As she headed out the door of her room, Sakura paused a moment to glance in the mirror that hung on the back of the door. Reaching up with one hand, she pushed a lank strand of hair back behind her ear. She told herself that it was the dimness of the chamber that paled her skin and made the dark shadows beneath her eyes.

Coming back around the doorframe, Naruto laid his hand on her shoulder. "You look fine, Sakura. Let's go now." His fiancée nodded mutely and followed along behind him as he crossed the main room and headed down the stairs, his heavy footfalls echoing softly.

Tonight, like every other Thursday night, Naruto had put on his boots and coat and was headed out to his meeting. However, unlike every other Thursday night in the history of the existence of Thursday nights, tonight Sakura was coming with him.

As she stepped out of the building and into the narrow alley it sat next to, Sakura was hit by a gust of chill wind, laden with icy particles that stung her cheeks above the thick wool scarf she wrapped around her chin. Wrapping her arms around herself tightly, she shoved her hands into their opposite pockets, trying to conserve heat. Naruto turned up his collar and plodded ahead, seemingly oblivious to the biting wind. She hurried along behind him, her skirt and coat flapping up as she ran and granting the bitter cold access to her legs, their only protection thin wool stockings.

They walked along for several miles, keeping to the shadows, of which there were many. What streetlamps there were more often than not were in desperate need of repair, and the moon, as on most nights, was cloaked by a dark film of smog from the factory where Naruto worked. There was not much cause for anxiety, anyway. Most guards had stayed at their stations tonight instead of performing the required patrol, eager to escape the biting cold outside. Even if they had been caught, they were not breaking curfew yet, and it was only incredulousy that they would be out on a night like this that would incriminate them.

Trudging onward in Naruto's wake, Sakura could not quite suppress the small flame of anxiety burning in her throat. She kept her teeth clamped tight together lest it should expand and fill her body, though she couldn't help but sardonically think that at least it might warm her up. The cold seemed to have sunk into the very marrow of her bones, and her feet had long since gone completely numb, feeling like little more than cold lumps of iron stuck to her legs. Finally, Naruto stopped outside a dreary-looking building and she stumbled to a halt behind him.

Pulling the thick wool mitten off his hand, Naruto administered a rapid-fire series of knocks to a heavy oaken door, nodding his head in time. His lips moved marginally as he mouthed the order he was following. A moment after he finished knocking, a panel opened in the upper part of the door and a pair of piercing black eyes peered out at them.

"Naruto Uzumaki?" The voice was muffled by the thick wood, but sounded like a woman. Naruto nodded. "Who's there with you?"

"My fiancée, Sakura Haruno." Placing his hand on Sakura's shoulder, he guided her forward so that the woman behind the door could see her. "I can vouch for her; she won't betray us."

The eyes crinkled into a smile. "I don't doubt that." There was a sound of clinking chains and locks, and the door swung inward. Naruto and Sakura entered into a narrow, dimly lit hallway where they were greeted by the woman behind the door. She stuck out her hand to Sakura.

"Lieutenant Inuzuka," she said "but you can call me Hana."

"Sakura Haruno." Sakura smiled thinly and shook the woman's hand. Hana smiled back in a professional and brisk fashion that managed to be warm as well. Pulling her hand back to her side, she nodded to Naruto, then turned and headed off down the hallway.

"This way to the main room," she called back over her shoulder.

Following her, Sakura entered a medium-sized chamber filled with a motley assortment of chairs. About a dozen people, mostly men, roamed about, talking in pairs or small groups. Most were dressed in civilian clothes, with heavy work boots, thick sweaters, and patched skirts and trousers, but Sakura noticed that Hana and a man having a hushed conversation in the corner both wore strange military uniforms. It was a simple costume, with a collared shirt and cravat under a crisp wool jacket, paired with trousers, which Sakura was surprised to see Hana wore as well, but it was unusual as well. Instead of the dark grey that she was accustomed to seeing, these were plain solid black, with not a hint of colour. Also, despite the fact that Hana had introduced herself as Lieutenant and Sakura assumed that the man was her superior, neither of their uniforms had any sort of decoration, not even a flag patch on the sleeve or the golden braid worn on the uniforms of officers in President Uchiha's guard.

The tall man in the corner finished his whispered conversation and strode purposefully to the centre of the room. Seeing him, Hana hurried over and he bent down to murmur something in her ear. A brief look of concern crossed her face, but she quickly smoothed it over and nodded once, professionally. Then, raising her hands in the air, she brought them together with a resounding clap.

"Alright, everybody!" she called. "Time for the meeting!"

