CHAPTER 10- Kiku
Sakura was ripped out of her slumber by the noisy sound of her alarm clock. With a groan and still half-asleep, Sakura blindly reached out and turned the ever so annoying sound off before she rolled onto her left and forced her eyes to open.
It took some moments until her eyes adjusted to the darkness of her room and when they did, she was glad to see that it was still dark outside and that she still had some time to spare until she was supposed to meet Itachi at his office.
She took her sweet time with getting out of bed and decided that she still had enough time left to take a quick shower and thus, grabbed a fresh set of clothes and moved on to the bathroom.
The warm water that hit her tense body worked wonders on her still sore muscles and the pinkette savored the blissful feeling of the warm droplets of water that cascaded down her body for as long as she could before she had to get out of of the shower and get ready to meet Itachi.
As soon as she stepped out of the shower, she dried her body, got dressed and twisted her damp rosy hair into a braid in hope of looking at least somewhat decent before she glanced up at the mirror. Her face was slightly flushed from the shower that she just took, her hair didn't look as much of a mess as she had expected it to and the dark circles under her eyes were not as prominent as they were on most of the other days.
All in one, she was satisfied with the result for once. Her day seemed to start off pretty well and that was enough to instantly brighten her mood.
Humming, Sakura grabbed a bunch of files that Itachi had previously told her to read and put them into her backpack before she swung it over her shoulder and with one last glance at her apartment, left for the Hokage tower.
It didn't take her too long to reach her destination and within a matter of minutes she was standing in front of the familiar wooden doors of the Uchiha's office.
Sakura inhaled deeply before she lifted her arm and knocked on the door, the sound echoing through the empty hallway of the Hokage tower before she gently pushed the door open.
Just to find his office empty.
Now frowning, Sakura carefully scanned the office for any sign of the Uchiha or any traps that he may have planted somewhere in his office but much to her confusion, she couldn't find neither of the two after she examined the room for some more moments.
Sakura cautiously stepped inside and glanced out of the window to make sure that she was not too early or he simply too late, but the sight of the sun rising beneath the Hokage Monument swiftly proved that she was neither too late or too early and that Itachi was the one missing.
"Looking for the Hokage?"
Sakura's head whipped to the right at a speed that could have easily snapped her neck, surprised by the familiar voice that broke the silence that had previously filled the office.
Her body instantly relaxed at the sight that greeted her and Sakura fully turned around to face the familiar person that was leaning sideways against the door frame with a bored expression on their face.
Shikamaru.
"He told me to meet him here at dawn." She confirmed as she carefully studied Shikamaru's expression, not so sure if him being here was a good or bad sign.
Sakura has just recently heard from Ino that Itachi liked to send Shikamaru on some supposedly undercover and top secret errands that no one was supposed to get wind of because Shikamaru was known to rarely question anything as long as it didn't do anyone any harm. He would just do as told without mentioning it or anything related to whatever it was to anyone.
Shikamaru gave her a curt nod, his hands in his pockets and expression as bored as ever. "I know. There has been another incident last night involving three of our Jonin so he and the Clan Elders are holding an emergency meeting." He explained, and Sakura suddenly felt nauseous upon hearing the news.
Another attack?
"In what condition are they?" She questioned as she walked towards Shikamaru, whose expression turned grim as the two of them slowly exited the office and made their way down the hallway.
"One of them died at the scene, another one is currently in a coma and the third one managed to get away with only minor bruises but a nasty concussion." Shikamaru said, shaking his head. "Tsunade-sama is already examining the corpse and the two of us are supposed to meet her after we have interrogated the Jonin with the concussion."
Sakura nodded, relieved that Tsunade had already taken care of the three of them at the hospital as Shikamaru and her made their way out of the Hokage tower and towards the hospital.
"Who else knows that this has not been the first time something like this has happened?" Sakura asked as she turned to look at Shikamaru, who in return shrugged.
