The weeks passed and we were going on our first mission away from the village. We were escorting a bridge builder back to Mist. We were 3/4ths the way there when we were attacked.
"Everyone! Position!" Sensai yelled.
We surrounded the man and waited. A man appeared.
"Zabuza. One of the Three Manteki Sword Wielders of the Mist."
"Very good, Kakashi. Now, if you'll just hand over the bridge builder, I'll be going."
"Manteki? Who are they?"
"They are three men who wield the three Manteki Swords. You see his sword? That's Misui."
"Misui," Sasuke said," like the ninja demon?"
"The same. It holds Misui's chakra and only those it chooses may wield it. You have to be really sick to wield one of those."
The man laughed.
"That last statement isn't true and you know it. You have to be exceptionally powerful."
"That's enough, Zabuza."
He smiled," what's the matter? Still upset that you couldn't wield it and that Uchiha could."
"Uchiha?" Sasuke asked.
"Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, get the bridge builder away. I'll catch up with you."
"Speaking of, Uchiha, where is your partner, Itachi? I haven't seen him in a while."
"Itachi? Kakashi-sensai, what does Itachi-kun have to do with this man?"
"It doesn't matter right now, just do as I said!"
Zabuza looked at me and saw the mark. He laughed.
"Oh, shit, Kakashi, you don't want poor little Sakura to know the truth about the man she's marrying, do-"
Kakashi attacked, cutting him short. They fought.
"Get going!" Kakashi said.
We got to a spot and Sasuke got out a scroll. He accessed it and a wolf appeared.
"Stay with Tasuna, Sakura. Naruto and I are going to help Kakashi-sensai."
"Sasuke, do you know what Zabuza was saying about Ita-kun?"
He paused.
"... I don't know. I don't want to know. You can ask him when we get home."
"Sasuke-"
"Rough will protect you if you need help. We'll be back soon. Don't leave this spot."
"Hai."
They left.
"So, this Itachi character is your fiancee?"
"Yeah. How could he know a guy like that, though? I mean, he's an Elite Anbu Black Ops Captain and a sensai. I just... I don't understand."
"So that seal on your arm binds you to him?"
"Yep."
"How long have you had it?"
"Six years."
"You here just a baby."
"It was an arranged marriage. But that's okay. I like him, a lot."
"Why did you ask your teammate about it?"
"Sasuke is Itachi's brother. I thought maybe he'd know something. Itachi tells him everything. He even told Sasuke about the first time I kissed him, and I didn't talk to him for a week because everyone at the academy knew that Sakura Haruno had kissed Itachi Uchiha full on the mouth. Ino never let me live it down!"
"Itachi... Uchiha... He's an important guy in Konaha. He's-"
I looked up. I felt a chakra signature coming towards us. I motioned for silence and we squeezed down in our hiding space, masking our chakras. An anbu found us anyway.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm on a mission. I'm waiting for my teammates."
"Hm."
The ninja attacked me and I dodged. I threw kuni as him and he dodged them, throwing needles at me. I winced. One had hit a spot that made moving that leg impossible. His needles also had barbs, so I wasn't pulling them out. I'd have to wait for a medic. I gathered my chakra and aimed at the anbu. I shot fireballs at him. His leg caught fire and he tried to douse it.
"It won't work. It's chakra controlled."
So he waited and I noticed it getting smaller and me getting weaker.
"My needles and slowly sucking the chakra out of you. I'm impressed. Most don't last as long as you have."
I took a breath. Okay, Itachi had taught me the jutsu, if only I could pull enough chakra forward... I gathered every bit of my chakra and said the words and did the signs.
"Ninja Art! Human Summoning Jutsu!"
In a poof, Itachi appeared. I crumbled and he caught me.
"Sakura."
"I'll be okay. Protect Tasuna."
"What happened?"
"Zabuza attacked,. Then this guy. The others are fighting Zabuza."
He swore and turned to the man, who obviously knew him.
"If you want to live, get lost."
The man nodded and left. He lay me down next to Tasuna.
"Hey, kid, you okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
"Sakura! Tasuna!" Naruto yelled as he ran to us.
"Itachi, what are you- Sakura-chan!"
Kakashi appeared next to Itachi.
"We need to get to Mist quickly. The needle is sucking the life out of her."
"Then pull it out!"
"I can't! It's got barbs on it, and it's deep. She has to get to a hospital."
I started fading out.
"It's okay, Sakura, sleep," Itachi said.
I smiled," when I wake up, you have some explaining to do."
He nodded.
"When you wake up..."
I fell into the blackness.
