CHAPTER 10
I DID IT! I BROKE MY TEN CHAPTER CURSE!

For a long time, I have been unable to make it past nine chapters in anything due to my muse dying miserably in a ditch somewhere whenever I made it a solid way into the series. This ends that streak.

There is a pic of what I based Honour of on my profile. Go check it out!

As for disclaimers, it is pretty obvious that I ain't making any money off of this.

The remaining time in Nami no Kuni, for Sakura, was spent recovering. Even with her healing jutsus, the long lasting damage of using Kurama's unrefined chakra could be felt until the end of the week. She would not be using that chakra again if she could help it, at least until someone who was good enough with seals could make a seal to refine it even more. She didn't imagine Kurama would work with her like he had with Naruto, simply because she was not as pure as Naruto. Seals were her only chance of using his chakra safely.

Kurama had agreed to cooperate to a degree, simply because, like her, he knew what would happened if they failed. Even he, who hated most humans, did not want the world to end in an infinite Tsukiyomi. He hated the Uchiha, and everyone being under their control was the last thing he wanted. His attitude toward her reminded her of tsundere types in mangas, which made him angry with her for the comparison.

Imagining Kurama in a school-girl outfit saying things like 'I-it's not like I want to help you or anything. I just don't want the world to end, b-baka!' had sent giggles through her, despite Kurama's raging in the background. After promising not to imagine him in anymore embarrasing images, she got him to calm down.

Naruto and Sasuke spent the remainder of the week training and taking turns guarding the bridge, although Sakura knew that, with Gato dead, there would be no more attacks. Zabuza and Haku had been kept under guard by Kakashi but otherwise unmolested. Haku was less injured but seemed only to care that Zabuza's back was broken. Zabuza seemed to genuinely care for the boy now, which Sakura saw a plus. It had taken one of Naruto's famous speeches after the boy's death last time to get through to him. Sakura decided she would heal both of them when she back up to strength.

Tazuna had come in while she was on bed rest and personally thanked her deeply for her role in the defeat of Gato. He told her that it was her kindness and generosity in healing the people of Nami that they had the strength to fight back against Gato's thugs. For Gato had mustered most of his forces on the bridge, but he had left patrols around the town itself. After Naruto had saved Inari and his mother, Inari had gone into the town and mustered the people, taking back the town and rushing to the bridge to help the shinobi. Too late, but the thought was there, and Sakura had actually choked up a little when Tazuna had told her the name of his bridge. The Great Sakura Bridge would be its name, once it was finished.

Originally, it had been named the Great Naruto Bridge, because this spot had been Naruto's greatest growth point as a character, where he had changed the reason behind his dream of Hokage from wanting attention to protecting his precious people. Sakura only hoped that she lived up to that legacy as well.

Sakura healed Zabuza and Haku the day before Team 7 was going to leave. Haku thanked her profusely, and even Zabuza shot out a grudging thank you and a compliment of her skills. The two departed soon after, determined to join with the rebellion that Sakura had told them about to overthrow Yagura. She only hoped they would make a positive difference.

Soon enough, it was time to leave Nami and head home. Naruto had a tearful goodbye with Inari, and Tazuna had gathered the town to say farewell to their saviors. Sakura felt mollified at the amount of attention she got. She had never been the center of attention last time around, because she had always been trying to catch up to her two team members, but now she was the strongest, and it felt good to be the one in the spotlight for once.

The trip back to Konoha was uneventful, and once they returned, Kakashi dragged Sakura off to the Hokage for the mission report. They had discussed previously with Naruto and Sasuke that the red-cloaked shinobi were to remain a secret for now. Zabuza and Haku could be talked about, but the whole team needed to embelish just how much trouble they had been given by the pair.

Once in the Hokage's office, Kakashi had asked Jiraiya to confirm the events that she had told him, and the two of them had filled the Sannin on the Kyuubi incident on the bridge.

"Why didn't you tell me you had the Kyuubi?" Jiraiya had asked. Sakura just shrugged.

