Chapter 6

"Ino. Wake up." the pink-haired girl whispered slowly at her best friend's ear.

"Huh? S-Sakura?" the blonde girl began to awaken from her sleep as it was midnight when Sakura began to wake her up.

"Get dressed. you're leaving." her statement made Ino flinch as she took in what her friend said.

"Leaving? Where? We're are in Akatsuki's hideout. I cannot simply be leaving." she cried out.

"For now I need you to get out of here safely. I want you to take a message to Tsunade-sama. Are you able to do this?" Sakura's face told Ino all she needed to know.

"Alright." after a while of thinking Ino replied to the girl kneeling besides her.

"Ok. You will have to teleport out of here. I know it's going to take up a lot of chakra as you don't have much left but you have to accomplish this Ino. Can you promise me? That you will pass this personally to Tsunade-sama?"

"Of course Sakura. Alright then, I will be going now. I hope I don't end up too far from the village."

"Go Ino." Sakura remained alone left behind surrounded by Akatsuki. She was just thinking about how it was going to be from now when Itachi opened the door to the room and saw that Sakura was alone in the room. Now it was just the two of them and things were not going well.

^_^

1 hour latter Hokage Tsunade crumbled the note that Ino passed her 10 minutes ago. She could not risk it any longer. She thought that Sakura was in enough danger as she was now in the Akatsuki Hideout. The note was not long and it was coded. However after one glance her sensei decyphered it and she was already sending orders to her ANBU guards. As soon as possible she would have to prepare everything so that Uchiha Itachi could take his place in the Uchiha Compound. That's if Sakura could drag him here, either way or another.

"If I let things get anymore further, she would be trapped there and will never be able to return. Who knows what Akatsuki might do to her." thought her sensei, the one who taught Sakura everything she needed to know about usual life and ninja one. As she was was one of the best medic - ninja in Konoha she couldn't afford leaving Sakura on her own. She had to do something.

^_^

"I cannot prolong my stay here any longer Uchiha Itachi." said Sakura under her breath resisting his grab of her arm at her back.

"I have had enough of your blabbering about this so called stay of yours. You're a prisoner here, and it's high time you understood that."

"Sasuke married Uzumaki Karin." Sakura stated not letting out the cry of pain she's been inflicted by Itachi's Tsukuyomi. She felt him flinch as he as taking in the infomation she just let him into.

"Uzumaki...Karin?" his question would not last long without being answered.

"She was his teammate at one point. But one night they came in Konoha and when I saw them I was enraged. At the time I didn't love him anymore. 2 years already passed after he left the village to become stronger and when he returned I noticed that my feelings were not the same as when I was a small girl." Itachi noted that as she was going on with her story his Sharingan vanished, as he was listening to all she had to say. Finally she was telling him the reason as for why she killed his brother.

"As they were standing at the Konoha gates to gain permission to enter, he saw me, and began walking towards where I was standing watching them. At that moment he introduced me to his wife, Uzumaki Karin. The information didn't crush me as I thought it would, but it left a small impact though. I was somehow just angry at him. Then she started to talk as if I was not there. For some reason she hated me."

(flashback...)

"Sakura, I know this is sudden for you but I need your help."

"You...just come here to ask for my help?" she watched him in the eyes, glaring at him, but at the same time understanding that something bad happened.

"It's about Karin. I need you to help me."

"She's pregnant." Sakura said out of the blue.

"H-How did you know?" Karin asked.

"Sakura is one of the best medic-ninjas in the whole world. This is probably also because of her bloodline-limit." Karin didn't know what to say.

"Bloodline...limit? The only people I heard about having a bloodline limit is Uchiha and Hyuuga from Konoha. And Uzumaki."

"I found out just recently. But how the hell do you know Sasuke?"

"I knew from the moment I left the village. When I left you unconscious I activated the Sharingan and found out. Though I couldn't let you know as you would have had to find out later by yourself."

"So what is it?" Karin asked.

"Sakura's body is like a vessel of chakra. Because of her bloodline limit, her chakra is a never ending waterfall. It never depletes. However much she uses it she will never be left without it."

Karin's jaw dropped as she listened to the two former teammates in front of her. Now she understood how Sakura figured out so fast she was pregnant and how she was one of the best.

