AN: This is a big, fat, important chapter so pay attention. You can pretty much figure out the main antagonist in the story after this, Sakura finds out the truth about the Uchiha massacre, and everyone's getting a little too touchy-feely for things to stay platonic.

I can't believe I hashed this baby out in only a few hours (blame coffee).

I hope you like it as it may be a little while before I'm able to update again. The next thing I put out will be a chapter for Blue Jays (I try to put one chapter out for Blue Jays for every two-three chapters I do here). And always, please tell me what you think :)

Nothing but the Truth

Chapter 10: Unless You Make it So

"There is darkness inside all of us, though mine is more dangerous than most. Still, we all have it—that part of our soul that is irreparably damaged by the very trials and tribulations of life. We are what we are because of it, or perhaps in spite of it. Some use it as a shield to hide behind, others as an excuse to do unconscionable things. But, truly, the darkness is simply a piece of the whole, neither good nor evil unless you make it so."

― Jenna Maclaine, Bound By Sin

It was dark, very, very dark in the cold, black void where Sasuke stood in his own consciousness. His breath hitched as he felt the familiar presence of somebody behind him, slowly breaching the distance. Sasuke wasn't wearing the gray jumpsuit the guards had given him at the Konoha prison, but he was in his Sound attire – white shirt, purple belt, and a heavy sword attached to his hip. Confusion surrounded him completely, and there was the slightest inkling of fear rising from his stomach to his chest.

'Sasuke-kun,' the venomous voice hissed as the person got closer.

'Go away,' Sasuke replied vehemently, 'I killed you.'

'Body, yes, but soul, no,' the voice whispered into his ear lightly. Sasuke's chest heaved as he felt he was being constricted; looking down, he saw that a large snake was making its way tightly around his abdomen. 'Now that you're in Konoha, you will do as I planned. You're precious Sakura-chan is more predictable than she thinks.'

'She's not precious,' Sasuke replied evenly. 'Not to me, anyway.'

'You may continue to tell yourself that,' Orochimaru responded breathily, 'You may continue to fight it, but I'm inside your mind and it will only be a matter of time before I take your body. Your precious kunoichi should have killed you when she had the chance.'

The manacle laughter rang throughout his entire head. 'Sasuke it's time we moved onto the next phase of the plan, and you will do it or I'll kill your stupid little friends that you've come to love.'

'I don't love anyone, you fool,' Sasuke replied tersely as the large constrictor continued to tighten around his chest, making his way up to his neck.

More laughter ensued from right behind Sasuke, blaring into his ear. 'Denial is unbecoming. I have to ask – what is the obsession with the kunoichi's power? Everyone seems to act as if she is the most powerful shinobi in the world. She has hardly passed Tsunade in terms of skills, as you have done with me. So I must ask, Sasuke-kun, why couldn't you kill her? Why, when I was screaming in your ear to do so, you slowed your run so she could incapacitate you? She seems to have thought that you were trying to kill her, the foolish and weak girl she is.'

'Leave her out of this. She has nothing to do with this.' The snake was now squeezing Sasuke's head so tight that he was sure his brain was about to burst.

'Oh Sasuke-kun, that is where you're wrong,' Orochimaru replied, still standing behind him, 'and her stupidity will make killing her all the easier.'

"Get out!" he shrieked loudly as he sat straight up in his cot. Sasuke looked around wildly, but he was back in his cell in the Konoha prison, clad in a gray jumpsuit that marred him as a captive. Quickly, a guard was at the barred window to his cell.

"Everything alright in there, Uchiha?" the ANBU asked. Normally, ANBU did not patrol the prison, but thanks to their newest captive, there was at least one stationed there at all times. Sasuke merely nodded his head a bit, trying not to show his discontent. He couldn't place a name to the voice behind the feline mask, but he was sure it was familiar to him. The last thing he needed was for someone who knew him to go barking around that he was having nightmares. "Alright, just keep it down."

Iruka. The name came to him all of a sudden and the face of his old sensei flashed into his mind. Sasuke found himself wondering when his sensei had become an ANBU, or a jounin for that matter. When he had defected from Konoha, the man had been a chunin instructor at the academy. What prompted his sudden desire to climb the shinobi ranks? All of these were questions he no longer had the privilege to ask.

