Metamorphosis – An Itachi & Sakura story.
By: MitsukiShiroi

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

A/n: This chapter is dedicated to one of my friends, and most loyal readers; blackbloodedkunoichi! Hope you like it!

Chapter Ten – Konoha's Mission Commences!

"Me?" Sakura asked stupefied, staring at the dark-haired man in front of her. He had stunning light blue eyes, which were a huge contrast to his dark hair. A smirk played around his lips as he lowered the kunai further, until the tip touched Deidara's neck. Sakura's gaze switched to Deidara as he gritted his teeth, glaring at the man who held the kunai to his neck.

"Itachi, where's Kisame?" he asked, changing back to his serious side.

"Still in the bathroom," Itachi answered smoothly. If he felt any emotion at that moment, he was really good at hiding it. Sakura stared at him as she tried to uncover the secret to his poker face. Whoever these nins were, they were no match for three Akatsuki members. But the fact that one of them was holding a kunai against Deidara's throat wasn't a good thing, not at all.

"You know, I'm getting slightly pissed off here… yeah," Deidara said suddenly, breaking the silence as he turned around to see his enemy.

"I agree, let's end this soon," Itachi answered darkly. Sakura watched in awe as the red of the sharingan bled into his eyes.

"Fools, do you honestly believe that you can win from us? We're top Hunter nins from Mist!"

"Mist eh? So that's why you impersonated Hoshigaki… yeah," Deidara answered as he glanced through the room. "And you're here, with just two hunter nin?"

"Of course, Haruno poses no threat to us, and you are probably all some low-class nins who joined her," the other one grinned. He released the jutsu, turning back into a brown haired nin, whose face was covered with an ANBU mask.

"You heard that Itachi? We're low class nins, they probably think we're genin or something… yeah," Deidara chuckled. "They don't even notice your sharingan."

"S-Sharingan? But you mean that… You're an Uchiha!" the masked Hunter nin asked incredulously.

"Correct," Itachi answered, before turning around. "Deidara, Kisame."

In a flash, Deidara had turned around and kicked the dark-haired nin towards the wall. His hand shot into his Akatsuki robe, pulling out some clay. From another door, Kisame stormed in, holding the Samehada in his hand as he dashed towards the dark-haired nin. Sakura whirled around to check how Itachi was doing, when she noticed he was gone. Apparently, the nin had noticed too, and glanced around the room in search of Itachi.

Itachi re-appeared in front of him, burying his fist in his stomach, which sent him flying through the room, slamming into another wall.

"What the…" Deidara's voice came. Sakura turned around to see him staring at the wall where he just threw the nin at. "He's gone… yeah." Next to him, Kisame spouted out some foul language, before scanning the room.

"I thought so. It seems they know our specialty," Itachi said quietly.

"Specialty?" Sakura asked, surprise in her tone.

"All Akatsuki members are taught our special technique when enrolling in Akatsuki. We can use a percentage of our chakra to make another body, exactly like ours; almost like a replica, only this one can fight without disappearing. Until the amount of extra chakra in the replication is depleted," Kisame hastily explained.

"Yeah, and these guys know it… yeah. Look here," Deidara said as he pointed at two men appearing on the ground. "Their sacrifices."

"They aren't far away, I can still sense them," Kisame said suddenly. "Should I go after them, Itachi-san?"

"No," Itachi answered smoothly. "We will wait until they strike again. Now that they know I'm part of this little entourage, and Kisame is too, they will come at us more prepared next time."

"What makes you think so?" Sakura asked curiously. "They might still think you're an easy opponent."

"They won't. Kisame is known in Mist, and so am I," he answered. "Do not underestimate your opponent, Sakura-san."

"Salmon, Itachi," Deidara interrupted. "Hunter nins are in the vicinity… yeah"

"I know," Kisame growled, gripping his Samehada.

"Deidara, you take care of the kunoichi," Itachi started. "Kisame and I will-"

"I'll fight too," Sakura interrupted, ignoring Itachi's orders. "I'm not weak Itachi-san. The three of you can't always protect me from the hunter nins."