"I only found out recently. I never noticed the seal on my stomach, as bad as that sounds. I never really molded chakra without a shirt on." Sakura had been blunt about it. This complicated plans with Akatsuki, especially considering Sasori and Deidara had escaped. Sakura knew that they only needed a little of Kurama's chakra to finish the Gedo Mazo, but she didn't know if Nagato knew that. They would probably go out of their way to try to capture both Naruto and herself.

She didn't know if Itachi could delay that, but if they went by their plans last time, they would pursue Naruto last. She hoped they stayed true to the plan.

"Well, since Akatsuki is aware of this, we will have to keep the two of you in the village until after the Chunin exams. The strain on our forces during the exams would prevent us sending emergency reinforcements to your locations should you have a run in with them." Jiraiya sighed, cursing under his breath about being named Hokage. "You are entering the exams, right?"

"Of course. We need to take out Orochimaru now and save ourselves a lot of hassle in the long run. He'll come back, of course, but it will give us a bit of time to prepare for his next plan. Plus, imagine how his reputation will be scarred when word gets out that he was defeated by three genin," Sakura said smugly. Jiraiya laughed at the image of Orochimaru enraged because his followers all left him.

"Very well. However, Naruto is going to sign the Toad Contract before he starts the exams. If you all get in over your heads, he can have the toads reverse summon me. Orochimaru is arrogant and powerful, but he isn't stupid enough to try to fight it out with me in the middle of the village," Jiraiya explained. Sakura nodded, for it was a smart plan. She needed to get her hands on the summoning contract for the slugs soon.

"Alright, take the time between now and the exams off. Get in some last minute training. Kakashi, let me know Naruto and Sasuke's progress." Kakashi nodded and the two of them split.

-RB-

Itachi settled on a branch outside of Karak town, his black and red Akatsuki cloak sealed away in a storage scroll. He hopped to the ground, willing away they pounding of his heart as he walked calmly through the village. His dreams had been filled with little else than Hibena, who would sometimes fuse with Honour. He had always thought of himself as the type who viewed romance as an endeavor not worth his time, but he couldn't deny that he was possibly infatuated with the wheelchair-bound woman.

He reached Hibena's home fairly quickly, knocking on the door after taking a moment to gather himself.

"Yes? Come in!" He walked in, closing the door behind him. Hibena rolled into the entryway and took a shocked look to her face upon seeing Itachi. "Obito-san! I didn't think I would see you again." Itachi smiled softly at the woman, walking forward and kneeling in front of her.

"I was in the area and I decided that I would like to visit you again. You were very kind to me during my last visit. I was hoping I could get to know you a little better this time around," Itachi said kindly. The woman blushed and simply nodded, noticing the bag in his hand. He lifted it for her to see. "Some clothes and a present for my host."

"You didn't need to do that, Obito-san. Your company would have made a fine gift on its own," she said as she smoothed out the dress on her legs in a nervous habit. Itachi just chuckled.

"Well, I knew that you had a garden, and I hoped that these would give it even greater variety." He pulled out several small bags, each containing a handful of seeds. "I brought seeds for a dozen different types of fruits and vegetables not found in the Land of Fire." Hibena's eyes sparkled in excitement and she eagerly took them from Itachi, rolling off toward her garden.

"Make yourself at home, Obito-san!" Hibena called as she rolled off, and Itachi chuckled softly at this. He placed his bag in the guest room he had used last time, and noticed the slight layer of dust in the room. It was expected, of course. Hibena being bound to a wheelchair would make it difficult to clean, and she didn't have a reason to keep the guest room clean to his knowledge, unless she really did know Honour.

It had been over two years since he had been back, and yet she had welcomed him in with open arms. Seeing such blatant and undisguised compassion for everyone was strange for him. Growing up in the shinobi world had caused him to have a cynical view of the world. No one in the shinobi world showed kindness for no reason, not even Konoha shinobi, known for their 'soft hearts.'