He leaned back down in his cot, feeling the sweat that had perspired from him press against his cold skin. These nightmares were getting troublesome. After killing Orochimaru, he discovered that the sannin had implanted a bit of his soul within him. When the snake had done that, Sasuke wasn't sure. He just knew he was there, biding his time until Sasuke allowed him to take his body. As if that would ever happen.

However, it had become more difficult to control him of late – since his fight with Sakura and subsequent return to Konoha. Apparently, Sasuke's return to Konoha had been Orochimaru's ultimate goal. Perhaps the sannin was originally just waiting for his time, waiting for Sasuke to kill Itachi, because he knew that Sasuke's plan was to return to Konoha after that to fulfill his other goal in life: reviving the Uchiha clan.

That's where Sakura came in, he supposed. She was the only person Sasuke had ever mentioned as being a possible candidate, but things had changed now. For one, she seemed to no longer hold any interest in him of that nature. That was to be expected, seeing as they both tried to kill each other each time they met over the past three years or so. Sighing, Sasuke shifted so he was a bit more comfortable. His eyelids grew heavy once again as sleep was taking him…

Suddenly, he was jolted awake by a large bang that echoed through the hall, and a shout from Iruka, "You can't go in there, Naruto! And give me the keys back!"

Sasuke sat up completely, wondering what the idiot could be doing here at this time of night, and stared at the small window in his cell until the Uzumaki appeared. "Sasuke-teme!" he yelled as his boisterous face appeared in through the bars. "Guess what!"

"No," Sasuke replied flatly.

Naruto's face scrunched in disapproval, but Sasuke heard the light clinging of keys in the door nonetheless. As Naruto entered, Sasuke noted the small box in his right hand. "I'll tell you anyway," Naruto chimed. "Team Ebisu ran into Sakura-chan."

A breath tightened into his chest that he could not find the strength to release. Team Ebisu was the team that the Third's grandson was on, was it not? Sasuke stared at Naruto blankly, waiting for him to elaborate, but the blond just stared at him with a large grin spread across his face. Finally, Sasuke intoned, "What happened?"

"Well they are in the middle of a meeting with the old lady- I mean Tsunade-sama now," Naruto continued, "I don't know what happened, but look at this." Naruto held out the box to Sasuke who took it warily. "Konohamaru said that she gave it to him to give to me. It's a birthday present – a bit early but that's to be expected."

Sasuke gaped a bit, but exhaled silently, digesting all of the information he was getting. First, he forgot that Naruto's birthday was coming up. In about a week, if he was remembering correctly. Sasuke internally bit out a bitter laugh. Sakura was being held hostage by the most famous group of criminal shinobi, but she still managed to get a birthday gift for the dobe. How had she gotten his icy older brother to agree to that?

Warily, Sasuke turned the box over in his hands, and let out a small, silent gasp. The legendary sannin were well-known throughout the ninja world and were quite famous. In fact, they managed to create quite a trade in memorabilia and merchandise, so it was not uncommon to find keep-sakes that were made in honor of the sannin. However, the rift between the slug and toad sannin and the snake sannin was something of a well-kept secret between the villages, so they were often all portrayed together in civilian shops. Sasuke could practically feel Sakura's bitter irony in this particular piece she had chosen.

A rather goofy looking porcelain figurine now rested in Sasuke's hand. It was a rather cartoon-looking version of a snake, a toad, and a slug all pushed together fondly, large funny-looking smiles plastered on their faces. As if by some twist of weird, humorless fate, the toad was painted orange, the snake blue, and the slug pink. A tiny porcelain rope bound the three animals together and a sign hung from it that said 'Kazoku' (AN: Kazoku means family in Japanese). To add to the irony, Sakura had painted, in black ink, the Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Haruno family crests on the back of each of their respective animals.

Although Naruto probably didn't sense the irony, and Sasuke was sure that Sakura wouldn't have purchased it for the satire completely. He could, however, picture her bitter laugh as she chose the piece. No, she would choose it because she knew Naruto would appreciate it and love it. Judging by the happy gleam in his eye, Naruto did love it.

