I'm almost at 200 reviews! You guys are awesome :D We're at Chapter Ten! It doesn't feel like it's been over ten weeks since I posted this story. That's kinda scary, really. I feel like I posted this story like two weeks ago. Sigh... I'm scared that this story is going to end too fast for me. :O Well, please enjoy! And thank you all for sending me ItaSaku story recommendations. A lot of them I've already read, but some I have not, so I'll have to check them out! Thanks again!
Chapter Ten: Ranks
"Hinata-san will be here soon to test you," Sakura told him quietly, as she sat food on the table. Itachi nodded, noting Sakura's blood-shot eyes, her slumped shoulders, and tousled hair. Though she sat down with him, poking at her plate of eggs, he could tell that she had no enthusiasm to talk to him. "Just to make sure," she began her voice still soft, "you still remember all the basics, right? Shinobi rules, basic techniques, et cetera?" He nodded curtly, his eyes narrowed a fraction at for her even asking him such a question. She looked away from his half-glare, turning back to poking at her food.
She was down in the dumps. How could she not be? Naruto's words had hit something deep inside her and had left her crying half the night; something she hadn't done for a long time. Itachi's cold attitude towards her had done nothing to help, and when she finally pulled herself together to collect the left-over dinner on the table, it was well into the night. After that, she had slumped back at the table, a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, feeling her veins fill with shame mixed with a deep pain and guilt.
Sakura had never realized how much she had hurt Naruto in the past few years. She had never realized how much her workaholic tendencies had stressed their relationship. She had always been a selfish girl, deep down, and when she had thrown herself into her work (swearing to herself that she was actually doing it to save others lives) she had never realized that she was pushing away those so close to her. Naruto had been through everything with her- and more than that. He had always been there, the one to go to when she was in tears, and needed a shoulder to cry on. He was always there, ready to give her a warm embrace and a cheerful smile; always ready to lend a sympathetic ear to her plights and then offer her the best advice he could.
She had taken that for granted. She hadn't realized how much she had pushed him away during her obsession. He had tried to reach out to her, keep her close, but she was constantly pushing, pushing, pushing, determined to be free.
And then, to hear his words of anger, professed promises of murder, should someone else hurt her... That had crushed her. Not because of his words; she appreciated his words, more than anything in her; but because he was still willing to do so much for her. He hadn't given up on her, even though she had constantly pushed him away. Guilt from her actions and her best friend's deep loyalty had sent Sakura into another bout of tears, much to her annoyance, and it wasn't until she realized it was after midnight that she stopped crying.
Then her body flooded with mortification when she realized how emotional she had become. Especially because Itachi had seen her cry, something she wouldn't let anyone see. The last person that had seen her cry was Tsunade, and that had been when she had lost her first patient. After that moment, Sakura had drilled into herself not to cry around others anymore. She was a kunoichi, a shinobi, damn it! She didn't need to let people see her emotions and view her as weak. No more of that.
Being weak, being doubted, being underestimated, being left behind... all those things drove Sakura insane- either with anger or a grief/depression combo.
So now she wasn't sure how to act around Itachi. She felt tired, emotionally worn, and embarrassed. She just knew she had lost a lot of his respect because of her tears. Why couldn't she have just held in her tears until he had left the room? Until she had cleaned up the food and had went to bed? In her bedroom, she could have sobbed her guts out with no fear.
She would just have to buck-up, square her shoulders, and let what had happened pass her. Really, she was acting foolishly around Itachi- she shouldn't have let her guard down with him at all. Sakura had to remember that he wasn't her friend, nor her comrade, really. Arata was, but Itachi was nothing more than her patient; her experiment. She couldn't let emotions and feelings weigh down her work and her professionalism. He was just... just her experiment. They weren't supposed to be friends. It would probably be better if they had a mutual respect for each other, but really, when did Itachi Uchiha have friends? Sakura was his doctor, his doctor, his doctor! That was all she needed to be to him.
Taking a deep breath, Sakura ate a small bite of her egg, deciding that she would just have to regain control over the entire situation. It had just been a bad day. She could blame it on hormones, claim it was "that time of the month" or something if he really pestered her about it. But he probably wouldn't, and she wasn't going to make any attempts to explain what had happened. No, the best thing to do would be to apologize for losing her composure around him, and then ask to examine him.
Sakura opened her mouth, finally looking up at him, her voice already rising up to form the word "I", when he began to speak, cutting her off before she was able to start.
"You never reconnected my Sharingan last night. I still cannot access it." Sakura winced, mentally slapping her forehead. She had disabled it quickly to make sure that Neji or Hinata wouldn't be able to spot noticeable patterns of his eye chakra if they had used their Byakugan on him.
"I'm sorry, I completely forgot. I disabled it because of the Hyuugas and their Byakugan."
"I had assumed so," he responded, still tonelessly. "If you would be so kind as to fix it after breakfast, I would appreciate it." His voice was still empty, and though his request seemed polite, Sakura could tell it was more out of forced politeness rather than something genuine. He was trying to be decent to her, not nice.
"Of course." They ate breakfast in silence, and once they both finished, Itachi collected their plates, placing them in the sink. She was surprised at his action, but figured he was trying to help out some- considering the fact that she did cook, and that it was her house he was living in.
Sakura gestured for him to sit back in the chair, which he did, and then she placed her hands at his temples. The silence felt tense and uncomfortable, so Sakura found herself speaking, if only to alleviate some of the awkwardness. "I didn't really sever them, or anything. I only cut the largest provider of the chakra to your eyes, and it wasn't even a harsh cut. Within a few days, it would have re-healed itself." Sakura could feel herself rambling. "If I had actually severed them, like I did with Sasuke, it would have nearly left you blind and in a lot more pain." She fell back into the silence, concentrating, feeling her chakra seal up the clean cuts she had made on his chakra pathways. "There. That should be good." Itachi blinked once, apparently activating his Sharingan, and nodded.
"It is fine." As an after-thought he added, "Thank you."
"No problem." Sakura backed away from him, leaning against her island, looking at him. She took a deep breath. "Itachi-san, I wanted to apologize for how I acted last night. It was completely unprofessional. I never let my emotions affect me like that, so I apologize for what you saw last night." Sakura had maintained eye contact with him the entire conversation, had kept her voice as cool as his, and had presented herself as a very level-headed professional kunoichi. She patted herself on the shoulder mentally.
Itachi made no response to her words. He gazed at her, which she returned, both seeming to engage into a staring contest. Her eyes flickered down to his mouth, as his lips began to move, seemingly finally saying something.
"You are trying too hard." His comment shocked her, and she visibly recoiled, confused at his meaning.
"What do you mean?" Itachi shook his head, his eyes flickering away from her.
"We will continue the discussion later. The Hyuuga is here."
"Hinata?" Sure enough, Sakura could sense her outside her door. A few seconds later, they heard her gentle knock. "I'll get it." Sakura walked out of the kitchen, quickly opening the front door. Itachi could hear their conversation, despite the closed kitchen door. He was already in the hallway when Sakura had turned to call for him, after Hinata had declined Sakura's offer to come in, instead expressing interest to go ahead and test Itachi.
"Good morning, Arata-san. If you both would be willing to follow me," Hinata offered. Both shinobis nodded, slipping on their sandals, and exiting Sakura's home. The walk was tense; Sakura finally couldn't take it anymore and slid up to Hinata, lowering her voice to talk to the woman.