He wandered into the greenhouse after setting his things down and watched as Hibena filled several pots with soil, and started watering each. She was humming a tune, a lullaby common in Konoha. He hadn't spent much time in the surrounding village or the other cities of the Land of Fire, so he supposed it could be common elsewhere. She looked very pleased with her work, and set off toward the kitchen when she was him. He raised a brow at her, smiling.

"Obito-san, thank you for the gifts! I've been wanting dill and raspberries for a very long time. My father used to make a raspberry tart that was to die for, and dill is very useful for pickling." Itachi, of all people, thought it was cute that she was so excited about plants. He hadn't thought anything was cute since Sasuke was a baby. Hibena glided past him, humming cheerfully.

Itachi couldn't help but wonder what life for her would have been like without the wheelchair.

-RB-

Sakura had managed to convince Kakashi to organize a training camp for the Rookie 9, with all three Jounin overseeing the training. All the genin who didn't know their elemental types were tested using the chakra paper. Kiba, Shino, Chouji and Shikamaru had earth and fire, both very common in Konoha. Ino had earth and water, and Hinata had fire and lightning. Team 7 had already found theirs out long ago. Sakura remembered learning earth jutsu alongside Konohamaru in her previous timeline, and the survivors of Kirigakure had taught her water jutsu after returning to Konoha.

The time between the end of the Battle of the Ten Tails and Tobi's attack on Konohagakure, the last remaining shinobi village, had been about six months. It was during this time that most of the survivors had reached new heights of strength. Some had truly prospered in those six months, reaching the leagues of Kage strength. Among those had been the final survivors of her group. Tenten, under tutelage of the scrolls that Naruto had rescued from Uzushiogakure, had prospered in sealing, and this had led to a myriad of other massive improvements by her. She had ended up being as skilled as Sakura, and if the pink haired woman had not been able to heal herself, Tenten would have won every spar.

Tenten had learned over four dozen lighting and water ninjutsu, become adept in genjutsu, improved her taijutsu to the level of Lee, and even learned to open a couple of gates. She and Naruto had created the sword that would have been Tobi's bane if they had been able to study the Kamui in more depth. Once Tenten had acquired Sasuke's Sharingan(she had been the only willing recipient) and Sakura had helped implant Uchiha DNA into her, she had become the second strongest fighter among them. It didn't matter, since Tobi could simply evade all of their attacks, but it had ended up meaning alot in this timeline.

Konohamaru had become everything his grandfather had been, lacking only experience to match him. Shikamaru had mastered his elements in short time, spurred on by the deaths of his team and his promise to protect Mirai. Kurenai had trained heavily too, but she had barely been able to reach Kage level, the pregnancy having taken heavy tolls on her body that she was never really ever able to recover from, even with Sakura's help.

In this timeline, all of the genin besides Gai's team were massively ahead of where they would have been. Shikamaru's team, while no Team 7, were all chunin strength at least. Team Eight had also progressed much faster. Seeing Sakura as a rival, Hinata had pushed herself harder than she ever had, and it had paid off. Sakura thought her to be about as strong as she had been in the previous timeline when Pein had attacked, although she wasn't sure since she hadn't seen the girl in action. Kiba and Shino had made strides as well. Kiba was as strong as he had been during the Sasuke Retrieval mission, and Shino had evolved his insects to inject poison as well as eat chakra.

Kakashi had even become stronger than he had been. At Sakura's urging, he had been focusing on increasing his chakra capacity as much as possible. If they were to stand a chance against Tobi, then they needed to study Kakashi's Kamui as much as possible to either complete Tenten's sword or create some sort of seal to prevent Tobi from phasing.

Speaking of Fuinjutsu, Sakura had given Naruto a beginner's sealing book, telling him that his ancestors were feared for their seals. She intended to wait until after the exams to really have him buckle down on the sealing, because she had needed his combat capabilities up to par for her plans. Once Orochimaru was out of the way, she could have him dive into the art. The Naruto of her timeline had managed amazing things with seals, including a permanent cure for the Cursed Seal mark, which had spelled the death of Orochimaru, and a seal to store chakra as a battery.

