Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.
A/N: Thanks for your wonderful response for the previous chapter. Here's the next one. Enjoy!
The Truth behind the Mask by elle6778 – Chapter 9
Beta-ed by littleredcoat
"Where is the shrine?"
Sakura could feel alarm rising within her. Something was definitely not right. The shrine had to be here because she clearly recalled standing by this tree when Kagami had brought them here. The fact that she was now standing in the same spot staring at a level piece of land dotted with trees instead of a hill made her feel as if she was immersed in some kind of sick nightmare. The whole thing seemed surreal and she had to resist the urge to slap herself just in case this wasn't real.
And then it struck her.
Abruptly, she spun towards Itachi. "What is the meaning of this?"
Unfazed by her question, he regarded her silently.
"Is this one of your famous unbreakable genjutsu?" she asked, her voice rising with each word.
His brows furrowed very slightly. "I assure you that you're not under a genjutsu at the moment. You could have been earlier."
This did not make sense. She would have known if she was caught in a genjutsu. Besides, she had executed the dispelling technique when she had grown suspicious earlier. Her accusation against Itachi did not make sense either. Because as much as Itachi wanted to return her to Konoha, he would want to find Sasuke more. She was not as important to him as his little brother. So no, if this was a genjutsu, it was not Itachi's doing.
Her brain felt like it was about to explode. Her confusion about how she had ended up being tied up like this was foremost in her mind, but her concern for Deidara and Sasuke came close. Those two things were bad enough without her adding on the sheer panic that was buzzing right under her skin at the fact that she was now at Itachi's mercy. But she couldn't deal with the whole mess with Itachi now even though his very presence made it impossible for her to completely ignore it.
"So what's happening?" she whispered under her breath.
The last thing she remembered was waiting for Deidara and Sasuke in the reception room in the shrine. Now both of them were gone. What did that mean? Sasuke might have left with Kagami because he thought of her and Deidara as strangers and distrusted them. But how could Deidara's disappearance be explained? Did he follow them? Or did they force him along?
There was only one thing she could do.
"I need to find them," she muttered, wriggling her wrists in the attempt to loosen the bonds. These ties were not new to her and with time, she could probably get out of it. But time was something she didn't have.
"And how are you planning on doing so?" he asked mildly.
She frowned thoughtfully. Her best bet was to ask Naruto for help but she could hardly do it with Itachi standing right there. If she called upon Naruto, Itachi would realize that her friend had known where she was all along and had not bothered to report to Konoha. Something like that could be used against Naruto when the time came for Tsunade to pick a successor. She could not risk it.
She had to get rid of Itachi, and then contact Naruto.
As if he had read her mind, he intoned, "Do not attempt to escape me, Sakura. I will simply find you again."
She ground her teeth together before darting a resentful look at him. "Look. Why don't you just let me do this on my own? I swear, I'll return to Konoha once I find Sasuke."
Maybe, she added inwardly. Returning to Konoha meant that she would face the consequences of her actions and she would have to deal with her actions and some even more unpleasant stuff. But that wasn't the only problem, was it? Returning to Konoha also meant that her partnership with Deidara would be over. Even though it was inevitable, she had avoided thinking about ending their association for months. And now, with their relationship taking a new turn it would be even more difficult.
"You forget that Sasuke is my brother. I will search for him," Itachi declared mildly, interrupting her troubled thoughts.
Unwilling to give in, she tried again, "Then maybe we should just split up and look for him. We can cover more ground that way."
Itachi's tone was dry. "I will not be leaving you, Sakura. Understand that I'll find you even if you manage to escape."
Great. Think, Sakura, think. But her mind came up blank She had no idea how to shake Itachi, and the longer she spent with him the more she felt she was about to lose her grip on things. This situation only spelled trouble. She needed to escape but he was too wary of her moves now for her to take any action. Her only hope would be some sort of distraction or to wait until he let his guard down. The latter was highly unlikely. Who had ever heard of the great Uchiha Itachi letting his guard down?
He had done so once, a small voice at the back of her mind whispered. He had been caught unaware once.
