Title: Her Fathers Daughter
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 10: Hard Hits
Sakura lay in the middle of the training grounds, dozing as she waited for Itachi to arrive. She was strangely eager for him to arrive. It was hard to believe yesterday morning she had dreading today, expecting another boring day of clerk work as punishment for the library incident. But then he had let her nap on him during her mental breakdown with minimal resistance. Smirking slightly she thought, 'Friends that nap together, stay together.' It was something Pak-kun said often. Her scalp tingled slightly as she remembered his fingers running through her hair. Maybe she could get him to do it again sometime. Furrowing her brow slightly, she wondered what sort of training they could do today.
She felt him arrive from the village right on time, chakra masked as always. Should she start masking her chakra all the time as well? She suppressed it so as to not to draw unwanted attention, but perhaps she would start masking it all the time as well. Curiously, she masked hers and smirked when she felt him stall in his approach.
Her smirk disappeared when he reappeared almost on top of her, both his feet startling her head, and stated, "You can do better than that."
Her eyes snapped open to glare up at him, her sharingan activating. Two could play at that game. She disappeared from the ground and reappear back to back with him. She grabbed her fisted hand and twisted to elbow him the kidney. He was expecting it and jumped up and out, spinning perfectly to send a round house kick at her head. She easily ducked her head and grabbed his other leg by the knee while he was still midair, redirecting his momentum towards the ground. He twisted and caught the ground with both hands and with an impromptu back flip sent her flying across the meadow.
Sakura quickly recovered, and dodged a jab he sent at her ribs. Reaching out, she caught him by the wrist and shoulder, over powering him and sending him onto the ground. She was forced to release when he sent a knee towards her gut. She jumped back to get some space, but he was right back on her, throwing another punch towards her exposed shoulder. She narrowly avoided it with a slouch of said shoulder, lunging forward to drive it into his ribcage. He easily jumped over it, curling a knee up to try and catch her in the face. She let her knees collapse under her, arching her back and tipping her head back. "Shit!" Slipped past her lips as the cloth of his pant leg grazed her nose. Recovering in an instant, she send a wild kick at his back. It was expertly blocked with a forearm.
They continued to fight til two in the afternoon, switching from close combat to long range at different intervals. After four hours Itachi upped the ante, doubling his speed. Sakura was slightly alarmed when she had to tap into Hypera's speed to keep up with him. Very little jutsu was used, simply taijutsu and speed. He always had her on the ropes, always one step ahead. It was almost like he knew what she was going to do before she knew what she was going to do. Neither of them had managed to land a solid hid yet. Itachi had managed to graze her right thigh with an unexpected forward strike kick. It still throbbed slightly, just reinforcing the fact that her opponent was more skilled than herself.
Within the last hour his attacks had become harder, faster. He hammered away at her weaknesses, leaving her no room to attack. She could hardly keep up with his movements even with her sharingan working at full capacity. He made her question her every move. Ever block, every strike was knocked away. All thoughts left her head, accept the one overwhelming fact that she could not land a hit. The fact that she would eventually lose because she was not stronger enough, not fast enough, not clever enough, not good enough. This was the real Itachi Uchiha that the entire village feared and respected. What was his true potential? Was she even close to seeing how easily he could defeat her? Was he still going easy on her? Part of her didn't want to know the answer.
They were currently as a standstill, simply staring at each other. Sakura was wary to attack him head on any more, preferring to wait for him to strike first. Her mind was scattered and in disarray. This was definitely the strongest opponent she had ever faced and her instincts told her she was no match, that she should run away now, retreat and regroup. Her father had always stayed one step ahead of her while never pushing her too far. Always leaving her an opening to attack, then countering it with precision. She realized now that he had been going easy on her, training her up at her own pace. He was never this ruthless. He always made her faults clear, but rarely relentlessly pounding away at them like Itachi had been doing. Every false move was exposed, ever miss step used to his advantage, every wild, desperate kick effortlessly blocked with ease.
She was already winded. She stared back at his intently, waiting for the next assault. He moved to fast, she was scared to blink, least she miss his movements. He wasn't breathing hard at all, emotionless mask staring mockingly at her. What was he thinking? What was he planning?!
She shivered slightly. This was Konaha's most skilled assassin. He could easily over power her, mindlessly out think her, quickly out maneuver her. She was out matched, and now she knew it.
Itachi stared back at the pink haired demon across the field from him. She was slightly winded and smalls beads of sweat were developing on her brow, but she never let her guard down. Her alertness after such an intense fight was promising. Her speed was excellent, her defense almost flawless, and her offense was surprising. He had entered the fight expecting a mouthy semi-green genin with many flaws and little experience, but had been pleasantly surprised. She had blocked almost all of his attacks flawlessly. She had used several sloppy blocks to some of his more clever strikes but only as a last resort. Halfway into the fight he had speed up, expecting to stonewall her into submission and get the acknowledgement he deserved, but she had surprised him. Her reaction time had altered to block his strikes. She had become sloppier with her defense, but ingenious with her offense. Some of her attacks were new to him, clever and insightful despite the high speed of the fight.
