Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 10

It was early. Sakura opened her eyes and felt arms wrapped tightly around her waist and Itachi's soft breath fanning her neck. His long raven locks covered her exposed breasts. He was still asleep and she didn't want to disturb him.

Her thoughts of Itachi and his gentle touch were lulling her back to sleep as she listened to the steady breathing pattern of her lover.

After a few minutes she felt him stir and he tightened his grip on her and breathed out, "Good morning Love"

She stroked his soft hair and kissed the top of his head as she whispered, "I love you Itachi."

He moved a little and then began to kiss the hollow of her neck as he said, "And you know that I love you."

She groaned out, "Yes… I… Ooh.. Itachi do that again…"

She felt him grin and say, "Oh this…" and proceeded to kiss her in a special spot along her jaw line.

Her shivers confirmed that he hit the right spot, and he memorized its location to use it later on her.

As he continued to kiss his way down her neck he whispered to her, "Sakura, are you hurt?"

She shook her head and said to him, "I'm a little sore but it's nothing like being stabbed, burned, poisoned, or surviving a training session with Tsunade-sama. Please don't think that you hurt me in any way last night… I… I can't describe how… complete I feel when I am with you."

The kisses continued to trail down her shoulder.

He was so distracting.

He then whispered, "I need you…"

She gently stroked his hair and when he looked up to meet her gaze they were lost in the depths of emerald and onyx.

There was a sudden urgency in him. He needed to have her, he needed to show her the claim that she had on him.

Sakura seemed to pick up on the intense emotions rolling off of him and she kissed him with the passion that reflected in his onyx eyes.

This was a contrast to the soft gentle side that he showed her last night. She knew that he took his time with her for their first time but the realization that they didn't have that much time together hit her hard.

They had been together for about two and a half weeks and would probably only get a couple more days before she had to report back. She didn't regret spending the two weeks to really get to know each other, but it was a whirlwind of a relationship and she felt in her heart that they understood each other in a deeper level after everything that they shared. She knew more about him and his past than anyone else, and her heart told her that there would be no one else that would have the hold on her that he possessed.

He deepened their kiss and slowly bit her lower lip, eliciting a small gasp. As she parted her lips he ran his tongue along her lower lip, begging for entrance. She leaned into him and he took advantage and entered her mouth, tasting her as his hands pulled her flush against his chest. Sakura gripped his arms and he settled himself between her thighs.

Her breath hitched with each kiss, each urgent touch and she moaned out his name as he fully sheathed himself and started to thrust into her. This was a different side to Itachi; she felt the fierceness that laid dormant within him.

She breathed out, "Itachi… faster…" She needed to feel him; they both needed to give into their need to be together, to make up for the time that they lost. His Sharingan captured her gaze and she once again was plunged into images and emotions of their night before. The feeling of having both experiences, gentle and loving, and urgent and passionate, simultaneously was too much for her. She came undone and Itachi could only grip her tighter as she rode out her climax. Sakura had a second of clarity and then sent small chakra burst to her inner walls; Itachi's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he released his seed into his one and only, almost growling out her name, as he sunk into her welcoming arms.

She was his and he belonged completely to her.

Both lovers sought comfort in each other and only left the confines of their room for an early dinner and a stroll through the town.

The rest of their four-day stay was filled with many more rounds of lovemaking and they discovered how much they enjoyed each other's company. Their conversations were intellectually stimulating for both of them, and they found that their viewpoints complimented each other. Sakura asked more about his pacifistic views and Itachi questioned some of the ethical dilemmas that she had to face in ANBU and the hospital.

On the last day of their stay in the small village in the mountains, they ate dinner and Itachi said, "I need to tell you about the intel that I collected for Konoha. I will give you enough intel to justify your time away from the village but I will have to return to the Akatsuki so they don't get suspicious."

She nodded but a wave of sadness came over her and she looked down at her food. He noticed and went to her side to hold her. Sakura clutched at his shirt, burying her face in his chest.

He cradled her head, and smoothed out her hair as he gently asked, "What's wrong my love?"