She gave herself a mental shake. No, she would not think of that time, she vowed resolutely. The important thing now was to focus on her current predicament.
"I really need to find both Sasuke and Deidara. Surely you can understand that."
There was an odd flicker in his eyes. "I will find Sasuke after returning you to Konoha."
"But you can't!" she protested vehemently. She did not want to return to Konoha, not just yet. "Let me help you find Sasuke," she offered quickly.
He eyed her thoughtfully for a moment before he spoke. "Your skills might be useful."
She felt a brief burst of pride at his acknowledgement of her abilities. A second later, it was replaced by disgust. Why should she care what he thought of her? When it had mattered the most, he had failed to take into account how she felt. And now it was too late.
Swallowing her bitterness, she agreed, "Yes, I can help." Looking into his eyes unflinchingly, she stated, "You'll need to untie me, though."
"No."
Frustrated, she snapped, "I need to find them! You can't expect me to go around tied up like this. How useful do you think I'm going to be to you without the use of my hands?"
"If you wish to have the bonds removed, you will submit to a tracking jutsu," he returned smoothly.
She glared at him. There was no way she would allow something like that to be placed on her. Once these sorts of techniques were placed, no one could remove them except the person who had placed them there in the first place, or if one knew the special way to disable them. Unfortunately, she had no clue how to remove a tracking jutsu. Which meant that Itachi would always know where to find her, and that was not acceptable. The alternative of being physically tied up like this was preferable, especially since she had a small chance of escaping the bonds.
When she continued to glare mutely at him, he continued, "I take your silence to mean that the chakra bond remains."
"It will attract attention."
"Not if you're shielded by a genjutsu."
She gave him an incredulous look. "You're planning on casting a continuous genjutsu on me?" The amount of skill and chakra needed for such a thing were not things she could comprehend. It only served to remind her of the gap between them.
"To avoid unwanted attention."
Knowing that she had reached a dead-end, she relented, "Fine." And then she frowned at him. "They have a bit of a head start, but searching for them will still take some time. Don't you need to get back to Konoha?"
"Not immediately."
What did he mean by that? His face betrayed nothing of his thoughts, as usual. She hated how it made her feel, like he could be thinking anything at all and she had no idea what it was. Worse, she would be subjected to this feeling of edginess the whole time as they searched for Deidara and Sasuke. How was she supposed to survive this experience in one piece?
"Look, I still think we should split up," she tried again.
"How do you think I found you, Sakura?"
Thrown by the sudden change in subject, she could only blink at him. In her panic earlier, she hadn't thought to wonder how he'd found her. Her mind had been filled with potential routes of escape. But now that he had brought it up, was he implying that he had been following them all this time?
"How?" she asked flatly.
He smirked slightly, the first sign of real emotion she had seen on him today. "If you wish to locate your partner speedily, it is best that you remain by my side."
She felt a jolt at his words, her mind conjuring unpleasant thoughts about the past before she latched on to the real meaning of his words. "You've been tracking us?" she asked incredulously.
"Aa."
What the hell? It was impossible. She had checked herself and Deidara just before they moved away from the Earth Country hideout two weeks ago and had found nothing which suggested that they had been tagged by Itachi. Instead, she had found the new clay tracker Deidara had placed on the inside of her boots. Deidara hadn't even bothered to hide it this time, considering the size of the smear of clay. He obviously did not care if she knew he wanted to keep tabs on her.
But if what Itachi said was true, then he would be able to find Deidara much faster than she ever could. It meant that they would find Sasuke faster as well.
Taking a deep breath, she turned to Itachi and said, "Let's go then."
000
000
Several hours into their journey through Spring Country, the sun gradually disappeared down the horizon. It had taken him some time to pick up the trail of his chakra which directed them eastwards. Usually he saw his chakra trail as a translucent blue string which followed the path in which it travelled. This time however, this time the chakra trail appeared as broken wisps of blue, which suggested to him that there were some form of cloaking at play. He had lost the trail once so far, but fortunately it had not taken long for him to relocate it.