Sakura had never gotten too deep into sealing with him, but she had learned everything up to the intermediate level, which was about where Kakashi was. She hoped to changed that this time, although Naruto had told her that creating seals was more about trial and error, as well as creativity rather than just knowing how to write seals. She knew she wouldn't be much of a seal creator, but she wanted to, at least, learn the Shiki Fūjin in case she needed to sacrifice herself to kill Madara or Obito.

She was willing to make that sacrifice, in an instant, if it meant that her friends would live on.

-RB-

Danzo cursed, as the last Sharingan eye closed on his arm. The orange-haired man held him by the throat, the Rinnegan staring him in the eye.

"You were a fool to come here, Danzo. You were a fool to compromise your safety in the village. That was the only reason I hadn't come after you," the man growled. Danzo knew this was Pein, the leader of Akatsuki. Danzo had collaborated with Hanzo during the Second War to take out the rebel group, which had failed spectacularly despite the death of their leader. It had had some unintended consequences, it seemed, since Akatsuki had transformed from a group of freedom fighters to terrorists.

"To think you would be this strong... at least I know I will stop you from hurting Konoha," Danzo said quietly. He activated the suicide seal on his chest, and smiled one last smile as the seal sucked in the man holding him and the four bodies he had managed to destroy. His last act, a fugitive from Konoha, was for his home, that he loved. He was simply glad that he had managed to send a message to Jiraiya before he died, revealing as much as he could about Pein's abilities. He knew this wasn't the true Pein, but if he could slow him down and reveal weaknesses of his abilities to the Konoha shinobi, then perhaps his death would be worth something.

-RB-

Sakura and Kakashi had been called in the day before the Chunin exams were supposed to start.

"Read this and tell me what you think?" Jiraiya said as he handed a piece of paper to Sakura. With Kakashi reading over her shoulder, she scanned the paper.

Six paths

God - Gravity control. 5 second recharge

Demon - Mechanized ballistic weaponry

Preta - Chakra absorption

Human - Unknown, sacrificed early

Animal - infinite summoning

Naraka - Unknown, stayed back in battle.

Each body shares vision via Rinnegan

Unknown location of seventh path, the true Pein

I go to death with a smile on my face

Danzo

Sakura knew all this, but no one knew that she did. This was a perfect chance to have this knowledge legitimately though. And Danzo was dead, which made life so much easier for them.

"Danzo got caught by Pein and died? Great. One less thorn in our side. Good on him to give us this info though. Maybe he'll rest a little easier in hell," Sakura said, giving the paper back to JIraiya. Kakashi seemed annoyed at her attitude, but Sakura didn't care. He didn't know how many problems Danzo had been the source of in her timeline. "It doesn't change our short-term plans, and any long term plans were thrown out the window the minute Akatsuki showed up in Nami no Kuni."

"I agree. However, this is a perfect way to demonstrate awareness on Pein's abilities. You said he killed me in the last timeline, and I only got some of this information to you. Danzo potentially saved a lot of lives, so he won't be remembered as a total asshole," Jiraiya explained, and silence filled the room. "Orochimaru is on the move. My spies tell me he has plans in Konoha, although they don't tell me what he has planned. Is he moving after Sasuke?"

"It sounds like it. He killed the Kazekage around this time last timeline, so he might be gearing up for the invasion. We have to play this carefully. We can't let him know we know he is coming, but we must prevent as many casualities as possible," Sakura said, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"True. However, will the invasion still take place if you manage to kill Orochimaru in the Forest of Death?" Kakashi asked, his book out even though he clearly wasn't paying attention to it.

"It took him a year to return in the last timeline, and even then, it was because Sasuke brought him back. Although Kabuto also absorbed some of his remains, so I'm uncertain on how much that had an effect on the bastard's return. I will be trying to kill Kabuto in the exams as well, although I recommend that you go after him seriously, Kakashi-sensei. He caused almost as many problems as Orochimaru did last time." The Edo Tensei shinobi had been a pain and caused a lot of deaths, especially Madara, but they weren't the true threat.