"Apparently more than the Hokage would like." He returned, the corners of his lips curling downwards. "He and Tsunade-sama are trying to keep the cause of their death on the low, but the clan elders are slowly getting suspicious and suspect that there is more to it- especially after you got poisoned, hence the sudden meeting."
Sakura sighed. She already expected Danzo and the rest of the council to get wind of what has happened, but now that the clan elders were also slowly starting to grow suspicious of the increasing amount of attacks on their Shinobi meant no good,especially for Itachi who, as the Hokage, had to take care of the mess whilst trying to keep everything on the low.
The pinkette inwardly winced, her heart going out for the Uchiha heir. That didn't sound like a fun and easy thing to do at all, especially since she knew how persistent and moody the clan elders could get once something didn't sit right with them.
Yes, even as a medic Sakura had to face some rather rude clan elders every once in a while- most of the time when one of the rather important clan members get seriously injured or harmed during one of their missions and Sakura was the lucky medic that was assigned to them.
"Do you think he is going to make it back in one piece?" Sakura wondered, the sarcasm that laced her voice not going unnoticed by her friend who in return smiled bitterly.
"Probably, but he is most likely going to be in one hell of a bad mood." He said, a small sigh following right after. "Such a drag."
Sakura smiled lightly, even though her thoughts were occupied with all kind of scenarios regarding the meeting. She just hoped that the clan elders wouldn't give him too much of a hard time and even though she knew that most of them liked Itachi and his way of handling Konoha, the ones who didn't would most likely use this very opportunity to give him a hard time and one hell of a headache.
She would have to visit the Hokage's office after she and Shikamaru interrogated the Jonin and talked to Tsunade to update him anyways, so she may as well check if was still alive and breathing.
The duo reached the hospital not too much later and after Sakura was told in which room the Jonin they were looking for was located in, they instantly made their way upstairs.
Having spent most of her time at the hospital for the past few years have taught her a lot and thanks to that, she could easily find any room or laboratory in her sleep if she needed to.
They were also fortunate that since it was still early in the morning, there weren't too many nurses rushing through the hallways that could bump into them because as annoying as it was, this was something that happened most of the time.
"We're here." Sakura informed her partner as they reached the room they were looking for. Two guards were placed in front of the door to prevent any outsiders from talking to the Jonin before his interrogation and upon seeing the familiar pink haired medic, they instantly gave her a low bow.
"Haruno-san, Tsunade-sama already informed us about your arrival." The right guard said, and Sakura shot him an amiable smile. She was quite familiar with the guards since it was mostly the two of them that got assigned to guard patients that were either a threat to the others or returned from a mission and needed to get interrogated before they'd get released, like this time.
She had told them dozen of times that they could simply call her by her name since she preferred it, but they wouldn't budge no matter how hard she tried.
"Thanks Shizuro, Kaito." She gave each of them a respective nod. "We won't take too long. I'll make sure to send someone to inform you about the durance of his guarded stay after I have talked to Tsunade." Sakura assured them, and they both simultaneously nodded in return.
"Understood."
Sakura glanced at Shikamaru who was already leaning against the opposite wall and watched their little exchange with a bored expression before she turned to the door and firmly knocked on its hard surface.
She waited for some moments, expecting the Jonin to call them inside but strangely, even after several minutes have passed there was nothing.
Sakura frowned before she turned her head to look at Kaito, who was standing to her right. "Is he still asleep?"
Kaito narrowed his eyes as he looked at Shizuro, who merely shook his head in return. "Yato-san was awake when I checked on him mere minutes before your arrival, Haruno-san."
Sakura's eyes narrowed before they fell on Shikamaru, who instantly pushed himself off the wall, expression hard as their eyes met.
The pinkette didn't waste any time and moved to open the door but as she tried to push it open, it didn't budge. She tried it for some more time to make sure that it wasn't just stuck but actually locked from the inside before she released the door and glanced at Shikamaru.
"It's locked from the inside, I can't get in." Sakura informed them as she backed off the door. She already had a feeling where this was going and so did Shikamaru.
