Author's Note:
This is the longest chapter that I've written so far...Fifteen pages... I suppose that this can count as an apology for not updating for so long. Hope you enjoy! Read and review!

Again, EDITED. Mainly grammatical errors though. I seem to have problems with my tenses usually. Hopefully it's better now.

-X-

Chapter Seven: Mischievous Mother

-X-

The rain was cool on his face as he rushed through the forest. The team dashed along the soft soil, leaving their sandal imprints behind them. The wind howled viciously and thunder struck, which startled the birds in their nests. Naruto frowned in annoyance as his usual spiky blonde hair clung flatly against his face, which shielded his vision.

"When is this damned rain going to stop?" he muttered to himself.

"We're in Amegakure, Dickless. The rain won't stop for at least another hour or so," Sai stated.

Naruto fumed at the nickname. "What did you call me, asshole?!" he seethed.

Insert blank smile.

From the back, a masked shinobi sighed. Not even for a minute could they have ceased their bickering. Naruto was always too short-tempered. Even a stupid little insult would get him riled up immediately. However, Kakashi couldn't put all the blame on him – Sai was just as bad. In fact, if the black haired ANBU hadn't made that insult, none of this would have happened. Sometimes Kakashi wished that Sakura was here. She would have no problem in keeping Naruto in control.

"Kakashi-senpai, how much further is it till we reach Konoha?" Yamato inquired as reached the older shinobi's side.

"About an hour or so if we keep it up at this pace," Kakashi stated while he stared ahead.

The rain was getting worse and worse by each minute, which made it harder for them to see the route they were currently taking. The silver haired tokubetsu jounin sighed. The urge to extract his beloved Icha Icha Tactics book from his pouch was strong but knowing that the rain would ruin the pages, he decided against it. Besides, a mission was no time for reading and foolishness.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto called as he fell back to join the jounin at his side.

"Hm?"

"Why is baa-chan sending us out on a retrieval mission for some stupid scroll? Wouldn't this mission be more suited for a team of genin?"

"That's because Tsunade-sama doesn't trust anyone else to get this," Yamato answered for Kakashi.

Naruto scoffed and looked down at the scroll held within his hand. "I don't see what so special about this lame old thing," he muttered.

Indeed the scroll did not seem special. The edges were torn and burnt slightly. Even the colour of the paper was beginning to fade. The only thing that remained intact was the kanji written in bold black ink.

Naruto traced the kanji with his finger.

Life.

He wondered what it meant, besides the obvious. Tsunade had only given them the instruction of retrieving the scroll and not the details of what it was used for. Not knowing the reasons behind something irked the jinchuuriki immensely.

"The rain's finally stopping," Sai stated.

The team looked up. Surely enough, the raindrops slowed to a stop. The grey clouds were beginning to part and the sunlight slowly filtered through. Just by looking at the weather, Kakashi could tell that they had left Amegakure and was at the border of Fire Country. It was only a matter of time before they reached Konoha.

Suddenly, his senses went on high alert. Kakashi put up his hand and signaled the team to stop.

"What is it, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto questioned, his hand placed his kunai pouch.

Kakashi closed his eyes and focused. He could sense them travelling towards them at an amazing pace.

Fifteen…sixteen…no…twenty! There are twenty shinobi approaching, Kakashi thought to himself. Judging from their speed and chakra levels, they're all at jounin level.

"Kakashi-senpai, what do you want us to do?" Sai asked calmly as he reached for his tanto.

"Just wait and see what they're after. There's no point in running because they have us outnumbered. Only engage in combat when it's necessary," Kakashi ordered.

The three nodded and got into a defensive stance.

A few seconds later, the group of shinobi appeared from the trees. Their faces were twisted into glares and smirks, directed towards the four Konoha shinobi.

Kakashi's eyes hardened. His eye was directly focused on their hitai-ate, which identified the village of their origin.

Otogakure.

-X-

Uchiha Mikoto was a patient woman. Having to deal with three stubborn males every single day of her life, she had developed a calm and gentle nature. But right now, she was beginning to feel slightly irritated. Mikoto crossed her arms impatiently as she stared at the two figures standing before her.