What was perplexing was that even though he should be able to sense Deidara and Sasuke's chakra, he had not done so thus far. Ever since Sakura and the Iwa nin had followed the miko into the shielded area, it was almost as if their presences were completely erased. If the miko was utilizing the same shielding method as they travelled, it meant that Itachi would never be able to detect their chakra. He could only rely on the tracking jutsu placed on Deidara.
The journey was made in silence so far. Even though such silence was something Itachi usually appreciated, on this occasion he found himself wishing Sakura would say something. In the past, she usually filled awkward silences with her cheerful words and sunny smile.
Things were so different now.
On a superficial level, Sakura was physically different from the girl he had known. Her clothing was black, the color favored by missing nins. Instead of the soft pink hair and bright green eyes, she had stark black hair and muted brown eyes. The contrast was unsettling, jarring even. He preferred her as she had been before.
As for her personality, this new Sakura was nothing like her old self. The bubbly personality and the idealistic outlook had been extinguished over the year she had spent in the Uchiha clan. Now, there was no sign of the dejected girl who had left Konoha. The Sakura walking by his side now was self-assured and confident. She had been strong in the past, but that strength was the product of raw skills. Her time as a missing nin only refined her abilities further. She was not someone to be taken lightly.
Even now, he suspected that she was plotting a way to escape from him. That could be one of the reasons for her silence, but he also suspected that she simply did not want to talk to him. This realization did not sit well with him.
He glanced to the side to find her frowning at the path before her as she walked steadily forward. All this time, she continued to maintain a generous two feet distance between them, as if she disliked being close to him. In the past, when she had only known him as Sasuke's brother, she had never objected to his presence. And when she had joined his squad later, she had not shown such aversion to his company either. It was only when things had gotten out of hand between them during their marriage that everything fell apart.
And he only had himself to blame for it.
His control over his emotions was broken briefly, and revealed the fool in him which yearned for closeness between them. And once again he told himself that it was impossible. Or was it? He was no longer certain. There were too many angles to consider and there were too many unknowns to factor in. In the end, he supposed that what he wished for was an explanation of what had happened that last time they had been together in Konoha. Something told him that particular topic was definitely not something Sakura would broach willingly. Still, there must be something he could say to ease this distance between them.
"Are you weary?" he asked, the words escaping his lips before he had the time to realize just how inane he sounded. Making idle conversation was not an area in which he excelled.
Sakura obviously thought so as well, for she eyed him with undisguised suspicion. "No," she replied abruptly before turning away.
The tense silence descended upon them again. Itachi sighed inwardly, deciding that perhaps it would be wiser for him to refrain from speaking lest he made the situation worse.
They reached an area particularly dense with hot springs and the accompanying steam clouding the night air. Much to Itachi's frustration, the steam made it increasingly difficult for him to keep track of the trail of his chakra. Keeping his eyes on the wisp of blue, he followed eastward until it disappeared from sight.
"Is something wrong?"
She was wearing a mild frown of concern. He was about to deny it but instead he found himself saying, "This atmosphere is not ideal for tracking."
She scanned the area around them. "But your tracking jutsu is still working?"
"Not perfectly," he admitted.
"Are we going to lose them then?" she asked worriedly. "Do you have any idea where they could be heading to if the trail disappears?"
Itachi wondered whether her anxiety stemmed from losing track of Sasuke or Deidara. It was most likely both. Turning his attention back to the tree-lined path ahead, he said, "I suspect they are moving towards Lightning Country."
In light of the information he had received from his crow, the direction they were heading towards gave Itachi some cause for concern. It was too much of a coincidence. He had suspected years ago that Sasuke had been tasked by Fugaku to find the tablet for the Uchiha clan, so was the amnesia just a cover? Was Sasuke in full possession of all his faculties and was in fact tracking down the stone tablet for Fugaku all these years he had been absent?
If that was the case, how was Itachi to protect his little brother from being prosecuted by Konoha for what was clearly a treasonous act? How was he to report anything of this event to the Hokage without getting both Fugaku and Sasuke into trouble? How was he going to protect both Sakura and Sasuke from their own foolish actions?