"Then let's go kunoichi, we don't have all day," Kisame said, excitement in his tone. "She's right, Itachi-san, let her have some action as well." As soon as he said this, Deidara stepped forward. His eyes were narrowed, his hands were fists, and as soon as he spoke, Sakura could hear the anger evident in his voice.

"Are you suggesting, Itachi-san, Kisame," he said in a controlled voice, although his eyes and hands gave him away. "That we should let Sakura fight? There's a small army of Hunter nin outside!"

Shocked, Sakura looked at Deidara. She would have never believed it if she wouldn't have seen it first. Deidara was trying to stop her, trying to keep her out of harm's way. What was he thinking? Did he think she was weak? Even after everything they talked about?

"I'm perfectly clear to make my own decisions, Deidara-san, and I don't need your approval," Sakura answered coldly, angered that he had so little faith in her. "After all, I'm a jounin, not a genin. They are chasing me, so I should be fighting here. Now, let's go."

Kisame grinned widely as she stalked out of the room, a kunai in her hand as she formed the seals for a Replacement jutsu. Itachi just watched her go, before disappearing into thin air. Kisame followed soon after he signaled Deidara to follow them.

Deidara stood alone in the chamber, gritting his teeth as he pulled out some clay and decided to keep an eye on Sakura. She couldn't die. She wouldn't die. He would make sure of it.

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As the sun started to set in the Hidden Village of Leaf, eight people walked through the village. Some mentally saying goodbye to the buildings they always visited, the large faces of the Hokage's gracing the mountain, Ichiraku, and the memorial.

Kakashi, Naruto, Kiba, Neji and Genma were dressed in their ANBU costumes; their masks dangling around their necks. Black, swirled tattoos graced their arms. Shikamaru, Lee and Gai were dressed in their usual Jounin outfits. Neither of them had ever made it to ANBU, and they were content with that.

As the gate of Konoha came into view, several people stood there; watching them. Hinata, Ino, Chouji and Iruka were part of the group. Several meters further, Raidou stood there too, together with Shizune, Kurenai and Asuma. They waved ever so slightly as the team neared them. Genma split up from the group with a small wave of his hand, appearing next to Raidou in a second, talking to his friend. Naruto grinned slightly as he made his way to Iruka. Kiba ran next to him, enthusiastically hugging Chouji, who had become a good friend of his, before moving to Hinata, giving her a gentle hug as well.

Ino stepped forward slightly; her hands fell lightly to her sides as she made her way to Shikamaru and Chouji. Several meters further, Kurenai and Asuma were talking to Kakashi, who had his hands in his pockets as usual, giving them the casual look. Gai, Neji and Lee stayed together. Since Tenten was gone, nobody would say goodbye to them. As Lee and Neji started a conversation, a very nervous Hinata shuffled towards Neji.

"Ah… Neji-niisan," she stuttered nervously, biting her lip as she held a small jar of ointment in her hands. She looked down as Neji turned around, giving her his complete attention.

"T-This is for you," Hinata spoke quietly as she trashed her arms forward, bowing slightly. Neji scanned the ointment, before moving over her face. As soon as he decided that she was being sincere, his eyes softened slightly, before taking the ointment; storing it into his bag.

"Thank you, Hinata-sama," Neji answered quietly. He didn't move as she shuffled away again, but he kept his eye on her. Ever since the Chuunin exam, he had tolerated the main Hyuuga family, but he still didn't trust any of them, afraid that they might attack his brains next. He sighed slightly, before turning around again, resuming his conversation with Lee.

A few feet next to them, Genma was giving Raidou a small hug, saying goodbye to his friend before moving further towards the gate. Naruto joined him too after waving goodbye to all of his friends. Next to arrive were Gai, Neji and Lee. Kiba and Shikamaru also stepped forward, joining the group. Kiba was laughing at Shikamaru, as Shikamaru was rubbing his cheek slightly, trying to remove the remains of Ino's farewell kiss as he tried to look irritated. The agitated look on his face was soon replaced with a smile as Ino started to cry slightly.