"Locked?" Kaito asked, surprised. "Why would he suddenly lock himself in?"
Sakura merely cracked her knuckles in return as she channeled her chakra into her fists. "Looks like we'll have to look and find out."
With that, she rammed her fist into the door.
The poor door didn't last a chance and was harshly slammed against the opposite wall of the room the instant her knuckled graces its surface, catching Shizuro and Kaito by surprise.
Sakura didn't waste any time and was the first to go inside, instantly followed by Shikamaru and scanned the room. Just as she feareed, there was no sign of anyone being in the room.
Her eyes then slid over to the windows that were usually locked with a seal that served as a way of preventing the patients from escaping. Just medics knew how to unlock them but as her eyes settled on the right one, she was mildly surprised to find it wide open.
"When did you say was the last time you checked on him?" Sakura asked Kaito, who now looked slightly nervous whereas Shizuro was cursing under his breath.
"A couple of minutes ago, five at most."
Sakura nodded as she laid a hand on her forehead, trying to stay calm. If he was in his room mere minutes ago he couldn't have gotten far, especially since he probably still was somewhere at the hospital. In his state, he couldn't have climbed all the way down to the hospitals backyard and even if he miraculously managed to do so, he would have to cross it without getting noticed and then enter the emergency station and get through it in order to reach the hospitals entrance.
Just great. The only Jonin that survived was trying to escape the hospital for reasons unknown to them, and since that instantly made him a suspect they needed to find him before he could get away.
"He probably climbed through one of the open windows on the first, second or third floor." She swiftly informed them as she turned to Shikamaru. "Shika, you and I take the second and third floor. Shizuro, you take the first floor while Kaito goes and informs the secretaries at the entrance desk so that she keeps her eyes open and tells Tsunade and Shizune."
Kaito and Shizuro both gave her a small bow before she darted out of the room, both of them not wasting any time in fulfilling their assigned tasks.
"I'll take this floor." Shikamaru told her. "If you need any help, let me know."
Sakura shot him a grateful smile before she as well hurried off to the right while Shikamaru darted to the left. Sakura knew this hospital just as well as she knew her own home and if he was on the third floor like she suspected, she would find him.
The hospital had six floors in total, with the fifth and sixth holding either criminals who needed to get their injuries treated before their trials or the people who were a more complicated case and posed a threat to Konoha's citizens due to their mental state.
Shikamaru had filled her in on their loose patients data and thus, Sakura had a vague idea of what he looked like, but since he had no obvious injuries it would be harder to recognize him since a lot of people in Konoha had brown hair and brown eyes.
She would be damned if she would let him get away though.
Sakura rounded a corner and passed the elevator before she darted up the stairs, taking three at a time. Fortunately, this was nothing that she hadn't done before so she wasn't as exhausted as she should have been when she reached the top of the stairs.
Sakura looked around before she caught sight of a familiar nurse, Kiko, who was sitting behind the information desk of the third floor.
"Kiko-san!" She called, the fake smile that she plastered on her face concealing her distress as she jogged to the desk where said female was sitting behind.
Kiko's head snapped up, her short blonde hair a stark contrast to her surprised brown eyes as she noticed Sakura.
"Haruno-san!" Kiko called with a smile. She clearly didn't expect Sakura but was still genuinely pleased to see her, if the way her eyes brightened was any indication. "How may I help you?"
For a moment, Sakura hesitated. Kiko was one of the innocent kind and was too naive and nice for her own good. Sakura instantly grew very fond of her and was very protective when it came to the girl in her late teens.
"We got a 708." Sakura informed her, her voice calm yet firm so that she wouldn't alarm the poor girl any further. She watched how Kiku's smile dimmed, concern flashing in her dark eyes for the briefest of moments before she bit the inside of her cheek and nodded.
Everyone who worked at the hospital knew what that code stood for and how they had to act if this situation were to occur, like now. That still didn't mean that everything went according to plan and that everyone was able to fulfill their part, but they tried to do so for most part.
