AN: Hey guys! Just to clear up any confusion, because I've received some messages about this; the sharingan I'm referring to at the beginning of this chapter are ninja throwing stars, not a kekkei genkai. Kunai are very widely used, however throughout the series there is a fair bit of sharingan/shuriken use as well. I read a lot of translations of the manga where they used shuriken and sharingan interchangeably, so that's where I got that writing quirk from.

Sorry for any confusion, hope you guys like the story! Thanks so much for all of the support and encouragement, I'll try to be more regular with updating the story now that I'm not in the middle of university classes. :)

Five months later

Sakura landed, one leg extended to distribute her weight. She sucked in a deep breath of air as she rose and glanced up at her handiwork. All but one of her shuriken were fully embedded in the posts opposite her. She glanced at the fallen star wistfully, wiping the sweat from her brow. Not bad for coming off a triple shift.

Walking over to the post, she began to yank them out one by one. One was giving her a particularly hard time and she pushed the tiniest amount of chakra into her arm. She gave it one last pull and it slid out as if the dense wood was made of butter. Satisfied, she dropped them back into her weapons pouch and glanced upwards. The last streaks of dawn were just fading away and she had the training grounds to herself.

She stretched her arms over her head and yawned widely. Flopping down on the soft grass beneath a tree, she closed her eyes.

If she could catch even just a few minutes of sleep before she got called in again she would thank her lucky stars. She started to drift off immediately, sighing in contentment. She was so drowsy that she didn't even pay the rapidly approaching footsteps any mind.

"Sakura! Wake up, hey!"

She cracked one eye open to see Naruto peering down at her. He grinned widely and flopped down on the grass.

"What're you sleeping for?" He babbled, flipping his pendant around his fingers. "I've been up since dawn and I've already trained with Kakashi-sensei and I ran into Kiba and we're going to train later and-"

He cut off to take in a giant gulp of air. "-and I'm going to teach Shikamaru how to make a rasengan. "

She closed her eyes again, and smiled slightly. "Forget anything?"

He frowned thoughtfully. "I'll tell you if I remember."

"You're chipper." She yawned. "Sounds like a good start to the day, wish I had that much excitement."

"Yours hasn't ended has it?" He raised his eyebrows so high that they almost disappeared into his headband. "How many shifts this time?"

She smiled tiredly. "Three. It's no big deal, I can sleep later."

He whistled. "Jeez, that old lady's really pushing you hard these days."

She laughed. "I can turn down shifts, you know."

Running a hand through his fluffy hair, he sprawled out next to her. "But you don't."

"Nope. There's so much to do, we're always swamped." She didn't mention that working was the one thing that kept her mind off Sasuke's death, which was still too fresh for both of them.

"Has Kakashi-sensei talked to you yet?" He laced his fingers together behind his head.

She glanced over at him curiously. "No, should he have?"

He shrugged. "Old lady's sending me out on a mission."

Fully awake now, she turned her head and narrowed her eyes. "Is she really? That's interesting."

He fidgeted with the zipper on his jacket absentmindedly. "I haven't been out in a while. She must have nothing better to do if she's letting me out of the village."

Sakura frowned. "Maybe. Who's on the team?"

He avoided her gaze, suddenly finding the blades of grass between his fingers riveting.

Sakura sat up, regarding him warily. "Why do I have a feeling she's sending me along to keep an eye on you."

He chuckled sheepishly. "Something along those lines, yeah."

She groaned. "I should probably go find out what I'm in for."

"I'd hurry if I were you. She seemed mad, like really mad." He was practically bouncing in place, he was so excited.

Smirking, Sakura rose to her feet. "This is going to be interesting. I'll catch up to you later."

"Get some sleep, alright?" He grinned at her, flashing his trademark thumbs up.

Knocking on Tsunade's office door, Sakura was burning with curiosity as to the mission. She could hear the Hokage call out for her to enter, and she pushed the door open.

"Tsunade-sama, you sent for me?" She asked warily, having avoided her as much as possible over the last several months.

"Come in here, close the door behind you." Tsunade turned from the window and settled into her armchair at the oaken desk. "You got here quickly."

"Well, a little fox let me know that you wanted to see me." Sakura replied, running a hand through her hair.

Tsunade laced her fingers together on the desk. "I'm sorry to tear you away from your work here, but I need you to go with him."

Sakura nodded, shrugging. "That's what I expected. What's the deal?"

"I certainly don't need to remind you that this information is not to leave this room." Tsunade pursed her lips. "It's a delicate situation, to be frank. We've received some information about Akatsuki movement to the east. What we know, is a smuggler who goes by the name of Raiton has been supplying them with information and drugs. He's been on our black list for years."

Sakura crossed her arms, intrigued. "So he's the middleman. Are we taking him out and why now?"

The Hokage shook her head. "We need him alive. What the previous Intel missions have been able to determine, is that he carries a scroll in which is recorded every transaction he's ever made and the details of every drug and poison he sells. The information can tell me exactly what to supply the Anbu teams with if they encounter Akatsuki. Until this point we've never been able to pinpoint his base location."

Sakura's brow furrowed. "And what about Naruto's involvement, isn't it too risky to send him out? He's a loose cannon, a great shinobi but so reckless I'd be worried to let him out of my sight."

Tsunade chuckled. "Which is exactly why I'm sending you with him, you're the best option for keeping him in line. I need Raiton alive, the scroll is sealed within his body and without the jutsu to unlock it I have nothing. Given his situation, Naruto knows the most about forbidden seals, although he may need some help."

Sakura smirked. "You know him pretty well; I can keep him from killing the target. Who else is coming with us?"