"I can't exactly walk up to him and casually slash his throat. He will be hard to kill, simply because of the regeneration ability you told me about," Kakashi sighed. "However, you are correct that he needs to die. I'll track him during the 2nd exam and kill him when you confront Orochimaru." Jiraiya nodded jovially, grinning.

"Great! Now that those problems are taken care of, I'm off to do some research. My books have been hindered by being Hokage, but I'll never stop writing!" Jiraiya yelled with a perverted smile on his face. Sakura simply sighed and walked out. She would have hit him, but hitting the Hokage tended to be bad for your health. She just hoped Jiraiya had been training like he said he would.

-RB-

"Summon Dosu, Zaku, and Kin," Orochimaru commanded his left hand man, Kabuto. The bespectacled man nodded and went off to fetch the three genin. The Snake Sannin sat and contemplated the upcoming invasion. It would be his chance to take out Jiraiya once and for all as well as secure the Sharingan for himself.

There were rumours that the team Sasuke had been placed on was strong, and the girl, Haruno Sakura, had even been compared to a young Itachi and Kakashi. Even she was as strong as Kakashi, it still wouldn't be in their favor, although it would be more of a fight than he wanted. Perhaps he would just ambush the group instead of testing Sasuke like he originally planned. He could train the boy to be strong once he defected, and if he was anything like Itachi, he would be strong enough.

Jiraiya was a more dangerous politician and leader than Sarutobi had been, simply because he wasn't as soft as the old man. He didn't trust others as much and was more likely to come down hard on things that were not for the good of the village. He wasn't nearly as strong as the Sandiame, although Sarutobi's age had probably made him slow and weak, so Jiraiya would have been able to beat him. Still, Orochimaru would rather face the Toad Sannin than the old man.

The last time the two Sannin had clashed, Orochimaru had come away with a victory, although he had been near his limit, and Jiraiya had managed to escape. Jiraiya only came close to Orochimaru because of his sage mode, which, though imperfect, still boosted Jiraiya's skills to the point where Orochimaru was forced to engage him in ranged combat and use his best tricks to fight the man.

The door opened, revealing Kabuto and the three genin. Excellent, he had much use for these three, even if they didn't know just how much.

-RB-

Sakura trudged into her house after a long day of training. All of her friends were becoming very strong, and it was starting to show itself with how wornout she got every day. Naruto and Sasuke together could almost beat her, pushing her to the point of breaking out all of her best techniques and jutsu. The only thing she ever withheld was using the Sōzō Saisei, which would not only waste months of gathering chakra into her forehead, but would make a battle with pretty much anyone in the village pointless. Besides, she didn't want to destroy the training grounds.

After greeting her mother and father, she headed upstairs to grab a shower and work on her antidote techniques. She had come to the realization that the pill she had used to cure Itachi had the ability to pretty much cure any disease. She had created a cure-all for cancers, diseases, and general sicknesses. She planned to release it to Konoha Hospital as soon as she got a position there, as they wouldn't allow a twelve year old girl to work there for whatever reason. She supposed the only reason she had gotten to work in the hospital so early last time was because Tsunade had vouched for her.

She froze when she entered her room, for sitting on her bed, staring out her window, was a woman with long, raven black hair. She wore a black mask, Kakashi style, across her face. Her garb was almost standard ANBU uniform, although a large red scarf that reached the woman's waist broke the standardness. She also didn't have the tattoo that all ANBU possessed. She had a scroll taped to her leg, and a blade strapped to the small of her back, similar to how Sasuke had his sword in the old timeline.

Sakura couldn't see her face, but she seemed familiar.

"Te-" She was interrupted before she could speak.

"My name is Honour. I have a gift for you." Sakura closed her mouth, and caught a scroll that the woman tossed to her. It was a sealing scroll, but Sakura didn't unseal the gift that instant. Now that she could see her eyes, she knew who it was. The red Sharingan eyes stared back at her.