"Now that I have you, I don't want to let go… I know that what I'm about to do is hard, it will hurt my friends but I can't even imagine what you have had to go through. I don't want you to go back to the Akatsuki, but I understand your reasons. I… just wish that things could be different… I wish that you didn't have to go through what you did in the past.."

He kissed the top of her head and said, "I know love, but we might not have ever met. I would have already been married to a woman who I didn't love, you wouldn't have pushed yourself to do the things that you have done. Love, look at me… everything happens for a reason. I am with you now and I will be with you always. I am no longer lost in this darkness, and I have a new purpose. I want the life that I should have had, and that you deserve. I am just sorry that we have to hurt your loved ones… maybe… one day… maybe one day we can make it right again."

She smiled and said, "Everyone deserves a second chance, right?" as she slightly turned her back so he could trace the scar along her back.

Itachi lightly stroked her cheek and kissed her on the forehead and said, "and for that I am eternally grateful."

He took her hand and led her to the nearby couch where he held her in his lap.

"Sakura I need for you to remember all that I am about to tell you, so you can report back to Tsunade-sama."

After Itachi disclosed some of the Akatsuki compounds and safe houses, he explained the reason he kept throwing off the search for Naruto and where the Leaf's security was lacking along the border.

He had a suspicion that Pein was being controlled by someone else, because he felt that there were some bits of information that Pein wouldn't have access to, he had to be given the information to further his plan. She was surprised by how many times Itachi had the opportunity to take Naruto through all of these years, yet he somehow fooled Akatsuki without looking weak in their eyes.

He truly was a genius, in his plans, and expectations of other people's reactions.

That night after they finished planning and writing down the intel in a report, they laid in the futon looking out towards the glass sliding doors that led to the garden.

Itachi knew that Sakura needed to start heading back to Konoha and would be leaving him soon.

She looked at him and knew that he was thinking of her return to the village.

"Itachi, I know that we have gone over our plan but I don't want you to worry. I will be coming to you as soon as I can… I just need to make sure I leave Konoha with a clear mind and a calm heart. I couldn't do it any other way."

"I understand Love, do not worry about me, I will be sure to clear up my issues with Sasuke as well."

She gripped his hand and looked at him and said, "I know that you will never stop loving him, will you be ok with your new plan?"
He nodded once but then turned around to gently kiss her on her lips. Itachi needed to be in the warmth of his lover one last time before they left the following day.

After their breakfast Sakura looked at her ANBU uniform and said, "Itachi, no one will believe me that I was on a recon mission for the last couple of weeks with my armor in such pristine condition. We need to stop somewhere and we need to spar."

"No."

"What?"

"I will not willingly try to harm you. I just can't do that without thinking of all the ways that I could kill you. I can't do that."

She shook her head, sighed, and wrapped her arms around Itachi and said, "I don't want you to do that either, but I need to make it believable. Maybe if you think of it as defensive training… Yeah, think of it as trying to stop me from getting hurt. I will try to purposely injure myself and you try to get me to stop. I just need to get a bit dirty, you don't have to land a hit. I could just say that I healed all of my injuries."

He laughed at her logic and then leaned in and using a sinfully seductive voice said, "I can help you get a bit dirty."

His voice alone sent shivers down her spine and a heated pool of warmth clenched her lower abdomen.

"Itachi…"

"Yes, my love?"

"I… I…"

He kissed the special place along her jaw line.

She gasped and held onto him to stay steady.

The sexual tension increased ten-fold and he whispered, "Please put on your ANBU gear, Sa..Ku..Ra… I will meet you outside and we can head to a nearby field to 'train'. I will pay the owner and meet you there in ten minutes."

He silently walked out of the room and took his pack, leaving the flustered kunoichi to change.

They met outside of the inn and they walked hand in hand to the outskirts of town before taking to the trees to a nearby clearing for their 'spar'.

Sakura stood in the middle of the field and closed her eyes, spreading her senses to search for Itachi.

He was so good that there was no trace of his chakra anywhere. It's like he was a ghost, a shadow, not even there.

