Sorry for taking so long to update. I've been so writer blocked for this particular story. Plus I've been working on other future stories, which I plan to finish before posting them on fanfiction, so that I don't ever delay. Reading all your reviews really helped me get back into writing some more for this fic, so this is for all you reviewers.
Disclaimer: I wish Naruto was mine, but it isn't. If it was, I would be stinking rich.
Chapter 10
"Sakura, when you get back, I have a surprise for you," the blonde Hokage called. Sakura looked at her and raised a pink eyebrow. Her sensei hardly ever had any surprises left.
"Shisou, you know I hate surprises. Tell me now," Sakura whined. Her ANBU teammates had already left to get packed. They had their mission. They were to head to Sand and meet up with her former sensei's injured team. She was the medic nin. It was important for her to get there quickly. Her two teammates had orders to ensure her safety and guard her until she is finished healing the ANBU team. Her monkey mask rested on top of her head. Tsunade chuckled, placing her hands on her desk while standing up.
"But that's why it's a surprise. You can't just ruin it." Sakura bit her lip. Surprises weren't her favorite thing in the world. She liked to know about the situation beforehand.
"Please, Tsunade-shisou?" She pouted, trying to coax her sensei into giving her a hint. Tsunade wasn't persuaded. Her little student's begging methods no longer worked on her. "It'll be a distraction to my mission if I don't know." Tsunade almost chuckled at Sakura's reasoning. It would definitely distract her if she knew. Sakura's emerald eyed shined when Tsunade groaned. She was surrendering already.
"Fine, you evil apprentice of mine," Tsunade retorted. Sakura stuck her tongue out with glee. "I'm promoting you to ANBU captain when you get back." Those emerald eyes of hers were bulging out of her head. "The success rate of all your ANBU missions so far is outstanding. I have already told your captain about this, and he agrees that you should get this. He and Naruto already have the rank of ANBU captain, but we think you deserve it as well. Squad Eight will separate after this mission." Sakura nodded in understanding. Three ANBU captains on one team wasn't very good for the village. Three captains meant more teams.
"Are you sure, Tsunade-sama?" the cherry blossom questioned, apprehensive about the whole situation. Tsunade grinned widely at her. Her student was stunned beyond belief.
"Of course I'm sure. I'll have the paperwork ready when you get back." Sakura reluctantly agreed. "Now, go get ready, and get this mission done fast. Fox-chan, Frog, and Wolf are all in a comatose state right now. They need you." Sakura bowed and turned to leave the room. "Oh, and Sakura," she looked over her shoulder, "be safe."
"Kazekage-sama!" a sweet voice called. The brunette walked in with a stack of papers. The Kazekage looked up from a mission report. An ANBU was cautious about who it was but he relaxed when he realized it was just the Kazekage's girlfriend. She placed the stack on his large desk. "The academy needs you to sign these. They're the approval form for who passed the test and became gennin." Gaara accepted the papers.
"Hai hai, Matsuri-chan," Gaara replied, He moved them to his stack of papers that needed to be signed. Matsuri beamed at him and sat in one of the large chairs in front of his desk. She threw her feet up and rested them on his desk. He rolled his eyes at how relaxed she could be in his presence. No one but her would rest their feet on his desk. She was the only one who could get away with it.
"Ne ne, Gaara-chan." He cringed at her nickname. He doesn't mind it, but he's in a room full of other ninja. He could hear his own sister snickering on the couch while she reviewed the new missions. "Are we going to eat dinner together tonight?"
"I suppose," he muttered while signing off the mission report. He pulled another sheet off the stack, skimming over it. Just another mission report. "How about we eat at the tea house?" Matsuri inhaled a breath.
"That would be wonderful, Gaara-chan!" Matsuri loved the tea house. It was her favorite place to eat. She always asked Gaara to take her, but he rarely does. He's always too busy. She hopped out of her chair and rounded the desk, hugging her lover tightly. He didn't bother to hug back. It wasn't who he was, and she knew that. She kissed him on the cheek and let go. Matsuri caught the other ANBU staring. She glared at them.
The ninja in the room pulled out their weapons fast when smoke filled the air. A large thump was heard on Gaara's desk. Kunai and shuriken flew through the air at the thump. The smoke cleared, and a sand wall was revealed to be blocking the desk from the weapons. All the weapons dropped to the floor when the wall released. For some reason Gaara had stopped the attack on the intruder. He had seen who it was before the weapons launched.