"Are we moving or not?"
He slanted a glance at her to find her scowling impatiently at him. The expression was not one he was accustomed to seeing on her, he realized. Back in Konoha, she had only ever been pleasant to him, despite his abominable treatment of her.
Recalling her question, he replied, "We will rest here until dawn."
Her scowl darkened. "This isn't the time to rest. What if we lose the trail? Let's carry on."
Giving her an implacable look, he said, "We'll move at dawn." Which was only several hours away. "Besides, the trail is indistinct from here onwards."
She opened her mouth to protest but her jaw clamped shut before she said anything. Exhaling loudly, she turned away from him and settled at the base of a tree just next to a steaming hot spring. Without another word, she pointedly turned her face away from him and shut her eyes.
With an inward sigh, Itachi chose a spot where he could clearly see her and settled down to rest. His lips quirked slightly when he realized that he was watching her again. He had spent so much time watching her in the past which in hindsight was foolish of him. Things might have turned out better if he had simply confided in her. Ironically, now that he was willing to talk, she did not trust him enough to do the same. The situation had been the opposite before she left Konoha.
Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to remember one day when he had deliberately followed her to check on her well-being.
Months had gone by since the wedding and with each day that passed he grew more and more troubled. He had not expected Sakura to hold out this long when it was clear that she was miserable. Even though he was almost never in Konoha, he could tell that she was unhappy.
She had never noticed that he had been watching her, monitoring her. He had always painstakingly made sure that she would never find out. It would not do to allow her to suspect that he cared for her well being and happiness. Such a thing would defeat his purpose in driving her away.
This morning, hidden from view behind a large stone sculpture with his chakra masked, Itachi followed the movement of the pink-haired kunoichi as she exited the convenience store within the Uchiha compound. A couple of Uchiha girls paused briefly, before snickering and turning away. Sakura's shoulders slumped slightly in reaction before she noticeably forced herself to straighten and walk away.
Outside the apothecary, an aproned elderly lady intercepted her. Sakura smiled at her, but there was wariness in those green eyes.
He was close enough to hear the elderly lady say, "Take this, Sakura. It might help."
Sakura took it. "What is it for?" she asked politely.
The elderly lady lowered her voice, but not low enough that passersby could not hear. A good number of Uchihas heard her say, "Herbs for fertility."
Sakura winced visibly, while Itachi closed his eyes with a pained sigh. The elderly lady meant well but this was certainly getting out of hand.
Incredibly, the only thing Sakura in response to the lady's words was, "Thank you, Uchiha-san. You're very kind."
The elderly lady patted her arm before she disappeared back into the apothecary.
Sakura stood staring at the packet of herbs in her hand. Then she placed it in her basket with the rest of her purchases, and continued to walk with her head held up proudly. But it was clear that she was upset from her white-knuckled grip on the basket.
Itachi retreated back into the shadows. This was not the pink-haired girl he had known. This was not the kunoichi he had taken on in his squad for her ANBU practical training. Before this entire debacle of a marriage had begun, he had admired her feistiness and exuberance. Perhaps even her frequent outburst of temper, for displays of emotion were something that he had to suppress more often than not. She had been full of life and she had been happy. The Sakura he had known would have told everyone to mind their own business and most likely thrown their insults back at their faces. She was also a formidable kunoichi, a fact that most people in the Uchiha compound seemed to have forgotten. One who rivaled Tsunade in skills. Skills which were now completely wasted in the Uchiha compound.
He could see that she was trying her hardest to fit in, but Sakura was not suited so such a life. It was clear that she was suppressing her true personality. She had not been brought up to accept that her main purposes in life were to be a good wife and a good mother to her children.
Why had she not annulled the marriage as he had predicted? Surely she had enough reasons to do so by now. He was not able to break off the commitment they made to each other for two reasons. First, if he made the move, she would be shamed because Konoha would see it as if he had discarded her. Secondly, he couldn't afford to risk Fugaku's displeasure, which would then throw into question Itachi's own. And he needed the clan to think that he thought of the clan first and his own needs last. He needed the clan to be on his side to ensure that they did not resurrect that horrifying idea of a coup again.