Sasuke sighed at the implications of the ornament. It was showing that they were all still a family. At least, that's what Sakura clearly wanted Naruto to believe.

X

It rained in Lightning Country. It rained in Lightning Country all the time. It rained in the mornings, in the afternoons, at night. It was as if this country got all of the rain in the entire world and wouldn't share it with the rest. Sakura knew this thought was irrational as it rained in Fire Country enough, but in the two days since she has been trudging through Lightning Country, it had been raining.

Sakura was drenched, from head to toe. Mud covered the bottom portion of her calves and stuck to her skin like glue. Her shivering had stopped yesterday as her body completely numbed to the rain after drudging through it for an entire day. She hated the rain, she decided then, and would enjoy a long, happy soak on the beach once she returned home.

"Almost there," Deidara's warm breath whispered in her ear and Sakura stiffened, not realizing he had come so close to her. Realizing her entire body was soaked, freezing, and cold, her entire back shivered at the warm contact. Deidara merely chuckled at her reaction – clearly doing it to amuse himself as he did with the kunoichi all the time.

The trip after the unexpected run-in with Team Ebisu seemed relatively normal except the fact that all four members of the Akatsuki reminded her that they could kill her whenever they wished. Sakura would just sigh at the threats, knowing they were probably true.

The silent trip also gave her time to think about everything. Everything, except for Neji's engagement – that she refused to dwell on as it only made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. Part of her, most of her, knew that Neji had been right to end the engagement for her happiness and sanity. He was right when he said that she would come to resent him one day. She had just been fooling herself when she denied it, but there was no doubt that her life as a kunoichi was more important to her than anything. A tiny fraction of her heart, though, was still mending. Knowing it would do so with time, Sakura chose to ignore the slight pain and focus on her current predicament.

The current predicament being a certain Uchiha, as Sakura had deduced that he was not a sociopath. Although she knew he was still a mass-murderer, she was now fairly sure there was an underlying meaning to what had occurred all those years ago. The way he spoke to her, the way he indulged her when she had wanted something, the way he complimented her when she needed it most – it pointed to a very polite, conscientious, albeit intimidating individual – not a power-hungry sociopath that would murder his entire family to induce the use of the ultimate Sharingan.

Inwardly, Sakura mused that her inner-self would probably be remarking on how good-looking and handsome the eldest Uchiha was. Then, she found herself thinking it consciously. Their previous liaison and subsequent physical contact in the woods had been completely unexpected although it seemed just to be a tactic to get information out of her from his part. However, she had been most affected by the physical proximity of such a…well-built male. It wasn't like what had happened with Noboru, either. It was something more than just her 18-year-old hormones. There was something more within her that she couldn't place because in all honesty, she found the Uchiha to be relatively good company. Sakura sighed a little to herself. Enough thinking about the Uchiha like that, seeing as soon she would be far, far away from him – as far as she could get at least.

Sakura furrowed her brows slightly as she recalled what she had been dwelling on previously – the Uchiha massacre. If not for power, then for what? What good reason could one have for killing off their entire clan, except for one person – his younger brother?

Sasuke. Her thoughts drifted back to their last encounter which also caused her unease. In all of her musings, Sakura could not figure something out: why had the fight been so easy? The last thing she heard of Orochimaru was when they were 16 – Sasuke had killed the snake sannin. If he had been able to do that, then surely he could kill her. Although Sakura was sure he possessed the power both physically and mentally to do so, he hadn't. During the time directly following the confrontation, Sakura was sure he had been trying to end her life. Now, though, she wasn't so certain. Ah, how her thoughts betrayed her completely when she was left to contemplate these things internally. Really, she needed to stop over-thinking things. That had landed her here, with the Akatsuki, even though she could have escaped already.

Her inner thoughts were cut off by Itachi stopping in front of them suddenly. He glazed a sidelong glance back at them. "We're here," he stated evenly. His hands rose as he made the appropriate hand signs to dispel any traps that were around them, and then he continued to walk.

Sakura wasn't sure her relief could be more evident as she sighed happily when they entered the house out of the cold, slushing rain. "Warmth," she purred as she ran to the heater against the wall of the living room, cranking it to full power. Kisame laughed heartily behind her as the group entered.

"Don't like the water, kid?" he teased.