"Aki-chan?" Matsuri whispered, looking at the person on the desk. The red haired girl was lying on her back on the grand desk. The little girl blinked her emerald eyes. Matsuri could see the tears on her face. The girl sat up wearily, looking at her surroundings. She then looked right and saw her Kazekage, the leader of her village.
Aki took a moment to let it all sink in, recollecting her memories. The other Sand nins stared at her. Aki scrambled to her feet and jumped on Gaara, wrapped her arms around him. The Sand nin pulled out their weapons again but stopped when they heard girl sob. Gaara realized little Aki-chan was crying and patted her on the head.
"Aki-chan, what happened?" the Kazekage asked. He heard her say something in his shirt. "Aki-chan, you can cry later. Tell me what happened." Aki pulled back from his chest, sitting on his lap. She looked at Gaara's green eyes. They reminded her of the woman who saved her. Aki hiccupped and sniffled.
"Osamu-kun and Takeshi-kun are dead." Matsuri's chocolate eyes widened.
"What do you mean, Aki-chan?" Matsuri asked. Gaara saw a couple of the other nins watching the small girl.
"Some men with black cloaks and red clouds killed them," Aki replied, causing gasps throughout the room. "Tamotsu-sensei is still back there. I don't know if he's still alive."
"Aki-chan, how did you use a teleportation jutsu?" Gaara questioned, remaining calm. A Kage always has to let people know that everything will be okay.
"I-I didn't. Some pink haired woman saved me. We were investigating the base, but then we got caught by the red cloud men. They took us into the base. That's where I met the pink haired woman. She saved me from the big man's sword," Aki said, wanting to cry more than ever now. She had never done a mission report, and she never thought she would have to do one now, not now when her whole team was dead. Did that poor pink haired woman get hurt? "I think Tamotsu-sensei called her Haruno Sakura." Gaara glanced at his sister when he heard that name.
"Send word to Konoha that we found Sakura's location," Gaara ordered. Temari quickly nodded, pulling out a blank scroll and beginning to write on it. He looked into the little girl's tear filled eyes. "You can cry now, Aki-chan." Her wails began to echo throughout the room as she placed her head back onto Gaara's chest, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was so young to see death, too young to see her own teammates die.
Tsunade,
Akatsuki spotted with Haruno Sakura in sector 12B of Wind Country. They most likely have evacuated the base now. Gennin team was sent to investigate that base, but only one came back.
-Suna
Sakura watched the blood roll down her arms. Kisame's sword had managed to slice her right hand's palm open. She could hear the growl in Kisame's throat, wanting to attack her for what she's done. She took a deep breath. If she had tripped, she would've been dead, killed by the blade. "You little bitch!" Kisame snapped. Sakura screamed when someone pulled back on her long locks of pink hair. Her head was titled back
"Haruno-san!" the last remaining Sand nin called. He yelled out when Kisame kicked him into a wall. Blood trickled from his mouth. He was thankful now for the pink haired girl. He was thankful that she had saved his young student from death. He had seen the seals she had made before Aki disappeared. It was an S-class transportation jutsu.
"That was not a wise move, Sakura," a voice hissed into her ear. Sakura felt a shiver run up her spine. She could feel the dark aura coming from the man pulling her hair. His other hand grabbed her right wrist, squeezing tight onto it, making more blood pour from the cut on her hand. She whimpered in pain. She had no chakra left to fight back. That jutsu had sapped away every last bit of her chakra. It would take her days to finally recover at least a little bit of her chakra.
She just hoped that little girl was safe now. She had sent the gennin to the one place she could think of, to the Kazekage's office. It was her best strategic move.
"Haruno, thank you," the jounin sensei coughed out. The shark man roared and picked up his sword. He was finished with the sand nins. They had no more business left with the last man. Sakura tried to pull away from her captor's grip.
"Let go, Itachi." Asking him to do something right now was definitely out of the question.
"Kill him and go get packed," Itachi ordered to his blue skinned partner. Itachi tugged on his hold of her and faced her towards the long hallway. "Walk." Sakura had no energy left to resist. She could only feel pain from her throbbing scalp and bleeding hand. She complied. Once they were out of the room, she heard the jounin sensei scream out in pain. He was dead now. Itachi kicked Sakura's door open and threw her in the room. She yelped as her back fell upon the bed. "Where the hell did you send that girl?" He stood over her as she weakly tried to sit up.