"You came all the way here to give me a gift?" Sakura asked, knowing the woman was here for something else.

"I need your help with something."

-RB-

Hibena had a piano, Itachi had noted upon his first arrival. It had been dusty, as though she had never played it. Why did she have a piano in a backwater village like this one? Where did she even get it? Questions for another time, for when Itachi had asked about the piano, Hibena had resolved to play for him, although the Uchiha could tell that she felt grief when looking at the instrument. Had her father played this?

Hibena moved herself onto the bench and tested out a few keys, wiping the dust from reachable surfaces. Itachi sat in another chair in the room, listening silently as she began to play a slow, soft tune. She had a lot of skill, and Itachi wondered why the woman didn't play it more often. He didn't want to ask, because the woman looked to about on the verge of tears as it was.

Still, watching her play this soft, beautiful melody was relaxing for Itachi. It gave him the opportunity to think about his life, something he hadn't done since shortly after the Uchiha Massacre. Back then, he had planned to push Sasuke into getting revenge on him, and then dying to his little brother when the boy was strong enough to kill him. Sasuke would return to the village a hero, and Itachi could take the truth behind the Massacre to his grave.

Now that he was cured of his sickness, he needed to rethink his plans. Sasuke would grow up happy in Konoha, and Itachi knew that the truth behind the massacre would eventually come out. Sasuke would remain loyal to the village even after he learned the full truth. He had come to the realization that his plan had been clouded by his love for his brother, as Honour had pointed out. Had Itachi killed his mother, Sasuke would have been so consumed with revenge that he would have done anything to gain power, including killing his friends to obtain the Mangekyou and leaving the village if someone like Orochimaru made him the offer.

Perhaps it was for the best if they learned the truth behind the Massacre, after they settled into their lives a bit more. With his mother's marriage to Kakashi and her recent pregnancy, Mikoto would move on when she found out. She had never been in love with his father, despite their long marriage, although they had been friendly, perhaps even best friends. It had been a marriage for the clan, not for love. It helped that Mikoto had always been a forgiving type.

Sasuke was less certain to understand or forgive him, but perhaps he would understand if he came to love the village as much as Itachi did. At least with Danzo ousted from the village, Sasuke wouldn't try to blame the village if the situation was explained to him correctly. If Sasuke ever came in contact with 'Madara,' then the situation would be explained in a way to make Sasuke hate the village. Perhaps Itachi would have to explain it to him.

All of this left him with questions on what his own plans would be once the conflicts were over. Once Akatsuki was defeated and the village safe for a time, what would Itachi do with his life? Honour had asked him that question, but Itachi hadn't known the answer. Would he return to the village? It was likely that he would. Would he assume the head of the Uchiha clan? He didn't think he would. He had never wanted to be the leader of the Uchiha clan, even before he found out they were planning a coup.

Perhaps he would become Hokage... if the people would allow him to. Even if his situation was explained, years of hatred toward a man wouldn't disappear just because they were told he was a good guy. Even if he couldn't be Hokage, he would certainly return to the ranks. Despite everything, he had enjoyed being a shinobi for Konoha.

Another vision suddenly took over his mind. The same as the dream he had been having. An Honour/Hibena hybrid standing at his side, wearing the Uchiha colors. Sometimes the dream was filled with children running about, playing happily. Sometimes he would be in Konoha, along side his brother, their children playing together, his brother's pink haired wife yelling at them to stop running in the house. Those dreams seemed an impossiblity, but were always pleasant.

The song stopped in the background, and Itachi saw tears on Hibena's cheeks. He stood, approaching slowly.

"Hibena-san? What's wrong?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm just remembering the piano lessons my father had me take. His death was sudden and violent. He had been the only person who was there for my entire life, and he had died not long after I lost a close friend of mine as well," Hibena explained, and Itachi felt compassion for her. She had lived a difficult life, from what he could tell.