"Got it." Kiko said, typing something away on the computer. "I will inform the staff and doctors on the third floor."
Sakura smiled, grateful that Kiko tried her best to stay composed. "Thanks Kiko. No one is allowed to leave the floor until Tsunade or I say so, alright?"
Kiko mutely inclined her head, and Sakura offered her one last reassuring smile before she took off into the first hallway.
The white corridors were empty and silent as she hurried through them. Sakura used her chakra to scan the rooms without entering them, trying to find any chakra signature that may be out of place. She knew that he could have masked his chakra and hid in a room that was occupied with others, but their signatures would be distraught and instantly give their unwanted visitor away.
Sakura continued to hurry through the hallway and spent the following minutes looking everywhere for the Jonin but so far, she was unable to find him. It was when she reached the end of the second floor that she muttered a string of cursed under her breath, her expression grim as she turned on her heel and rushed back through the corridor.
It didn't look like Yato was on the third floor, so she had to tell Kiko that it was all clear and needed to hurry downstairs afterwards to help the rest in finding him before he could escape.
There was a small nagging voice in the back of her head that told her to stay alarmed nonetheless and the feeling in her gut warned her of upcoming danger but now matter how much she looked for him, she simply couldn't find him.
It was when she was halfway through the second floor on her way back when she felt a familiar chakra signature close to the information desk waver in an unsteady rhythm, forcing Sakura to an abrupt halt.
Her heart dropped.
Oh hell no.
Sakura instantly channeled her chakra into the soles of her feet and run towards the information desk as fast as she could, the concern that washed over her body sending a shiver down her back.
In a matter of seconds, Sakura reached her destination.
Standing in front of the information desk was who she presumed Yato, if the crazed look he wore and the messy brown hair was anything to go by. Yato's skin was pale and his pupils were dilated while the hand that was holding the syringe was shaking terribly, what was not a good sign. He was holding a clearly frightened Kiko in a choke hold with the syringe pointed at her neck, the poor girl shaking while silent tears streamed down her face.
Sakura knew that she had to options. The first one was to use a shadow clone and attack him from behind while she would try to get him release Kiku and knock him unconscious, what would prove to be a hard task given the state he was in.
The second option was to try to reason with him and whereas she had no idea if that method would work on him, she had to at least try to get him to calm down.
Besides, if option two didn't work she could always switch to option one anyways so in the end, she went for the second one.
"Yato-san, my name is Sakura Haruno and I am the one who you were supposed to meet up with." She started off, her voice calm yet firm so that she would not scare him away. "I would like to talk to you."
Yato visibly flinched as Sakura spoke his name and if anything, pulled Kiko even tighter towards him, earning a yelp from the blonde as her frightened brown eyes silently begged Sakura to help her.
"I know who you are!" Yato snarled, his voice rough and breathing uneven. "I won't tell you anything! You'll just make me end up like them and betray me after everything we have done for this village!"
Well that took an interesting twist really fast.
Sakura took a small step closer, confusion flashing in her eyes as she steadily held his gaze. "So Konoha betrayed you." She stated, her eyes flickering to Kiko for the briefest of moments before they settled back on Yato. "Why would Konoha betray a Jonin who has been nothing but a loyal Shinobi for his entire life?"
Yato's hand on the syringe tightened as he threw his head back and let out a dry, rasped laugh. "You know nothing about Konoha girl." He hissed, the tip of the syringe now gracing Kiko's skin, who in return let out a soft whimper. "They were right all along. Because of you I had to watch my teammates die and because of you I will be next if I don't leave as long as I can, so don't you dare come any closer or I swear that she'll die by my hand this very instant!"
Sakura knew that she had to act fast if she wanted both Kiko to get out of this unharmed and Yato knocked out cold so that he wouldn't go anywhere but unfortunately, it didn't seem like she would get any help from anyone on the floor anytime soon.