"Where you won't get her," Sakura answered back, glaring at him. He raised his hand. She gasped when her face turned to her left side. She could feel her cheek throbbing. He had backhanded her face.
"Hn." You deserve it. He felt no remorse at all for hitting her. He could sense that she had no chakra left. None to heal any wounds. She would feel the pain from the bruise on her cheek. She would feel the stinging cut on her hand. Sakura brought up her left hand and touched her right cheek. She was stunned that he had stricken her. "You're a fool." Sakura bit her lip, forcing away the tears that threatened to pour from her jade eyes.
The cruel bastard who had gotten her pregnant was a cruel bastard. She gasped and touched the bump on her stomach, wondering if the child was okay. He had thrown her after all, and she had no chakra to protect it. The impact could've killed it. She felt relief when she felt the baby kicked her, sensing the mother's stress. Itachi was watching her movements, perplexed about why she cared so much about that child's safety.
"What now, Itachi?" Sakura meekly whispered, not looking at him. She had heard his words to Kisame. They were going to leave. Her reckless actions had cost them the base. They had to move quickly before any opposing nin found them.
"Hn." He grabbed her backpack from the floor, shoving her book into it. He opened the dresser in the corner, grabbing some of her clothing and stuffing them into the bag as well. She watched him with curious eyes. He wasn't making her do the work. Why?
"Nani? Itachi, I could do that," she reasoned. He glared at her with his Sharingan eyes. He didn't trust her to do it. She would prolong their time here if she did it. She would waste precious time. He kneeled down in front of her sitting form on the bed, opening up a small zipper on the side. Was he going to stuff her in there to? She's kind of too big to fit in there. He reached into it, pulling something out. She blinked before she recognized it. Bandages?
He grabbed her right wrist, pulling her hand towards him. She connected the dots already. He was going to wrap the cut on her hand, the cut she got from Kisame's sword. He hadn't meant to harm her, but she had gotten in the way. Sakura was too stubborn to let another child die after witnessing Aki's screaming for her own teammates. She wondered now where they would possibly be going, now that their location had been revealed because of Sakura's stubbornness.
Sakura watched Itachi wrap her hand with white bandaging, tearing it from the roll and tying it into a knot on the back of her hand. She blinked when he put the bandaging away. "Sakura."
"Hai?" she replied, looking into his crimson eyes. She forced back the reminder those eyes gave her.
"Don't do anything rash during the journey. It would not help you at all." Sakura opened her mouth to reply but stopped when Itachi stood up. She looked back at her bandaged hand. Her little stunt had done more than just cause them to move, but it also placed her in danger. Kisame had once explained to her a week ago that the Akatsuki leader would not stand anymore of her little stunts. It cost him a base, and this one had cost him another one. The leader was regretting kidnapping her, and because she had learned so much about Akatsuki, he was prepared to kill her, regardless if she was pregnant.
Sakura forced herself to stand up. It was so much harder to stand up now. Her lower back was aching from carrying the child within her. She wished she could make Itachi go through hell for all the suffering he's caused her. She stiffened when Itachi put the Akatsuki cloak on her. Of course she would have to wear it again even if it did make them stick out like a sore thumb. It was also to keep her warm on their impending journey.
If she remembered correctly, it should now be mid-November. So many birthdays have passed. Ino's little boy, along with Kurenari-sensei's son would now both be another year older. Kichirou is now four, and Asuma is five. She cursed Itachi again for making her godson's fourth birthday. The majority of her friends have probably reached her age now.
With it being this late in the year, it would be freezing wherever they were going. She dreaded if they would ever have to face the winter snow. The cloak was a necessity for the freezing winds.
She huffed, following Itachi out of the room. He hadn't handed her the bag. Apparently he was going to be kind and not make the pregnant woman to strenuous work… hopefully. Somehow he had disappeared in a blink of an eye. She looked around wearily, wondering where he had possibly gone. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him exit his own bedroom. He was taking care of any of his important things, not that there really was anything important. Everything here at this base was considered disposable apparently. Kisame had explained that to her as well. All bases were considered unimportant, except for the main base, which he wouldn't tell her where it was located. She wasn't Akatsuki after all, but that could change if she agreed.
But of course she refused like always. She would never betray her village willingly. She was a loyal kounichi no matter what was thrown at her. All they had gotten out of kidnapping and raping her so far was some medical help, unwilling medical help. She hated that she had to heal Konan and Kisame. Even though, technically, both situations were her fault somehow. Both had been because one of her best friends had been captured and escaped.