Ino fidgeted uncomfortably while her companion grinned with a seemingly innocent look on his face. Mikoto's gaze shifted towards the item in her hand. Her lips twitched up slightly before she turned back towards Shisui and directed towards him a long, hard stare.

"Shisui," she started calmly.

"Yes, Mikoto-ba?" he answered innocently.

Mikoto's body shook and the blonde kunoichi immediately felt fear building up inside her right away. She could tell that the Uchiha woman was about to snap at any moment. Ino was now beginning to understand why Uchiha Itachi was so afraid of her. Her gazes were like a bunch of invisible kunai stabbing into your very soul and her voice had the power to freeze enemies to death. In other words, she was downright scary.

"You're telling me that my Itachi-kun went out on a date with Sakura-san without even telling me?" she asked, keeping her tone even.

Shisui nodded excitedly, though Ino couldn't understand what was so exciting about meeting the wrath of a very angry mother.

"I…I'm…so…so…" Mikoto's fist clenched tightly.

Shisui's grin grew even wider while Ino backed away, frightened.

She's going to blow! Ino cried in her mind.

"…so…proud!" Tears of happiness ran down Lady Uchiha's face like mini-waterfalls.

Shisui nodded his head in agreement.

"Wha-!" Ino sputtered in disbelief.

What just happened? Wasn't Mikoto angry just a few seconds ago? Why on Earth was she bawling her eyes out then? Wasn't she about to kill them?

"My Itachi-kun has grown so much!" Mikoto sniffled. "I can't believe he went on a secret date without even telling me – his own mother!"

"Never thought that Itachi had the guts to do something like this," Shisui mused as he gestured towards the photo he took.

Lady Uchiha nodded her head vigorously. "Yes but he's going to get a scolding once he gets home. How dare he keep this a secret from me!"

Ah, now that's something I don't want to miss out on, both Ino and Shisui thought amusedly.

"But first let's talk about the preparations."

Ino blinked. "Preparations for what?" she asked confused.

Mikoto ignored the question and suddenly began talking to herself. "Hm…spring or winter…definitely spring. Winter's too cold…" she muttered, pacing around the room.

Suddenly, her head snapped up and turned towards Ino. Ino faltered slightly at the intense gaze.

"Akane or Ayaka?" she asked seriously.

Ino blinked as she grew even more baffled. "What are those names for?" she asked slowly.

Mikoto grinned. "For my future grandchild, of course!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, well that make a lot more…wait, what did you just say?!" Ino screeched.

Mikoto's grin grew even wider, if possible.

Ino's jaw dropped and Shisui just blinked.

-X-

Sakura was having the time of her life whereas her poor teammate was not. Sasuke inwardly cursed as he narrowly dodged the pink-haired kunoichi's chakra-infused fist. He cringed when her fist smashed into the trunk of a tree. He watched it snap immediately in half as a shiver ran down his spine.

Poor tree…

"Come Sasuke-kun! Fight like a man!" Sakura said loudly. The corner of her lips curved up to form a grin.

After that little incident at the dango shop, she had been waiting for the perfect time to get revenge on the younger Uchiha. Needless to say, Sasuke didn't even know what had hit him when Sakura charged into the training grounds and demanded to spar with him.

"What's gotten you so angry?" he muttered before he threw his own shuriken to counter Sakura's.

"Don't act so innocent on me. Aren't you forgetting what happened two days ago?" Sakura demanded and kicked him hard in the stomach.

Sasuke immediately disappeared and was replaced with a log.

Sakura cursed. Kawarimi no Jutsu. She rolled out of the way, just in time to avoid a medium-sized fireball.

"How was I supposed to know that Itachi was going to show up? I don't control his life," he stated, annoyed.

"Well, you're his brother! He should at least listen to what you have to say. So you better tell him to stay the hell away from me!" she shouted.

Before Sasuke could react, the next thing he knew was doubling over in pain after Sakura's chakra-infused fist landed on his stomach.