All of them either pointedly decided not to get involved in any of this or brushed it off as just another patient causing a fuss and whereas Sakura was glad that the other stayed out of harms way since she didn't want anyone to unnecessarily get endangered, she would have appreciated a little help.
Looked like this she was on her own and since asking him about the incident itself didn't seem to work, she tried another approach.
"We were able to save one of your teammates Yato." Sakura told him, her eyes narrowing as she took in the way Yato's entire body stiffened at her words. How come that he didn't know that? "What should we tell her when she wakes up and asks for you? You are her teammate and she'll need you when she wakes up, Yato-san. She wouldn't survive loosing both of her teammates."
Sakura's words seemed to have some sort of influence on him because Yato, for a moment, seemed conflicted. He lowered the syringe ever so slightly, guilt clouding his eyes as he thought back to his female teammate before his body started to shake.
"Shut up." Yato wheezed, a pained expression crossing his face as he tightened his hold on Kiku."Just shut up! You know nothing, I'll be the next one they'll get just because of all of you!"
The fright in his eyes and the desperation and fear in his voice chilled Sakura to the very bone.
Her heart dropped into her stomach upon hearing his words and even though she didn't know what had happened to him and his team on their mission to put him into such a state, it seemed like he was convinced that Konoha was somehow involved in the death of his teammate. Sakura highly doubted that this was the case, but she knew that this wasn't the right time to think about that.
He was nowhere near stable and the syringe that he had still pointed at Kiko's neck was shaking to a point where he could still hurt her, intentionally or not, so she forced her body forwards and channeled her chakra into her palms.
Sakura knew that she had to act quickly.
She darted forwards as fast as she could and the second she was in front of him, she grabbed his left forearm that he had wrapped around Kiko's neck, teared it off of the poor girl and used her chakra to push him a few meters backwards.
Kiko, now free, fell onto the ground and gasped for air as she hurriedly moved out of Sakura's way, who was trying her hardest to keep Yato restricted all by her own.
The medic had his arms twisted behind his back to restrict him but since Yato was taller and nowhere near sane at the moment, it was harder for Sakura to keep a tight grip on him, especially since he was a Jonin and easily knew how to get out of such a hold.
"Let me go!" The brunette roared as he thrashed from left to right in hope of getting Sakura's hold too loosen before he finally managed to free one of his arms.
Sakura gritted her teeth as she harshly rammed her elbow into his spine, causing him to stumble a few steps forwards but as she moved to grab the back of his neck he suddenly turned and in the next moment, a fist collided with her eye.
The impact caused Sakura to loosen her hold on his other arm as she staggered back because Yato seriously knew how to throw a punch.
A groan passed her lips as a wave of dizziness overcame her, the pounding of her head making it all worse. Even with her eyes closed she could feel Yato charge at her once more and this time, Sakura managed to dodge his fist before she forced her eyes open and swung her leg at him.
Yato, though, had reckoned her move and dodged it before he slammed his body against her, causing both of them to fall onto the ground.
Sakura gasped sharply at the sudden weight that kept her down and instantly tried to lift her knee, but his weight restricted her movements.
Then, she felt a sharp object being pointed at her neck that instantly made her freeze, emerald eyes glaring up at wide brown ones.
"Sakura-san!" She distinctly heard Kiko's frantic call, followed by a series of gasps and concerned murmurs. It seemed like the medics and patients have finally made an appearance and enjoyed the show.
Yato had both of her wrists locked in an iron grip behind her back and she knew that even if he were to free them somehow, he would ram the needle into her neck within the blink of an eye.
And that was something that she could live without.
"I am sorry, I really didn't want to do this, but I warned you." Yato muttered as he tightened the pressure on her wrists. "Konoha will have to pay sooner or later and in order to save my life, I'll have to take one of Konoha's."
Sakura gritted her teeth and knew that she had to free herself, now, so she did the only thing she could think of.
She slammed her head against his.