Even though years had passed since then, he still felt a chill at the recollection of the council's proposal to exterminate the entire Uchiha clan. Against all odds, he had managed to convince them that Fugaku could be persuaded to back down, and that the only thing that was required was for the administration to offer the Uchiha something that convinced them of it. The Sandaime had understood his intentions. In the next meeting with the Uchiha, he had hinted that the Hokage was the strongest shinobi in Konoha and with Itachi's skills, he was certainly in the running.
Fugaku had no notion that by backing down, he had saved the lives of all in his clan.
Itachi shook the memories away, even knowing that they would resurface against his will. He had done all he could to maintain peace but it was a tenuous one. The Uchiha were once again growing restless and, much as he disliked to admit it, greedy.
And it was up to him to make sure that the council did not propose the extermination of his clan again.
000
000
Sakura cracked open her eyes.
This was more than a little risky, she thought as she peered through the slits of her eyes at Itachi, who appeared to be asleep. He had cast a genjutsu to hide her, but it also meant that he would be attuned to her every movement. She was certain he was not unaware of this fact.
She had a plan, but she would need to be doubly careful. Keeping that thought in mind, she very gradually circulated her chakra. See, what Itachi probably hadn't realized was that she was close enough to the Hokage to be privy to a lot of confidential information, and one of those pieces of information was the characteristics of the chakra bonds used by the Konoha ANBU. The chakra bond activated when there was a sudden upsurge in chakra in the restrained individual, and when that occurred it would work to block the chakra pathways completely. So long as one's chakra level did not increase abruptly,the bonds remained dormant.
"It was a painfully slow process which required precise control of one's chakra, and even with her above-average skills Sakura had to focus all her attention on her chakra network to make sure most of it was gradually directed to her wrists. It would not do to end up with her entire body glowing with energy because that would definitely gain Itachi's attention.
After what seemed like forever, she finally managed to gather enough chakra to slowly stretch the bonds. She struggled to keep her keep her breathing even, but it was difficult with all the effort she was expanding to release her wrists. Her eyes slid to Itachi and stayed there, needing to know that he was still asleep. His chest was rising and lowering evenly but he could be faking it. But why would he? It was not as if he suspected her of being able to get out of the bonds, right?
Eventually, the chakra bonds loosened enough to simply fall off her wrists without her moving a single muscle. She kept her breathing steady, not wanting to alert Itachi. Her entire body was flooded with chakra now, ready for her to move on to the next step in her plan.
Speed. Speed was what she needed now, she told herself as she mentally prepared for the next step in her plan.
In less than two seconds, her hands were flipping through the seals for a teleportation jutsu.
And she was gone.
000
000
Itachi's eyes snapped open at the sudden flare of chakra to find Sakura missing from where she had been resting. Jumping to his feet, he studied the empty spot with a sinking sensation.
What had he expected? She had made no secret that she wasn't willing to travel with him, even if he could assist in finding Sasuke and her partner. It was just another proof that she did not trust him. Lips thinning in irritation and self-loathing, he activated his Sharingan to study the area. The chakra bonds were resting at the base of the tree, clearly useless considering their frayed state. How had she managed to remove them at all? He had to find out because if she could escape from the bonds, so could someone else with the right knowledge.
And then his Sharingan picked up the telltale signs that she had teleported away.
With a few deft twists of his fingers, a murder of crows exploded into existence and spread out upwards in the sky. Five minutes later, he received information of her whereabouts and did not hesitate in transporting himself there immediately. He appeared some miles to the east of where they had been and immediately caught her trail. She was still heading eastwards and was about half a mile away from him.
He gave chase.
It did not take him long to come to the conclusion that tracking Sakura was not an easy task. The Sakura his crow had detected was only a clone, something he should have suspected because his crow had recognized her chakra signature and the real Sakura had never revealed this in the entire time of their travel. Her chakra control was so good that her masking never wavered.
Annoyed with his uncharacteristic mistake, he dismissed the crows and created two clones instead and then sent them out in opposite directions to find her. She could be anywhere by now.