Judging from the last time the Akatsuki had battled with the Leaf Nins, apparently Neji had gotten home safely. She was glad, but it saddened her completely when she thought of the results of that last battle. Ino was severely injured, Akamaru was missing a leg, and Kiba was dead. When she had finally gotten into her own room with no one around her, she cried. She cried for hours, not getting a single wink of sleep that night. She hadn't cried since then.
It was because of her that they got hurt, because they were trying to save her, and yet here she was with Akatsuki. Kiba's death, Akamaru's loss of a leg, and Ino's possible paralyzed legs had all gone in vain. She hadn't been saved. She was still in their clutches, forced to be near them almost every single days, except for the days when they went on missions and patrolling. She used that alone time wisely to revel on all that had happened.
She wondered how Naruto was doing. She wondered how Kakashi was doing. She wondered how Sai was doing. She wondered how Sasuke was doing. She had yet to see her jounin sensei, and she highly doubted she would see Sasuke anytime soon. Team Seven. She would think of Team Seven every day. It was something to get her through the day, thoughts of what her precious team could possibly be doing at a time like this. Naruto was probably fussing, causing his wife stress. Kakashi would be taking his role of calming down his blonde student while hiding his own worry. Sai probably didn't ponder on it much since he was basically emotionless in all aspects. And Sasuke…
How was Sasuke going to react? Would they even tell him? She had used her own special jutsu on Sasuke's chakra seal. A jutsu she created from her Kekkai Genkai. He probably didn't care at all that the pink haired woman was gone, even if she was the only one who visited him weekly. All he would care about would be getting Itachi.
She wondered if she could use her Kekkai Genkai against the chakra seal that Itachi would place on her at times. She knew it wouldn't work. Her Kekkai Genkai only works when she has chakra. Those time when Itachi had actually used his genjutsu on her was when she had no access to her chakra or very little chakra. She wondered now what would happen if he tried using Tsukiyomi on her. For some reason she knew. She knew that she could block his special genjutsu. She stilled when she remembered the last time she had been under the effects of the Tsukiyomi, the time she was captured.
Everyone had been there. Every person who was important to her was there. They all betrayed her in their own special. It took her everything not to succumb to the genjutsu and believe that all of it is real. It wasn't real. Naruto using his fox on her wasn't real. Kakashi's Chidori running through her wasn't real. Hinata and Neji's gentle fist wasn't real. None of it was real, but all of it had hurt so much.
The worst part was when Sasuke told her that he would never love her. In real life, she would've accepted this. She hadn't loved him either. But in the Tsukiyomi, it hurt her so much. In the Tsukiyomi, Itachi purposefully revived that love for Sasuke and then crushed her heart. She shuddered to think of what happened when she finally got free of the genjutsu and woke up. That time… That horrible time of being under his power.
She grew weak at the knees suddenly, collapsing down onto her butt. Itachi stopped in his walking towards the front door. He turned to her, seeing her shaking completely. Chakra exhaustion had finally gotten to her. Teleporting the gennin kounichi had taken all of her energy. He had been surprised it took her this long to finally give into the effects of that particular jutsu.
He knew the jutsu she used. It was only taught to ANBU captains, so how had she learned it? He wasn't aware that she had obtained ANBU captain status, although he knew of her success as an ANBU. She was already in the bingo books of other countries. He had seen the price of her head in Kisame's bingo book once. It was even higher than his. Most countries wanted her alive. The reward was much higher if she was captured alive and brought to them. It was all because of her skill as a medic nin. It was also because of her skills as a shinobi, the skills that had almost never failed her. That was why Akatsuki had wanted her. She would be highly useful to the organization.
Sakura was the one who always learned the most important things. She knew everything that went on in Konoha. She learned even the most classified data, but one thing about this perplexed a couple of Shinobi nations who had actually managed to kidnap her. Yes, a couple countries before the Akatsuki had captured her stupidly, not realizing they were harming themselves doing so. Both of those countries lost a hundred ninja each because of how skilled the kounichi is.
The one thing that had everyone wondering is why no one had been able to get inside her pretty little head. The few people had actually captured her before tried to interrogate her but instantly failed. Simply put, all jutsu used in trying to extract information from her failed. Many assumed that she possibly had a seal placed on her that would keep her from revealing anything, but the most intellectual people knew. There was no way a seal would be able to block so many jutsus. There was something about her that wasn't just a seal. There was more to her than just an S-rank seal meant to block everyone from finding out what she knew. No S-rank jutsu existed on her. She had something else.