The force of it Caused Yato to momentarily lose his sense of orientation and that was all Sakura needed in order to channel chakra into her arms and to pull them upwards so that she was able to knock the syringe out of his hand with her elbow.
She then used her body weight to push him off of her and ripped her arms out of his grip before she kicked the syringe away.
Sakura then used her chance to push him on his back and used her own weight to keep him on the ground, her hands shooting out to grab both of his arms so that she could immobilize him.
"Let me go!" Yato roared, sturggling against her grip as Sakura turned her head to glare at the small crowd that had formed itself in front of the hallway.
"What the hell are you waiting for? Get the tranquilizer!" She yelled, and a handful of medics instantly rushed away to get what Sakura needed.
The pinkette shifted her eyes back on the man under her who was still fighting against her with all his might. She couldn't help but pity him, despite of him almost killing her and wondered just what his eyes have witnessed in order to hold so much fright.
Fortunately for her, the nurses didn't take too long and returned with two syringes of tranquilizer before they rushed to aid Sakura in restricting Yato while she used her teeth to take off the lid on the needle.
Yato's eyes fell back on Sakura and for a moment, his eyes seemed to plead with her not to keep him here.
Sakura hesitated, but as much as she wanted to do nothing more than to let him go she knew that she couldn't.
"I am sorry, but this is the only way to keep you safe."
And with that, she rammed the needle into his upper arm. She watched how Yato tried to struggle some more before the drug entered his system and his eyes became hazy before they fell close.
With a sigh, Sakura moved off of Yato and remained seated on the ground next to him with a heavy heart. Several medics including Kiko were by her side in an instant, asking her if she was alright and if she was hurting anywhere but Sakura instantly brushed them off, assuring them that she was alright.
"Sakura!" She heard Shika call and not even a second later he was by her side, accompanied by Tsunade and Shizune.
"What is going on?" Tsunade bellowed, eyes burning as they shifted from medic to medic. It seemed like she already got wind of Yato's escape even though she was supposed to be at the other side of the hospital, examining the other Jonin's dead body but Sakura couldn't complain.
While two of the medics lifted Yato up and onto a stretcher so that they could move him to what Sakura suspected the fifth floor, the remaining medics scurried out of Tsunade's sight with the exception of Kiko, who remained standing next to Shizune with a dazed look on her face.
Shizune, already having a vague idea of what happened during their absence reached out to gently pull Sakura back onto her feet, the pinkette shooting her friend a grateful smile as Kiku decided to answer the fuming Godaime.
"Yato-san was holding me hostage and Haruno-san took care of him." She summarized, still slightly shaking even though she put her bravest face on.
Tsunade's eyes shifted to Sakura and the blonde instantly caught sight of the pinkettes bruising eye, what didn't go unnoticed by Sakura.
"I can see that." Tsunade grimly noted, clearly disappointed that Yato managed to get a hit on Sakura. The blonde then turned to look at Kiko and gently grabbed her chin, tilting it up so that she could have a close look at her face. "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
Kiko, clearly surprised, meekly shook her head while Tsunade examined her eyes. She seemed to be in shock but other than that she seemed fine, so Tsunade released her hold on the girl before she looked back at her former student.
"Are you sure that you're okay, Haruno? It looks like he landed quite a punch." Tsunade commented as she took in the sight of Sakura's steadily darkening eye.
Sakura offered her a bitter smile in return, the pounding of her eye steadily increasing. "Yeah, it's nothing that I can't handle."
Shikamaru wisely refrained from commenting on Sakura's bruised eye, knowing that if he did he may end up with one himself and instead, watched how Yato was being carried away.
"At least he didn't get away." He commented, earning a nod in agreement from the Godaime in return as her eyes followed his line of vision..
"Indeed. It would have been a pain to get him back and at least now we can still interrogate him." Tsunade said, her lips pursed before she lifted her hands and massaged her temples, clearly annoyed by everything that was going on. The situation itself was already messy enough but now with Yato's rather uncooperative behavior, they all knew that things would get only more complicated.
