The Uchiha clan

Summary : As a soon-to-be Uchiha clan member, Sakura has to meet the clan itself. Can she survive the encounter? Last of the series.

Remember that English is not my mother tongue and as such there may be mistakes. If you find one that bothers you or the understanding of the text, feel free to correct me.


Sakura swallowed and straightened her kimono. She should have never agreed to do this, never. Why did she get involved in the first place? Well, it was a bit too late to chicken out now. She would just have to endure it patiently. After all, it was just for a few hours. Just a few hours.

"Sakura-dear, here you are!" Mikoto exclaimed, making Sakura jump from surprise. "I've been searching for you everywhere! What are you doing?"

"Err, sorry Mikoto-san. I just… needed some time for myself." The pink-haired kunoichi answered, embarrassed.

"Oh, I understand. It's going to be hard for you. Hasn't Itachi-chan arrived yet? If he is with you, you'll feel better."

"I haven't seen him."

"Oh, that idiot! What is he doing? I told him to come as early as possible! How irresponsible of him!"

The woman stormed off to god knows where, in search of her son. Sakura sighed. Mikoto was right, once Itachi would be there, she would definitely feel better. Why did that jerk had to be late? She would definitely give him a piece of her mind later. He knew how much she feared the encounter with the rest of the clan after all. Hell, who wouldn't?

She peeked through the small gap between the door and the wall. There were already so many people. And they all carried themselves with a superior expression, like they were some royalty or something like that. And she was expected to fit in that? No way. It was merely impossible. She would never live up to the Uchiha reputation. Oh, why had she fallen for one of their most prestigious member? It was the most foolish thing to do, without a doubt. Then again, she couldn't do anything about it. You don't chose who you love, right?

"Alright Sakura, calm down," she muttered to herself. "You're one of the best medics of Konoha, and the Godaime's apprentice! You can do it! You are definitely not a defenseless sheep thrown in the midst of a pack of wolves! You're as good as them! Don't be so intimidated!"

"Good spirit," commented a familiar voice, making her jump again. "But saying it and doing it are very different things you know."

"Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed turning around. "Don't make me any more anxious than I already am!"

"I'm just saying the truth," her teammate shrugged. "Relax, they won't eat you. They look all big and scary, but they're humans made of flesh and blood just like you. You'll be fine."

"I know that, but I'm afraid of what they'll think of me. I'm not from a prestigious clan, nor am I wealthy or incredibly beautiful. I'm nothing special. Won't they reject me?"

"You won't know till you try. But, even if that was the case, I doubt it will bother Itachi. He'll marry you anyway, with or without the consent of the clan. Hell, it's not like they can say anything. They know by now, that they can't oppose Itachi."

"… that's good to hear. But if you're here, that means that older brother of yours mustn't be far," Sakura said moodily. "Where's the jerk? He promised to be early!"

Sasuke smirked. "Oh don't worry, he'll be there in a minute or so. You find that gathering frightening, but to him, it's extremely annoying. He isn't really in a hurry to get there."

Sakura huffed and crossed her arms. Well, that wasn't good enough a reason to let her wait here alone! He definitely wouldn't get away with it!


Itachi stared silently at the big building before him. The moment he stepped in, he would be in for a few hours of torture. Mental torture. This was why he hated being part of a big and important clan. Such gatherings were unnecessary, and too much of an annoyance. Why did he need to introduce his fiancée to the clan anyway? They wouldn't see her much after all. And he didn't need anybody's consent. This was a waste of time. He could be doing something much more interesting right now, like having a date with his fiancée for instance.

Six months had passed since the confession in the hospital. They were engaged since one month, and to be married the next one. Things were going smoothly, and everything was perfect. Now, all that stood in their way was that stupid clan gathering. He knew Sakura was completely stressed out at the idea of meeting the entire clan at once, and he didn't like having to show her off to his fellow clan members. He had hoped they would be spared the introduction, but apparently, he was too much of an important person to the clan to escape it. Well, the sooner it was over, the better. He entered the building.


Sakura was pacing back and forth, Sasuke watching her with amusement and a bit of pity. What was that idiot doing? She was so going to kill him! Her nerves were a total mess, and she was close to becoming hysterical. She needed to have him near her to calm her down, and he wasn't there!

The back door opened, and the object of her thoughts and curses finally came in. She shot him a death glare and ran towards him.

"What were you doing?!" She half-yelled. "Do you know what time it is? Do you know what state I am in?!"

"Calm down Sakura," he sighed. "I'm sorry for being late."

"You can be! Don't think I will forget that! I'll make you pay once this is over! You…"

He cut her angry lecture with a kiss, and embraced her tightly. She stiffened, startled, then relaxed. Blushing a bit, she returned his gesture.

"It's alright," he said. "I'll be with you today, so everything will be fine. Don't worry."

She nodded silently, looking down at her feet. Sasuke snickered. Itachi knew exactly how to tame her flaring temper. It always amused him to see his frightening teammate melt into a defenseless kitten when his brother handled her.

"Where is mother?" Itachi asked. "It's time to get this over with."