"God, calm down, Sakura," he hissed, clutching his stomach, giving her a hard stare.

Sakura twitched. "Calm? I'll show you calm," she grounded out.

Sasuke inwardly shivered. An enraged Sakura was not someone who you'd want to deal with. If only he hadn't opened his mouth…

Before Sakura could take a step forward, a messenger appeared between them in a puff of smoke.

"Haruno Sakura?" he asked.

Sakura blinked. "Yes?"

The messenger reached into his pouch and pulled out a scroll. He held it towards Sakura, waiting for her to take it. Sakura furrowed her brows in confusion before taking the scroll slowly.

The dark haired messenger bowed before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakura slowly began to undo the red string and unrolled the parchment. While she was reading Sasuke appeared at her side and began looking over her shoulder. Her sea-green eyes scanned across the words, widening at the process.

"Sasuke-kun…" she started after finishing.

"I don't know," Sasuke responded blandly, cutting her off. He already had a feeling what she was about to ask.

Why would okaa-san invite her over for dinner?

-X-

Sakura fidgeted uncomfortably in the kimono that she worn. It was deep violet in colour, decorated with white butterflies and around her waist was a light pink obi, tied in an elegant knot. With some difficulty, she was able to tie her hair up into an elegant bun, despite the fact that her hair was only up to shoulder length. Finally, a purple butterfly hair ornament was placed through the bun, holding it in place. Despite the kimono being beautiful, Sakura was just not used to wearing it at all. But she decided that since she was invited to have dinner with Uchiha Mikoto, also known as the Uchiha matriarch, she might as well dress formally for this occasion.

Her eyes stared up at the entrance before her. She took in a deep breath and proceeded forward.

"I'm here to see Uchiha-sama," she told the man at the entrance, showing him the scroll.

The man's eyes widened before bowing his head. "Yes of course, Haruno-sama. Please follow me," he said and led her into the compound.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the honorific added to her name but quickly dismissed it when she was led into the compound. Eventually, they arrived at the dinner table. Sakura widened her eyes at the sight of all the delicious food.

"Sakura-san, I'm so glad that made it!" Mikoto exclaimed and immediately grabbed the younger kunoichi into a tight embrace.

Sakura awkwardly hugged her back. "Thanks for inviting me, Uchiha-sama," she said.

"Please, call me Mikoto."

When the dark haired woman finally released her, Sakura was able to get a close look at the kimono that Mikoto was wearing. It was sapphire-blue in colour. Unlike Sakura's, there was no patterns or anything on the kimono except for the Uchiha clan crest on the back. The obi was pale blue in colour. Despite the attire being simple, it had really brought out the beauty of the woman known as Lady Uchiha. Sakura couldn't help but feel slightly jealous.

"Take a seat, Sakura-chan. Can I call you that?"

Sakura nodded, unable to resist those kind motherly eyes of hers. She now knew why Sasuke always spoke so highly of her.

A few seconds later, Sasuke appeared. He was wearing a plain white kimono with a black sash. Sakura immediately felt a bit overdressed.

Sasuke gave her a nod before sitting down at the table. "Where's otou-san?" he asked.

"Fugaku…" Mikoto said her husband's name for Sakura's sake. "…is at the clan meeting so he won't be joining us tonight."

"Hn."

Mikoto turned towards Sakura smiling brightly. "Please take a seat, Sakura-chan. I heard from Sasuke-chan that you like tempura, right?" she inquired.

Sakura nodded, trying to control her snort from becoming apparent. Her gaze shifted towards her teammate and gave him a mocking look.

'Sasuke-chan?!' her eyes conveyed.

Sasuke gave her a hard glare. 'Shut up…'

'But still…Sasuke-chan?!'

'…'

"Now, let's dig in!" Mikoto exclaimed, oblivious to the secret messages that the two were shooting at each other through their eyes.

Sakura giggled slightly before taking a bite of her tempura. The younger Uchiha grumbled under his breath before picking up his onigiri.

"Itadakimasu!" the three chorused.

Throughout the meal, Sakura smirked…

…Sasuke glared.