Now he believed it had something to do with the fact that she could only use the eye jutsu he had seen her use a few times. He remembered her saying that only Harunos could do it. Did her not being able to be interrogated have anything to do with their bloodline? Were they hiding something from the world?
He remembered the Haruno clan in Konoha. They were a quiet clan. They had some social influence over politics, but their clan was small. It was notable that all Haruno members seemed to have exactly the same thing as her. They were impossible to persuade through jutsu. Rumors had sparked up when he was back in Konoha that the Haruno clan has been hiding something from the world. He had heard that genjutsu almost never worked on a Haruno, and almost all of them had Sakura's perfect chakra control. Plus the clan was made up of highly intelligent people.
All of these skills of hers definitely would get her promoted to ANBU captain soon, but it made him wonder. How had she gotten her hand on that particular transportation jutsu? He remembered the split second he had been stunned that Aki had disappeared so quickly. For Sakura to be able to use such a high ranked jutsu showed that it was one of the reasons why Akatsuki wanted her.
He kept his face composed and emotionless, picking her up bridal style. She squealed in protest, not wanting his help at all. "Itachi! Put me down!" Sakura screamed, weakly hitting him on the chest. But then again, she was the Hokage's apprentice. She would have learned many jutsu from the woman, even jutsus that were meant for people who were above her in rank, not something she should be learning until she reached those ranks. She groaned in frustration while he mused on her possible knowledge of jutsus. If he was correct after analyzing the known thing about the Haruno clan, she probably had a whole list of them stored in her brain, many of them S-class and very deadly.
"Hn." You can't walk any longer. Sakura glared at him with her jade eyes, trying to hold a dangerous aura. It wasn't working. Threatening him was futile. There was no way he was going to put her down.
Kisame was behind Itachi, following while trying his best not to snicker and sneer at the kounichi. He was angry with her for causing them more trouble, and he was finding humor in the kounichi's state of distress. The kounichi was not taking very kindly to Itachi's carrying her. He snorted. She deserved it. "Where we going, Itachi?" Kisame questioned, ready to detonate the bombs hidden in the base. All he had to do was use the necessary amount of chakra Deidara had told him to use.
"Later," he briefly said. He wasn't about to reveal the location in front of Sakura. He would wait until she was asleep or too far away to hear what was being said.
Sakura groaned in displeasure, finally accepting that there would be no way he was going to put her down. She can't exactly ride on his back like she did before, and she couldn't walk for long distances without taking many breaks. She would just have to accept being carried like this, but it didn't mean she doesn't have say in when they would take breaks. The pregnant woman has priority. They would have to stop for her bathroom breaks and food breaks whenever she requested. She was going to take much pride in bossing around the two S-class missing nin, and they knew it too.
She averted her eyes away from the three bodies laying side by side in the dark corner of the living room. It reminded her of how heartless these two could be. She had no regrets for saving the red haired kounichi, even if Itachi was pissed off at her for it.
The Hokage's office door slammed open. "Why the hell didn't you call me?" the blonde jinchuuriki exclaimed, rushing up to the Hokage's desk. He had somehow heard about this little meeting between the five ANBU in front of her.
"Uzumaki Naruto! You know better than barging in here like you own the place!" the Hokage yelled back, pounding on her desk. It broke in half. Her assistant dropped her head in agony. That was the eleventh desk this year. As much as it was good for the furniture business, it wasn't good for the Hokage funds. The ANBU remained silent, awaiting further instructions from their leader. They all knew how much Naruto wanted to be a part of this.
"But, Tsunade-baa-chan, I have to go too! She's my teammate!" Naruto whined. A violet haired woman entered the room and slapped her forehead. She expected to find her husband here.
"Naruto, there's probably a reason why you're not going!" the wife scolded, placing a gentle hand on his back. He looked at her and frowned. Even his wife was against him. He looked into those white eyes. Those eyes were filled with so much sadness, a reminder of the failure of his last mission. She wasn't going because she is now formally retired from all missions. She is now Head of the Hyuuga household. She was wearing a silver, silk kimono as a symbol of her status. She didn't want to wear it, but the clan elders thought it was fit for the Head of the clan to wear it. She peered over to the Cat mask. She could tell he was frustrated with his Lady's baka husband. Heads of prestigious clans are always asked to retire since they will have so much work with the whole clan's business.