She held her katana in one hand and when she felt his breath on the back of her neck, he managed to grip her waist and whisper, "Hold it like this, it makes it a bit easier. Let it flow from you, don't tense your muscles, and stand like this in your initial attack. It will give you more momentum and take them by surprise."

She shadowed his movements and after a good thirty minutes he said, "Ok Love, come at me and I will try to stop you from hurting yourself."
He smirked, anyone that came at him head on was asking to get hurt, but he would never harm her, not her. She was his now and he would protect her at all costs.

She tried to get a single hit on him but he easily dodged her movements. Sakura became frustrated and then uprooted a tree and threw it in the sky. She wanted to see if he would be able to dodge it while trying to defend against her attacks. As the tree was coming back down, she noticed how he lunged and then moved quickly to wrap his arms around her and break their fall by rolling to the ground. He covered her head and took the impact of the fall full on, as he held her close to his chest. As they tumbled out of the way, Sakura could only hold on to him and hear his heartbeat.

Her uniform was now dirty and she had some small scrapes, but what she didn't expect was the kiss that Itachi gave her when they came to a stop.

He looked at her and said, "You are one, incredibly strong woman. I know that you would hold your own against any member of the Akatsuki, I just can't attack you head on. We can do some more training with your katana but I just can't do hand-to-hand."
She was a bit breathless and just nodded.

He took out a scroll and released it and his own katana appeared. He instructed her on how to improve her attacks and how to defend against him.

"Remember the kata's from before!" he yelled at her.

She remembered the different style he taught her and she moved with an increased speed and improved momentum.

Every time that he saw an opening he would kiss her or touch her body in a way that distracted her to no end. She sometimes wished that he would attack her head on, this type of distraction was so effective that he pinned her to a tree at one point, and hungrily kissed her until she was dazed and breathless.

By the time that they were done parts of her uniform were torn and her armor was smudged with dirt.

Itachi then disappeared and appeared a couple of yards away holding his katana in a defensive stance. She tried to clear her thoughts and attack but he was extremely skilled and dodged her attacks with ease. He never aimed for her skin or tried to cut her.

The soft smile that he had as they finished made her heart flutter, as he said, "You are amazing, my love. You took my advice and integrated your own fighting style. I'm impressed."

She was breathless and dripping in sweat, but she was happy with his compliment on her skills.

He was definitely different from Sasuke. Her old teammate probably would have just told her how annoying she was or how weak she was compared to him.

She caught herself thinking about the younger Uchiha and then forced herself to push those thoughts away from her mind. She refused to have Sasuke interfere with her life anymore. He had taken her happiness before, he would not do it again.

After their 'spar' they collected their things and began to run towards Konoha.

Before they got to the closest ANBU post, Itachi stopped her and pulled her into an embrace as he landed on one of the larger tree branches.

He looked deep into her eyes and said, "Thank you for reminding me of who I really am. I will be waiting for you, my love."

The look that she gave him was almost pleading, she said, "Always?"

He nodded and said, "I will wait for you with open arms. When we see each other again, no one will take us apart."

She kissed him once more said, "I love you" and then disappeared in a flurry of cherry blossom petals.

He caught some of them in his hand as they began to dissolve into small snippets of her chakra.

He brought his fingers to his lips and then said to himself, 'Not even death will separate us, my love.'

Sakura appeared a couple of meters before the outpost sentry.

She had her mask in place and flared her chakra so they could recognize her.

The sentry recognized her and waved her through. She nodded and continued on her way towards Konoha.

When she go there, she made her way to the Hokage Tower to report.

As she glanced towards the closed doors of her Hokage's office she heard the familiar sounds of her shishou throwing random objects at a poor shinobi. Whoever they were probably screwed up royally to receive her wrath. At least she hadn't started complaining of running out of saké….

"Shizune! Where is my sake?!" She heard through the double doors, followed by a glass shattering.

She chuckled underneath her ANBU mask.

Sakura flared her chakra, hopefully to give whoever was her target practice a chance to dodge.

"Come in!"