"How's Naruto?" Hinata looked up, giving Sakura a gentle smile, especially seeing Sakura's worried eyes.
"He's better. Embarrassed, and he's pretty sure you're furious with how he acted, but he doesn't regret what he said. He is sorry if he offended you and Arata-san, and for ruining the day for you two, but other than that, he said that his words were truthful and he wouldn't take them back." Sakura smiled, shaking her head.
"He doesn't need to take them back. I... Do you think he might want to meet me for ramen later?" Hinata gave a small laugh, her voice airy and light, almost as if she was relieved, and she nodded.
"I think he would like that very much, Sakura-san."
"Tell him I'm not mad at him, okay?" Hinata nodded, her smile slowly becoming brighter.
"Of course, Sakura-san. He'll be thrilled to hear that." The two ended their conversation upon reaching the Academy, though Sakura did feel a bit better knowing that Naruto wasn't mad at her. Hinata led the way for the three, entering into an empty classroom.
"First up, Arata-san, is a basic examination. Please answer these questions and I'll grade them quickly." Hinata handed him the paper and a pencil, gesturing for him to sit. Arata glanced at the small tables, judging them to be too small for someone of his height, and merely leaned over the desks, filling out the paper with ease. Less than a minute later, he was finished with the easy test about shinobi rules and conduct, handing it back to Hinata. She glanced over it quickly, seemingly not surprised at his perfect score.
"A perfect score," Hinata told him, smiling. "We'll begin the second part of the examination. Please, can you do a simple Transformation Jutsu?" Itachi nodded, not needing hand signs to complete the jutsu due to how basic it was. He turned into Sakura, making said woman roll her eyes. Hinata nodded, gesturing for Itachi to dispel the jutsu, turning down the clipboard she held in her hands. Quickly, she wrote something. "Next is the Clone Jutsu." Again, Itachi needed no hand signs for the jutsu, and his clones were perfect- four of them surrounded him. Hinata gave another nod, writing down more notes. "And finally, we'll do the Body Replacement Technique." Hinata withdrew a kunai from her pouch, looking up at him. "Do not dodge; I want you to use the jutsu." He nodded curtly.
She sent the kunai soaring with perfect accuracy, making sure to aim at a non-vital area of his body, should he not complete the jutsu. But, as she had assumed, he was able to replace himself with a nearby chair, thus the kunai thudded into the back of the chair. Itachi dropped gracefully back to the ground, withdrawing the kunai from the chair and handing it to Hinata. She thanked him, turning back to write more notes.
"You easily passed the test," Hinata told him. "But, there is still one more test I have to give you. Most incoming genin have to pass a test given to them by their jounin sensei before officially becoming a ninja. While there is no doubt in my mind that you are much more skilled than a genin, I must follow rules and regulations. Will you please follow me outside?" Hinata turned and the two followed. As they walked, Hinata began to explain. "This test will likely be relatively simple for someone of your caliber; I can already tell you're an incredibly skilled shinobi, Arata-san. Typically, for a team of incoming genin this would be much more strenuous, and maybe I should modify it, but I will not. I am carrying a scroll and your objective is to claim the scroll and then successfully retrieve the item inside it. One wrong move and it will explode and the mission failed." He nodded.
The three came into the training grounds and Hinata held up the dark blue scroll. "Ready? Begin." She jumped away, but as she had figured, and as Sakura had figured, Itachi was much faster than the Hyuuga Heiress. He came upon her easily, blocking her quick exit. It was over within a minute when he reached out, grabbing the scroll. Hinata activated her Gentle Fist technique, but Itachi, knowing she was a Hyuuga, had expected as such and the clone that was engaging with her exploded.
Neither Sakura nor Hinata had seen him make the clone in the brief few seconds since they had started the battle. Itachi came out from the tree behind Hinata, his foot impaling into her back, knocking her down. He put enough pressure on her back as a warning to make her release the scroll, but not enough to serious harm her. Knowing that she had lost, Hinata let the scroll roll from her fingers. Itachi picked it up, looking down at the sealed scroll.
He bit his thumb hard enough to make it bleed, smearing the blood across the seal. It opened and Itachi read the instructions for retrieving the item Hinata had placed in the seal. The instructions that appeared were vague, so he had to read over them a few times before finally understanding. From there, it took him less than five minutes to do the appropriate jutsus needed to unlock the scroll (anything from clone jutsus, to a light fire jutsu, to even a small water jutsu) and from the scroll came a small key. He handed it back to Hinata, who smiled and nodded.
"Simple, right?" she asked. He nodded. "You passed. Here, your new forehead protector." He took the headband and placed it around his forehead, not realizing how odd it had felt without wearing one. The heavy metal felt good on his forehead, and he was glad to have it back, even if it wasn't the same forehead protector he had originally owned.
"Neji-nii-san will likely test you tomorrow or the day after." Hinata gave him another gentle smile, though it seemed to almost be teeming with confidence at something neither of them knew. "You'll easily pass, I believe. You're no ordinary shinobi, Arata-san. You're abilities are far too sharp and collected." It was a knowing smile, Sakura decided. It was as if Hinata knew everything going on between them- as if she knew the dreadful truth behind Arata's identity. Sakura glanced at Itachi, whose emotionless stare was enough to tell her that he was aware of Hinata's insinuation.
But Hinata didn't comment further on it, which Sakura was grateful for. If there was one thing she could say about the Hyuuga Heiress, the woman was extremely perceptive. Even if Hinata knew Arata was Itachi, despite never having met Itachi (at least to Sakura's knowledge), she was intelligent enough to know that there was something going on behind the scenes. Hinata trusted Sakura enough to not speak of anything, so Sakura figured she could take a deep breath and just trust Naruto's fiancée.
The group walked far enough until Hinata decided to part with them. "I do have to get this report to Tsunade-sama. But, Sakura-san, I'll let Naruto-kun know that you want to have ramen with him. And..." Hinata trailed off, focusing her attention back on Arata. "I know after last night, we both probably made a bad impression, and I do deeply apologize for that," Hinata's soft voice had become even softer with her embarrassment, but she still spoke with clarity, "but I think Naruto-kun and I would love to try and right our wrongs. Maybe we can go out to dinner another time? I feel awful about last night and what happened." Itachi gave a small nod.
"That is fine," he spoke, his voice carrying traces of kindness in it. Hinata nodded once more, murmuring a "thank you" and then parting from the two.
Sakura sighed, glancing over at him. "Let's just see how this all plays out," she told him, referring to Hinata's insinuation towards his identity. "We'll deal with each incoming problem as it comes." He nodded. "Now, how about some sparring?"
Kick, dodge, kick, punch, dodge, shatter the ground, shatter the tree, throw the tree, dodge, dodge, dodge, back flip, kick, heel slam, punch, kick, jump, flip, smash the ground, roundhouse kick, heel drop, spin, duck, kick, dodge, kick, punch, flip, flip, shatter another tree, kick, dodge, kick, punch, kick, pant, pant, pant, breathe, breathe, dodge, dodge, flip, jump, duck, kick, kick, kick, dodge, duck, smash, smash, dodge, run.
Sakura took a deep breath, leaning against the tree trunk. He would come at her at any moment. Her body was screaming in protest- Sakura couldn't remember the last time she had fought like this. Her legs ached, her arms ached, everything ached. She had used more muscles in the past... Sakura took a glance at the sky, judging from the sun's position how long they had been at it... past four hours than she had in several months. When was the last time she had went on a combat related mission? Shortly after becoming a jounin, maybe? That was years ago.