He had finally started fighting her seriously, almost in annoyance, and she had been overwhelmed, barely able to block all his blows. She had become more conservative with her attacks, spending more time retreating. It was then that he had stopped, when it became clear he had reached her limit. She was better than even he expected.
Kakashi had trained her well, despite his insistence to protect her from the shinobi political system. As a father, Kakashi had made a serious effort to prepare his young daughter for the harsh realities of the world, knowing she would face unknown difficulties with the demons dwelling in her soul. Reluctantly, Itachi felt a small amount of appreciation form for the man as a father. Fugaku had thrown his oldest son to the wolves when he was a child, expecting him to fight his way out with no help, while Kakashi had done the exact opposite. He had taught his daughter how to fight wolves, in the hope that it would never happen.
Turning his thoughts back to Sakura, he observed her closer as she caught her breath. He was pleased to find out she wasn't mouthy at all during a real fight. She had said nothing but a few muttered curse words when he had slipped past her guard. She had tense, ready for an attack that she knew she could barely block. She wasn't blinking, staring at him so forcefully it almost hurt. He gazed back at her calmly.
Her eyes held a small amount of fear. She had realized her weaknesses and shortcomings, realized she could not beat him as she was now, realized she was not strong enough, not experienced enough. It was not a pleasant experience for anyone. He had knocked her off the pedestal she had made for herself and she was taking it quite well in all reality. As spoiled and self-centered as she was, she was capable of swallowing her pride long enough to realize she was outmatched. It was an important attribute to have as a ninja.
He watched her sole green eye darken slightly, looking back at him oddly. It was then that he saw what he had been looking for. Respect. Admiration. ….Adoration?
It shocked him slightly. Really? After all the headaches he had endured trying to reason with her with words, all the embarrassment he had been subjected to due to her childish antics, all he had to do was beat some respect into her with one day of hand to hand combat? It was ridiculous.
Easing out of his defense stance, he sighed slightly. This girl was going to be the death of him.
"That is enough for today." He said. Sakura let a sigh of relief exit her and finally blinked her dry eyes away.
"Your stamina is subpar. Your defense becomes sloppy at best when pushed extensively. Your go to move when presented with a grapple is to go to the ground and it is predictable. Your battle strategy needs to be upped by at least 3 moves." Itachi chastised robotically. He expected her to have a witty come back, but she simply nodded, still staring at his with that unnerving dark green eye. It put him on edge slightly. He wondered if being respected by the small girl was really something he wanted now. How long could he hold it? Would her entire attitude towards him change now that he had it? Would he have to re-evaluate her entire personality now?
"We will meet here again tomorrow since Tsunade cancelled." With that he turned and started back towards the village. He had to establish a better living situation. The ANBU barracks could not be permanent, people would start to question his residence there. Questions he did not want to answer.
He had not made it three steps when he felt a small weight on the hem of his shirt. Glancing down, he saw Sakura standing at his side holding the bottom of his shirt in her hand. She smirking up at him cutely, daring him to question her actions. Her one deep green eye caught him off guard again as it gazed back at him with adoration; it was definitely adoration, while the other dark eye held no emotion what so ever, a perfect replica of his own genkai. A small part of him wished it was gone so he could see the full force of her new found respect for him, but he forcefully crushed it.
Her actions were clear. She was going where he was going. He tentatively raised his hand and brushed his palm across her forehead to wipe away the perspiration. She trembled slightly and her eye darkened further, if it was even possible. He was stuck with her now.
Resigning himself to his current predicament, he made his way downtown with Sakura hanging shamelessly on the hem of his shirt. He received several odd looks from passing civilians and shinobi alike but ignored them. Entering a well-known reality business, he found an agent and told him he was going to buy a house. Sakura seemed uninterested in his business, standing listlessly at his side, lost in her own head. He wondered what the demons were discussing with her.
The agent nervously took in his appearance, recognizing him as the Uchiha heir. His eyes lingered on the odd haired child hanging off his person for a moment, but promptly ignored her when Itachi gave him a warning glare. He pulled out several files to show him. Itachi sorted through them quickly, settling on two options. The agent wordlessly pulled out the keys to both houses and gave them to him. It was definitely against protocol but the agent smartly made an exception. The poor civilian was already sweating bullets from the shinobi's annoyed aura alone. Itachi side along teleported Sakura and himself to each house for inspection.
At the second house Sakura finally released her hold on him to go investigate a bay window looking out over a large unkempt garden.
"I like this one." She declared finitely, before reattaching herself to his shirt.
Itachi cocked an eyebrow at her. Those were the first words she had said all morning, minus a new well timed curse words. "Aren't you curious why I'm buying a house?"
"No."
Itachi stared at her expectantly until she glanced up at him with a bored look. "Fugaku has despised my very existence since the first day I started the academy."
"So?" Itachi prodded; slightly appalled he was talking so openly with her.
"So it's obvious he gave you an ultimatum. The clan or me. And you choose me."