Sakura tightened her hold on Itachi's arm. During the past half an hour, they had already greeted countless people, and there didn't seem to be an end to them. Besides, they had all looked at her with such a severe expression, and she felt like they were all disapproving of her. Of course, she could be wrong, but in her situation, she couldn't read the atmosphere correctly. She hid her nervousness behind a smiling face, and answered every greeting and question like Mikoto had taught her to. Thanks god the woman had spent so much time teaching her the protocol of the clan. Without that, she would have definitely made a fool of herself.

"… and do you plan to continue on working once you are married?" An old man was asking. "Or will you settle down and raise the children at home?"

"I will continue to work of course," Sakura answered with an outward assurance that she wasn't feeling inside. "I will take some time off to take care of my family, but I definitely won't give up my work."

Another recurring question was: "And how many children do you intend to have?"

"I don't really have a limit yet. I'll take them as they come, no matter how many of them."

There was also: "Do you have any experience with children?"

Or: "I hope you have received the proper formation to be the wife of such an important man as our Itachi."

Needless to say, after an hour of those questions, Sakura was reaching her limit. And apparently, so was Itachi. On the exterior, he was expressionless, but Sakura could see the tightening of his jaw and feel the tenseness in his body. They exchanged a brief look, and of a common agreement, went into the garden to take a breath of fresh air.

"I can't take it anymore!" Sakura whispered as they found a quiet place among the trees. "All those questions are driving me crazy!"

"I know," Itachi said with a sigh. "Same for me."

"And it's only been one hour? Feels like ages to me! And did you see how they look at me? I'm sure they are one hundred per cent against me!"

"Now, don't say that. You can't know that for sure. It's only a facade."

"Why do they even need to meet me anyway? This is probably the only time I'll ever see them all!"

"It's the tradition," he shrugged. "I don't like it either but that's how it is."

Then he put a finger on his lips, motioning for her to keep quiet, and they hid behind a large tree. Sakura took a quick peek in the garden, and saw a group of women who had just come out. They all had the same arrogant expression and carried themselves as if they owned the world.

"What's so special about that girl anyway?" One was saying. "She's not even as pretty as us!"

"And she doesn't have the same blood heritage!" Added another. "She is a nobody from an ordinary family!"

"How could he favor her over us, who are much better looking and of greater ascendance?"

Sakura was very annoyed by their comments. Who did they think they were? Some people really had no shame. Like Itachi would ever like airhead like them!

"We should convince the Elders to reject her," said one of the women. "She is not worthy of Itachi. How can they not see that?"

"But it's true that she has an important status in the village," another said thoughtfully. "She is the Godaime's apprentice after all."

"And so, what? It doesn't make her any better than us! She was just lucky!"

Sakura twitched. "Hey Itachi," she muttered, in a low voice so that the women wouldn't hear her, "can I beat them up? They really annoy me."

Itachi smirked and patted her head. "You better not," he said. "That would not be very ladylike. Besides, they are just jealous of you. What they are saying is just plain nonsense. You're much better than them, and you know it. After all, you are the one I love."

Hearing him say it made her somewhat very happy. She grinned and, standing on her tiptoes, kissed him affectionately.

"Shall we go back to the room?" She said. "They are going to wonder where we have gone to."


"You are doing a great job Sakura-dear, I'm proud of you!" Mikoto grinned, patting the young woman's shoulder. "Keep it up!"

"I'm doing my best," Sakura said with a grimace. "But it's hard. When will it be over?"

"We still have around one hour," the woman answered with a compassionate smile. "So hold on until then."

Sakura sighed as Mikoto went to see someone else. She leaned against Itachi's shoulder.

"One hour," she muttered. "Feels like forever."

He chuckled and stroked her hand. "Let's go somewhere to relax after that," he whispered in her ear. "I'll take you to a place that you will absolutely love."

She grinned at him. "Sounds great. You are the best 'Tachi-chan."

He twitched slightly and she giggled. He didn't like being called that, which was precisely why she loved to do it. The only other person who called him like that was Shisui, who made up the nickname in the first place. Speaking of which…

"Hey there!" Exclaimed the familiar young man with wild raven hair. "How are you holding up you two? You looked awfully tired!"

"You couldn't be more right," Sakura answered with a sigh. "Where have you been? We haven't seen you at all until just now."

"Of course, I just arrived!" He said with a huge grin.

"What?! You cheater! We had to endure over three hours of constant questioning in this awfully crowded place and you just came in?!"

"Sorry sorry Sakura-chan! I just hate those gatherings! But well, I showed up didn't I? That's the most important thing!"

"You are lucky no one noticed your absence," Itachi commented. "Otherwise I doubt the Elders would have let you get away with it."

Shisui pouted. "Who cares what those old geezers say! They should know by now that young people are not interested in those gatherings."

Itachi rolled his eyes and Sakura giggled. "Oh, looky there!" Shisui then exclaimed, pointing at something. "Old Sonomura came! I thought he was dead by now!"

They turned around and saw an old man, who was talking with some other people. He was all hunched forward, with a stick to help him walk, and all wrinkled.