She felt a flicker of chakra and dropped down from the branch, not even bothering to try and jump away. She'd have more chance of surviving the ten-foot drop than surviving one of his attacks. Sakura landed on all fours, using her chakra to soften her impact. She wasted no time in taking off, drawing chakra to her fists. Only one way to put more distance between the two of them- use the trees! Sakura punched two different trees, one fist per tree, letting them fall behind her, hopefully cutting off her pursuer. She wasn't going to wait around and find out, though.
Sakura realized she was coming to a clearing, and knew the best way to fight him would be an all out offensive- again. She skidded to a halt in the middle of the clearing, waiting. As soon as she felt even the slightest sign of him, she would shatter the entire ground.
Maybe that would shake him up a bit!
She waited, finally seeing him. Sakura lowered herself into a fighting stance, her body tensing at his appearance. He dropped to the ground, almost as if humoring her. She wasted no time and charged at him, but stopped suddenly, slamming both fists into the ground, watching as the ground split and cracked beneath her. Using chakra, she propelled herself upwards, taking a deep breath, and looking for him. As she had figured, he had jumped into the air with her. Sakura growled, twisting her body to throw a kick towards his face. Even mid-air, he was still able to bend his body backwards, dodging the kick.
But, when he landed seconds before her on the ground, Sakura finally thought she might have him. Her feet filled with chakra and she slammed into the ground as hard as possible. If it had cracked before, then she was sure she had practically just split the earth almost to its core with the force she used. The ground cracked, fissured, and ruptured beneath her feet. This time, he was caught off guard. The rocks knocked him off balance, and she felt triumphant seeing him fall.
Only to feel the same growling frustration when his body exploded, sending her flying backwards into one of her own ground-split rocks. Another exploding clone. Yet again, Sakura felt herself entering into another endless cycle. This had happened before- quite a few times. Every time she thought she had gotten close, had landed a successful hit on him, a clone exploded, or turned into crows, or poofed away, or turned into some type of element, like dirt, water, and at one point, even fire.
He was ridiculously frustrating and annoying. She couldn't touch him!
Her arms trembled when she lifted herself up. She had been the one to suggest sparring. He had been the one to pick the location, telling her he'd like to test out his abilities at the fullest. She had agreed. Now she wished she hadn't. Gods, she wished she hadn't.
Sakura picked up on him again, sensing his chakra above her. She glanced wearily up, chakra forming scalpel-like blades in her hands as her defense. His look was amused, a kunai twirling in his hand. Really, there was no time to hesitate. Sakura came at him, ignoring her protesting body, aiming the blades at his face. He parried her attack with his kunai, though Sakura did feel immense satisfaction when her chakra proved to be stronger than the metal, actually shattering it. The chakra cut into his hand, making his eyes narrow angrily.
Sakura had lifted her eyes just in time to see him open his mouth and blow her backwards with a strong fire jutsu. It was all she could do to counter with a water jutsu, dousing the flames. Her jaw clenched when she saw her singed clothes. Rage settled in her veins, but she knew better than to act upon it. She took a few calming breaths, and attacked, her fingers rapidly bending and arching into the correct hand signs. Sakura had never been one to use jutsus, besides medical ninjutsu, but her frustration was at its peak and chakra-enhanced strength just wasn't cutting it.
Her jutsu was a water-based jutsu, and she blasted the entire area, hoping to make the ground slick enough for him to lose his footing and slip. One wrong move and she would have him! Sakura stopped her jutsu and chased after him, her body beginning to react instinctively as she pursued the nin. Her torso would arch around tree branches, her legs automatically jumping over thrown kunai, her arms flipping her body over incoming trees and obstacles. She gave a lurch, her fist finally grazing his body, sending him sprawling down from the tree. As she had hoped, the ground was slick enough for him to lose his footing. He slid backwards, catching himself with his hands.
Sakura was down on him, her body pressing onto his, her hands brutally pressing down his shoulders. "I've got you," she whispered, a chakra blade forming in her hand, which she moved to his throat. Finally, she had won!
"Are you so sure?" his voice was cool and a smirk slowly flitted across his face. Sakura's eyes began to widen in horror, praying with everything in her that he wasn't a clone.
"You're the real one," Sakura muttered.
"Am I?" Her eyes flickered, panicked, as a suave voice floated in her ear. She whipped her head around, meeting his icy blue eyes. Her hand hesitated, not sure who to attack and which one was real. He took note of that hesitation, flipping her over. The one behind her poofed away, and with a startling horror, Sakura realized she had been holding the correct one in her grasp!
"Now who has who?" His voice had a light teasing tone in it. Sakura let out a frustrated growl, trying to force chakra into her arms and shove him off. But she couldn't get anything into her arms; instead, they began to spasm, having worked much harder than what she was used to. "It looks like I win, Sakura."
"Get off me, Itachi," she hissed, turning away. Again, she had lost.
"You put up a good fight this time," he told her, making no motion to move. "You hit me quite a few times." She did see a bruise on his chin, a few cuts on his arm, and she was sure there would be a few bruises on his torso.
But Sakura had sustained triple that damage. Her torso was completely bruised up, her arms cut up, her legs scratched, her face had a good few markings of scratches and bruises, and more than anything, she was exhausted. Her muscles had been pushed beyond their regular limitations, to the point where they were twitching and locking up in painful cramps. The adrenaline that had been fueling her movements faded and Sakura let her head slump painfully onto the ground. Her fingers twitched, and she groaned, realizing there was a painful burn from his fire jutsu residing on them and up her arm.
"You're worse than Naruto," she told him. "Gods, you're so much worse!" A hand weakly rose to shove him off of her, to which he complied, standing on his feet. "Five years you were dead- you should be at half your abilities!"
"I am." Sakura sharply sat up, ignoring her screaming torso muscles at the sudden movement, and looked at him, almost appalled.
"This is half your ability?" Her arms twitched and almost gave out when she tried to push herself to her feet. Itachi noticed and reached down, helping her up. She nodded her thanks to him, though he didn't release her immediately, noticing her quivering legs. Instead, he held on to her arm, helping her stand, while she looked at him, frowning in contemplation. He realized she had reverted back into her medic mode. "What exactly isn't the same as before? Is it your stamina? Your speed?"
"I am slower," he agreed, "though I wouldn't say stamina exactly. I have more stamina than I did before I died, but that's due to the cured disease. However, it's not... enough stamina." Sakura understood what he meant. His stamina was not at the amount it should be for someone like him, without his disease hindering him.
"Strength? Muscles? Are those areas subpar, as well?" He nodded. "I think it'll just take a while for the abilities to return to their norm. I mean, you were dead for five years. Your body hadn't moved, so there is no doubt that your muscles became flaccid. In a sense, you're going to have start all over to regain your normal level of your abilities. But, assuming you train like this every day, it wouldn't surprise me to see you back to above par with a few months." Her medic face fell, and she rolled her eyes at him. "Half of your strength. Ridiculous. I need to train more and take up more missions. I feel pathetically weak compared to you."
"Our abilities lie in different areas," he murmured to her, letting her lean against him as they walked back to her home. Sakura's body was trembling with the strain of walking, and she shook her head in disgust.
"Yes, but I must have really let myself go if I can't even walk after a training session with you!" Itachi gave a small shake of his head.