Damn her and her astute understanding of his father's controlling, dictator like nature.
Deciding to change the subject he asked, "Why do you like this house?"
Sakura shrugged slightly, the movement putting a little more weight on his shirt. He ignored it for watching her more closely. He decided he liked this more submissive Sakura over the rude, spiteful one he had known before. "I like gardens, the kitchen is bigger, the bathroom is up dated, and it has a spare bedroom."
Itachi glared down at her. "Why does the spare bedroom matter?" He asked warily.
"So Sasuke-kun can stay with you, of course." She said cheekily. A mischievous look lite her eyes up… And he liked it.
"Hn."
He wordlessly teleported them back to the realty office, and easily dealt with the disgruntled agent, buying the house out right. With that done, he signed all the paper work and deftly ignored the agents' warnings that it would take a week for the sale to go through. He already had the keys, what were they going to do? Kick him out then let him back in?
He then promptly left and bought a bed and several items to furnish his home, along with delivery. Sakura made a show of picking out a bed for the spare bedroom, jumping from mattress to mattress, pissing off the salesman, before declaring that 'Sasuke' would like a particular one best. He delegated the smaller things to Sakura, such as dishware, towels, sheets, and groceries, which she gleefully departed with his wallet to accomplish. She was enjoying this whole ordeal way too much. When he envisioned leaving the Uchiha compound, it held a lot more pain and self-hatred. A pink haired devil threw a monkey wrench into that fray though, turning it into a happy, almost comical affair.
Returning to his new 'home' he over saw the deliveries, all rushed because of his dominating nature. Sakura popped in and out with multiple times with bags of only Kami knows what, before cheerfully settling down to rip open 'her' new purchases and place them in different areas around the house. He was pleased she seemed to stick to a black and red color scheme. He vaguely wondered if she knew he liked the colors or if she was just guessing. He was hardly concerned with her spending though. The house and all its furnishings hardly put a dent in his savings. He had been a paid shinobi since he was seven and had very little expenses. He often went months without dipping into his bank for things other than food.
By the time seven rolled around, Itachi finally sat down on his new couch and threw his feet up on the coffee table, content to watch Sakura scurry around. Her happy aura calmed him greatly, and he realized he appreciated her presence more with every passing moment. He could feel her chakra rolling off her, filling his house to the brim with blissful energy. It seemed to wash all his worries away. Would Sasuke still love him? Would he be ordered to avoid him? How was his mother reacting to the whole debacle? Would she still love him? How would leaving the compound affect his standing in the village? Would his father try to derail his career? Would he be disinherited? Would the other Uchiha's ostracize him? Would be he demoted?
Honestly, he didn't give a fuck right now because Sakura was busy throwing a black and red checkered throw blanket over him, head and all. He left it there, covered in darkness until Sakura slowly pulled it off his head. He glared at her. She looked at him oddly for a second, before laughing openly at his face. He glared harder. She laughed harder. With a quick flip of his wrist he threw the blanket over her. She shut up instantly, vaguely resembling a ghost.
Itachi felt a smirk tugging at his face, and it grew wider when she tugged the blanket off her head. Her hair was covered in static, making it stick up at odder angles than normal, appearing weightless. Realization hit him and he used his hand to calm his own hair. Sakura flopped down on the couch next to him, covered in the cursed blanket. Itachi thoughtlessly reached out and calmed her crazy hair. He was rewarded with a sweet smile that made his heart flutter. At least he thought it was sweet. Her mask covered it. Stupid mask.
Sakura jumped up and headed towards the kitchen, leaving him with the blanket. "I'll make us a snack." She declared with her departure.
He let his head fall back and closed his eyes as he relaxed. It had been an eventful day, even he deserved a few moments of peace. He heard her bustling around in the kitchen for a while before a weight settled next to him on the couch. He heard the clank of dishes on the coffee table but refused to open his eyes. Comfort was a rare commodity in his world, and Sakura seemed to pass it out like free candy. He wasn't going to let this moment go to waste. He felt at ease with her around, knowing her heightened senses would alert him to any danger. He had tried in many different ways to avoid her radar, but with every new technique she was always able to detect him. Her chakra was so unique and yet diverse it was painfully obvious when he failed. He would try masking his presence with multiple painstaking procedures, but he always felt her chakra envelope him again, locating him, following him, almost hugging him. He had cursed her at first, but now as he considered her as a new teammate, he thought of it as a blessing. When he had first entered the training ground this morning, she had masked her chakra so perfectly he had been unable to sense her. He had arrogantly declared she could do better, but he was lying. No one could do better. She was completely undetectable to his senses.
He vaguely heard liquid being poured. He reluctantly opened his eyes to observe her.
"How did you buy plum wine? You're not of age." Itachi asked curiously, looking at the guilty bottle as she set it back on the table.
He accepted the offered glass smoothly from under the blanket, watching her intently. Sakura winked at him mysteriously, and pulled the mask down off her beautiful face. She raised a single finger to her nose and whisper, "It's a secret." Before toasting him, and swigging the drink down.