…and Mikoto just grinned.

Half an hour later the food had vanished. Sakura let out a content sigh. That was one of the best meals that she had all week. Not only was Uchiha Mikoto famous for being the Uchiha matriarch and an excellent mother, she was also famous for her fabulous cooking. If only her mother was like that…

"Sakura-chan, I'm sure you're wondering why I invited you here, is that right?" Mikoto asked.

Sakura blinked. She had almost forgotten about that but nevertheless, nodded her head.

"I want to discuss with you regarding the relationship that you and my son have."

Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other, confused. What on Earth was she talking about?

"It has come to my attention that you and my son are currently engaging in a secret relationship, am I correct?"

The two jounins' eyes simultaneously widened. "W-what, are you talking about, Mikoto-san?" Sakura sputtered. "Sasuke-kun and I are just friends!"

Mikoto blinked. "I wasn't referring to Sasuke-chan," she said.

"Not Sasuke-kun…then you must mean…" Her eyes widened. "No! You got it all wrong! There's nothing going on between me and Itachi-san!" she denied.

Lady Uchiha giggled. "Aw, how cute," she cooed. "I really admire you for being able to keep this a secret from me for so long."

Sakura looked flabbergasted. "What! No, I-" She immediately turned towards Sasuke.

'Say something, God dammit!'

Sasuke instantly backed away. 'Don't drag me into this!'

"So I was wondering, Sakura-chan. When's the wedding going to be?"

"There will be no wedding!" Sakura hollered out unconsciously.

Mikoto's expression immediately became sad. "O-oh, I see…" She sniffled. How was she going to have grandchildren now, she thought dejectedly.

"Calm down, okaa-san," Sasuke told. Being a male, he felt immensely uncomfortable in this situation. Sasuke hated dealing with crying women, whether it be his own teammate or his own mother.

"Yeah, Mikoto-san, I think this is all just a huge misunderstanding. I do not have an interest in Itachi-san." Although I'm not sure about what he thinks of me… Sakura shivered as she remembered the little incident in her bedroom and dango shop.

"Does that mean… you hate Itachi-kun?"

"No, I don't hate him."

"…Then does that mean you like him?" Mikoto asked. Her eyes lit up with hope.

"Yes…er, I mean no! I don't like him, at least not in that…stop grinning Mikoto-san! I do not like him!"

Mikoto just continued to grin while Sakura sank deep into her chair.

Sasuke just pretended not to notice.

-X-

"I…couldn't…sleep…at all…" Sakura muttered to herself. She groaned and buried her face into her pillow.

Her bright pink hair was all tangled up in a mess and bags under her eyes were seen. Her eye twitched. Mikoto's words from last night had caused her to become an insomniac.

"Just to let you know, Sakura-chan," came Mikoto's overly sweet voice. "I'm going to have grandchildren, even if it kills me!"

Sakura shivered. The idea of her and Itachi being together was enough to freak her out, much less have children.

"The world must hate us," Inner Sakura remarked dryly.

Sakura couldn't agree more.

Suddenly, a puff of smoke broke her out of her thoughts. Sakura yelped in alarm and pulled her blankets over her half-naked body. The smoke cleared away to reveal Shisui standing there in the middle of her room looking amused.

"Shisui-san?!"

"You look terrible, Sakura-chan," he remarked as he noted the bags under her eyes.

"I'm well aware of that fact, thank you very much," she replied sardonically. "What do you want?"

The expression on the Uchiha's face immediately became serious. "Tsunade-sama needs to see you right now for a retrieval mission," he explained.

"Retrieval for what?" the rosette asked curiously.

"Tsunade-sama will give you all the details. You better hurry though; she's getting a bit too impatient these days."

Sakura nodded. "I'll be there as soon as I get dressed," she informed.

Shisui nodded and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Quickly hopping off of her bed, Sakura stripped herself of her bedtime attire and into her shinobi clothes. She picked up her hitai-ate and tied it on its usual place – on top of her head. As she walked out the door, Sakura couldn't help but feel slightly anxious.

Something bad was going to happen.