"How old is he?" Sakura asked with curiosity.

"He should be close to one hundred now," Shisui answered. "I'm surprised he came today. Those gatherings are really tiring after all. I guess you're really important Itachi."

Mikoto and Fugaku were now greeting the old Sonomura, and the woman was all smiles. They began talking animatedly.

"Mikoto's always been a favorite of Ol' Sonomura," Shisui commented for Sakura. "He is the one who recommended that she marry Fugaku."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully. He seemed to be an interesting man. Despite his age, he was still lively, and he was chatting quite enthusiastically with Mikoto.

"So if I get his approbation, the entire clan will accept me," Sakura said. "And if he rejects me, well, so will the clan. Am I right?"

"Well, kinda." Shisui answered.

"But you were recommended by my mother," Itachi said. "So he will most likely accept you. Besides, you are quite similar to her, so he might take a liking to you as well."

"Oh. That would be good."

As she said that, Mikoto turned toward them and waved at them, motioning for them to join them. Just as Itachi and Sakura began to move, the old man suddenly collapsed on the floor, clutching his chest.

"Oh my god! Sonomura-dono!" Mikoto exclaimed, as all around them, panicked people began to assemble.

Sakura let go of Itachi's arm and ran toward the group, pushing them aside to reach the old man. Mikoto was already crouched near him, panic-stricken and not knowing what to do. When she saw Sakura, she looked at her pleadingly.

"I think he is having a seizure! Help him Sakura!"

The pink-haired medic crouched down next to the old man and took his pulse. Then she made him lay down completely. He was shaking violently and panting, only half conscious.

"Get those people away!" Sakura ordered. "He needs to breath and they're too close!"

Itachi and Shisui took care of it, creating a large space for Sakura to work. She put her hands on Sonomura's chest and began pouring her chakra into his body.

"Is it serious?" Mikoto asked worryingly.

Sakura didn't answer, concentrating on her work. He was old after all, such an accident was natural. But she could probably do something about it. She restarted his heart, helping it beat normally, and helped his lungs to pump more oxygen. After a few minutes, she had taken control of the seizure and cancelled it. Soon after, Sonomura was breathing normally again, still shaking slightly from the aftermath. Sakura wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"It's alright now," she said. "He'll live. That was close."

Mikoto sighed with relief, then embraced Sakura tightly. "Thanks god," she said. "You are marvelous Sakura!"

"Well, he is old," the kunoichi said, squirming out of the woman's suffocating embrace. "Thanks to that treatment he will not have any seizure in a while, but he might very well die naturally in his sleep."

Once the ordeal over, people calmed down and the old Sonomura was brought to a separate room so that he could rest. Ironically, his accident was very useful for Sakura, as the Elders praised her for her efficiency and her medical abilities. They were impressed by her quick reactions and professionalism, and they seemed to have gained some respect for her. Mikoto was delighted, and assured Sakura that she had definitely made a strong impression on the clan members, and that her integration would go very smoothly.

Later on, the old Sonomura asked to see Sakura. When she came back, half an hour later, she had a large smile on her face, and told Itachi that he wanted to see him too.

When Itachi came into the room, Sonomura was sitting in an armchair. He looked tired, but otherwise was fine. He motioned for Itachi to take a seat, then began talking.

"You've found yourself an interesting woman," he said. "She reminds me of your mother, and yet, she is also different."

"…"

"You don't have to worry," he went on, "I think you made an excellent choice. It's good to bring some new blood in the clan once in a while, and she definitely suits you. I've had the opportunity to talk with her, and she is both intelligent and witty. I look forward to the children you'll have, given that I survive until then."

"… so you approved of her?" Itachi asked.

"Of course. But you have to invite me to your wedding. I already discussed it with her."

Itachi allowed himself a small smirk. "That's alright." He said. "My mother would have invited you anyway."

"Ah, you're right. Well, then, I wish you good luck young man. Married life can be quite interesting, you'll see."

After the gathering, the Elders all approved of Sakura, much to the young woman's relief. A few people voiced their protests, but they were ignored. Mikoto then went to look for her son and his fiancée, wanting to celebrate, but they had both disappeared, and no one knew where they had gone.


"… You're right, this place is perfect!" Sakura sighed as she leaned against Itachi's chest. "You always have such good ideas Itachi!"

"Well, that's why you love me after all," he smirked.

"Mm, I guess. But really, nothing feels better than a long, relaxing bath in a hot spring after such a tiring day." She said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I had a little something more in mind than just a bath," he said, a predatory smirk on the lips.

She looked up at him with a teasing smile. "Oh, really? Naughty Itachi! Well, that's fine with me though. Only if you can catch me."

With that said, she dived under water and got away, leaving him with no choice but to chase her.

The end!


Well well, and that's the end of my collection of oneshots. Hope you enjoyed the meeting with the rest of the clan. It was fun writing this little piece of work, but now, it's over. Ah, well, there's always a beginning and an end after all. Thanks for your support, and maybe I'll see you again someday with another work.