"Not for two days, I don't," she indulged back, her face flickering with laughter.

"Come on, yeah, I'll show you your room," Deidara pointed towards the hallway that would indicate the residential portion of the home.

"Ah it's time for a nice, warm shower," Sakura mused, sliding past him into the hall.

"Want any company?" Deidara teased. Sakura's pale face flushed red as she knocked him in the shoulder lightly.

"Pervert," she accused as they continued to walk down the hall.

Itachi watched them go, trying to tear his eyes away from the kunoichi, but he couldn't make himself do so. Ever since this little…attraction to her became known within him, he was finding it harder to deal with. At first he had found himself waving it off as a normal, biological reaction, but now he was gaining that it was something more than that. Shaking the thoughts down, he forced into his mind that such thoughts were highly inappropriate seeing as the kunoichi would probably not be with them for much longer – one way or the other. Her loyalty completely lay with Konoha, as she had openly admitted to staying with their group for the purposes of furthering her own goals.

Slowly, he made his way to his own room, the one right across the hall from Kisame's, and walked in. As he peeled away the wet clothes from his body, he began to think of her again, to his annoyance. Yes, he was sure this was something more than physical attraction. The way he found himself…uncomfortable…with her imminent withdrawal from the group told him that. Also the way that she affected him emotionally was discomfiting. Really, the girl was a complete contradiction.

First, she was a kunoichi – a deadly force that was not to be underestimated – with pink hair and a bubbly personality? It was like she was two different people, Itachi joked to himself at the irony of the thought. Second, she was completely volatile at times, a handful to say the least. Other times, she was emotionally drained and sobbing at some expressive pain. Third, her mouth was much quicker than her mind and spewing out whatever it was she wanted to say, and she seemed not to have a barrier that blocked herself from talking. That contradicted with the clear, contemplative thoughts that occurred within her during their travels.

And Itachi found himself inexplicably addicted to her presence. Her company around him was not unwanted, of this he was sure. He had grown so used to her falling in silent steps behind him or her constant attendance in the kitchen and living quarters, that he was sure he would feel the void when she left. Surely, he was going insane.

Before he could dwell further, he decided to indulge this little craving he had. Pulling on fresh, warm clothes and brushing his frizzed hair into a low ponytail at the base of his neck, Itachi left his room in search for a particular pink-haired kunoichi. Walking silently to her room, chakra masked, he pressed a firm ear to the door to ensure that she was not showering. Quietly, yet firmly, he knocked on the door.

"Come in," she voiced from behind the thin oak door. Her eyes widened a bit when he walked in but a genuine smile splayed across her face as he fully entered her room. She was in his jounin attire – something that made him internally revel in male-satisfaction – and was brushing her wet hair back into a ponytail. "Itachi," she greeted.

"Come. I have something to show you," he commanded lightly. Sakura merely smiled and pulled herself up. Nodding, she followed him out of the room.

"Another training ground?" she guessed from behind him.

"No, but there is one here. You may use it as per our agreement," he replied. Her curiosity was really quite charming, as he heard her audibly sigh in relief behind him. He stopped at the door that he had been searching for. "Here," he said, opening it, and flicking the light on.

"A library?" she gasped. The room was large and shelves covered all four walls, from ceiling to floor, and were full of books. A couch sat in the middle of the room with a small lamp on the table next to it.

"Yes. There is nothing confidential kept in here. We inherited the books from the property's original owner," Itachi explained, rejoicing internally at her stunned, but excited reaction. Pointing to a particular shelf, he stated, "Those are the medical books."

Sakura ran to them and stared at them carefully. Then she turned back to face him, a slightly puzzled expression on her face. "I just remembered something," she muttered. "You never told me if you wanted me to heal your heart or not."

Itachi took the sudden broach of conversation in stride, as he had been expecting it to come up again. It had taken him several days to decide his answer as he was conflicted with such an offer. The healing of his ailment was certainly not part of his plan. "Alright," he finally intoned. Although it would make Sasuke killing him all the more difficult, it just meant that his brother would have to be stronger than before, but it was not impossible. Remembering their deal as a 'one-to-one' offer, he asked, "Now what would you like in return?"