(end of flashback...)

"So the reason for her hating you was that you were much stronger than her?"

"She thought that as long as I was there Sasuke will never love her. However that was a misunderstanding from her part. Sasuke already loved her, otherwise he wouldn't have married her. But 2 days after their marriage Pein found out and wanted to kill them. Mostly Sasuke."

"How did you find out?"

"Sasuke told me. The night before he died."

"The night before you killed him." Itachi was looking at Sakura waiting for her denial which never came.

"It's true. I killed him. But because I had my reasons. Sasuke...was the one who asked me to kill him." Itachi's shock came fast.

"He asked you?"

"The same night, before he came to me he watched his wife and unborn child die in front of him. Pain used his abilities to kill Karin as he was somehow afraid of her. He knew she had powers that could put him in danger. So he decided to get rid of the problems. Then he came after Sasuke. I saw and recognized you that time Itachi. The crow is your symbol. But at the time I couldn't explain it. I was also in shock."

"Sasuke asked me to kill him and take his eyes and bring them to you. He also said that someday you will understand. He knew that I was the only one who could use them and bring them to you because of my bloodline. And now I need your help. To defeat Pein."

"This is impossible. When I joined Akatsuki I stated vehemently that no one is to touch my little brother. And they agreed."

"Well then, it seems they lied to you." Sakura was looking at Itachi hoping the he would believe her.

"I need you to return to Konoha. We need you. Pein is planning to come after Naruto for Kyuubi and we need you there Itachi." Sakura's eyes began to tear but she was not aware of it. "But I cannot do this alone and...I need you Itachi."

The last statement made Itachi feel something he hadn't felt before. He watched Sakura for a few minutes without saying anything and for the first time he saw the true fear in her eyes. He knew she meant everything she said but he could not decide whether to believe her or not. All this time he had been waiting to find her and kill her. The fact that she killed his brother didn't change. Reasonable or not, it was still there.

"This is why I cannot stay here any longer. Pein is planning to come here and if he finds out that I am here...I will be dead. That's why I couldn't afford to put Ino in danger so I sent her back to Konoha, also sent a message for Tsunade." when Sakura was about to say something else, Itachi stopped her putting his hand on her mouth. He felt that someone was eavesdropping on them.

"Deidara. You've heard enough." she heard him say out of the blue.

"Whaa? Damn, you really do have a good sense of presence. Where's the blondie?" he asked.

"I sent her home."

"You...what?"

"I couldn't risk her getting injured here if a fight would occur."

"Nee Uchiha. You really can't keep your belongings away from mine? It's really annoying." Deidara turned to Sakura and glared at her.

"Well then, you'd better take her back, otherwise she's going to get hurt out there."

"Nothing will happen to her. She teleported out."

"Wonderful. Even better. What can I say. You dumb idiot. Did you know that Pein was outside and he felt your chakra? that's why I was here. To warn you."

"Warn? Why would you warn us? What did Ino tell you?"

"Of course she told me everything." Deidara turned to Itachi and for a moment he waited before asking his question.

"On whose side are you Uchiha?" He was beginning to feel annoyed at his insolence. Both Sakura and Deidara turned and looked at him awaiting for his answer.

"Neither. Now get the hell out. I need to finish my discussion with the woman here." Itachi was staring at her and saw her denial even if she didn't say anything.

"I don't have anymore time left. If you're not going to return, his death will be in vain." Sakura didn't want to use Sasuke's death as an excuse, but she had no choice left.

"Deidara, make sure they do not find out about her departure soon." He turned to look at Sakura.

"Konoha should learn that they cannot always obtain what they want. Have a good trip." In an instant Itachi teleported Sakura out of the hideout a few kilometers away near Konoha.

Sakura landed with a thud on the ground, and in an attempt to regain her defense stance she noticed that somehow she twisted her ankle. She quickly scanned the perimeter around her for any threats but she couldn't find any. Only then could she relax for a bit and think things through.

"So you made your decision. And I have failed..." Sakura lifted her eyes towards the sky and noticed that that the rain began pouring down hard. "I have failed you Sasuke. God is my witness I tried, though it all came to naught." She stood for a while in the pouring rain reaching her final resolve.

One way or another he would return home.