Sakura opened the door and then felt the eyes of a very grateful group of medic nins that she knew very well but couldn't acknowledge while in ANBU uniform.

Shizune and Tsunade gave a sigh of relief at seeing her and then Tsunade ordered everyone else to get out of her office.

As soon as the medic nins left and closed the doors, Tsunade smiled at her apprentice and said, "I am glad that you are back. How was the mission?"
Sakura blushed and thankfully she still had her mask in place. She would remove it only after handing over her report that she grasped a little bit tighter in her hand.

She bowed and said, "Hokage-sama, the mission was a success. I was able to do some reconnaissance of my own and I was able to come in contact with the informant."

Her words were truthful, although a bit warped in how she actually came in contact with the informant. Sakura handed the scroll over and when Tsunade opened it, she smiled at the wealth of information.

"Good job, mission completed."

Sakura then took off her mask and smiled at her mentor.

"Sakura have you come to a decision on what I had offered you?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Sakura bowed her head and said, "I wish to stay in ANBU. I understand the need for me in the hospital, but I know that with the changes that I had made prior to my departure, the staff can handle the workload. My comrades on the field are in constant life and death situations and need my skills on the field and in their training. I wish to continue teaching the ANBU field medics."

Tsunade's eyes closed for a second and then she said, "I respect your wishes. You are an exceptional medic and a formidable fighter. ANBU is lucky to have you. I do ask for you to finish your work at the hospital and get your things ready to start a training regimen for ANBU medics."
"Hai. Hokage-sama. If I might ask, what did those medics do to get you so upset?"
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched at the reminder and then she said, "They screwed up the last months reports and had me think that there was a breach in the poisons and antidotes medication laboratory. I thought that I might have to deal with a disastrous situation involving some deadly poisons."

Sakura's jaw clenched and she was visibly upset at the thought of such a careless mistake.

She said, "Tsunade-sama if you will excuse me I believe that I might need to talk with my staff before I official finish at the hospital. That was a careless mistake and shouldn't happen at our hospital."

Tsunade smiled at her pupil and said, "Take today off and give them hell tomorrow. You look like you could use the rest. I am glad that you were able to gather this much information in such a short time."

Sakura maintained her face as stoic as possible, at the thought of how her armor and clothing got to be the way that they were.

Itachi… his lips… his burning kiss that scorched every part of her body…

Sakura was brought back to reality by Naruto bursting through the door.

The minute that he felt her presence back in Konoha, Naruto made his way to the Hokage Tower.

"Sakura-chan! You are back!"

Sakura chuckled and then hugged him as he lifted her off the floor and twirled her around in a bear hug.

"Hey Naruto. I was just leaving, how about we go out and grab some lunch?"
His eyes sparkled and he said, "I have some great news for you. Let's go before Baa-chan sends you off on another mission."
Tsunade laughed and said, "You two get out of here, but I need Sakura at the hospital tomorrow morning."

They walked out of her office and Sakura told Naruto that she needed to go home to change first.

Once in her apartment, Naruto sat on her couch as Sakura went to take a shower and change.

She left her pack in her closet and hid the sealing scroll that still contained Itachi's cloak and the cherry blossom hairpin that he had given her.

"Sakura-chan! Come on, I'm hungry!"
"Ok Naruto, I'm ready, let's go!"
They walked to their favorite ramen stand and after they ordered their meals Naruto started telling her about how his relationship with Hinata was going. They had made some progress with her dad and he didn't openly scowl every time that he saw them together.

"Naruto, how are Kakashi, Yamato and Sai?"

"Ah, you know how they are, Kaka-sensei is the same as always. He just came back from a mission two days ago. Yamato and Sai are out of the village on a mission till the end of the week, but they are doing just fine like always."

She smiled at him. Naruto then said, "Hey Sakura I want to ask you something?"

"Sure, what's on your mind?"
"Will you stay in ANBU, even when I become Hokage?"

She shrugged and said, "I don't know Naruto, I guess we won't know til we get there. A lot can happen, I might just change my mind and stay in the hospital or I might step down and become a jounin sensei."
He laughed and said, "You know Sakura, you would be one scary sensei."