"You did better than most would have. Your specialty is medicine and healing- to put up the fight you did was a feat in itself." Sakura hadn't thought of it in that aspect, so slowly she nodded.
"Tsunade-sama would have done better, though."
"She has more experience than you do. And have you fought her recently? Maybe you would be surprised at your growth."
"Well... it has been several years, actually," Sakura admitted. "Well, I can say this at least. You should do absolutely fine during your spar with Neji-san tomorrow. I can't imagine how you could lose." Sakura took a deep breath, trying to stand on her own. Almost immediately her legs buckled. Itachi's arm went around her waist, steadying her. She sighed, thanking him, and then looped her arm around his neck. "Even I can hold my own against Neji-san, so I know fighting him should be easy for you."
He nodded, an amused smirk on his face. Sakura sighed again, especially upon seeing several people curiously glance at them as they walked down the streets. She could understand their confusion, even if her first instinct was to yell at them to mind their own business. Sakura Haruno was not known to ever let someone help her (she could definitely remember hearing Ino say people described her as "fiercely independent and stubborn"), nor was she ever known to be in such a state to need someone to help her. Well, there was always a first for everything, she supposed.
Speaking of which... Sakura turned towards Itachi, her own smile tugging on her lips. "I never expected you to be one to help out," she admitted to him. "I sort of figured you were going to leave me at the training grounds and expect me to make my own way home."
"I'm not a cruel person, Sakura-san," he replied tonelessly. "Despite what rumors may say." Her mouth twitched into a grin at that statement.
"The rumors really do make you sound a lot more awful than you really are," she agreed. "When you woke up, I was rather scared you were going to kill me on sight. I just knew you were going to strangle me or something."
"I do not kill without reason," he told her softly. "It... bothers me to kill needlessly." That made her eyes widen. For some reason, Sakura had never expected to hear Itachi Uchiha say he didn't like to kill. No, it was wrong to think like that. She was reverting back to prejudiced thoughts. The real Itachi wouldn't like to kill others. The real Itachi seemed to be rather gentle in nature.
"Maybe you should become a medic nin then," she offered, her tone slightly teasing, "since we save lives, instead of taking them." He gave a bland smile, but shook his head.
"My chakra control is not good enough to be a healer, like you are." Her eyebrows creased, feeling completely taken aback.
"Bu-but... you're... you. You should be able to do anything." He gave an amused half-smile at her, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, you're so strong. It just seems like your chakra control should be better than mine."
"There is a reason why there is only one Tsunade in the world, and in that sense, only two people in this entire world who can be called the best healers in existence. That would be you and her. And the reason is because of the precise chakra control you both have- more so than any other ninja. I can do medical ninjutsu," he assured her, "but nothing complex. Basic medical ninjutsu that most advanced shinobi know. However, the precise chakra-controlled strength? The chakra scalpel-blades? Reviving the dead? I don't think anyone has that type of chakra control besides you and your mentor."
"I guess... chakra control was one of the only things I was good at," she admitted. "It was just like second nature to me."
"Just as fighting is second nature to me," Itachi told her lightly. Sakura nodded, understanding his point. They were two different types of shinobi, and both were at the top of their field. It wasn't so much as being the best in everything, but being good in what you excelled at. Itachi wasn't going to try and become a medical nin at any point in his career, so Sakura figured she shouldn't try and become an assassin at any time in her career either.
Though, she thought to herself, she was better at being a fighter ninja than Itachi was at being a medical ninja. That thought put a grin on her face.
"You know, we never did finish our conversation," Sakura remarked. The two of them were relaxing on her couch, both reading books. Itachi glanced up, momentarily confused at what she meant. Sakura clarified, "You remember, this morning. You told me I was trying too hard, and then never got to explain what you meant." Night was falling and Sakura never had heard from Naruto about going out for ramen, so she and Itachi had eaten dinner together, deciding to relax for the rest of the night. Sakura could only assume that Naruto would speak to her tomorrow.
"Oh. That." Sakura could tell from Itachi's tone that it wasn't a conversation he really wanted to continue. He sighed, closing his book. "I meant that you did not have to try so hard to hide your true feelings. You were apologizing for crying, and then with the way you were regarding me, it was as if you were trying to only view me as a patient." Sakura frowned, her own book closed as she focused on him. "While I understand that I'm not the easiest person to live with," the corners of his mouth twitched upwards in a humorless smile, "I'm not so condescending as to judge a woman who cries in her own home, off duty. I also don't think that our living arrangements will be overly favorable if we try to only regard one another as patient and doctor."
"I... thought that was how you thought of me," Sakura defended. Itachi shook his head.
"Only when you are acting as my doctor. Other than that, I regard you as you are, Sakura-san. We are roommates, and considering that I agreed to live with you for some time until you have enough information to complete your jutsu, I assume that we should try to get along with each other."
"So... you didn't get mad at me crying?" her voice wavered slightly, as if she was nervous for asking the question.
"No. But I am not one to comfort others. I suggest, though, that we try to treat each other as normally as possible."
"So... like friends?" Itachi's jaw tightened, nearly unnoticeable, but Sakura recognized it as his tell sign of discomfort.
"If that is what you wish to call it... then yes. Friends." He rolled the word on his tongue, acting as if it were a piece of unfamiliar candy. Which, Sakura figured, it would be. Did Itachi have any friends? Had he ever had friends?
Sakura smiled lightly to herself. There was always a first time for everything.
"Then friends is what we'll be," she murmured softly, smiling. His eyes widened a fraction, but he regained his composure, nodding.
"Of course," his regular toneless voice replied. "Friends." Sakura thought for the briefest second that he had smiled slightly. But blinking, seeing his expressionless face, she figured she was simply imagining things.
"Neji-san! Would you like to come in?" He nodded, stepping into Sakura's house. It was early outside, and Neji realized he probably should have sent word beforehand for what time he would arrive to spar with Arata. "Arata is taking a shower right now. He'll be down shortly. I'm making breakfast; have you eaten?"
"Yes," he murmured, noting Sakura's damp hair and casual clothes. It looked like she had just gotten out of the shower, too.
"Tea, then? Juice, milk, hot chocolate? Water? Anything of the sort?" Sakura's smile was light as she led him into her kitchen.
"Tea is fine," he replied. Sakura nodded, turning her back on him to make it. Neji took in the scents of the kitchen, noting the rice, miso soup, and what seemed to be grilled fish. Sakura was making a traditional breakfast. For some reason, that brought a bit of a grin to his face. He never expected anything traditional with Sakura. A few minutes later, Sakura handed him his tea. She turned back to the stove to finish breakfast.
Itachi finally appeared as Sakura was sitting the different bowls of food on the table. He glanced at Neji, nodding his head in acknowledgment. Neji stood up, having finished his tea, and looked at the new ninja.
"I will be at Training Ground 3. Please be there as soon as you can."
"Are you sure you don't want to stay and eat?" Sakura offered once more, wondering why he hadn't left her the message to tell Itachi.
"No, thank you." Neji bowed his head as a farewell, looking back up at Sakura. "Thank you for the tea; I will see you both there soon." He disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"He could have just told me the message," Sakura muttered, poking at her rice. Itachi gave her an amused look, but said nothing, turning to eat his own food. They both finished quickly, and after Itachi had washed the dishes (he had told Sakura that he would like to do some things to help around the house, so she agreed to let him wash the dishes), the two traveled to the meeting grounds.