Sakura bit her bottom lip nervously, drawing his eyes to that part of her body a little inappropriately, and she fidgeted as if she knew the answer but was having trouble expressing it. Finally, after some blatant internal struggling, she formed a defiant look in her eyes. Obstinately, she said, "I want to know why you killed your family. The real reason – not the fake one you've been presenting all these years."

All right, that was a surprise. Itachi's eyes widened in disbelief for a fraction of a second and then pain rushed through his body as the memories of that night resurfaced. However, he could not dwell on such feelings long as Sakura was now making her way to him in determined strides, and accusatory finger raised, "See, there it is! The grief! I knew I saw it before."

"Quiet down," he ordered. Really, she was going to have the entire house listening in on their conversation.

In a hushed, but just as determined voice, she continued, "It would take a psychopath to do what you did for the alleged reason you did it. I'm not buying it, and I want to know why you would kill your entire family, save Sasuke, and then live your life as a missing-nin. I know that there has to be a different reason behind it."

Itachi found the need to think this through, but the look in Sakura's eyes told him he would have no such time. Then again, part of him wanted to share this with her. Part of him wanted her to know the truth. Without a second thought, he stated as evenly as he could, "There is."

Sakura's eyes widened for a moment due to his admission, but then a proud look gleamed in the jade eyes. "I knew it. I wish to know why. Once I do, I'll heal your heart and lungs."

"Sakura, you will have a very difficult time digesting that information. It would devastate the strongest shinobi, and you may find yourself questioning your loyalties when you find out," Itachi warned.

A stubborn look presented itself on her features. "I can handle it," she insisted. "Now I have to know."

Itachi was worried she would answer this way. "Do not say I didn't warn you. Meet me in your room in five minutes. I believe you'll be finding it difficult to function once you have discovered the truth."

Sakura stalked off out the door and Itachi saw her disappear into the room. He walked slowly to his room and opened his pack that had been resting by his bed. Unsealing a secret compartment, he pulled out a scroll with a classified ANBU seal on it. His mission scroll. He had kept it all these years for some unknown reason to him. In reality he was just using it to punish himself – a constant reminder of the horrible, atrocious act he had committed.

Tentatively, he walked into Sakura's room to find her sitting on one of the cushions that surrounded a low table in the room. Itachi took a seat in the cushion adjacent to hers and put the scroll on the table warily. "Are you sure?" he asked once more. Sakura just picked up the scroll and nodded.

Then, however, she saw the ANBU seal on it and her face scrunched in confusion for just a split second. Then the implication dawned on her and her eyes widened in disbelief. "No," she whispered as she unsealed the scroll. Her eyes darted down the mission briefing quickly and then her hand went against her mouth in complete shock. Jade eyes, brimming with tears, met impassive onyx, and then she continued to read. After she had effectively read the scroll twice, she placed it down on the table, eyes filled with disgust. "How could they do such a thing?" she spat as tears finally fell.

"My family was planning to start a civil war within Konoha," Itachi replied, trying to keep the tone even. "They would not relent or even consider altering their plans as they were the ones obsessed with power. They were very well aware that they were putting everyone in danger."

"Oh my god," she muttered between silent sobs. "I can't believe the council would sanction such a thing."

"They were doing what was in the best interest of Konoha," Itachi responded, face and voice impassive. "Although, I could not bring myself to kill Sasuke."

Sakura turned her gaze up to meet his, her entire body shaking at what she had just read. How could that have happened? And Itachi had done it? Of course he did, like a good, loyal shinobi would. Her heart twisted within her chest at everything that was happening; this was too much. She should never know such a thing, just like Itachi said. This was classified, confidential, and no one should ever know about this within Konoha. It would surely start a revolt. Then, she realized, this was too much. She couldn't handle this.

"Sakura," Itachi said, shifting to her, seemingly understanding her removal from reality. He placed a firm grip on her shoulders as he saw her usually exuberant eyes begin to die. Sakura barely registered the concern from her subconscious state that plagued the Uchiha's voice. "Do not call for her. She cannot help you here. You need to learn how to handle these things without her."

This seemed to bring her back to life as she jerked her head up and her eyes met his. Then she was moving, quickly. Her arms locked around his shoulders before he could even register what she was doing. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, she whispered, "I'm so sorry that this happened to you."

Itachi's eyes widened in shock; no one, not one person ever, had apologized to him. Not the council members, the clan elders, or anyone who he had ever told about this situation – no one ever pitied him for what he had been ordered to do. No one had ever viewed this as something that had happened to him.

Unsure of what to do with the sobbing kunoichi, he placed his hands around her back slowly in order to calm her. Sakura stiffened at the sudden reciprocation of the embrace, but she quickly quelled such anxiety. Was she trying to comfort him, or was she using him to comfort her mixed emotions of the more recent development? Itachi had the feeling that it was most likely a bit of both.

After several minutes of embracing intimately in silence, Sakura pulled back. "Thank you for telling me the truth," she said genuinely. Internally, she was now planning how she would repay the remaining members of the council when she returned to Konoha. They would not get away with such an atrocious crime and let Itachi take the fault for this completely – of this, she was sure.

Itachi merely nodded, picked the scroll up, and said, "Go to sleep. We will begin the healing sessions again in the morning."

As the door shut behind him, Itachi exhaled a breath he felt he had been holding since Sakura had begun the hug. Really, was she so emotionally stinted that she couldn't tell the way she affected him? No, he supposed he held his emotions rather tightly inward. However, Itachi was now battling over the embrace. It was a moment of both physical and emotional intimacy that he had shared with no one in his entire life. Part of him was satisfied with that. However, he had now revealed his biggest and most protected secret to a Konoha ninja of all people. What would she do with that information?

Making his way to the kitchen, he found Kisame sitting at the table, a cup of tea in his hands. His partner's eyes drifted to the scroll in his hands. "I haven't seen that in a while," he commented uncertainly.

"Sakura knows," Itachi replied curtly, taking a seat at the table. Kisame's eyes widened. Before he could respond, Itachi interjected, "I doubt that this will change her resolve to return home. Leader will not like that. Kisame-"

"I get it, kid," Kisame interrupted. "We have to figure out a way to get Sakura out of here without being killed or hurt by Leader."

Itachi felt a feeling of sudden gratitude towards his perceptive teammate.

X

"This is nice, yeah?" Deidara asked as they walked down a trail together, hands wrapped behind his head, cradling it. The similarity to the way Naruto walked was almost too much for Sakura to take. This morning, there had been a brief respite to the rain and Deidara had insisted on enjoying the weather. Sakura merely nodded to his previous comment.

Sakura couldn't deny that it was a welcomed change. Although it was still muggy and too chilly for her tastes, the sun was barely breaking through the clouds to give a little bit of hope. They were in a thick, dense forest that couldn't quite be described as a jungle, but was close enough.

Deidara had obviously sensed the shift in her demeanor once she discovered the truth about the Uchiha clan massacre. The Uchiha clan had been planning to start a coup in order to overthrow the Hokage and take control of Konoha. Being a dutiful ANBU and shinobi, Itachi reported their plans to the council. Seeing no other alternative after countless attempts at quelling the coup, the council ordered the entire elimination of the Uchiha clan.

The facts were enough to cause Sakura to heave up the entire contents of her stomach the night after she found out. It had been two days since then, both spent healing Itachi's eyes (he insisted the heart condition could wait until after his eyes were better), and Sakura still hadn't slept properly. This had manifested itself into a very temperamental, volatile Sakura. Deidara had taken note and blamed it on the terrible weather, which Sakura conceded didn't help much. Now, at this moment of brief respite, he pulled her out the door and insisted on them enjoying the weather.

"I thought I saw a big cliff with a waterfall over on the other side of the river there. I'm going to go and see!" Deidara announced excitedly, also too much like Naruto, and jumped onto the back of a clay bird he had just created. "I'll come back for you once I find it!"

Sakura merely waved, happy for a bit of a break from the blond, as he reminded her too much of her home and Naruto. She found a small clearing that was bathed in sunlight, and pulled off her Akatsuki robe to enjoy the slight warmth. Setting it by a tree, she walked to the middle of the clearing a laid down on the moist grass to enjoy the small amount of sunlight.