"Hinata-chan! I-!" He yelped when he heard his Hokage's booming voice.
"Naruto, you are not going, and that is final!" Tsunade announced. She was already annoyed enough about two of Team Seven being missing. She didn't need a third member going missing as well.
"But she's going to need me!" the blonde tried. The excuse didn't work.
"I'm sending Wolf to go in your place. You know he'll be as much comfort to her as you are." She glanced over to the tall ANBU who had his hand shoved in his pocket. He nodded once in reply. "Now get out of my office! You are suspended from all missions until they return! Lady Hinata, please escort your husband out of the premises." A dark cloud formed above Naruto's head, pouring all the rains of depression on his head.
"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered, trying to comfort her blue eyed husband.
"K-… Wolf, please take care of her," the defeated blonde pleaded, almost saying the man's name. He wasn't interested in ANBU protocol at the moment with his own suspension.
"Hai, Naruto-kun," Wolf replied. Naruto was guided out of the room by his loving wife, the door shutting behind them. Tsunade growled and slapped her own forehead.
"That boy is going to be the death of me," she muttered, turning her attention back to the five ANBU in front of her. How Naruto even got word of this mission was beyond her. "Wolf, Cat, Hawk, Bear, Mouse, we received word from Sand that the Akatsuki had been found in a base in Wind Country. They most likely have evacuated by now. Haruno Sakura was seen with them. Follow their trails, and rescue Haruno Sakura. If you encounter Uchiha Sasuke, arrest him under violation of probation and for leaving the village again. Your priority is Sakura's safety. Bring her back to Konoha quickly. She was last spotted in Sector 12B of Wind." The five ANBU nodded in compliance. "Do you accept?"
"Hai!" all five said together, each placing a hand on their hearts as a symbol of respect.
"Naruto-kun," Hinata called, lying down next to her husband on their bed. He traced his fingers along her cheek.
"Hinata-chan, I love you," Naruto whispered, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Naruto-kun, I want to start our family." Naruto's head raised off his pillow to look at her completely. The violet haired girl was blushing. He knew it was wrong of him to be so happy right now, but Sakura would forgive him right? He's wanted to begin their family for a long time.
"Hai hai, Hinata. Believe it," Naruto muttered, pressing his lips down on hers passionately.
"Kaa-san!" a little four year old called, jumping onto his mother's lap. Luckily her wheelchair was locked down into place. The mother sweetly smiled and ruffled his brown hair. He looked up at her with the eyes that matched hers.
"Kichirou-kun," the mother replied as the son snuggled against her chest. She liked the warmth he was radiating. She loved her son. That bond that she had felt when she was pregnant with him would always be there. No matter if she was the most unwanted person in the world, there would always be her little Kichirou.
"Gomen, Ino-san. I couldn't stop him," the raven haired woman protested, a young boy trailing along her side.
"It's no problem, Kurenai-san. I would always be happy to be glomped by my own son." Ino noticed her son beginning to doze off in her arms. "What did you do today to get so tired, Kichi-kun?" He yawned in response.
"He and Asuma-chan were having fun at the park. They played with the other children for once," Kurenai explained, patting her own son on the head. He whined and tried to pull his mother's hand off of his precious hair. "Kichirou's otou-san was stubborn and decided I would be Kichirou's babysitter today, claiming he had work to do as the jounin sensei of team Fourteen." Ino grinned.
That was definitely Shikamaru. He may think everything is troublesome, but if his son or his son's mother was in danger, he'd be there for there in seconds. Ino had been the one who asked to start going back to work. She constantly told him that she was fine, tired of his complaining. She wasn't fine, but she was going to slowly have to learn to adapt to this new life style. Because she was Kichirou's mother, he believed that it was his duty to be by her side every day. She personally requested Tsunade to get the troublesome boy off of her case.
"I needed to speak with you anyways, Kurenai-san," Ino announced. Said woman raised an eyebrow at the blonde.
"With me?" Kurenai muttered, looking down at the young boy who was looking up at her. He was curious as to what his mother could possibly be needed for. Kurenai and Ino had formed a special bond through their sons. Since both sons were only a year apart and because Kurenai had been Ino's former sensei's fiancé, they slowly grew close together as two brand new mothers.