The sound of wood on wood filled the room as people pulled the assorted chairs into a sort of circle. Naruto took Sakura's hand and led her over to a pair of straightbacked chairs with dingy cushions. She settled beside him and stared vaguely off into space as the rest of the room seated themselves. Hana and the tall man sat next to each other in ordinary chairs, in no way raised or distinguished from the rest of the room's occupants.

Hana stood first, and called the meeting to order, then took the floor. When she spoke, there was fire in her eyes.

"The anti-riot actions of Uchiha's guard this week have shown us that it is no longer enough to passively smolder in the shadows. He has chosen to attack, and we must respond in kind. I know that some of you have come here eager for battle, but some loathe the idea. If you are not willing to fight and put your life on the line, now is the time to leave. Now is the time for action!"

Her words stirred something in Sakura, a flame that had long burnt in the deepest corners of her heart. The call to action seemed to speak to her personally, and she was sure that the same fire was now filling her eyes that danced so boldly in Hana's.

Hana paused. "You know that I am as loathe as you are to turn this group into a terrorist organisation, but with Uchiha's actions, selective terrorism may be the only choice we have left. He has made this into a warfare situation, and as such, as good as condoned these actions in retaliation."

Murmurs of agreement spread across the room, but Sakura's brow wrinkled with uncertainty. After a moment, she stood, causing Naruto to look up at her confusedly.

"Lieutenant Inuzuka, the floor, if you please?"

"By all means." Hana gestured with her hand as she said, indicating her relinquishment. Sakura swallowed nervously, then faced the room with conviction.

"I agree with your sentiments, Lieutenant. We have been forced into action by Uchiha's recent retaliation. But terrorism is an attack on the people, and is only affected when the government gives a damn about the people's opinions. Of course, creating fear in the populace may cause them to rebel against Uchiha's iron grasp, but it will also paint a negative picture of the rebellion. We must not let ourselves live only in the here and now. Someday, if—no, when—we overthrow that Uchiha bastard, we will have to establish a new government. If we want to put ourselves in a position to do such, we must act with the people in mind now."

Once again heads nodded and whispers were exchanged throughout the room. Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Hana's eyebrows arch infinitesimally, and she exchanged a knowing look with the man beside her.

The rest of the meeting passed fleetingly, with minor debates over strategy and several people taking the floor merely to profess the injustices of the Uchiha rule. Sakura sat quietly in her seat, worrying the hem of her coat and occasionally nodding vaguely. When it ended, she stood and turned to go, but Naruto put a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you mind waiting a bit?" he asked. "I have some questions to ask Kiba."

Sakura mutely nodded and wandered off amongst the groups of people in the room. She felt a touch on her shoulder and turned sharply to find Hana standing behind her.

"If you don't mind, Ms. Haruno, General Morino and I would like to speak to you in private."

Confused, Sakura nodded and followed Hana through the crowd to a side door. Stepping through it, she found herself in a tiny office. Shabby but immaculate shelves lined the walls, and in the centre stood a large desk and several chairs. Directly across from the door, the tall man was seated with his large hands folded in front of him. As the two women entered, he stood and shook Sakura's hand with a firm handshake much like Hana's.

"Ms. Haruno, I presume? I am General Ibiki Morino." His speech was clear despite a heavy German accent. "Please be seated. The lieutenant and I… have a proposition for you." He paused. "Perhaps it's better if you explain, Inuzuka."

Hana sat in a chair by the side of the desk and angled herself to face Sakura. "Like I said, these are desperate times, calling for desperate measures. I agree with you that terrorism is not the best way to get what we want. We—General Morino and I—have known this from the beginning, and we came up with a plan that we think might work. But we never thought we'd actually be able to pull it off until you showed up tonight. It will most likely be dangerous, and I hate to ask it of anyone, but I'm afraid it is the last and the best of the options remaining to us."

Sakura looked down at her hands, and then looked back up and met Hana's eyes. "I would not have come here tonight if I was not willing to act and to put my life on the line for the freedom of my country."

Hana nodded. "But, before you commit… be sure that you are not doing this only for Liberty."

Shock showed plainly on Sakura's face. "How did you—?"

"Never mind how I knew. The point is that you are grieving right now. Before you even decide to hear me out, I want to know that it is not your grief speaking, but you in all your rationality."

Sakura paused and thought. Before Liberty's death, Naruto had asked her many times to attend these meetings with him, and each time she had turned him down. Time and time again she had made a decision not to come. It was only since the day of the riot that she had ever thought otherwise. Was this only her grief, seeking some sort of revenge? She knew that she would never have come here if it weren't for Liberty.

But tonight, something had happened. Sometime during the course of Hana's speech, she had been drawn into the moment, and had almost forgotten about why she was here. All she had known was that this place was where she needed to be right now.