Itachi cocked an eyebrow at her before downing his own drink, enjoying its sweet tangy flavor. "Bullshit. You stole it." He reprimanded, pouring himself another glass.
Sakura pouted cutely. "Tattle tale." She said tartly.
Itachi grabbed a stick of dango from an offered plate and took a bite. "Don't steal."
Sakura scoffed at him, stealing his stick of dango and taking a bite before he swiped it back with a glare. "Beggars can't be choosers." She shrugged it off. "I wanted booze. No one will sell it to me because I'm too young. Hence, I had to find an alternative method." She poured herself another glass with a smirk. "Besides, you're too young to buy it too. You fight for this village. You could die for this village tomorrow, and you're still not legal to buy booze. Seems like a silly law anyway."
Itachi glared at her over his violated dango stick. "No one in their right mind would refuse to sell me a bottle of plum wine."
"But it's still illegal."
"Regardless, when you want it next time I will buy it for you. I will not have you acting like a common thief while under my watch." Itachi said firmly, finishing off his dango and grabbing another.
Sakura smiled at him cutely, making him pause in his bite. "Itachi the saint. Interesting, I would have never thought."
"Hn." Itachi took a bite, feeling his heart jump a beat. 'Sakura the trouble maker.' He thought silently, then smirked. 'What a pair we make.'
They finished their snack and half the bottle, bickering back and forth all the while before Sakura eventually left for home. His house seemed to feel colder now that she was gone, and he didn't like it. He rose and went to bed, feeling out of place. How had this place felt like home just a moment ago, but now it just felt like an empty, unfamiliar house?
'Sakura?' He thought curiously. How was it that his presence brought people discomfort and fear, while hers did the exact opposite? Was it because of the demons? She had mentioned most of them were none violent, meaning they could possibly be passive in nature. Did the demons give off an energy he enjoyed? Was that why he was becoming obsessed with her?
He tossed and turned restlessly in his bed for a while. Finally he grew annoyed with his insomnia and rose to retrieve the blanket from the couch. He pressed it to his nose and was happy to smell her scent still on it. Returning to bed, he covered his lower face with stupid blanket and took breath, glaring murderously at the ceiling. 'When did I become pathetic?' He thought ruefully.
The next day they trained in taijutsu in the morning, and then retired to ANBU headquarters to study strategy. Itachi sat at his desk catching up on paperwork and espionage reports while Sakura covered the floor of his office with scrolls and maps of past battles. He periodically quizzed her out of sheer boredom. He knew she could recite all of the scrolls verbatim. He had resorted to questioning her on arbitrary matters to test her knowledge. She would occasionally not have a suitable answer and would disappear into the ANBU archives to research a solution. He had given her free reign to the library and storages rooms after her persistent pestering wore him down. The girl was hungry for knowledge and nothing but full access would do.
Several ANBU operatives wandered into his office to make reports, and curiously watched the pink haired devil sprawled out on his floor. As the evening wore on the visits increased, while the reports became less important. Almost everyone in ANBU was nosy. It was their job.
Over the weekend this pattern followed, although no training was assigned. Sakura had commandeered a cot from the barracks so she didn't have to lie on the floor, and set up a pseudo bedroom in his office. He thought he would be annoyed with her bold move, but actually enjoyed watching her lounging about. She always looked so comfortable, leg hanging half off the cot, head lolling back on a large scroll turned pillow, nonchalantly reading through scroll after scroll of information.
On Monday Itachi had shamelessly spied on her and Tsunade's first real training session, and was adequately rewarded. Tsunade beat the shit out of her. The sannin's chakra infused fists had the girl running for her life. Her whole world crumbled around her, literally, as Tsunade systematically smashed away every solid surface Sakura landed on. Itachi felt a reluctant respect form for the village drunkard. He had never seen her fighting so openly and aggressively. She may have been a drunken slob most of the time, but when she felt like it Tsunade could truly become a force to be reckoned with. The session had ended with Sakura crawling out of a large crevice in the ground of an utter destroyed training ground. She was covered in dirt and sweat, eyes wide with shock. Itachi had actually smiled at the sight. Even in her disheveled state, Sakura still made his heart flutter curiously.
Tsunade must have found her skills adequate because she had moved their lessons to the hospital, much to Itachi's chagrin. It became much harder to observe his new obsessions progress while she was locked away in the bowels of the dreaded building. It hadn't deterred him for long though. About four weeks into it, he had swallowed his pride and marched into the hospital, complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath.
Tsunade glared at him openly; obviously pissed he had interrupted her training session.
"Chest pain and shortness of breath, huh? Are you sure you aren't just having Sakura withdrawals? Hard to spy on people inside a building, isn't it?" She growled out, frowning angrily at him. Tsunade had noticed his obsession with the girl early on, finding it hilarious at first. Now she just found it annoying. She had reprimanded him for having an addictive personality, which Itachi had countered by calling her a hypocrite.
Sakura glanced up from a test tube full of vile green liquid, and stated, "It's true. He does occasionally flee a battle to break down coughing after strenuous activities, and I've seen him grab at his chest when he thought no one was watching."