"I would not! If I ever did that I know that I would be a great sensei!"

"I know Sakura-chan, I am just teasing. I guess what I meant is that I want you to be happy, you know, have a social life. Get to know someone and be happy. Whoever you find would have to pass through me and Kaka-sensei first, before they get to date you, but as hard as it is for me to say, I really wish you would find someone to make you as happy as Hinata makes me."

She smiled, looking into those deep blue eyes that held the sincerity of his words. She wanted to tell him that she found the man that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, but she had to keep that secret for now.

"I know Naruto, it's just that I don't have time for that right now. My schedule is kinda hectic and I don't know that there are any guys out there that are willing to be brave enough to ask." In her mind there was only one, and he would be able to blow away any competition.

Naruto wrapped an arm around her shoulder and said, "Don't you worry Sakura-chan, I know that there is someone out there for ya. You are pretty awesome when you are not freakishly scary."

She let that pass and only raised an eyebrow in his direction.

He stammered out, "I didn't mean it like that!"

She sighed and said, "It's ok Naruto. Do you know about everyone else?"

He nodded and began to tell her all about what was going on with the Konoha Eleven since she was gone. They all seemed to be happy and had their own lives that seemed to be progressing at an alarming rate. Apparently, Kiba was going to become head of the Inuzuka clan in a couple of months, and Shino was engaged to someone from his clan. That had been a shocker, but she knew that the clan heirs had responsibilities and would be following their parents footsteps in a couple of years. Lee was still Lee and still hung out and trained with Gai-sensei religiously.

Neji and Tenten had a not so secret relationship, but no one was going to mention anything to the Hyuga clan until Naruto and Hinata announce their official courtship to the village elders.

She didn't even bother asking about Ino because she knew that once she saw her she would willingly tell her everything going on with her team.

Sakura soon had to go and decided to head to the memorial stone to see if she could catch her old sensei.

Sure enough she found her the Copy Ninja standing in front of the memorial. He turned and waved her over.

"How are you doing Sakura? I hope your mission went well."
"Yeah, I'm fine, just recon. Nothing major, no fights, pretty uneventful. How have you been?"

He gave her his signature masked, eye crinkling smile that put her at ease.

"I've been good, just got back from a mission a couple of days ago. Did you decide on Tsunade-sama's offer?"
She smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm gonna stay in ANBU for now. I think when I finally find someone and settle down I'll quit and go back to healing people for a living."
He ruffled her hair and said, "Just don't wait until you are my age to start doing that, it gets harder and… you get colder… lose touch with what's important."
"Don't say that. You were a great sensei and you are still one of the best shinobi the Leaf has ever had. I don't think that you have lost sight of what's important, and you're not that old!"

He laughed but looked deep in her eyes. Sakura saw something flash in his lone grey eye that she had never seen before, it looked like regret and a bit of longing but it was gone in an instant that she couldn't read what she saw in him.

He recovered and said, "I really hope that I never lose you… and Naruto, the way that we lost…"
He didn't have to say his name, it was a sore spot for Team 7, but especially for Kakashi. She now had a bit more of a background on her former sensei's ANBU days and knew that he felt even worse because he probably felt that he not only failed as a sensei, but he failed Itachi as well.

She smiled at him and said, "Don't worry we will find him one day, but for now we have to continue to live on."

He squeezed her shoulder and then said, "So you're off today?"
She nodded and said, "I have hospital rounds tomorrow morning."

He looked down at her and said, "Wanna train?"
She beamed at him and with a flurry of cherry blossoms she teleported to their old training grounds but made a quick stop at home to get somethings.

Kakashi soon followed with a smirk underneath his mask. It was good to have her back in the village.

He poofed into the training grounds and couldn't find Sakura. He used his senses and was about to worry when he felt a breeze and then a flurry of cherry blossoms surround him as she appeared at his side.

She had two katanas in her hand and she handed him one.

He raised an eyebrow in her direction but she smiled and jumped a ways off and settled in her fighting stance.