It took him the rest of the night to pick up her trail. Dawn had arrived when his Sharingan finally noticed a faint sign of her chakra which betrayed the location where she had appeared from the teleportation jutsu and from there, there was a faint streak heading north-east. The fact that she had let slip so much meant that her chakra supply was dwindling and was causing her to lose control. It did not surprise him considering the amount of chakra she had used to teleport herself so far east. Still, her weariness would only benefit him, as it would only mean that it would not take long for him to catch up with her.
Half an hour later when the trees in the landscape had given way to a terrain filled with pebbly high and low lands, he caught sight of a streak of black. He immediately made a beeline for her. She was faster than she had been back in Konoha, but despite the improvement he was gaining on her. Even without a single backward glance, she obviously knew that he was right behind her, because suddenly her chakra flared and she surged forward faster, lengthening the distance between them once again.
Foolish girl, he thought as he directed chakra to his feet, feeling his own chakra store deplete further. The crows he had summoned, the clones, keeping his Sharingan active, and all his teleportations were taking their toll as well as keeping his Sharingan active were taking their toll on his system. At the rate she was going, she would exhaust herself completely and leave herself completely vulnerable or even in danger of passing out. Was she truly so desperate to escape him that she wouldn't think twice about harming herself in the process?
Boosted by chakra, he finally caught up with her with a lunge and tackled her down. Her breath left her in a harsh exhale as she struggled and rolled to avoid his grip. Gritting his teeth, he followed her movements in an attempt to get a hold on her limbs. If he wasn't so concerned about giving her more reason to despise him, he would have simply knocked her out.
"Let me go, Itachi!" she hissed as she jumped to her feet, briefly disbalanced as the loose pebbles and rocks under her shifted.
He stood up and lunged again, only to suck in a pained breath as her elbow met his ribs. "Stay still," he bit out, aware that they were precariously close to the edge of the cliff they were standing on top of. "Why are you being so stubborn?"
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" she snarled as she twisted.
"Don't be foolish," he grated, his patience waning.
Just as he managed to clamp a hand on her arm, she twisted and the smooth pebbles beneath them gave way. Sakura let out an alarmed shriek as both of them fell. Without any chakra left to aid her, she was unable to keep her footing. And neither could he.
The next thing he knew, they were both rolling down a steep slope.
He curled around her, wrapping both arms around her as they slid and rolled down amidst the hard rocks and pebbles. She continued to struggle against him. A small fist glanced off his cheek and he winced, but he did not relent. Without chakra to stop their tumble downwards, he could only hold her as they continued to be dragged down by gravity.
By the time they skidded to a stop at the base of the hill Itachi's entire body was throbbing. As he glanced down at Sakura, he thought it was just was well that she was now unconscious. The exposed skin on her face and arms were streaked with cuts, and considering the way he felt he was certain that those were not her only injuries.
And then her eyes snapped open.
Before he could move out of the way, her fist met his jaw with a loud crack, and sent a burst of pain radiating across his face. With a loud hiss, he clamped his hands around her wrists and pinned her down to the ground with the rest of his body.
"Do not move," he warned, having had enough of her defiance.
He could feel the pressure of his Sharingan straining his eyes as he stared down at her and fought to keep his own temper under control. She was breathing hard, and glared up at him with wrong-colored eyes.
"Or what?" she spat back in challenge. "What will you do? Knock me out with your Sharingan?"
His jaw clenched. With some effort, he maintained a calm tone when he told her, "I do not wish to fight you."
"Then what do you want?"
Itachi tensed at the question while something in his chest clenched. What did he want? He wanted what he'd assumed he could not have, because he had thought that she belonged to Sasuke. His feelings had disgusted him because they were wrong but he could not seem to stop it. He had done everything he could to prevent himself from acting on it back then. But since then he had come to understand that he was mistaken.
How about now? What if he acted now? What if he showed her that he was not indifferent to her?
What would she do then?
000
000
A/N: Hope you've enjoyed that. Please review if you could. Thanks!
:elle6778: