changed. So much so, that Itachi was prepared to betray his family because of Sakura's influence. Itachi was sure Sakura didn't realize that she completely changed his mind about his family with a simple phrase, no clan is above Konoha law, not even yours. After Sakura said that, he went to Tsunade and confided in her the Uchiha's plan to overthrow Konoha, no matter what. Tsunade suggested that she speak with Fugaku and the Uchiha council but Itachi immediately protested and said that it wouldn't make a difference.
"Tsunade-sama. My father is set on me replacing you and gaining control of Konoha. It wouldn't surprise me if he has spies amongst your ANBU. There is no way to stop him." Itachi knew that was a lie. There was one way to stop Fugaku and the council; to kill them.
"Itachi. I shouldn't ask you to do this but it must be done. If your father and the council won't listen to reason then they can be counted as traitors and I have to arrest them." Itachi knew that would bring disgrace to the Uchiha name which is something he did not want. Itachi paused for a second before bringing up his idea.
"Tsunade-sama. I know poisons can be directed to kill specifically, right?" Tsunade nodded, not really liking where this conversation was going. "I want you to create a poison that kills male Uchihas." Itachi stared into Tsunade's face as her eyes widened in horror.
"Itachi, that will kill everyone, even the children." Itachi shook his head and sat down, wanting to explain his reasoning.
"You will need to make sure that Sasuke and Shishu are out of the village on the date, under no circumstances. My father will approach Sasuke right before the coup so we have time. You will need to send them on a long mission, months in advance. Tell my father it is non-negotiable." Tsunade nodded, still uncertain by the concept.
"What about the children?" Itachi nodded, knowing that is a main concern of his own.
"I will talk to the wives and give them a warning. I will tell them that on a certain day, they need to leave the compound along with their sons who want to remain innocent. I know most of the wives are clueless to this plan and will head my warning; they trust me." Itachi watched Tsunade nod and come to accept the idea but then the idea suddenly struck her.
"Who will administer the poison?" Itachi didn't answer and allowed Tsunade to draw her own conclusions. "Itachi, you can't. There are plenty of people that can do this." Itachi shook his head and allowed for his shoulders to slump forward.
"Tsunade, don't you see?" Itachi dropped the honorific, feeling that when talking about his death, he would rather talk to an equal and not his Hokage. "I am the only one that can do this. Everyone will ask questions and you can use me as a scapegoat."
"Itachi, you don't mean…"
"Yes, after I disperse the poison, it will kill me and you will tell everyone that I went rogue and killed the males in my clan. I knew the poison would kill me so you can say it was murder-suicide." Itachi waited for Tsunade to speak but she gave no answer for a long time. Finally she spoke.
"Itachi. I do not like this idea but I find no other way around it. I will have our greatest poison makers work on this, swearing them to secrecy and I will brief them. They will have a silence jutsu placed on them so our secret is safe. But Itachi," he looked up at Tsunade and saw concern in her eyes, "if you decided to follow through with this, I want you to end this business with Sakura." Itachi bore his gaze into Tsunade's and spoke with a calm, soothing and finalized tone.
"I will not." Itachi stood and walked out of the room and looked over his shoulder. "Tsunade-sama, please understand my intention was to never hurt Sakura but," Itachi paused and grasped the door tightly, "I want to make sure that my legacy lives on and Sakura is the key. I need her." And with that, Itachi left Tsunade to her thoughts and the guilt of many lives on her shoulders.
Itachi grew frustrated at the memory. He was willing to give his life to Konoha and yet he couldn't give up Sakura. He felt the guilt eating away at his heart, muscle and bone. Every fiber of his being was filled with remorse of his actions and he could nothing to control these emotions from flooding his mind. Itachi kept up a dam for so long keeping these emotions out and Sakura came into his life in a bigger way than he thought and brought that dam down.
'I can't control my body when I am around her, it is getting ridiculous.' Itachi wanted to wrap his hands around her throat again and finish the job, hoping her death would bring relief to his mind but the thought of the death of Sakura made his heart hurt and his stomach feel heavy, as if he just ate a ton of rocks. He could feel his throat constrict that the concept of Sakura being gone and the image of her death flickered in his vision and then completely disappeared. Itachi swung his legs to the floor and stood up, trying to rid himself of these burdens. He grabbed his coat and walked out of his apartment to try and walk off a sleepless night.
Sakura awoke feeling groggy and rubbed her eyes to try and rid the sleep from her body. She sprung out of bed when she looked at the clock and saw that it was almost noon.
"Shit!" Sakura started to run to the shower but realized that she did not have training with Itachi today. Sakura paused for a second and decided, on a whim, to go to training ground eleven and see if he would even show up.
When Sakura arrived at the training grounds, it was empty. Sakura didn't think that Itachi was actually going to be there but she had a tiny bit of hope that he would decide to make a random appearance. A part of Sakura wanted him to come to the training ground and sweep her off her feet and take her away, forgetting all about the protégé agreement but Sakura knew that was a stupid dream and nothing more. Sakura had no idea what was going on with Itachi. His family was abusing him and yet his mother seemed to have no idea but he was still being secretive with her.
"Is there more to this than I think?" Sakura placed her hand on a tree and absorbed its chakra and transferred it to her mark. Sakura continued to walk around the training ground, doing it with every tree, the grass around her and the animals that scurried by her. Sakura knew she was murdering these innocent beings but, strangely, Sakura found that she did not care.
'Is this a result of my training with Itachi? Have I become that cold?' Sakura couldn't help but remember how warm she felt when Itachi was touching her bare skin and blushed profusely at the memory.
"I didn't think you would come." Sakura whipped around and saw Itachi standing at the opposite end of the training ground.
"Itachi." Sakura didn't say more and Itachi didn't expect her to. They stood there for moments, waiting for something to happen. Itachi looked to Sakura's chest and saw her tattoo.
"I see." Itachi walked towards Sakura and she didn't move. She couldn't move. It's almost as if Itachi presence alone rooted her to the spot and froze her body. She could hear her heart beat pounding against her chest and her skin started to heat up, Itachi not even being within close proximity to the young kounichi. Sakura's mind was telling her to flee, to run from Itachi and never return but her body wouldn't move, only her fingers twitched slightly. Itachi stood in front of Sakura and lifted his hand. His placed his finger on one end of the curve and ghosted his finger over the mark. Sakura bit her lip, not wanting to make a sound, hoping that her silence would keep this moment in a dream. Any noise would bring them crashing back to reality.
Sakura looked at Itachi for the first time in a long time. She studied his face and noticed that he didn't have a single pore. The only flaw seemed to be the two lines at were etched into his face from sleepless nights. Sakura couldn't help it as her arm lifted to Itachi face. She cupped his jaw with both hands and Itachi dropped his hand from her tattoo and looked into Sakura's face. She used her thumbs to trace the lines on his face and looked into his eyes.
"What keeps you up at night, Itachi?" He gave no answer for a long time, searching for the appropriate response. Normally Itachi wouldn't have answered because he didn't know but now Itachi knew what kept him up at night and made him walk in the darkness alone.
"My future." Itachi expected Sakura to show pity but he saw the cold and calculated response flood her eyes.
"We are shinobi. We have no future." And with that, Sakura turned and walked away, giving Itachi plenty of time to stop her but he watched her walk away. Itachi stood there for a moment after Sakura disappeared and walked back to his apartment. He contemplated her answer for a long time and when he got to his apartment he felt strangely tired. He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes, expecting him to only meditate but suddenly, Itachi found himself growing weary and he fell asleep and, for the first time in a long time, he slept the whole afternoon and through the night to the morning.
Sakura released a breath she was holding as she walked away from Itachi, trying to keep herself upright and not collapse from the pressure of Itachi's presence. Sakura didn't know if she could continue being his protégé but hoped that a few weeks apart might lessen her feelings. Sakura told herself that she would keep her emotions at bay but when Itachi reciprocated those feelings, she couldn't help but respond. It was like he opened a door that she had to walk through. Sakura had never felt this way about any man, even Gaara. When she and Gaara were intimate, she loved him but Itachi sparked a desire in her she could not even describe. It was as if her whole body was on fire from the inside and she couldn't control her actions when she was around him.
Already feeling exhausted from the day's events and only being awake for an hour, Sakura walked to her favorite restaurant and decided to eat out today. Sakura needed time to sip on her sake and eat her lunch but when Sasuke sat down, she did not expect the next words out of his mouth.
"I think my family is planning to take over Konoha and my brother is at the heart of it." Sakura put down her chopsticks, took the whole sake bottle and chugged it right there.
"Fuck."
End.