It was a shock to see not just Neji there, but a whole gang of people. Sakura noticed Tsunade first, which she supposed made sense, considering Tsunade had to judge whether or not Itachi was fit to be a jounin. Shizune was, of course, by her mentor, holding Tonton. Naruto and Hinata stood beside Tsunade, but beside Naruto stood someone Sakura wasn't expecting to see- Kakashi. All five greeted them as they approached the field.
"Hey, guys," Sakura greeted, her mind reeling as to why Kakashi would be there too. She couldn't even begin to imagine why. There was only one way to figure it out- the direct approach. "Why are you here?" The question was directed more towards Kakashi, Naruto, and Hinata, though her eyes focused sharply on Kakashi.
"We wanted to see if he passed or not," Naruto commented, offering Sakura a smile. It was hesitant, as if wondering if she was really not angry with him. Sakura smiled back at him, her smile reassuring him that she wasn't mad at him from their last encounter.
"And I've wanted to meet him. I've heard about the Itachi look-alike. I couldn't help but wonder if he fought like him too," Kakashi remarked, his tone light and airy. But it had the opposite effect on Sakura. Her nerves felt frozen. Of course Arata would fight like Itachi. A person couldn't change their fighting style, and anyways, almost all Uchihas fought the same way, considering their Sharingan-
Sharingan...
Sakura cursed mentally. And then sent a few more curses through her head- a chain of curses, really. Every expletive she could think of, twice, went through her head.
She had forgotten to disable Itachi's Sharingan. Now, when he fought (and there was no doubt that Neji would use his Byakugan), his dojutsu would be noted. Sakura rubbed her forehead, feeling a massive headache form. And of course, there was Kakashi standing there, who would definitely recognize Arata's fighting style as being the exact same as Itachi's.
There was only one thing she could do. And that was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Why deny the fact that Arata's fighting style mimicked Itachi's? Why try to find an excuse about Arata's odd eye chakra? Sakura just wouldn't mention anything about it. The best solution was to do nothing. Kakashi, Tsunade, Neji- all of them could figure out that Itachi and Arata were one in the same. But they couldn't prove it; and Sakura had offered them undeniable proof that Itachi had been dead, considering the fact that Kabuto had revived him during the war. No one would even imagine that Sakura had revived the dead. Or even if they would, they would assuredly brush the idea aside, thinking that it was impossible. And then in the end, they would just have to conclude that Arata and Itachi were two different people, no matter their similarities, because there was no way that Itachi could be alive.
And unless anyone could confront her with the proof that she had revived Itachi (granted, all they would have to do would be to take a glance through her medical journals in her desk at home), she could just deny it. Or avoid answering the question. Sakura was good at evasive tactics.
"Arata-san, are you ready?" Neji asked, already lowering himself into a fighting position. Itachi nodded, walking out to face Neji with an air of confidence. Sakura nearly groaned at Itachi's inborn smugness. She knew there was a definite rivalry between the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans, and Itachi had no hesitation in beating said rival clan's prodigy. Despite killing his clan, he was still an Uchiha. Some traits never went away.
"I am," Itachi replied, sliding into his own stance. Tsunade nodded, exchanging a sideways glance to Kakashi. Sakura couldn't help but note Kakashi's tightened jaw and his intense gaze at Arata. He was definitely there to confirm whether or not Arata was Itachi. Which meant Tsunade had suspicions about Arata's similar looks to Itachi. Sakura felt something sink to the bottom of her stomach. It wouldn't be long until Tsunade confronted her about Arata's real identity then.
"Begin," Tsunade's voice rang out. Neji had yet to activate his Byakugan, but Sakura could assume that Itachi's Sharingan was activated, though hidden under the blue contacts. Neji would be in for a rude awakening if he didn't use his bloodline technique.
To her surprise, it was Itachi that made the first move. He wasted no time in moving deftly behind Neji, his speed shocking the ANBU captain. Neji instantly activated his Byakugan, whirling around to meet Itachi's blow. But, of course, Itachi had expected Neji's move, and was already moving to counter it. His feet swept low, and while Neji avoided, it definitely set the tone for the battle. Neji's stance had become much more guarded, having realized that Arata was no ordinary ninja from another village.
Itachi attacked again, his fingers blurring in jutsu combinations. Fire shot from his mouth, while he simultaneously produced shadow clones. Neji's Gentle Fist technique was being utilized, and thankfully for the ANBU captain, his speed was nearly as great as Itachi's, meaning he could dodge the fire blasts. His palm hit one of the three Itachi's, but it exploded in a burst of flames, sending Neji skidding back on his heels and hands.
Neji blew a rogue strand of hair out from his face, his eyes creased in concentration. Itachi was waiting, calm and unflustered. Despite Itachi's strong beginning, Neji was not known as the Hyuuga Prodigy for nothing. Regaining his footing, Neji moved nimbly, his fingers jutting out to hit Itachi's chakra points. Itachi dodged most, but one jabbed him in the arm, effectively shutting off Itachi's chakra to his left arm. At least momentarily. It didn't matter, though. Itachi and his clone came at Neji at once, sending a fierce combo of punches and kicks to the Hyuuga. He countered each attack, their limbs moving at a lightning speed.
Until Itachi's clone suddenly exploded; Itachi had detonated his own clone near himself, obviously throwing Neji off guard. Itachi dodged the blast effortlessly, flipping up into the air. Neji wasn't nearly as graceful, but managed to dodge the major impact of the blast, still taking damage to his arm. Itachi landed on his feet, still without a sign of being ruffled in the slightest at the fight.
Neji stood up, his eyes cold. Immediately he charged towards Itachi, going into a mantra of his clan's techniques. To any other ninja, seeing the full force of the Hyuuga Clan Gentle Fist techniques would be devastating. Rarely anyone could stand up to that type of force, especially with the graceful attacks and clean, bending chakra that they used to attack with. But Itachi was no ordinary ninja, and one thing he had to appreciate from his upbringing was that they trained him how to fight a Hyuuga.
In all actuality, Neji was doomed from the beginning merely because he was a Hyuuga fighting an Uchiha. Or more like, fighting the Uchiha Itachi, strongest Uchiha alive since Madara Uchiha. Itachi knew the basic forms for the Hyuuga attacks and could easily counter them and avoid them. He knew what to expect when Neji's poses changed, or when his chakra bent in a different way. His eyes allowed him to carefully monitor Neji's chakra and allowed him to predict his attacks easily.
So when Itachi came at him from behind, even though Neji could see him because of his 360 degree vision, it did not matter. Not only could Itachi feint an attack that made Neji dodge and attack back, but Itachi could dodge said attack and then retaliate.
Sakura bit her lip, watching as Itachi's foot caught Neji in the ribs. She winced, knowing that the impact had to have broken a rib or two. The fight was fierce; despite Itachi's obvious advantage, Neji was no push-over. He was one of the strongest ninjas in the village, rivaling Naruto, Sai, even Kakashi. He was easily the strongest Hyuuga and his mastery over his Byakugan was legendary. For any other foe, Sakura was sure Neji would have won. But, again, it was Itachi. And Neji didn't even know that Itachi had the Sharingan (he might have suspected that there was some type of eye technique Arata had, but he had no idea that it was the mastered form of the Sharingan).
Sakura winced again, seeing Itachi land another hit on Neji. She flinched, though, when Neji managed to retaliate and get a clean shot at Itachi's stomach using his Gentle Fist technique. The impact was so hard that it even brought blood to Itachi's mouth. That was some serious internal damage. The attack, though, only seemed to fuel Itachi on, so that his next few attacks were swift and strong, each making a mark on the Hyuuga.
The two broke apart, Neji's breaths coming out in short pants, while Sakura noticed a bit of sweat marring Itachi's face. It wasn't as easy of a battle as he had expected, she bet. Then again, Itachi wasn't exactly up to full par. Perhaps Neji would have already been beaten if Itachi's speed and muscles were more flexible and back to their normal standards.
Again they attacked one another, Neji slipping down into an Eight Trigrams Palm attack. His attack was ferocious, his hands hitting and hitting at Itachi so quickly that they blurred. They broke apart again, and Sakura noted that even Itachi hadn't been able to dodge all of the ferocious palm strikes.
"108 strikes," Kakashi told the group. Sakura glanced over to see Kakashi's headband lifted, allowing his Sharingan to follow the movements of the battle. "But he only hit six times," Kakashi murmured. That sent a chill through Sakura, realizing that Itachi had dodged over one-hundred of Neji's thrusts. Her roommate was incredibly fast. She would have to get him to teach her how to dodge like that.
Tsunade let out a low whistle, obviously as impressed as Sakura was.
"Shouldn't you call off the fight, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked lowly. "I mean... they look they're going to try and kill each other." Tsunade grinned, shaking her head.
"If Arata had wanted to kill Neji, he would have done it a long time ago." By Tsunade's tone, Sakura had a feeling that Tsunade had caught onto Arata's little identity secret. "Let them fight a little more. Neji needs a good challenge every so often."
Again, the two attacked one another. This time, it looked like Itachi had the upper hand. His swift kick sent Neji up into the air, but Itachi wasn't willing to let Neji go so easily. He jumped up, appearing above Neji. Neji managed to raise his arms to guard Itachi's downward strike, but it was enough force to send Neji back into the ground. Neji gasped hitting the ground with enough force to send small cracks through the rocks. Blood trickled down both sides of Neji's mouth, his arms trembling as he pushed himself up.
Itachi attacked again, his fist delivering a swift punch into Neji's already cracked ribs. Sakura heard a painful gasp and knew Itachi had just broken the rib further, likely puncturing Neji's lung. Sure enough, Neji's gasping breaths confirmed what Sakura had thought. She swiftly turned to Tsunade, expecting the Hokage to call off the match.
Her head swiveled back when she saw Neji take a staggering step, his hands raised back in the Gentle Fist position. Itachi slipped back into his own fighting stance, a brow raised at Neji. Neji charged at Itachi, chakra surrounding his fist.
"Tsunade-sama!"
"Tsunade-sama!"
"Neji-nii-san!"
"Baa-chan!"
"Enough!"
All five cries were simultaneous; Kakashi was the only one to not utter a sound. Shizune and Sakura had hands glowing with medical chakra, both prepared to intercept Neji's attack, knowing his condition was now fatal. Hinata and Naruto had also realized Neji's state was perilous, both ready to break up the fight. It was Tsunade, though, that had issued the command for the battle to end. Neji heeded her command, dropping his arms to his sides, turning off his Byakugan.
Three seconds later, he fell to the ground, barely conscious. Shizune and Sakura were already over him, both nins working without words, knowing what had happened. Sakura ripped open his shirt, while Shizune was the one to heal him. Tsunade stood over both nins, nodding.
"Sakura, heal Arata. Shizune can deal with Neji." Sakura looked up, confused at Tsunade's request. Tsunade could easily heal Itachi, but Sakura didn't press her mentor, instead relishing in her luck that Tsunade had told her to heal Itachi. She didn't want Tsunade to ever check Itachi's chakra pathways because her mentor would assuredly realize who Arata really was- well, have undeniable proof of who Arata really was.
Sakura rushed over, pressing her hands on Arata's chest. Neji had done some serious damage on the man- his internal organs were wrecked. Sakura almost groaned, knowing it had taken her long hours to restore those organs. Luckily, Neji hadn't hit Itachi's lungs or kidneys, the two organs that Sakura had restored the most. She healed, mending the tears inside easily.
"Are you okay?" she asked quietly, her eyes flickering up to his. Itachi nodded, his eyes staring out at Shizune and Tsunade healing Neji. "He'll be fine," Sakura murmured. Itachi nodded again, his eyes finally flickering down to her.
"I did not mean to do so much damage," he told her, his voice hardly audible. "It escalated beyond what I expected." She could tell he was frustrated from the lack of control the fight had spurned from him.
"It's been a long time since you sparred like this," she told him, her voice equally as soft. His gaze flickered from her, turning to look at the slowly approaching Kakashi. Sakura lifted her own gaze, slowly standing up and dusting off her skirt. She adjusted herself so she was standing between Itachi and Kakashi, as if trying to shield them from one another.
"That was a very impressive battle, Arata-san," Kakashi said mildly, smiling beneath his mask. Sakura regarded her sensei warily. "Don't look at me like that, Sakura. My intentions are noble; promise." Kakashi held up his hands, as if offering a peace treaty of some sort. Sakura nodded, trying to smile, though her eyes still held her suspicion. "You're beyond impressive for someone not formally trained. It's a little unnerving, really."
"Sensei..." Sakura began, her tone warning. She knew what he was going to insinuate.
"Thank you," Itachi replied, cutting off Sakura's warnings. She glanced over at him, holding his gaze silently for a few seconds. His face was unreadable, so she could only assume that he was trying to tell her that everything was under control. She bit her lip, watching Kakashi and Itachi look at one another. It looked as if Kakashi was going to say something, but all three were distracted at Hinata's voice.
"Neji-nii-san, are you sure you should be getting up already?" The three turned to look over, seeing the ever stubborn Neji already on his feet. He marched straight towards Itachi, and though Sakura wanted to keep in front, she felt from the look of determination in Neji's eyes that it would be better for her to move out of the way. Sakura stepped to Itachi's side, allowing Neji to come up to face him.
"At some point, I would like a rematch," Neji told him stonily. The corners of Itachi's mouth twitched upwards, but he nodded. "That was... a great spar. You could easily be an ANBU Captain. You're a superb warrior, Arata-san."
"Thank you, Hyuuga-san." Neji nodded, turning around to face Tsunade. The two talked quietly for a few minutes, finally ending with a decisive nod from Tsunade. The imposing Fifth Hokage walked over to Arata, eyeing him up and down.
"There is no question to your ability. I will promote you to jounin, and I do request you submit an application for ANBU. I'll be giving you a mission in the upcoming week; expect it. And, no, Sakura, you will not be going with him. You've spent too much time away from the hospital. There won't be any missions for you for some time," Tsunade told her apprentice, giving her a stern look. "As the head medical ninja of the village, head nurse of the hospital, and director of the hospital, you've got more responsibility here in the village than you do outside the village on rudimentary missions." Sakura knew Tsunade could tell she was worried about letting Arata go on a mission. Tsunade shook her head, her decision final.
"Of course, Tsunade-sama," Sakura murmured. Itachi glanced down at Sakura, seeing her hesitation. Lightly, he placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a barely noticeable squeeze. She knew that he was telling her he could take care of himself. Still, it didn't stop her from worrying. After all, she hadn't separated from him since she had dug his dead body up from the ground. Letting him out on his own so soon made her wary, but she knew she would have to do it eventually. If her jutsu was to be a success, then she couldn't keep him locked up indoors forever.
"Shizune, let's go. Neji, you should take the rest of the day off. Take it easy today. That is an order. Good job, Arata-san; you made a good choice, Sakura." Tsunade walked away, Shizune following. Neji slipped away to speak with Hinata quietly, and a few moments later, Neji, too, left the area.
That left Sakura, Itachi, Naruto, Hinata, and Kakashi in an almost awkward, tense silence. Sakura was finally the one to break it, giving an uneasy laugh. "How about if we all go celebrate at Ichiraku?" It was a peace offering to Naruto. Sakura glanced at him, her eyes pleading. "Arata's never been there." Of course, Itachi had been there before, but it still had been several years since then.
Naruto seemed to read her expression, and much to her happiness, his eyes lit up and a wide smile spread across his face. "Of course, Sakura-chan! Hinata-chan, will you come, too?" Hinata nodded, smiling up at the blonde. "Kakashi-sensei? What about you?" Kakashi gave a light shake of the head.
"Unfortunately, I have business elsewhere. It was nice to meet you, Arata-san. And nice to see you again, Sakura. Ah, later." And as was customary, he disappeared in a poof of smoke. Sakura and Naruto shrugged, and then all four turned to walk to the ramen stand. Sakura fell into an easy step beside Naruto and Itachi, smiling lightly.
"I wanna spar with you sometime, Arata," Naruto remarked, looking over Sakura's head at the taller man. Itachi nodded, curious to see how much Naruto's abilities had grown. After all, Sakura had told him that Naruto was the one to defeat Madara.
Somehow, the four of them (well, mostly three of them, with Itachi speaking only when spoken to) managed to fall into easy conversation. Funnily enough, most of it was directed towards Itachi; Naruto's endless questions of how he had managed to make a clone with fire, how he had become so fast, where he had met Sakura, how they had met, what was his old village like, and just more and more questions that never seemed to end.
At least they were friendly with one another. Itachi seemed to have gained Naruto's respect with his fighting skills. Hopefully the two would have a peaceful relationship; after all, Naruto was her best friend and Itachi was her roommate. The three of them would likely be seeing each other as a group.
"Sakura-chan?" Sakura glanced up from her bowl of ramen, her brows lifting to look at Naruto's suddenly serious face. "I'm sorry about... about the other day." Sakura had wondered which one of them would approach the topic first. She shook her head, smiling at him.
"No, I should be the one to apologize. I never realized... what I've done." Her voice had lowered considerably, and thankfully, she noticed Hinata and Itachi both looking away. "You've always been there for me, and I just never realized how much I've pushed you away these past few years. You're right," her eyes met his, "these emotional scars have left me changed. And while I'm not upset at my progress, I am upset at what has happened between us. Sometimes, it was just so hard... to see you, knowing Sasuke was in the village, and yet... yet not be a team. To know that I didn't want to be a team, while you did. I hated that feeling. So I pushed you away, wanting to make you choose Sasuke over me. But you never have. You've always been there for me." Sakura smiled, hugging him suddenly.
"S-sakura-chan..." He was surprised, but he wrapped his arms around his best friend. She smiled, looking up at him.
"However," suddenly her voice changed back to that dangerous sweet-as-honey-but-really-really-deadly tone, "I will not tolerate you being rude to Arata. I want us all to be friends, okay? He... It sucks to be lonely, right?" Her smile was forced, trying to cover up a deeper meaning to her words. It sucks to be lonely, right? Naruto would understand. Loneliness, pain, secrets... Itachi and Naruto were more similar than they thought. They would work well together. Maybe.
"Yeah. It does." Naruto's small smile back encouraged Sakura. Naruto wouldn't let someone else go down the same path he had. Naruto understood. Understood her meaning.
"Hey, Arata!" Itachi's head rose to look at Naruto. Naruto smiled brightly. "What are you doing tomorrow? Wanna spar?" It was Naruto's way of trying to apologize for their meeting the other night. Itachi understood, sliding his eyes towards Sakura. She smiled, tilting her head in such a way that he understood she was nodding.
"Sure, Naruto-san. That sounds fine."
"Call me Naruto!" Sakura glanced over at Hinata, who was wearing an equally relieved grin as the one on Sakura's face. Maybe Naruto and Arata would get along. Sakura could only hope.
"I swear to God, Naruto, you never know when to quit." Sakura's hands were pressed to his chest, mending internal bones. "Arata, are you holding up?" Itachi, sitting on the other side of her, nodded. "Good." Sakura continued her mumbling about over exuberant, ridiculously strong ninjas who hated to lose and never knew when to give up. Their spar was ridiculous- in the end, Sakura had to split the ground to get both of them to stop before Naruto went into his Kyuubi chakra mode and before Itachi used his big jutsus on Naruto (like his Tsukuyomi or Amaterasu). The two were escalating the fighting much too quickly, and while it wasn't with killing intent, she knew it was going to be a bitch for her to heal both of them.
"Sakura-san! Sakura-san!" Sakura glanced up, her hands stalling, recognizing the voice as Kotetsu's. "They need you at the hospital! A group of shinobi came in and they need you right now!" Sakura stood up suddenly, nodding. She swept her hair back into a ponytail, looking over at Naruto and then Itachi.
"Of course. Naruto, you should be good enough to get home and rest. Arata, you know how to enter my house, right?" She was referring to her special chakra lock that only opened with a certain combination- it was essentially a key without the physical key. Itachi nodded. "I'll see everyone later!" Sakura dashed off, realizing that her life was returning to normal, despite having a new person enter into it. But that was a good thing. She was glad to feel a sense of normalcy settle back upon her life that felt like it had been turned upside down upon reviving Itachi. No, before that. Her life had been turned upside down since the moment she had read that scroll.
But it was beginning to twist itself back into its regular pattern. Sakura was grateful for that, at least.
When she had arrived at the hospital, Sakura had known deep down that she would not be leaving the building for several hours. And by several hours, she knew that it would border on days. She had worked and worked, healing and repairing, all through the afternoon, night, and early morning hours.
Only when she could see the bright morning sun did she finally decide to take a short break in her office. It felt, though, that as soon as her head hit her desk, sleeping soundly, that she was woken up by one of her frantic nurses. Barely having an hour of rest, Sakura pulled herself together, going back out for another round of healing.
The only time she stopped was to feed her crying body some type of sustenance. One meal and thirty-minute break later, Sakura was back in the operating rooms, plunging her hands in as many wounded as she possibly could.
It was late at night when she was finally given enough reprieve to drag herself home. Her entire body was covered in sweat and blood, her form sagged with exhaustion. Sakura was sure that even her hair, which she had tied up, was stained with blood. She transported home, knowing she had no energy left to walk home. It was nearing ten o'clock at night; briefly she wondered if Itachi was okay, since she hadn't seen him in over twenty-four hours. Sakura sighed, slowly unlocking her door and pushing it open, kicking it closed behind her as she entered her home.
The thought about Itachi was fleeting as she felt the limits of her body begin to give out on her. She saw her couch and managed to stumble to it, sagging into it with relief. She hadn't even bothered to take off her shoes, or medical uniform. Too much effort.