He waved at her, before turning around, trying to stop himself from looking too soft. Kiba grinned, hugging Akamaru lovingly. He wasn't allowed to take Akamaru with him. The mission required stealth and the ability to go unnoticed into the Hidden Village of Sound. If Akamaru would go with them, they would be spotted in no time and they would be ambushed. It was the first time that Kiba went on a mission with Akamaru, and it was hard to say goodbye to his partner. A few teardrops left his eyes as he ruffled Akamaru's fur in a spur of affection.

"See you later, Akamaru," he whispered affectionately, before turning around, joining the other members of his team. He turned around once to wave at Akamaru, and the second they left the village gates, they were gone.

"I hope they'll be successful this time," Ino whispered slightly as she wiped away the remains of her salty tears on her cheek. She smiled at Chouji, who still had his gaze fixed on the gate.

"Don't worry. As long as Shikamaru is with them, they'll be alright. Besides, they are all capable ninja's, they'll be fine," Chouji said, smiling as he turned around. "Let's go eat some barbecue meat!"

"Chouji! For once, think about something else then eating!" Ino yelled, half agitated, half laughing as they made their way to Chouji's favorite restaurant.

Behind them, Asuma, Shizune, Raidou and Kurenai snickered as they heard the banter from Ino and Chouji continuing. All four of them were scared; not only for their students, but for their friends as well. Even if Gai could be a pain in the behind at times with his 'youthful rivalry' with Kakashi. Kakashi was a friend of all of them as well; they had supported him during his rough period after the death of Obito; the yondaime and Rin soon following. And there was Genma, good old Genma, who could be serious yet chivalrous at the same time.

They all knew what this mission entitled, and held in their breaths as soon as they heard who were issued to go, but they trusted every last member of the team, and knew that the Fifth had made a wise decision to let them go.

Her last order had worried them slightly though, it wasn't an uncommon thing that the mission would be sooner then expected, but they'd never expected it to be moved up one week. Kurenai turned around slightly, looking at the wide open gates, staring at the leafs as the wind moved them. Chouji was right. As long as these eight capable ninja would go to rescue Sasuke and Sakura, everything would be alright.

All they could do at the time was to have faith in every single one of them.

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"Okay, perhaps we miscounted," Kisame grinned slightly as soon as he stepped outside the hotel. The entrance was surrounded with ANBU members. Their white tops, tattoos and masks revealed their identities. Forty ANBU members or so were scattered; some holding a kunai in their hands, while others held shurikens or nothing at all. They were all silent and just watched as Sakura first left the building, followed by Kisame and Itachi, and finally Deidara.

"Oh no Salmon-chan, you don't say," Deidara sarcastically remarked. Sakura stood next to him, amazed how Deidara could change from a light-hearted, crazy guy, to the serious, sarcastic Deidara standing next to her. She also noticed that he was aggravated. Faintly, she wondered if she was the cause of his mood swing, or the Hunter nins. She watched as Kisame and Itachi walked further towards the nins, leaving Deidara and Sakura alone.

"You know, I knew that they would send out shinobi to capture me after I left Konoha," Sakura said softly. "I just never imagined that they would send out entire squads."

Deidara's eyes slowly softened as he heard her talk. She was right, she was a missing nin now and she would have to fight every Hunter nin off her back. It was difficult though, to fight against your former team, or even your fellow shinobi. Silently cursing himself for acting like a jerk, he hesitantly lifted his hands, putting it on her shoulder in a spur of affection. Sakura turned around, her sea-foam green eyes widened at the contact, as she tried to read the look in Deidara's eyes.

He knew she was expecting him to say something, but he didn't know what to say. He watched as she bit her lip softly, still waiting for Deidara to say something. In an agonizing slow pace, Sakura proceeded to moisten her lips with the tip of her tongue. That's when he felt his control slipping away until it was banished into a far corner of his mind, and he did precisely what he shouldn't have done.

He grabbed her shoulders while turning her around. The surprise on her face was evident, but he didn't pay any attention as he moved forward and captured her lips with his own.