Sighing, she thought of home and how much she wished she could go back. She became very aware of the twinge in her heart when she thought of going home. Digging into it deeper, she tried to understand her uncertainty of returning to Konoha. Was it the news of the Uchiha massacre? No, that wasn't it –because that was actually an incentive to return home. She wanted to bring the truth to light to everyone since it was unfair to blame Itachi solely for what occurred.

Then she thought of leaving the company of her most recent companions and her heart panged again. Was that really it? Had she grown fond of them? Tobi was odd, but funny at times as he teased Deidara, and he was kind to her. She permitted Kisame's taunts and enjoyed his company in general. Deidara was by far the friendliest towards her, and if their situation was different, she could even picture herself liking the blast-nin.

Itachi. Now that was confusing. Sakura admitted that she was physically attracted to him a while ago. In fact, there was no denying that he was incredibly good looking. However, things were going further than that. They were getting too far out of hand. At first, Sakura pushed it off as some Stockholm Syndrome version of a crush, but now that she knew the truth was there really any denying that she was finding herself becoming maybe more than fond of him?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a gruff, evil sounding laugh. Senses pricked, Sakura gasped. How had she not noticed before? As several men began to make their way out of the trees, Sakura sat up fully, freezing on the spot.

The white, sheer masks over their faces, revealing only their eyes and hair, told her everything: they were the Senshi no Shinzo group – a group of rogue ninja that dominated the northern part of the globe. Fire Country had little to do with them as the northern villages usually took care of them. They were similar to the Akatsuki in some ways, Sakura tried to remember, but there were many big differences. For example, their goals and ambitions were much less admirable than those of the Akatsuki, and that was saying something. In essence, they were a group of very unstable, disgusting, yet talented thugs for hire.

"What do we have here?" the one closest to Sakura asked.

"A little girl lost in the woods by herself," another commented. Sakura hissed, jumping to her feet. Where the hell was Deidara? Sending her feelers out, she sensed he was somewhere about a mile away, surely trying to find the waterfall he had spotted earlier so he could bring her to it.

"A kunoichi, perhaps?" a third asked. "No she's too weak for that. There's no chakra to her." To Sakura's advantage, she had masked her chakra while she was out here. Sakura sensed there were four of them in their general proximity, but there was another six or seven a hundred yards to the west. How had she not felt them approach? There was no way her internal thoughts would cause her guard to go down completely. They must be experts at hiding their chakra, she decided.

"Leave me alone," she bit out.

"But we want to have fun," the second man who had spoken, commented with insinuation. He was the tallest and his gruff accent told Sakura he was most likely from Mist. This was confirmed by the large sword on his back. Trying to remember the names of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, she cursed herself for not paying more attention to that particular lesson in the academy. Sai, Kakashi, and Guy had all but eliminated them in the last war, but Sakura knew many of them had been reincarnated.

"Well I've already had all the fun I need for one day," Sakura continued, backing up slowly.

"Not so fast, girly," the first one said, now standing behind her. He was fast. Sakura squeaked as his cold hands clenched her shoulders roughly and pulled her back flush against him. Sakura suddenly understood what kind of 'fun' they wanted to have, judging by the bulge that was now hitting her inner thigh.

"Get your nasty hands off me you piece of shit," Sakura spat, her temper boiling. Knowing she could not take ten to eleven A and S-class criminals by herself, she only hoped she could bide her time and take most of them out until Deidara sensed the fight and came to her. She ignored the irony that she was hoping for the Akatsuki to come and save her. "You have one warning."

"Or what? You'll pull my hair?" he laughed in her ear.

"No, I'll kill you," she hissed. A chakra-laden elbow was thrown back into his ribs and they cracked. Sakura turned quickly and, as he was already falling back from her initial hit, kicked him in the chest hard. Under her foot, she felt a rib break and pierce the man's heart. He let out a shriek and then fell over, dying, where he had landed ten feet away from her kick.

"She is a kunoichi!" the fourth man yelled and began his attack. The other six that had been nearby were also now racing to the grounds.