Tsunade's smile faded, and she was suddenly stern. "Two others, a small team will attract less attention. Neji Hyuuga is one, and the other could potentially cause a problem."

Sakura raised one eyebrow, unsure what she was getting at. "I'm not following."

Tsunade sighed, apparently steeling herself to answer. "Itachi Uchiha has been cleared for reinstatement as an Anbu corps captain. He will be leading the mission."

She felt her blood run cold, and her jaw dropped open. "W-what did you just say?" She stuttered, trying to understand the reasoning behind his appointment as captain.

"There are two reasons for choosing Itachi, first of all he has the most experience out of the lot of you; also he's run into Akatsuki agents before. His genjutsu techniques can also contain Naruto if necessary." Tsunade replied calmly, ignoring the fact that Sakura was openly staring at her.

"Don't look at me like that; I wouldn't pair you four up if I didn't think it was the best choice."

Yeah, just like you thought that implanting Sasuke's eyes was the best choice. Sakura set her jaw, determined to keep her composure. "Of course it's the best option, Tsunade-sama." She answered quietly.

Tsunade sighed. "Sakura, I'm sorry. This isn't easy for me either. I know you've been avoiding me since Sasuke's death."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest. "Of course not, I've been so busy-"

"Don't." Tsunade interrupted her suddenly. "I understand that you're angry with me, I would be too in your position. When a teammate dies it's devastating, but to have his body disturbed after death is quite another thing altogether. If it makes you feel any better, Itachi didn't want the implant."

Sakura bit her lip, ashamed that she'd let her emotions run so rampant. "But it happened anyway."

Tsunade nodded, her face set into a pensive expression that hinted at her true age. "Yes, but you have to understand that Fugaku would have taken the eyes himself if I had not. This hunger for power he has is…well to the say the least, it's worrying. I couldn't have saved Sasuke from the same fate at his father's hands. This was the lesser of two evils."

The revelation about the corrupt nature of the Uchiha clan no longer fazed Sakura. She'd spent the last few months digging for information. What she'd found, had made her realise just how wrong she'd been to trust anything Sasuke had ever told her.

She'd found evidence of crippling mental illness, coupled with birth defects and physical and emotional development complications. All of which hinted at inbreeding, and Sakura knew very well that the Uchiha bloodline or more specifically; the kekkei genkai was coveted.

It was no wonder that they married within the clan, it allowed them to monopolize the optical advantage. She was horrified at the thought of families intermarrying for centuries, it was a wonder they hadn't died off already. To say the least, the effects of such actions were devastating to the remaining Uchiha. The sharingan's abilities and potency were weakening. There were stacks of sealed reports pertaining to loss of vision, and the inability to control and maintain the sharingan with each passing generation was alarming.

She was seeing more and more Uchiha members in the clinic as she attempted to mend some of the damage to their optic nerves. If another's sharingan could prevent further deterioration and mend what had already been lost, she wasn't surprised that Fugaku would take any opportunity presented to him.

That's when she had a chilling thought. Oh god, there's no way.

"Tsunade-sama, I just thought of something." She said slowly, measuring her words and steeling herself for what she was about to say. "Do you think Fugaku knew that Sasuke would fail?"

Tsunade glanced up sharply, her eyes narrowing. "Sakura-"

"He knew. All along, he planned for Sasuke to die." She continued hollowly, her mind whirring to piece together the truth.

"But what he didn't plan on was Sasuke coming here; he counted on him returning home to die. His vision must be completely shot, he's nearly fifty. He needed a sharingan, and Sasuke was the easiest choice."

She glanced up, and met the steady gaze of the Hokage. "He sent his own son to die, because he wanted to be able to continue to use his sharingan."

Tsunade sighed, massaging her temples. "I came to the same conclusion; it all fits together too perfectly to be a coincidence. I underestimated Fugaku's determination, apparently. And because of my ignorance, a young man is dead."

Sakura slumped into the chair opposite her, biting her lip in thought. "But Itachi has Sasuke's eyes now. What's going to happen to him when Fugaku realises where they've gone?"

Tsunade smirked. "Bright as ever, you got to the point quickly. That's the second reason I'm sending him away, I think it would be best for him to leave the village for a while. It's too dangerous for him to be anywhere near his father, especially so soon after the surgery."

Sakura sighed. "I don't like it, but I'll keep an eye on both him and Naruto. How long is the mission?"

Tsunade shrugged. "It could take anywhere from two months to six. It all depends on how quickly you're able to secure Raiton and get him back here. I'm anticipating some trouble coming your way from Akatsuki. Be prepared for that."

"I've got my reserves, I can handle it. If Neji's coming too, we've got one hell of a team together."

Her mentor chuckled. "Yes, you most certainly do. Keeping Naruto from making an attempt on Itachi's life will be your responsibility. Can you handle him?"

Crossing her arms, Sakura stood up. "Yeah, I can. It won't be easy, but I got it covered."

Tsunade nodded, lips pursed. "Thank you. Don't blame him, would ya?"

Sakura could tell when she deep in thought, Tsunade usually slipped into casual dialect when she was mulling over potential scenarios with great concentration. "Who?"

"Itachi. He couldn't help what family he was born into. Cut him a bit of slack."

She shrugged. "I'll do my best."

"Good. You leave at dawn, I'm trusting you to break it to Naruto the details of the mission."

Sakura groaned. Great, that's going to be just fucking fantastic.

She nodded, not trusting herself to say anything, and left quietly. She needed some time to think of the best way to tell Naruto that he was going to be under the command of the man who killed his best friend. This is going to be interesting.