The kiss was chaste, gentle and lingering. Deidara could faintly taste the cherry balm she used on her lips before he backed off to see her reaction. It was just like he had thought it would be; she was shocked. Her eyes were widened, her lips slightly parted.

He could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't angry with him, just shocked. He remained silent for a little while longer, weighing the consequences of the decisions he could make. Lost in the sea-foam color of her eyes, he made his decision and removed his hands from her shoulders.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan, I don't know what came over me… yeah," Deidara apologized as he averted his eyes from hers.

"Let's go." Deidara turned around without even a second glance at Sakura and flashed out of her sights within seconds.

What was that all about?

She silently shook her head and concentrated on focusing her chakra to her feet, giving her more speed as she tried to catch up with the Akatsuki members. It didn't take long for her to get there though. The battle had already begun, she could tell because several ANBU members were lying lifeless on the ground.

She landed swiftly and before she could turn around to see where Itachi, Kisame and Deidara were, a kunai was thrown at her, followed by a kick in her stomach. The air escaped her lungs as she was punched in the gut, followed by an uppercut. Sakura felt her strength leave her as the hands of the unknown ANBU member left hers.

Damn… He's draining my chakra whenever he hits me…

Gritting her teeth, she drew chakra to her hand, releasing the inhuman strength punch that Tsunade had taught her. The ANBU member blocked it, yet the immense power of her punch knocked him off his feet. She quickly stood up as the ANBU members tried to regain his composure, shrugging off any dust.

"Impressive. I wouldn't have expected anything different from a student of the Fifth," the ANBU member sneered from behind his mask.

"You know about me?" Sakura asked as she crouched down in her battle position. "What's your name?"

He snorted, before discarding his mask. His dark hair and light blue eyes were unmistakable. It was the Mist nin from before. He grinned before mimicking Sakura's movement, crouching down as well.

"The name is Tooya," he replied. "I'll tell you the last name when I die."

"Charming," Sakura remarked sarcastically, before she formed the seals to activate one of her medical jutsu. Tooya stood there quietly, not moving an inch, as if he waited for her. As she completed her jutsu, she threw one of her shuriken towards him, trying to distract him. She jumped up, waiting for him to make his move, but the shuriken hit the target. Sakura gasped as she realized that he had used a Replacement technique, and frantically searched the ground for any signs of the Mist nin.

She felt him re-appear behind him, and just as she tried to strike him down, his hands grabbed her wrists in a firm grasp. She could almost feel the smirk on his lips as his hot breath caressed her ear.

"I'm not interested in fighting that Uchiha, or a fight with Hoshigaki," he grinned before continuing. "I hope we'll meet again, Haruno-san."

And just like that, Tooya disappeared into thin air. Sakura landed on her feet quietly, trying to search the vicinity for any more ANBU members before Kisame's form stepped out of the bushes.

"Eighteen," Kisame said, as he grinned, showing his sharp teeth. He caught her look of confusion and chuckled. "We always play a game to see who killed most shinobi. I got eighteen"

"Twenty-seven," Itachi's smooth voice came from behind Sakura. She turned around quickly, to see Itachi standing there, looking almost unfazed. Kisame cursed slightly before turning around.

"Let's get going," he grumbled, apparently still aggravated that he had lost their little game.

Itachi nodded before he took a few steps towards Kisame. He turned around to see Sakura standing still, exactly where he had found her. Cocking his head slightly, he stared at her, trying to figure out why she was quiet all of the sudden.

"Is there something wrong, Sakura-san?" Itachi questioned her; the impassive look in his eyes never left. Her head shot up in amazement; Uchiha Itachi just asked her if everything was alright?

Okay, whatever Deidara had for lunch, Itachi probably shared it with him, he is acting out of character.

"Nothing's the matter Itachi-san," she smirked slightly as she tried to find a weak point in his system. "Why do you ask?"

His face never changed and he retained his poker face during the short pause that entered their conversation.