-X-

Deep down in the dungeons of an unknown location, a figure with scratches covering his entire body groaned. His hands and legs were bound together tightly by chakra-infused ropes, making them seemingly impossible to break. Slowly, his sapphire-blue eyes opened only to see a grey-haired man smirking down at him. The man's spectacles gleamed dangerously in the darkness.

"None of this would have happened if you weren't so stubborn," the grey-haired man stated. "Now tell me, where is it?"

"Go to hell, you son of a bitch!" he spat out.

The man remained unaffected but you could tell from the look in his eyes that his patience was beginning to run thin.

"You can spare yourself a lot of pain if you just tell me where the scroll is."

"Fuck you, Kabuto!"

Before he knew it, the sapphire-eyed male was kicked in the abdomen by the medic-nin. He let out a gasping choke of pain.

Kabuto sighed. "We'll continue this later then," he said and walked out of the cell.

His eyelids began to grow heavier and his body was growing numb. It must have been the drug that Kabuto injected into his body earlier. He couldn't even find the strength to control his chakra anymore.

Kakashi-sensei…Sai…Sasuke…Sakura-chan…

Then darkness engulfed him once more.

-X-

Sakura couldn't believe what she had just heard. The office was deathly silent; the only sound that was heard was the occasional chirps from the birds outside. She clenched her fists and stared at her shishou, who had her eyes closed.

"You're telling me that Naruto has been captured?" she breathed out disbelievingly.

"We're still not sure about that," Yamato spoke in a somewhat grim tone. "For all we know, he could already be…" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

"He's not dead," Tsunade said firmly. "It takes more than a bunch of Oto-nin to kill the brat." She chuckled slightly before taking in a deep breath. "That's why I've called for you. I'm sending you out on a retrieval mission to Otogakure. Find Naruto and bring him back and while you're at it find the Scroll of Life."

"The Scroll of Life?" Ino questioned.

"Kakashi will explain. I won't accept failure on this mission. Got it?"

"Yes," the shinobi simultaneously said.

Tsunade nodded. "Alright, you'll all be split into two groups, each lead by one captain. Team One will consists of Yamato, Ino, Shisui and Kakashi as team captain. You got that, Kakashi?"

Kakashi nodded.

"And Team Two will consist of Sai, Sasuke and Sakura."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Who's our team captain?"

Suddenly, a knocking sound was heard throughout the room.

"Come in!"

The door swung open to reveal a figure dressed in full ANBU attire. On his face was a red and white rat mask.

"Mission report?" Tsunade asked.

"Aa," the ANBU intoned, placing a scroll on the Godaime Hokage's desk.

Sakura couldn't help but find the voice to be slightly familiar.

"I have a new mission for you," Tsunade spoke.

The ANBU did not answer but she could tell that he was attentive.

"Uzumaki Naruto was reported to be missing since his last mission. Your mission is to retrieve him as captain of their team," Tsunade stated as she gestured towards Sasuke, Sai and Sakura.

"Understood," the ANBU said. His eyes scanned across the shinobi in the room, which lingered on Sakura longer than the others.

Tsunade's lips twitched up slightly to form a smile. "Does that answer your question, Sakura?"

"Yes, shishou," Sakura answered in a clipped tone.

"Good, you may remove your mask," the blonde Hokage told the ANBU. "This is not an ANBU mission."

Sakura watched as the ANBU slowly reached up to untie his mask from his face. Her eyes widened as a pair of onyx eyes were revealed. Those orbs of his shone with slight amusement…directed at her.

Uchiha Itachi had returned.

Could her day get any worse?

Something tells Sakura that this was going to be a long mission, or, as Shikamaru would say, troublesome mission.

-X-

Author's Note:
This story is finally starting to get more serious. No ItaSaku fluff in this chapter but hopefully there will be some in the next. I kind of think that I made Mikoto a bit too dramatic…Oh well! I like her that way. Please review! Tell me if you find any mistakes. Flames are not accepted but constructive criticism is. If you have any question then please ask – I'll answer them as best I can. See you in the next chapter!

-X-

-Setsuna