Itachi glared hotly at her. "I do not flee."
"What do you call it then?"
"A strategic retreat."
"Hn." Sakura smirked back at him after using his signature retort against him. He glared harder at her.
"When did you see me grab at my chest?" He asked disgruntledly. He had been very self-conscience about his growing ailment and been careful to keep it hidden. How had she noticed, when even the more seasoned ANBU operatives had not?
"I'm with you all the time. Besides, you're comfortable around me now. It was only a matter of time before you slipped up. After I noticed it the first time, I just had to watch for it." Sakura explained matter of factly, turning back to her test tube.
"Hn." Itachi grunted, unhappy with her answer. Looking back at Tsunade, he saw her looking at him with a renewed sense of interest. He looked at her warily. It was never good to be in the sannin's crosshair. Maybe he should have thought this through more thoroughly.
"Take off your shirt." She barked at him, pulling her sleeves up. Itachi frowned at her harsh tone.
"This is all happening so fast." Itachi said smoothly. "We hardly know each other." Sakura's witty comebacks had started to rub off on him.
Sakura started sniggering in the background. Tsunade nailed her in the back of the head with a large medical text book. Itachi smirked. Apparently Tsunade and he had the same punishment for their students insubordinate behavior.
Ignoring Sakura's yowling Tsunade crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly. "Just do it."
Itachi glared at her for a moment. 'Want me to bend over and cough, while we're at it?' He thought angrily, but didn't say anything. Best to not give her ideas.
He sighed resignedly, and pulled his shirt over his head as Tsunade smirked evilly at him. He would never hear the end of this. From the corner of his eye, he say Sakura pause in her tantrum to take in his abs with appreciation. Her sole green eye darkened ever so slightly, before flickering up to his face. He smirked arrogantly as a flare of red spread across her cheeks and she quickly covered it by turning back to her lab experiment.
Tsunade's cold hands on his chest shocked him out of his small victory. He turned and glared at her. Her smirk had turned down right sinister. Shit.
"I should hang out with you two more often. You are giving me some great material for my blackmail file." Tsunade cackled evilly, her smirk still in place as her hands started to glow green and penetrated his skin.
Sakura could be heard growling unhappily in the back. She muttered quietly, "No one is cut like that. It's not fair."
Itachi felt a small flare of male pride rush his system, but it was instantly gone when Tsunade started her real examination. He flinched as her healing chakra invaded his chakra system. It felt foreign and cold in his veins. He felt it methodically prod and poke around his internal organs, searching for oddities. Suddenly it settled on his lungs and began filling them. Itachi watched as Tsunades smirk dropped into a perplexed frown. She moved a hand around to his back, keeping one on his chest, continuing her examination. Her frown deepened for a second, worrying him. Itachi felt a small pain in his chest, before it exploded into a sharp spasm. His lungs started burning with agony, and he started coughing harshly. He instinctively brought a hand to his mouth to cover it. The coppery taste of blood invaded his mouth as he continued to cough. It eventually subsided, and he looked at his hand in shock and dismay. It was covered in blood splatter.
He turned his head to glare accusingly at Tsunade, but her stony face brought him up short. She hadn't caused this.
Tsunade opened her mouth to say something, but stopped and leaned back in her chair. She gazed at him appraisingly before speaking. "I'll give it to you straight. You're not the kind of person that will tolerate proper bed side manner. I have only seen this disease once before, and by the time I got to the woman she was already too far gone."
Itachi looked at her sharply, waiting for her to elaborate.
Tsunade looked back at him just as sharply, trying to see through his emotionless mask. Not seeing anything she sighed, and continued. "It's still in the early stages, so we may be able to heal it. However, all the treatments would be experimental. There is no known treatment, it's so rare."
"What is this disease called?" Itachi asked calmly.
"It doesn't have a name. I've only seen it once, and my sensei had never encountered it at all. It attacks the lungs first, then slows and continues onto the other major organs. It will eventually cause a slow, agonizing death."
"How much time do I have left?" Itachi asked sharply, quick to get to the point.
Tsunade looked at him oddly and then started chuckling. "Already planning your death, pretty boy? Luckily for you, I have a very clever apprentice with a lot of time on her hands. She also seems rather fond of you so I'm sure we will find a better solution than six feet under."
Sakura had moved to his side during his coughing fit. She looked rather worried. She thoughtlessly took a hand and wiped a bit of blood from his lips. Itachi blinked at her in surprise. She had never touched his face before. They gazed at each other, both in shock. Itachi felt his heart beat a bit harder from the physical contact, and if Sakura's wide eyes were any indicator, she was experiencing the same reaction. What was happening? Why was this happening?
"Sakura!" Tsunade barked impatiently, ruining their small moment. Sakura's hand dropped from his face quickly. "Go to my house, there is a box in the hall closet, top shelf, marked unfinished. Go get it."
Sakura nodded and disappeared with a pop. Itachi tilted his head in interest. She had learned to teleport without leaving a smoke cover and using hand signs. She was truly improving with leaps and bounds.