"Hai." Ino glanced up to the sky. Her students had come by a few times during the last month and a half, curious about their sensei's wellbeing. She had to break the sad news to them that she would no longer be able to teach them. She could, but she wouldn't be acting as a proper sensei should, going on missions with them and demonstrating techniques for them to learn. "Kurenai-san, I have a request."
"Nani?" Kurenai was wondering what this request could possibly be. A handicapped woman whose lost something important in life deserves some attention.
"Would you be a sensei to my team?" Ino averted her eyes by looking at her sleepy son. It saddened her that she would be leaving her little team. She's only had them for a few months. Kurenai was hesitant about this. She was worried that she would lose another team member if she took on students again. Plus Kiba's gennin team was out of a sensei as well, but the Hokage found a replacement quickly. Anko had taken over Kiba's team. Anyone should feel instantly sorry for them, knowing her sadistic ways. "Onegai, I couldn't think of anyone better." Ino had thought this over and over and decided she trusted Kurenai already. She had originally wanted to take over Kiba's team, but that's no longer an option.
Kurenai reached a hand out to Ino for her to shake. "I will," the crimson eyed woman answered. It might help with her grief. As a shinobi, they are taught to get over death quickly, but behind closed doors, those closest to the ones that died are falling into deep depression. Kurenai still hadn't gotten over Asuma's death, even if it has been almost six years. Her son had just turned five years old three weeks ago, the same day as Kichirou turned four. Another thing the two mothers shared. Ino's eyes instantly brightened up as she smiled with happiness.
"Arigatou, Kurenai-sensei," Ino replied, shaking Kurenai's hand.
"No, I'm pregnant, so go away, fish boy," Sakura hissed, kicking the fish boy out of her room. He had the gall to ask her if she wanted to come drinking with him and Itachi. He wouldn't even listen to her excuse that she's pregnant! She slammed the door on his face before he could ask again. "Hmph." She wondered what Itachi had been thinking when he actually allowed Kisame to ask her if she wanted to go drink. "Bakas!" She sat down on the bed, groaning at her back pain. She wasn't in the mood for anymore disturbances. She's a moody pregnant woman who will kill soon if bakas like him don't stop annoying her.
She let the time pass away by reading her book, the book she received from Naruto. As bored as she was, she decided that maybe she could write notes in it. She grabbed a pen from her bag, opening it. Kisame wants any drinking buddy, even a pregnant woman, she wrote on one of the pages. Itachi has no care if a pregnant woman goes drinking. I will not drink!
"I miss you, Naruto," Sakura sighed, reading another line of his great adventure. "I miss everyone." She knew there was no way she was escaping this room. It's a hotel room, but Itachi had already put a chakra barrier around it. She had no chakra left to try to find a crack in it. That S-class jutsu had really taken a toll on her.
She quickly fell to sleep. She woke up after a couple of hours when she heard someone enter the room. She sat up, rubbing her eyes drowsily. Her book slid off of her and onto the floor, making a loud thump. She so was not being a good ninja right now. She eyed the shadow standing in the doorway. Piercing red eyes stared back at her. She grasped her bed sheets. She wasn't going to let the memory come back to haunt her. Not now.
"I-Itachi-san?" Sakura called. She noticed now it wasn't a pair of red eyes. It was only one red eye. That was definitely not Itachi. Kakashi? No, definitely not. His Sharingan is on the left eye. The dangerous aura radiating off of the man in her doorway was scaring her. She screamed when the man lunged for her. She tried to pull herself away from the bed, but her legs got tangled in the sheets. She felt her head be slammed into the wall, a hand pinning her neck. Chills ran through her when the man touched her round stomach. The fear was keeping her from moving.
"The next Uchiha brat," the man hissed. Dark chakra flowed from his hand and into her womb.
"S-Stop," she gasped out. She felt fear for her child. This man's chakra was invading her, searching her abdomen. The tight grip on her neck moved to her mouth, keeping her from screaming for help. She muffled a name into the man's hand while tears rolled down her cheek. "Itachi," she tried to call. The hand on her mouth clamped down even tighter to keep any noise from escaping. She whimpered when she saw the dark chakra flaring from the man's hand on her stomach grow to be visible.
I had to. I had to leave a cliffhanger. You guys can probably already guess who it is!
I don't have much to say this time, but I will try to update faster. Sorry if it seems kind of short. XP
Review please. It makes me happy to see your reviews. It gives me motivation to update.