"I'm sorry. I experienced the death of most of my own family and friends all in a short time period, and it was hard to keep going afterward. I can sympathize." Itachi sat on the bench next to the woman, wondering what he should do to comfort her. He had never had experience with women much before. He wished he could ask his mother for advice. Hibena suddenly latched onto him, crying into his shoulder. Itachi started in surprise, but after a few seconds, he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her, patting her back. A sudden warmth filled his chest, and it excited and frightened him at the same time.

After a few minutes of comforting the woman, Hibena finally let go and wiped her eyes, sniffling but no longer sobbing. Even with her eyes red and puffy, Itachi still thought she looked beautiful. He brushed a hair out of her face, tucking it behind one of her ears, like he had seen Shisui do on his dates. Hibena looked up at him, some confusion and a little bit of awe in her expression.

If he had still been sick, if Danzo had still been Konoha, he would have never considered getting this close to this woman. He had distanced himself from anyone since the Massacre, but after he had been healed by the Haruno girl and driven Danzo out of Konoha, he had been able to relax a little. Only a little, since being a spy in Akatsuki made sure he had to be on top of his public appearances, but in private situations like this, he could let it go and try to enjoy life a little. He had already made friends with Honour, even if he didn't know much about her.

Hibena suddenly moved toward him slowly, her eyes fluttering closed as her lips puckered slightly. Itachi's mind went haywire. What should he do? He barely knew Hibena, even if he was attracted to her and enjoyed her company. He panicked and did possibly the worse reaction his brain came up.

He stood suddenly, shooting to the wall. Hibena looked up at him, a hurt expression on her face. She sighed and pushed herself into her wheelchair.

"I'm sorry, Obito-san. We barely know each other and I made things awkward." Itachi got his heart to slow and stood normally, a small look of regret flashing past his face.

"I am flattered, Hibena-san. I think you deserve someone who could be there for you all the time, not a shinobi who would spend most of his life on missions and potentially not come home at all," Itachi said honestly, although that was not the reason he backed away. He had not experience with girls. He had been on a couple of dates, but those had been set up by his father.

"Do you want to try some of the strawberries I have been growing?" She asked, and Itachi was grateful for the subject change.

"Yes, please."

-RB-

Itachi left Hibena's house the following day. While there occasionally an awkward moment, Itachi still enjoyed himself, feeling very relaxed when he left.

"You look like you enjoyed yourself," Honour appeared, her Sharingan flashing ominously. Itachi wasn't threatened, although he knew she could beat him.

"Hibena and I have come to an agreement of sorts. How was your business?" He asked, knowing that him not telling her of the agreement would irk her.

"I got what I needed to get done accomplished. What is the next move?" She asked, hiding her annoyance well. Itachi thought about it for a second.

"I need to get in contact with Haruno-san, or find Tsunade. One of the two." Honour stared at him for a few seconds before nodding.

"Is this an attempt to fix Hibena's spine?" Honour asked, and Itachi nodded. If Haruno could cure his disease, then he didn't doubt she could fix a severed spine. "Don't worry about it. I already asked Haruno-san to do that," Honour told him as they hopped from tree to tree.

"Really? That's... convenient for me. When can she fix her?" Itachi wondered if Honour could read minds at times.

"After the upcoming Chunin exams, she said. It would be suspicious for her to leave the village before then," Honour responded. Itachi nodded. Hopefully nothing would go wrong in the Chunin exams to prevent her from fixing the kind woman who had taken his heart.

"Itachi." He turned toward his partner, who was looking down, looking sad, and slightly... guilty? "I just want to say... I'm sorry."

"For what?" She shook her head, and stomped off in the direction that they had been travelling. He wondered what that had been about

-RB-

END

What do y'all think of Itachi's relationships with Hibena and Honour? I will reveal how they are connected later.

Any guesses on what the gift Honour gave to Sakura is?

Next time

Orochimaru heard lightning crackling overhead, and looked up to see a massive dragon of lightning forming above him. His amusement turned to fear.

"This jutsu is called Kirin. Begone with the thunderclap!" Sasuke called out, and the dragon surged forward.