Tsunade sat back again, a smug smirk covering her ear to ear. "You're falling for her. Hard. And her for you." She stated, ignoring Itachi's look of indignation.
"You are speculating. She may be skilled, but she is twelve. Her people skills leave much to be desired." Itachi snapped back as he put his shirt back on. He vaguely realized Tsunade was trying to keep his mind off the realization of his crippling disease. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.
"I'm an old woman. I know attraction when I see it. That girl flits around this place like a bee, and she spoke more openly to you in the last half hour than she has to all the staff and myself for the last four weeks. The child is smitten with you, whether you like it or not."
"She is still a child. Such thoughts are inappropriate."
"Inappropriate thoughts I know you have been having." Tsunade said evilly. "Love knows nothing of age."
"Puppy love." Itachi corrected. He did not deny it straight out like he should have. Tsunade saw right through his cover.
"I wonder how Kakashi will feel about this new development. His only prized daughter that he spent years hiding and sculpting, chasing after a disowned Uchiha like a love drunk pup."
Itachi felt a small jolt to his mental process. His disinheritance was now common knowledge. Sasuke had been named the new heir last week. He knew his brother was unhappy with the new position forced upon him, but there was little he could do.
"Hn."
Derailing the conversation away from the sensitive subject of his family, knowing Tsunade would have a hay day with that conversation, Itachi said. "Kakashi must have spent a lot of time training her. She has not fallen short in any area yet. Her chakra is extremely versatile making her adept at all fields of jutsu. It's not if, it's when she starts opening chakra gates. She is already on par with me in taijutsu."
Tsunade looked at him in surprise. "The same as you?" She questioned in disbelief.
"Yes, although she has not realized it yet. Her strategy still needs work, but that will only come when we get released for active duty and she gains some experience."
Tsunade tapped her chin with her finger, pondering something. "She blew through all of my first and second year healing material in the first week. And I made the mistake of leaving her unattended in the medical scroll archive. Kami only knows how much that little shit got into. Her chakra control is scary accurate. It only took a couple hours for her to pick up on how to gather and release chakra for power strikes with her feet. She is still struggling doing it with her fists, but it's only a matter of time." She frowned slightly in thought. "Speaking of chakra gates….. Should we-?"
"No."
"Guy is the best teacher when it comes-"
"No."
"Neither of us are proficient in it and one of his current students can already-"
"No."
"STOP INTERUPTING ME YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Tsunade roared, throwing a glass beaker at his head. He easily dodged it and moved to a nearby sink to wash his blood off his hand and face.
"Why not Guy?" Tsunade snarled, grabbing another beaker in preparation.
"His eye brows creep me out." The beaker came sailing across the room and smash into the wall behind Itachi. "So does his spandex." A strange metal device narrowly missed his head. "Could you stand being around Sakura if she starts spouting shit about eternal youth?"
Tsunade paused mid throw, glass beaker still in hand. She lowered it after a moment. "Good point. She is still in a sensitive developmental state. He could potential poison her with his radical views."
"Hn." Itachi sat back down in his seat and glared out the window. He couldn't believe he was even having this conversation. Guy may be powerful, but the man was an oddity. He could teach Sakura to open her chakra gates himself, or, more likely, she would figure it out on her own. He wondered if she could even open them with all the demons running amuck with her chakra system.
Sakura returned shortly after with a dusty box of files. Tsunade pulled one of them out and told her to research it and 'experiment' on Itachi in her free time. If she didn't find a solution in a month or two, she would take over. Sakura memorized the files before disappear to do research without a word. Itachi watched her leave longingly. He would rather set up camp in a dusty store room researching a cure to his critical disease than be in Tsunade's presence a moment longer.
"We still need to make a progress report. The Hokage had one of his lackeys track me down two weeks ago."
Itachi cocked an eyebrow. "Two week ago?"
"Another week didn't kill the nosy bastards. We were supposed to do it after the first week." Tsunade examined her fingernails for a second. "Should we botch the report? At the rate she is improving she will only have to train under us for another two month before being transfer to another teacher. With our luck it will be Guy. Hate to say it up, but I'm growing fond of the spoiled brat."
"Let's botch it." Itachi agreed. He had not even considered Sakura leaving his tutelage so soon, but it only made sense. The council would want to hone their new weapon in all fields of battle. He had already planned on taking her onto his ANBU team during and after her training, and keeping her there permanently. The thought of losing her set his nerves on edge. Now he realized why Kakashi had kept her a secret for so long, for fear of losing her.
"Good. Let's get it over with now before another stupid messenger interrupts one of my poker games." Tsunade declared and headed towards the door. Itachi followed a bit behind, still mildly disturbed him and the drunken woman had anything in common.
They went to the Hokage tower together. Itachi stopped in the reception area to make an appointment, but Tsunade had other ideas. She barged right in without knocking. Itachi watched in amusement as she evicted a disgruntled genin team and their sensei. It was team Kakashi. Ignoring the loud complaints from the blond haired Kyuubi vessel, he nodded to Kakashi. Kakashi turned sharp eyes on him and glared. He was still mad about his late night visit over a month ago.