"I have no need for shinobi who freeze whenever this kind of thing happens," he answered coldly. Itachi turned around and joined with Kisame, obviously waiting for her to come with them.

"Where's Deidara?" Sakura asked as she swirled around, trying to find her friend. She felt uncomfortable after that kiss, and he probably did too. Sakura just wanted to clear the air with him; Deidara was her best friend at the moment, and losing him as a companion would be a huge loss.

"Gone," Kisame answered. "He's gone to Sasori, claiming he had a mission. I reckon he has had enough of us for a couple of days."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked confusedly.

"Deidara isn't used to being hunt at. That, together with the fact that that mouth on his hand drains his chakra at the same speed as my Samehada does increases his chances of dying," Kisame replied off-handedly.

"Why does the mouth on his hand draw that much chakra?" she asked quietly, wanting to know more about Deidara's medical conditions.

"I don't know, I don't have a bloodline limit," Kisame shrugged. "Itachi-san knows more about bloodline limits then I do."

"That mouth is a bloodline limit?" Sakura asked incredulously. "He never told me."

Itachi, who had ignored the entire conversation, turned around to face the both of them.

"If we want to go, we should go now," he said smoothly. Sakura and Kisame nodded, following obediently as Itachi led the way to their new destination; Grass.

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"Home at last… yeah," Deidara sighed as he kicked the wooden door open. His home was located deep in a forest near Cloud, and nobody had ever discovered him there. He glanced at his clock. Three more hours before Sasori would come and they would discuss their plans. Sighing again, he ripped off his Stone forehead protector and threw it on one of the chairs, undressing from his Akatsuki robes as well.

These past couple of weeks were crazy and he was acting out of character. All because of Sakura. Unconsciously, his fingertips touched his lips as he remembered the softness and warmth that radiated from her lips. She tasted like cherries, like he had expected her to.

He groaned as he tried to remove the images of Sakura out of his system and undressed as he made his way to his bathtub. As soon as the tub was filled with the warm water, he discarded his last pieces of clothing and slid into the tub, letting out another sigh, this time of satisfaction.

Itachi and Salmon always pick out hotels without bathtubs. I'm Akatsuki, not a dog. I need a bath; showers get on my nerves gradually.

Placing his arms on each side of the tub, he relaxed slightly, allowing his head to drop down slightly. His bloodline limit had taken its toll and his chakra was depleted to a minimum after their last fight. He had excused himself from Kisame and Itachi right after, telling them about his mission. He hadn't been looking forward to go on a mission with Sasori, but it was a requirement from him to stay with his teammate during missions.

Nevertheless, the mission would be a pleasant distraction from a certain pink-haired kunoichi whose heart belonged to a dark-haired Uchiha. Who had willingly betrayed his village for the likes of Orochimaru. Deidara snorted as he remembered Orochimaru. It was a year after his entrance into Akatsuki that Orochimaru had left, yet he would never forget the look on Sasori's face when he found out that his teammate split, and that he was going to be paired up with Deidara; another art lover.

Initially, he loved having somebody to talk with; but when he found out that Deidara liked the art of clay more than puppets, their usual interesting conversations turned into useless banter. Deidara let out another sigh before he pulled out his tie in his hair, letting it fall loosely around his face.

He noticed how his hair had grown quickly, now reaching his shoulder blades.

Damn hair is getting too long.

He let out a groan of frustration as he remembered who else had hair that length. The only difference in their hair would be the fact that hers was pink, instead of his blond hair. Gritting his teeth, he sank further into the tub, demanding his mind to stop thinking about her.

Damn hormones.

The last thing Deidara remembered before lulling off into a deep slumber was her distinct taste, and the warmth of her lips.

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A/N: Lots of Deidara x Sakura goodiness in this chapter huh? Don't worry, I know this is an ItaSaku story, hence why there's Itachi x Sakura smex in the next chapter. But since this is a love triangle, it's only right for Deidara to have some action as well, no?

I'm very sorry if the chapter bored you, I'm not very satisfied with it either.

See you next time!

-- MitsukiShiroi