Sakura wielded her hand high and hit the ground, hard. Fortunately, she had her black gloves on and her borrowed ninja belt with her – Kisame had insisted she always carried it with her on her travels (with no hint of concern in his voice whatsoever). The ground cracked and created a canyon between her and the rogue ninja. However, someone was behind her, the one with the sword, and he was swinging it at her. She jumped up and dodged the attack, but a round of senbon was now flying towards her. She threw out a flurry of explosive tags to deflect them, but several senbon grazed her skin.

Hoping that Deidara had felt the tremor or sensed her flaring chakra, Sakura moved back, mostly trying to evade the attacks. If she was lucky enough, Itachi would sense it too, seeing as he was so perceptive. They were less than two miles from the base they were staying at, and there was a good chance he would sense the battle, especially with her chakra flaring so much from her hits.

It was nine to one now and Sakura's entire body was poised for attack. They came at her all at once and as chakra-fueled fists connected with flesh, bone, and muscle she felt their numbers begin to dwindle. Six, she guessed, she had killed six. She hit the ground again, this time focusing on creating the biggest fissure she could which would cause the largest earth quake. Surely, the others would have to sense that.

Jumping back into the trees, she created three shadow clones, and then streaked away into another tree, allowing the clones to distract the ninja so she could find a place to wait. As she found a good hiding spot, her body began to shake a little and her head began to ache. Ignoring the feeling, she sensed someone behind her.

Turning around fully, Sakura punched the rogue ninja in the gut, but he grabbed her hand after the initial hit. Twisting it hard, Sakura cried out in pain as her wrist cracked. It was broken. He then hit her as hard as he could in her head, but she regained herself quickly although she could already feel the swelling set in. Trying to ignore the throbbing, splitting pain, she let out a kick that flipped her body over and caught the ninja in the head. His skull fractured into his brain and he fell over dead onto the ground.

This had alerted his other teammates and they were now coming towards her at unrivaled speeds. However, she didn't have time to heal her wrist. Plus, she was shaking even more now and the pounding sensation in her head was getting unbearable. Crying out, she felt her entire body go limp.

She no longer had control of her muscles, she deduced as she fell to the ground with a thud. The senbon that had barely grazed her arms earlier – they had been poisoned, she realized. Cursing herself for not feeling it sooner, she found herself looking up at a group of very pleased males, rejoicing in the most self-satisfied way. "You're quite the kunoichi," one stated solemnly – the only one that didn't seem to be overtly cruel. Sakura pushed her sensed outward and realized that Deidara was now very close. She also felt Itachi and Kisame's chakras fast approaching.

"Boss, she's not alone," one of the members hissed. "Three massive chakra signatures approaching at insane speeds from two different directions."

Sakura merely smirked at them, but another member (one of the only four surviving) kicked her in her ribs hard. She choked out a cry and heaved a mix of blood and nothing onto the ground next to her. As she was being pulled into the arms of the boss, she heard an audible gasp coming from a very short ninja.

"Boss, look at this!" he hissed, holding up her cloak. "She's an Akatsuki."

The body underneath her stiffened completely, "We need to get out of here, now," he commanded. "Akatsuki, huh? I'm not that surprised by the fact that you were able to kill six of my comrades. We are all S-class criminals."

Sakura didn't deny the accusation as it seemed to be the other thing keeping her alive right now. However, she was now being lulled into unconsciousness by the poison that was captivating her body completely along with the several hits she had taken earlier. The last thing she sensed was being pulled into an insanely fast run, faster than she had ever encountered before.

But then, just before she fell victim to the poison, she heard a blood-chilling scream of someone far, far away, and someone called out, "Dammit, it's Itachi Uchiha!"

AN: There's a few things that need explaining/clarifying.

1. I made up the Senshi no Shinzo group. They are completely fictional in the Naruto world and are just used for serving my purposes in this particular fanfic.

2. A few people voiced that Sakura was maybe too strong and infallible and I agree. It was something I realized in the last chapter after I posted it and reread the story as a whole. That is why I wrote this chapter in the manner that I did - so she is maybe a little more realistic. I hope you find it more to your liking.

3. I'm really not sure if I like the way the big reveal about the Uchiha massacre turned out. I was debated and changing and deleting that particular scene for a while, but I think I was able to get it to serve the purposes that I wanted it to. I'm really interested in getting your feedback/comments/advice about that scene in particular so please be honest.

Thank you for reading!

Please review :)