I cannot change that day

Go back, erase what happened, ease that pain

There's none to blame, no steps to take

And even though we may not understand

But one day, I'll see you face to face

Then we'll say things we meant to say

It's too late for now but not always

We'll meet again and then we'll start from these unfinished memories…

Excerpt from "Unfinished Memories" by Éowyn

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any Éowyn songs.

Silent Sacrifice Chapter 9: Emerge, Perish, and Begin Again

Naruto stared at his teammate in awe, his lips parted, his eyes wide. She gazed back, a flicker of shock radiating in her pale jade depths. Her hair had been dyed black, and there were now strange gold marks - almost like claws had raked down her cheeks - on her face.

But it was still her. Still his Sakura-chan.

"Naruto, what…what are you doing here?" Her voice barely reached his ears; her words flowed together into the light breeze, soft yet full of suppressed anxiety.

"I'm here to bring you back, Sakura-chan," he said, his voice cracking, and took a step toward her, thinking it was obvious that he had sought her out to bring her back to Konoha.

"Oh…Naruto…I-I'm afraid that's -"

"Sakura will not be returning to Konoha anytime soon," the shadow about twenty feet to her left said frigidly before he stepped into the soft light of the moon.

Naruto ground his teeth together, and his muscles tensed, ready to leap. "I'm going to kill you, you freaking bastard -"

"Naruto, please stop," Sakura pleaded, her voice still quiet.

"But Sakura-chan," Naruto said incredulously, "don't you want to come back? Don't you want to come to Konoha?"

Her eyes hardened along with her voice. "Of course I do! Of course…"

Naruto frowned. "Then why…?"

"I refuse to allow her to leave," Itachi explained flatly.

Naruto froze for a second, and then he finally felt the overwhelming swirl of the Kyuubi's chakra fester inside him.

Vaguely, he heard Sakura's startled cry of "No, Naruto, stop! Don't let it control you -" before his mind went blank.

Itachi didn't even blink as the jinchuriki rushed him. He simply stared - eyes void of emotion - at the boy's crazed form.

"Itachi-sama!" he heard Sakura yell (he frowned slightly - he thought they'd had the whole "Itachi-sama" conversation before). "Don't let him touch you - the Kyuubi's chakra will scorch your skin!"

Although he had all ready been planning on moving, he disappeared only to reappear next to the kunoichi's anxious form. For a short second, he was tempted to say, "Nice weather we're having, isn't it?"

But of course he didn't, for he was an Uchiha, and Uchihas did not ask such mundane questions.

Instead, he whispered to her - as the enraged Naruto whipped his head back and forth, searching - quietly, "If I must remind you, you are not to call me '-sama' -"

Her eyes flashed to his as she said harshly, "That is not relevant at this moment, Uchiha-san." She turned to stare at Naruto, who had just found them and had begun to rush forward. "Now's my chance," she muttered, and Itachi saw the twist of her chakra over her bracelet.

She closed her eyes, heard Desunei tell her "He's a wind type, Sakura. But don't worry - I'll be there with you" and became enveloped in Naruto's mind.

A harsh growl burst into her ears, and she flinched slightly. The area around her was shrouded with black and crimson, the air pierced through with the dark presence of overwhelming power.

Sakura strained to see before her, her eyes squinting. Her fingers reached out to touch something, anything -

"Ahhh," a deep, baritone voice growled. "I see. Desunei, is it now? It's been far too long since we've last reconciled."

The kunoichi froze as she sensed movement to her right. Subtly, she could see the faint outline of Desunei's colossal form. The Tigress stood at least a hundred feet tall, and Sakura could barely pick out the smooth, rippling pigment of her russet fur.

The Tigress sighed wearily. "Let the boy go, Fox Demon. You're destroying his body - and his mind."

The Kyuubi laughed, harsh and abrupt. "And who are you to tell me what to do?" His voice reverberated throughout the space.

Now Sakura could see the distant form of bars - it looked like a cell.

A sudden, furious snarl burst from Desunei's chest. Her tone turned from calm to enraged - tired to deadly - as she roared, "Let the jinchuriki go!"

A wave of power washed over Sakura; it was heavy, almost damp, and held the promise of demolition and chaos. Her eyes widened as the scene before her finally became fully visible.

Far ahead of her, the Kyuubi - trapped in his confining cage - pulled his lips up in a snarl, his glowing scarlet eyes resonating fury in its most potent form. Beside her, Desunei's very own force - an overbearing, wispy mass of deep green and shining gold - flooded the tight space.