And maybe she never would have come here if Liberty hadn't been killed. But that event had opened her eyes; let her see the world differently. It was because of it that she was here, but not for revenge. She was here in an attempt to make sure that no mother had to go through what she had gone through when she had lost her niece who was a daughter to her.

Sakura's head snapped up and her fiery jade eyes locked onto the dark pools of Hana's irises.

"I speak as a woman who has lost her joy, but also as a woman willing to fight for her country, to the death if need be."

A grim smile graced the older woman's lips. "That may be a necessary eventuality, although we hope that it will not come to that." She paused. "What we seek is no mean feat."

"And what is it that you seek?"

This time, General Morino answered. "Like a venomous snake, this corrupt government we live under is a danger to our society. The best way to kill a snake is to cut off its head."

Hana nodded. "What we are seeking with this mission is no more and no less than the assassination of Itachi Uchiha."

-

At home, in bed, Sakura rolled over to put her back against Naruto. Her mind was dulled by the alcohol she had, perhaps unwisely, consumed after the meeting, but the memory of her discussion with Hana and General Morino was sharp in her mind, like one object in focus shown against a blurred background.

She had sat stiffly in her seat, shocked by Hana's words. An assassination. This was a grand goal for such a small organisation, but they were undeterred. And, more than that, they were sure that she could do it.

"All day, Uchiha is surrounded by personal bodyguards taken from his most loyal soldiers," Hana had said. "Every dish he eats is tasted first; every room he enters is checked to the fullest ability of existing technology. There is only one group of people with whom he is ever alone."

"Who?"

Hana had approached the subject in a way that showed that, while she was quite comfortable with speaking of it, she was restrained by politeness and social convention. "Those women with whom he is… intimate," she said. Her eyes darted over to Sakura, obviously checking her reaction. Seeing this, Sakura nodded slightly, hiding her discomfort.

"Uchiha may not seem the type," Ibiki cut in "but he has many mistresses. It is unlike him to make such a flaw in judgment as to assume that he is in no danger from the women he sleeps with, but I suppose as a man… he has certain needs." Noting the pale blush that graced Sakura's cheeks, he raised his eyebrows. "This type of talk makes you uncomfortable? Maybe you are not cut out for this job after all."

"No, no!" Sakura looked at her hands, unsure of how to explain. "I'm just… unused to talk like this."

"There is one more matter," Hana added. "To become close to Itachi, you must become a member of the court. There are three ways to do such—you can become fabulously wealthy, advance to a high position in the military, or marry into the court. We have chosen the simplest of the three."

"You want me to… marry a court member? But Naruto and I…" Sakura trailed off. Although they were not properly married, she and Naruto had lived as husband and wife for some years now, and it was only the government's control of marriage ceremonies that had led them to remain merely engaged all these years.

"We are not commanding you to do anything. If any part of this plan is not to your liking, you have every right to refuse." Hana's eyes met hers in a piercing gaze. Slowly, Sakura shook her head. After all, if she was going to become Itachi Uchiha's mistress, anyway, what did it matter if she was married? Marriage was just a formality, anyway, a human sign of a much deeper bond.

"But, who can I marry? And how can I carry on any work I have to do without his knowledge?"

Hana smiled. "This is the ingenious part of the plan. We have a member within the innermost circles of our president's court. He has agreed to marry whatever woman we should see fit if it will result in Uchiha's downfall."

Sakura raised her eyebrows. This was impressive and unprecedented. "Who is it?"

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura leapt up in surprise, nearly overturning her chair. "The president's brother? But he—he's—"

"A steadfast revolutionary who has proved his loyalty and has our absolute confidence," Hana finished. "We have nothing to fear from him."

Sakura sank back into her chair, shaking her head in astonishment. "The president's brother…"

Abruptly, Hana pulled a bit of paper from her pocket, and, taking a pen from the desk, scribbled a series of numbers onto it. "Do you have access to a telephone?"

"Yes, there's one in my building, but it's shared so we can't count on privacy."

"We can never count on privacy. That is something you would do well to learn." Hana tapped the scrap with the end of the pen. "I will give you three days. At that point, call this number. If you decide not to carry out this mission, which I will not think any less of you for, simply tell me that you want to cancel our outing. If you have decided to see it through, tell me that you would love to meet for tea. I'll give you the time and place to meet Sasuke. I'll give him a call if you decide to go through with it, and he'll come meet you."

Even now, lying in bed, Sakura shivered at the idea of this whole plan. To marry a man she didn't know, a man she had never even met… and all that so that she could sleep with his brother in an attempt on his life. This was against everything that Sakura had ever been taught was right, but she couldn't be sure of the morality of the whole issue. This was a war situation, and in times like this, everything changed.

But some things would always be the same. Turning back to Naruto, Sakura pulled close to the warmth of his chest and buried her face in his neck, shutting out the blackness of the night.