Kakashi chuckled as he unsheathed his katana and prepared himself. He noticed that her usual stance was slightly modified, she looked like a panther ready to leap on her pray, absolutely beautiful and deadly.

She came at him with a new confidence and determination, as if she had something to prove to herself.

He was surprised at her speed and fluidity in her attacks. Something about this style reminded him of someone but he couldn't really concentrate on that because her attacks were relentless.
Sakura smiled and said, "Come on Kakashi… you're better than this."

He jumped back a few yards and said, "You know… I haven't had this kind of spar with you since you entered ANBU. I'm impressed with your skill Sakura. I might have to ask for some missions with you to see how much you have progressed."
She smiled and attacked once more. Their spar was a combination of taijutsu and weapons. In the middle of the fight he lifted his hitai-ate and his Sharingan took notice of all of her movements.

They had been sparring for a good while when she somehow managed to strike his hand with a bit of chakra and crushed some of the bones in his hand. The katana fell and he felt his legs go out from under him as she swooped down and kicked him. He fell down but wrapped his other arm around her. She noticed how he tightened his grip around her but as his head hit the ground with a resounding thud, his grip suddenly relaxed and he was unconscious.

Sakura let go of her katana and even though she was literally sitting on his lap, she leaned in and placed her healing chakra enhanced fingertips to his temple. She healed his injuries and when his eyes slowly opened, he saw the worried look in her emerald eyes.

Sakura saw his mismatched eyes and when she looked at the crimson of the Sharingan thoughts of Itachi flooded her mind and she quickly got off of her former sensei.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

He nodded and rubbed the back of his head but grimaced in pain as he tried to move his crushed hand.

Sakura gasped and sat next to him. She took his hand in hers as she began to heal the crushed bones.

She apologized and only felt Kakashi move a stray strand of pink behind her ear and say, "Sakura, you don't have to apologize. I have to say, you have improved so much in your fighting skills. I am really impressed, I haven't seen that fighting style in a long time."

She quickly panicked, thinking that he might have noticed some of Itachi's moves. She shrugged and said, "I've been practicing. I thought that this new stance felt more natural."

Kakashi could tell Itachi's distinct style of using the katana. He had been on the opposing side of his blade in too many spars for him to ever forget it.

Could Sakura know something about Itachi that he didn't?

He dismissed the idea away, there was no possibility of her coming into contact with his old ANBU teammate. She would have mentioned it in her report and if she had encountered him, he feared that she might have been seriously outmatched, or worse… dead.

Seeing Itachi's fighting style triggered some feelings that he had tried to repress. Kakashi thought that Sakura would be honest enough to tell him if there was anything going on, so when he saw her easy-going nature and steady gaze, he shook his head and accepted her answer and didn't mention anything.

After she healed his hand, Sakura noticed that he didn't move it immediately away like he usually did, he kept his hand in hers and he said, "Sakura, I know that you are dedicated to ANBU now, I just ask that you don't forget yourself or get lost amongst their ranks. Remember that you have people who care very much for you here."

He gently rubbed his fingers against her knuckles as a blush spread on her cheeks. He then moved his hand away to help himself get up off the ground.

Sakura stood up and dusted herself off and smiled at the tall silver-haired man, who was one of her most precious people. She smiled and said, "Thanks Kakashi, I know that I can always count on you and Naruto to be there for me. I'll see ya around, gonna go and catch up with Ino and the girls."

He smiled and waved as she disappeared in a flurry of cherry blossoms.

He would always be there for her, he care too much to ever let her go.

A/N: Sorry for the late update, but I hope a longer chapter makes up for it.

The beginning part of the chapter is brought to you in part by one of my favorite bands, The Used, the song is called "I Caught Fire". I own nothing, it just happened to be playing on my Ipod as I was writing and it helped me write the first scene. :) Last part with Kakashi was inspired by Audioslave's "Like a Stone". Music inspires me 98% of the time so yes, there is some sort of song going on in the background as I type everything out.

I can't elaborate further on the new plan because it will ruin the ending, so please trust me. Next chapter we get updates on Deidara and Sasuke.

Please review.