The echo of the Kyuubi's enraged cries pulsed through Sakura's head as the scene faded away.

In the real world, no more than three seconds had passed. Sakura opened her eyes to see Naruto's unconscious form slumped upon the ground, the last of the Kyuubi's red chakra swirling into the boy's seal on his exposed - his clothes had been almost completely destroyed - stomach.

She rushed to his immobile, bleeding form, and gently took his head in her lap. She healed most of his external wounds within a minute, and knew that the rest she would have to leave to the Kyuubi's healing power - Naruto's internal wounds were covered with the demon's chakra, and she did not want to risk having her own chakra tainted in any way.

When she had completed her job, she turned to the watching group: Kisame, frowning and silent; Itachi, stoic and watching her with hooded crimson eyes; Pein, detached and emotionless; Konan, her eyes filled with a faint, melancholy gleam; Tobi, silent with his one inquisitive eye; and…

Her eyes flew open even wider as she whipped around to face the forest behind her. Just as she was about to call out, Sai stepped into the clearing, his gaze immediately scanning over the area with a calculating wariness.

Finished with his brief - yet irrefutably thorough - assessment of the group, he turned to Sakura, his eyes turned into half-moons as he smiled his fake smile and said, "Hello, Ugly. I see you've altered your hair color. I guess it was for the best - that hideous pink hair you used to have only made you more repulsive."

Sakura's eyebrow twitched, but she forced herself to act calm as she responded lightly, albeit through clenched teeth, "Sai, what on Earth are you doing here? Hell, what are either of you doing here?" She gestured vaguely to Naruto, then to Sai's own, black-clad figure.

"We came, of course, to retrieve you from the Akatsuki," he answered, glancing once again at the five members of said organization. "But I'm guessing we'll be leaving empty-handed."

"Sai, I -"

He cut her off. "The Hokage will hear of this, Sakura. Everyone in Konoha will know of your defection."

She drew in a rapid breath of air, her lungs seeming to collapse within her. If only Naruto had not come, if only they hadn't seen each other -

"Then so be it," Itachi said, placing a hand upon her shoulder. His eyes flashed with the invitation of a threat. "Let the people of the shinobi world know that Haruno Sakura is traveling with the most dangerous ninjas on the face of the planet." He paused. "It will only increase her reputation."

Sakura stared at her teacher, her lips parted slightly, her eyes wide.

When she turned back to her teammate, she thought she saw surprise flicker within the black depths of his eyes. But it was gone before she could fully comprehend what she had seen.

"Ugly…" Sai trailed off, looking thoughtful, before he continued quietly, "you will come home one day, right? You'll return to Konoha?"

She swallowed before nodding once, her fists clenching. It seemed as if her voice had disappeared.

Sai smiled, fake as ever, as he stepped forward to retrieve Naruto's unconscious body. Sakura allowed her palm to linger on Naruto's cheek until Sai fully had the blonde in his capable arms.

And, with a final synthetic grin, Sai vanished into the approaching night.

"Ya know, what I don't understand is why we didn't just capture the jinchuriki brat right then," Kisame exclaimed, his rough voice musing. "Would've saved us a hell of a lot of work later on, don't you think?"

"Yes," Pein answered slowly. "However" - he turned to face Sakura - "I believe containing him until it is time for the Kyuubi's extraction will be too difficult, especially considering that we have lost many members in such a short period of time.

"In addition" - his eyes held Sakura's unblinkingly - "I believe that for now, we all ready have a great power with us to be used."

Sakura felt tears begin to form in her eyes. With another glance at Naochi's fallen body, she bared her teeth slightly and spat, "I will not be used - not by you, not by anybody. Come, try to control me, and you'll see." She glared, even as a stray tear escaped her eye and her breath came in heavy gasps.

"Sakura," Itachi warned quietly from beside her.

Finally, a hint of emotion appeared on Pein's face as the corner of his lips tilted upward in a barely distinguishable smirk. "One day, maybe. Continue with your training, and one day we will see how strong you are."

She clenched her teeth, the tears now falling unbidden, and then opened her mouth to respond.

But Pein had all ready disappeared in a whirl of chakra, along with Konan. Only Tobi was left, and he gave her one last piercing stare before vanishing, also.

Slowly, Sakura moved to stand over Naochi's dead form. And slowly, she lowered herself to him, and cried into his cold chest.

"Are you…feeling all right?" Itachi's question came out awkward and hesitant - however, it made Sakura smile a little to hear him voice some amount of concern. Truly, he was not heartless. She knew that by now.

"Yeah," she said softly. "I'm fine. But - before we go, I would like to bury Naochi-san's body. It's the least I can do for him."

Itachi frowned faintly. "Would you like my assistance?"

"No, I can do it myself," she answered, her eyes locked on Naochi's body. "You and Kisame go ahead and find something to eat. I'll be fine."

He opened his mouth, then closed it. With a frown still apparent on his face, he walked away, Kisame next to him.

"I am so sorry," Sakura whispered when she was sure they were gone. "I am so sorry I pulled you along with me. I should've just left you somewhere safe."

She laughed harshly. "And now you're dead."

She glanced around, and decided that instead of just creating a large crater in the ground and throwing him in it, she would find a shovel and do it the old-fashioned way.

With a hefty sigh and a new, throbbing hole in her heart, she began to pick her way through the forest.

She found one leaning against an abandoned house on the outskirts of a small village less than two miles away. It was large and rusted, but its condition was the least of her concerns.

She spent a good hour digging the hole, not wanting to rush on something so symbolic and melancholy. The whole time, she kept her mind blissfully empty of any thoughts. Her lips were set in a straight line, her eyebrows smooth, her face relaxed. Only her eyes - churning with unsettled rage and grief - betrayed what she was experiencing.

But she shed no tears, voiced no sobs. She only kept her mind blank, and continued on with her work.

They set out the next day at noon - the sky was clear, the air was fresh, and the birds were chirping happily.

Sakura smiled. "Isn't it nice out?"

Itachi glanced at her before focusing ahead of him again.

"These birds are really damn annoying," Kisame stated, glaring at a sparrow that had flown past him.

Sakura chucked a kunai at him - he dodged easily. "Shut up! You're ruining my good mood."

Kisame just chuckled quietly.

"Anyway," Sakura sighed, "where exactly are we headed to?"

Itachi pulled out a crisp scroll and rolled it out, holding both ends tightly so it would not flap around because of his speed.

"Your leader gave you a mission?" she asked, gliding closer to him to take a look.

He rolled it back up before she could see anything.

"We are to travel due east, to the Water Country," he answered flatly. "And Leader-sama did not give me a mission."

Itachi met her eyes steadily.

"He gave us a mission."

"Excuse me," she called, her eyes wide and frightened. "I just arrived here - could you possibly direct me to the nearest motel?"

The man she had spoken to turned around to face her. "Go find someone else, kid. I'm busy right now."

"But surely," she said slowly, her eyes lowering, "you can help a lost girl find her way on the streets?"

"I said no!" the man spat callously. He returned his attention to the many scrolls before him.

"Well, that's a shame," she remarked, and her chakra flared slightly as she formed her chakra scalpel. "I was really hoping you could help me."

The man snorted.

Sakura focused her eyes on a scroll that was peeking out of the man's pouch around his waist. "So, I hear you're a pretty brutal man, Hanao-san."

The man's hand stopped writing. "How do you know my name?"

"You've killed dozens of people, correct?" she said, not answering his question.

Hanao jumped up from his chair and turned to face her, a dull blade evident in his hand. "If you say one more word," he growled, "I'll slice you in half."

She raised an eyebrow in response before continuing on with her diagnosis. "And it also seems that you are the owner of some powerful, forbidden scrolls."

He lunged forward, the blade sweeping toward her, but she propelled herself in the air to land behind him, her chakra scalpel positioned right where his heart was through his skin. "I'm so sorry," she said (she had to focus to make sure her voice would not tremble), "but for some reason, the Akatsuki want those scrolls you have, and they want you dead - and they want me to make sure it happens."

She drove her scalpel into his flesh - it cut through tendons, bones, and muscles until it finally cut his heart in half.

On the outside, no signs of his wound were visible, which was exactly what the mission had ordered: kill the man, and leave no trace whatsoever behind. Her scalpel had been perfect for the mission.

No blood dripped, no flesh showed, as the man sank to ground, dead.

By the time someone entered the small shop and found his cold body, Sakura was far gone.

"Nicely done," Itachi said, ever stoic, as he checked the small number of scrolls Sakura had returned with. "These are exactly what the mission ordered for."

"And did you and Kisame complete your part of the mission?" she asked.

Itachi nodded slightly, his gaze fixed upon her.

When she smiled, it wavered a bit. "I didn't enjoy that," she said quietly. "That man I killed - he still deserved to live, even if he was not exactly a good person…"

Itachi blinked.

"Why did I have to be the one to kill him?" she wondered aloud, her voice rough.

"You could have just objected the mission," Kisame intervened.

"And taken the easier path?" she said, glowering at the Mist-nin. "I might've said that I'm not going to be used by him, but to reject a challenge like that would show weakness. I used that as a training session, so to speak. Who knows?" she asked softly. "Maybe one day this experience will be useful to me."

To Itachi, in that moment, she matured just a little more.

That night, they made a small fire on the sand at the edge of the ocean. Itachi let Sakura wear his cloak (after many refusals on her part and many emotionless stares on his) to protect herself from the biting wind that blew fiercely in their direction. Kisame fell asleep instantly on the soft white sand once they settled down.

Sakura drew the cloak further around her body, relishing in its warmth and breathing in Itachi's potent scent - the faint aroma of pine trees, winter wind, and something more, something heady and intoxicating that she could not quite place. Her eyes watched the fire, but at the same time did not really see it.

Beside her, Itachi sat completely still, his tied hair blowing gently in the ocean breeze.

They sat in undisturbed silence for a good five minutes before Itachi reached his hand into the pouch around his hips and pulled out a small object that was obscured to her eyes.

"I nearly forgot," he remarked, ever emotionless. "This" - he dropped the object into her now-opened palm - "is for you."

Her brows furrowed as she studied the small figure in her hand. It looked like a bird, with a curved black-and-yellow beak and long, sleek, light-grey feathers. Its wings were tucked at its sides, its eyes closed. The bird almost could pass for a stuffed animal, but it was too realistic in detail to be anything as such.

Gently, she sent a small string of chakra into it, probing.

The bird's eyes opened, and its wings ruffled slightly.

"W-what is it?" she breathed, holding the bird's form closer to her face to study it.

"A summoning peregrine falcon," he responded, his eyes trained on her.

She sucked in a quick bout of air. "Really?" At his nod, she asked, "But why is it so small?"

"Once you complete the summoning pact and sign a contract with your blood, you will be able to call upon his true form with a low amount of your chakra. He is small right now because no contract has been signed yet, and he is not in his full form."

The falcon rustled its feathers and blinked before closing its eyes and going still once more.

"What size is he in his true form?" she questioned inquisitively, drawing the falcon inside the Akatsuki cloak to keep it warm.

"In his true form" - Itachi smirked faintly, his gaze focused on the dancing fire - "he will be able to carry you on his back, even when flying."

Her lips parted. "Amazing. Where did you get him?"

His smirk flattened. "I have my sources."

Her brows furrowed, but she disregarded it. "Does he have a name all ready?"

Itachi looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, "Hayasa. I believe that is what he is called."

"Hayasa," she repeated softly, her finger gently running over the falcon's sleeping form. And without a moment of hesitation, she leaned to the left until her head rested upon Itachi's shoulder. "Thank you, Itachi," she whispered (inwardly proud of herself for not adding the '-sama'), her eyes staring into the restless fire. "I will definitely treasure him."

Itachi remained utterly motionless as she gradually relaxed against him, and her breaths came slower.

"…you're welcome, Sakura."

In the morning, Sakura woke up to find Itachi frying six fish over the fire with a long stick. As she sat up from her place on the sand, his Akatsuki cloak pooled around her hips. She yawned loudly. "I see you all ready caught breakfast," she remarked, rubbing her eyes.

His eyes shifted to her before returning to the task in front of him. To his left, Kisame was staring into the ocean with a blank expression.

Slowly, she stood up and walked over to them. "Here you go," she yawned, holding out Itachi's Akatsuki cloak for him to take. "It's not too cold today, so I don't need it. Thank you for letting me use it, anyway."

"Hn," he responded, removing it from her hand and situating it upon himself.

"Well, aren't we the social ones this morning," she muttered to herself as she walked away to get herself cleaned up. "Honestly, it seems like I'm the only normal one around here."

'If you mean normal as in the demon-containing, pink-haired, friends-with-murderers sense, then yes, you are most definitely normal,' Desunei drawled.

Sakura smiled to herself as she found a nearby stream and began to discard her clothes. Exactly.

"All right," she said, stretching her arms over her head as she swallowed the last of her fish. "What's the agenda for today?"

Kisame waved a lazy hand a her. "Today is my day off. I'll be at a bar." He paused. "Don't come looking for me if I'm not back by tomorrow morning." With a grunt, he hefted his large blade onto his back and disappeared into the forest.

"Be careful!" Sakura called, her voice lilting. She laughed a little before she turned to Itachi. "And what's our schedule?"

"Starting today," he answered slowly, "I am truly going to begin to teach you what you need to know in order to survive whatever comes your way - including Sasuke."

She frowned in confusion. "Then what has all the other stuff so far been for?"

"Those were just to add a few more jutsu to your arsenal." He motioned for her to stand closer, and she obeyed. "What you learn from now on will determine what type of shinobi you will become in the future, so pay attention."

She nodded, flexing her fingers.

"First," he continued flatly, "we will start with your new summoning. Do you have him with you?"

She reached into her kunoichi pouch and grasped Hayasa gently, holding him out for the Uchiha to see.

In response, Itachi unrolled a yellowed scroll filled with writing - the only blank spot was directly in the middle: a circle that would perfectly fit her hand.

"Set the summoning on the ground," Itachi ordered, and she did so. "Now, use your kunai to slice open your right palm, only enough to draw blood."

Void of hesitation, she whipped out her kunai and drew it across her palm, making sure her blood began to flow.

"Coat the blood over your left palm," he instructed.

She obeyed, her heart rate increasing in anticipation.

"Place your palm on the scroll."

And so she did.

Suddenly, the kanji written on the scroll began to swirl in a circular motion, gradually increasing in speed until it became just a large blur.

On the ground, to her left, she noticed something moving, but kept her eyes focused on the scroll as the symbols finally slowed and came to a halt.

She removed her hand, sensing it was right, and a crimson print of her hand outlined in black was left on the scroll.

Finally, she glanced to her left, and then she found it hard to breath.

Beside her stood Hayasa, now at least fifteen feet tall and twenty feet long. His feathers were silver - the tips were black, as if they had been dipped in ink - and they gleamed metallic in the morning light. His eyes, now open and large enough for her to distinguish, were a deep shade of orange mixed with various shades of red, gold, and yellow.

He was beautiful.

Abruptly, the large falcon spread its wings and stretched them, as if with great relief. He shook himself, several feathers floating in the air afterward.

And then he spoke. "So you are my new master?" he asked, his voice smooth like water.

She nodded, eyes wide.

Hayasa bowed his head slightly to her. "I am very honored to be in the hands of the Hokage's apprentice. It is nice to meet you, Sakura-sama."

She quickly bowed back, shock still coursing through her. "Nice to meet you, Hayasa-san."

"Please," the falcon said, "just call me Hayasa."

"Then please," she responded, a small smile on her face, "just call me Sakura. There is no need for honorable suffixes."

"As you wish," Hayasa obeyed, lifting his head up. "And you, Uchiha-san" - he focused his molten gaze on Itachi - "it is definitely a surprise to see you."

The Uchiha just stayed silent before he turned to Sakura. "Are you ready for your true training?"

"Hai," she said, determination shining in her pale jade eyes.

A soft smirk found its way upon Itachi's lips.

"Then let us begin."

A/N: Hello again! :D First of all, I would just like a say a little something about the earthquake in Japan. I'm praying that all the people who are lost and not yet found out there will be safe, and I'm praying for the all the families who have been destroyed. I'm just glad that America is such a giving country and that there are all ready hundreds of relief funds to donate to here in the United States. Let us all hope that Japan will come back bigger and stronger than ever before. :)

Second, I thank all of you who reviewed, and I really hope you all share your thoughts with me this time around. Now, I know that there are over forty people who have this story on their story alerts, and I'm really hoping that you will each leave a review. Please? And it's true that your reviews give me motivation and make me want to write more. So, please, please, please review! :)

Next: if you're thinking that having Sakura kill a person is a little cold, think again. In the Naruto series, she had all ready killed Sasori, and as a kunoichi, she was bound to come across an assassination mission sometime or another. Plus, I wanted to give her a little experience. But don't worry - I don't plan on having Sakura become a cold, uncaring person later on in the story. I'll try to keep her overall happy personality intact. :)

Oh, and that excerpt at the beginning of the chapter was from the song that inspired me to write my one-shot "Unfinished Memories" (hence the name; aren't I original?). It's a really beautiful song - if you have the time, you should look it up.

Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, and I shall see you all next time!

Sincerely,

Silver Echo