"Kakashi-sama." Itachi acknowledge emotionlessly.
"Itachi." Kakashi all but growled out.
The copy nin was clearly peeved he had no control over his daughters life any more. Itachi could understand his unpleasant nature. Itachi had not caused it but he was now involved. Moving past him he laid a land on his brothers shoulder, looking at him sharply. He appeared to be fine physically, but his eyes held a small amount of distress. His home life couldn't be good at the moment.
"Meet me tonight." Itachi said emotionlessly, leaving his brother wide eyed and confused. He entered the Hokage's office and closed the door.
The third looked less than pleased with Tsunade's rude arrival but said nothing. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprising, Kakashi entered shortly after Itachi. The look he sent the surprised occupants dared them to tell him to leave.
The third sighed warily, taking all of them in with one tired glance. "Take a seat."
Tsunade was already seated, lounging in a guest chair like she owned it. It forced Itachi and Kakashi to sit next to each other. Itachi glanced warily at him as he sat. The man's aura was downright murderous. How had the council set all this up without Kakashi slaughtering them? The third must have helped calm the man.
"Very well. Please report on Sakura Hatake's progress. This report is already over two weeks late." He sent a glare in Tsunade's direction, but she ignored it.
"The brat is spoiled, selfish, disrespectful, and insubordinate." Tsunade reported with a bored tone, resting her head on a raised fist to polish off her 'I'd rather be anywhere but here, fuck you all' ensemble.
The third's brow twitched slightly. "Please elaborate."
Tsunade sighed exaggeratedly. "The twit is a wild card. Sporadic and wildly clever. I managed to pound her into submission for the moment by massively overpowering her physically, but it will only last so long. The only person she clearly respects is Itachi. He is the only one that is capable of handling her temper effectively, and it even took him a messy week to manage that."
"How is she doing with healing?" The third asked, slightly put off by her previous answer.
"Fine, she has good chakra control and she is very intelligent when she feels like it. What was the council expecting? An obedient super weapon, prepped and ready to roll out in a month? She is a spoil twelve year old princess with more pride than sense. She doesn't follow orders well and she is witty enough to make people hate her with two words. The staff at the hospital want to kill her, and they are some of the most lenient people on the planet. She needs to grow up. Not all of us are born submissive protégé's like pretty boy here."
The third nodded and asked quickly, "Itachi?" He didn't want to give Itachi time to retort to Tsunade's jab.
"Sakura is progressing well in all fields. Her taijutsu is very good, as is her genjutsu, but her strategy needs more work. She is repetitive in many of her attacks making them predictable. She does have many behavioral issues as Tsunade-sama has already addressed. I suggest field experience to rectify some of her flaws." Itachi rattled off robotically.
The third looked at him sharply, perhaps curious about his recent exile from the Uchiha clan, but said nothing. With another tired sigh he said, "Continue as you have been doing. The council will be unhappy, but I cannot progress her training until you two sign off on her ability to follow orders. It is a concerning character flaw that cannot be over looked merely due to her other strengths. I will assign a chunin level test mission within the next two weeks for you and Sakura. Dismissed."
Itachi nodded and headed out of the building, with Kakashi and Tsunade in tow. At the bottom of the steps outside the building he paused and looked Kakashi in the eye. The copy nin's emotional mask was back in place, and he meet his look with a flat expression.
"That should keep the council off her case for some time." Itachi said calmly, watching as Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise. He gave him a questioning look, and Itachi elaborated. "We botched the report."
Kakashi let out a breath he must have not known he had been holding, and looked extremely bewildered.
Tsunade chuckled lightly as she moved up behind him, pounding him twice on the back making him stumble forward from the force. "We got your back, Kakashi. Bring your pretty wife out for drinks one night. I would love to meet her again." With that she ambled off, likely to the nearest bar.
"Again?" Kakashi questioned softly, watching the sannin leave.
"If I am assuming correctly, Tsunade was present shortly after Sakura's birth." Itachi answered softly. He was not used to seeing Kakashi in such a dysfunctional state. It was odd, he was so used to the rock solid, ruthless ANBU captain from his youth. Kakashi had never let anything shake him.
He turned and started back to the hospital, intent on hunting Sakura down. He almost missed Kakashi's soft words. Almost.
"Thank you, Itachi."
Itachi paused and slowly glanced back over his shoulder at him. He was standing forlornly at the base of the steps, head hung in relief.
"Hn." Itachi grunted softly, before teleporting to the hospital. He wasn't doing this for Kakashi. He was doing it for himself. They simply had a common goal.
Umi was busy cooking dinner when Sakura barged in later that evening. She was planning to have all the kids over so she had planned something extra special. Turning, she smiled at her happily. She was gone so much now, training with her new sensei's. Her eyes widened slightly at the large bag of scrolls her daughter was lugging in. She looked rather preoccupied and didn't even glance her was as she headed towards her room.
"Sakura, honey-"
"Not now Mom, I'm busy." Sakura retorted briskly, disappearing into her room. Umi followed after her, peeking into her room just as the scrolls started flying.
Kakashi returned some time later with Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata trailing after him. The first thing he saw from the door was Umi standing, wringing her hands at Sakura's door. It looked like an avalanche of scrolls had broken free from Sakura's room.
"Kakashi!" Umi yelped at his arrival and ran towards him. "Please talk to Sakura!"
Kakashi looked down at her wide worried eye. What could possibly be going on? He removed his shoes and walked over to glance in the room turned paper avalanche. It was truly impressive. How had she managed to get them all in here? Multiple storage scrolls, full of storage scrolls, full of scrolls?
"It's okay. I'll take care of it. Umi….. I think something is burning."
Umi cursed and ran into the kitchen, giving Kakashi room to think. He leaned against the doorway and quietly observed his daughter. She was toiling away at her desk, occasionally looking at scrolls, memorizing them with her active sharingan, and then tossing them over head, adding to the heap, not even bothering to seal it closed again. He picked one of them up. It was a complex medical scroll. He could hardly decipher all the technical lingo.
Naruto walked passed him and promptly slipped on a scroll and fell on his ass, disappearing into the pile. Hinata rushed in to help him detangle himself from all the paper without tearing any of it. Sasuke stopped in the doorway next to Kakashi, looking at the mess curiously.
"Sakura, what the hell are you doing?" Sasuke asked, grabbing a scroll and reading some of it.
"Not now, busy." Sakura snapped.
Naruto had finally got to his feet again and glanced around appraisingly. "She's making a mess, that's what."
Hinata carefully walked over to Sakura and looked down at the paper she was scribbling away at. "Sakura-chan…. C-can we help you?" Hinata asked softly.
"Not now. In zone. Rare disease. No cure. Busy." Sakura rattled off, not looking at her.
Hinata sweat dropped at her obvious brush off. "U-um… O-okay." She carefully made her way back to the door and looked up at Kakashi. "S-she says the s-she is busy right now."
Kakashi nodded, "Thanks Hinata. Want to help Umi in the kitchen? You too, Naruto."
"Yea! Let's eat! What are you cooking Mom? It smells delicious!" Naruto yelled and ran for the kitchen, only falling down once. Kakashi watched them leave with a dubious look. He really hoped Naruto didn't start calling him dad. He only had one kid, and she was trouble enough. He watched Sakura for a moment more before heading for the living room. Sasuke followed.
"Aren't you going to talk to her?" Sasuke asked, glancing curiously up at him.
"No."
Sasuke shrugged and left to help in the kitchen. The kid always knew when to drop a subject. Sakura did not eat dinner with them. She had resorted to simply ignoring them when they questioned her, too caught up in her… whatever it was. The kids left later that night. Naruto had planned on staying the night, but after looking in the room again he thought he would get better sleep at home. Sakura continued late into the night.
Umi stood at her room nervously. "Sakura, it's time for bed." She said firmly. No answer. "Sakura, this can wait for tomorrow." Still no answer.
Kakashi came up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go to bed. She will run out of steam at some point."
"But Kakashi-"
"Whatever she is doing is very important to her. These are all medical scrolls. She could be trying to save someone's life or simply come up with a sweeter tasting cough syrup for all we know. She will tell us when we she is ready." Kakashi said calmly, sending a worried glance in Sakura's direction as he steered his wife to bed.
Sasuke stood in an unused training ground near the Uchiha compound around midnight, waiting for his brother. He was still mildly concerned about Sakura even though he knew she would be fine. He missed her horribly. It had only been a month since they graduated but it felt like an eternity. They saw each other occasionally, either to train in the afternoon, or to have dinner with her family, but it was never enough. She seemed to be growing away from them. She was studying under his brother and the legendary sannin now. They were keeping her busy with training, so it was expected that she would have less time to run around like they did like when they were younger.
Glancing around the training ground, he finally spotted his brother walking towards him. He started towards him and met him halfway. Itachi looked tired, the lines in his face deeper and more pronounced.
"Aniki." Sasuke said with a respectful nod. His brother was his hero, disinherited or not.
"Sasuke. How are you?" Itachi questioned quietly, his tiredness clear in his voice. He had not been like this when they met at the Hokage tower. What had changed?
"I'm okay." Sasuke answered quietly.
Itachi looked at him sharply, observing his face intently.
"I'm didn't mean to put you in this position."
"You had no other choice."
They were quiet for a moment, before Sasuke continued. "Father dislikes Sakura because of me. He even tried to get her expelled from the academy once. I knew when she told me you would be training her it was only a matter of time before he tried to intervene."
Itachi was quiet for a long time, his gaze never leaving his brother. Finally he pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to him. "There is very little I can do for you now, but if you even need to leave come to me."
He reached out and poked him in the forehead, then turned to leave. "Goodnight, Sasuke."
"Good night, aniki." Sasuke said calmly. After he had disappeared back down to the village he glanced at the piece of paper. It was an address with a key taped to it.