"Sakura-san?" Itachi's low monotone called from the hallway. Sakura's eyes were closed, and she was pretty sure she was half asleep already, but she tried to give an affirmative to his question.
"Yeah," she called out, praying he heard her. She would not be moving from her couch any time soon. Even in her dulled state, she could still hear his feet pad across the hallway, and she recognized his subdued presence in the doorway. "Are you doing all right?" she mumbled out. It was still necessary to check on her primary patient, after all.
"I'm fine," he responded, moving closer to see her. "But you're not." Definitely not, she thought, her head sinking farther into her comfortable couch. "You'll get blood on the couch." She muttered something, sounding like, "I don't care; I'm not moving," but Itachi wasn't positive with the way the words slurred together. "You've pushed yourself to the brink again."
"It's not that unusual," she responded, feeling her body start to grow limp. No energy left... "I'm just gonna sleep here," she muttered, feeling like she was ready to go to sleep any second. She barely heard his sigh, but when she was scooped up, she finally opened an eye. "What...? What are you doing?"
"You'll be uncomfortable if you sleep there, and in those clothes. You're a mess," he responded, his voice reverting back to its normal monotone. Sakura had no energy to protest and argue that she had been doing just fine before he ever came to live with her, and that she had slept on that couch plenty of times (and the floor, for the few times she had dragged herself in and simply crashed as soon as her door was shut). He carried her up the stairs, though when she expected him to deposit her on her bed, he made an abrupt turn for the bathroom, sitting her down on the closed toilet lid.
He worked soundlessly, wetting a wash-cloth, and stripping her out of her medical uniform. He left her only in her chest bindings and underwear, gently running the wet rag over her bloodied arms and body. Sakura paid him no mind, slowly dozing off.
"I have to wash your hair," he murmured in her ear. Sakura woke up enough to help him, slowly forcing her body to kneel over the bath tub. He turned on the faucet, guiding her head underneath the warm spray. Again, Sakura let herself fall asleep, his gentle fingers lulling her as they worked through her crimson-stained pink strands. After some time, the spray shut off, and Sakura felt herself picked up again. A towel was wrapped around her hair, loosely, and she was carried out of the bathroom and into her bedroom.
There he placed her on her bed, frowning as he took in her barely clothed appearance. Sakura could hear his muffled footsteps as he prowled around her room, likely looking for her night clothes.
"In the closet, on the floor," she muttered. He must have heard her and understood because a few seconds later, he was slipping a pair of old, faded shorts (that had been Naruto's) onto her, as well as sliding an old tank top over her. She settled back into her pillows, as he turned to leave. Before he could, though, Sakura rose up a few inches; her eyes surprisingly open as she looked at him. "Thanks, Itachi," she told him softly, dropping off the typical "-san" suffix. Before he could respond, she had fallen back on the pillows, sound asleep.
Itachi gazed at the kunoichi, almost curiously, before he walked out of her room, shutting her door. It was strange, he supposed, that he hadn't seen the woman in over twenty-four hours, and her first appearance was that she was covered head to toe in blood, her chakra nonexistent, and her body so fatigued that it looked like she wouldn't have made it another ten minutes. But, he mused, she probably would have made it for as long as she needed to at the hospital. For some reason, he felt like the words "break" and "rest" were not in Sakura's vocabulary when she was working.
But one of the strangest things about her, he realized as he slipped into his own bedroom, was the fact that she seemed to care about everyone else first before she thought about herself. After she had affirmed that she was the one home, the first words out of her mouth had been to ask how he was. And then, her last words to him were to thank him- she had even tried to sit up to thank him properly. He had noticed that trend with her, though, about how she seemed to be more concerned over everyone else before herself.
Maybe her devotion to others, especially the wounded and her friends, was what gave her such amazing talent as a medic. Maybe it was the reason she seemed to keep such incredible stamina and ability up when she was working days upon days at the hospital. Her determination and will power was assuredly some of the greatest out there, he had to admit. He wasn't sure he had ever heard of any other woman work so much like she did.
Itachi was beginning to realize more and more that the woman who had revived him was quite the ninja- maybe not in power, but definitely in medical jutsu. He was sure that it wouldn't be long until she surpassed her mentor- if she hadn't already. What type of crazy woman revives the dead just to give said dead person a second chance at life? She risked her life for a man she had never even spoken to, throwing herself full-heartedly into reviving him.
He could definitely say he respected the woman. How he had managed to get involved with her crazy schemes, he still wasn't entirely sure, but all in all, he knew he trusted her. Trusted, respected, admired... He even enjoyed her company and her willingness to be his friend. It was an odd sensation of having someone to call his friend, someone that knew plenty of his secrets, at that. He hadn't had someone he considered a friend since Shisui; Itachi was sure he had never had a female friend in his life before Sakura, either.
She was one of a kind; that was for sure. He respected her even more for the fact that she had managed to weave her way into his icy heart. It was certainly strange, but Itachi admitted he didn't mind being alive again, especially considering she was the one that had revived him. That kunoichi was a strange one- picking him. But he was glad she did.
After all, it wasn't so bad being alive when he finally had someone looking out for solely his desires. No clan, no wars, no unbearable expectations... All she wanted was his happiness and for him to live. It was easily the first time someone had expressed concern over what he had wanted to do. Sure, there were times when she wanted him to do certain things (like going along with her schemes of making Arata friendly and almost romantic towards her), but she had never really forced him to do something that he didn't want.
Maybe that was why he was so willing to help her and get along with her. Because she was the first person to offer him true friendship and companionship (excluding Shisui). He figured it would only be right to offer what he could in return.
Something tightened in his chest. He was making bonds with the kunoichi. Something he had despised in his past life after the death of his clan. But... it wasn't as bad as he thought. For some reason, he had the feeling that he would work harder to protect these bonds.
The tightness in his chest loosened and he was left with a strange mixture of relief and serenity. Maybe he had been wrong before- maybe bonds really could make a person stronger.
For once, he was willing to test this theory. Because he just couldn't find anywhere in him that wanted to sever the bond he was making with Sakura.
XxX
I finished another chapter!
I don't remember what needs explaining on this chapter. My head is fried. I'll try my best.
1. The genin test was based on what they did to Team Seven. Hinata's special test for Itachi was a variation on Kakashi's test. It was said somewhere that all the jounin test their genin to determine if they pass or not. The jutsus Hinata made Itachi execute were all academy level, as well.
2. Shisui and Sakura being Itachi's friends: Itachi does still have emotional scars from his Clan's massacre. He doesn't really like making friends because he's scared they'll end up like Shisui, too. That's why he went on that bond monologue towards the end. I figure it would be sorta hard for him to accept a new, peaceful life in Konoha since the last time he lived there, he lost his best-friend, his family, and his brother's love. He's coming around slowly. 'Kay? :)
Next Chapter:
Itachi seems to be settling into Konoha easily. He's making friends, getting promoted, doing what he always wanted. Sakura is thrilled with the success of her friend. But good times can't last forever. He's still an experiment and oftentimes, experiments have a tendency to go wrong. Sakura simply has to fix what she began. If only it was that simple, though.
Next Chapter: At the Top
How ominous...!
I'm freaking tired. I may have missed something. I don't know. Just drop a review if you have any questions; or just drop a review to make my day! ;) I love all you guys for reading. You have no idea how delighted I am when I see Favorites or Alerts or Reviews for this story in my inbox. Even if I don't respond to every review, I do read each one! I love you all :3