"Shizune, make sure that the medics, patients and nurses don't let anything slip." Tsunade ordered, before she turned to Sakura and Shikamaru, a stern expression on her face. "Shikamaru, you're free to go. Sakura, you're coming with me. There are some things we need to discuss."
"You don't seem particularly interested in discussing this rather important issue."
Itachi's brow ticked out of annoyance as the clan elders continued their little cat fight, clearly unbothered by his presence.
It was no surprise, to him at least. It was no secret that some of the clan elders weren't too fond of one another what, though, didn't mean that they should waste all of their time by fighting like little children and throwing underhanded comments back and forth.
When a messenger arrived at his doorstep in the early morning hours and he received the information that an emergency meeting would be held at dawn, he knew that he wouldn't get out of it until the evening, much to his displeasure.
He had plans and whereas he was able to postpone his meeting with his advisor thanks to Shikamaru, it didn't make the issue at hand any better at all.
There had been another attack on some of their shinobi and whereas it was understandable that there would be an emergency meeting because of that, wouldn't it make sense to actually talk about the issue at hand?
Of course he didn't plan on reminding the elders of the incident since he didn't want them to get too deeply involved in it so their little fight was appreciated, but annoying nonetheless.
"Talk for yourself." Another elder huffed, eyes narrowed. "I, at least, state my opinion regarding the issue at hand and try to solve it unlike you, who seemingly finds it more interesting to analyze the remaining clan elders and the amount of words each of them speak per hour, Hyuuga."
Itachi could practically see Hiashi fuming from where he was seated, even though the Hyuuga concealed his anger by an impassive mask.
"Calm down gentleman, shouldn't we discuss the matter at hand?" Another one interjected, his pale green eyes narrowed. "Another one of our men died and the remaining two are currently at the hospital and suffer under their injuries. Don't you think that things are slowly getting out of hand and that we should actually do something instead of sitting here?"
Itachi's dark eyes slid to the one who spoke these words, the Yamanaka elder who seemingly tried to stir the conversation back towards him. The other clan elders mumbled in agreement and whereas the Hyuuga didn't seem to pleased, he reluctantly agreed as well.
All eyes turned to Itachi who was seated at the top of the table, slouched forward with his elbows resting on the long tables surface and his hands interlaced in front of him. He remained silent for most of the meeting, letting the elders do most of the talking and only interjecting when he deemed it necessary. This time however, it looked like he would have to set the record straight.
"We are in the middle of the investigation and two of our best Shinobi are currently interrogating one of them as we speak." Itachi spoke, the authority that his deep velvet voice held being enough to make the Clan elders straighten in their seats. "We will find the ones responsible for the attacks and they'll be punished according to Konoha's law."
Most of the times, a statement such as this would suffice and the topic would instantly be dismissed but since the elders seemed to be in an exceptional good mood this day, they didn't let go of the matter as quickly as he would have liked them to.
Then it started.
"It's not the first time that our shinobi got attacked, especially in such a short time-span, Hokage-sama." The Inuzuka elder commented as he casually leaned back in his seat.
"The attacks are becoming more frequent." Another one agreed. "I think that we are not doing enough to protect our men."
You are not doing enough to protect our men.
The tension that previously filled the room only increased and Itachi, of course, instantly noticed the message that laid beneath, his eyes narrowing sharply in return. Their arguments were ridiculous, and he would make sure to let them know what he thought about them. They were trying to set him under pressure, to get any reaction out of him that may let them get through to him, but Itachi didn't become the Hokage for no reason.
Itachi was not afraid to put the elders back into place if he needed to and many failed to remember this rather important detail. He would not tolerate such behavior, especially when they not so subtly tried to put the blame for the most recent events on him.
"Every Shinobi and Kunoichi of Konoha is aware of the burden that they have to carry in order to protect our village." Itachi firmly reminded them, the steely edge that his voice held not going unnoticed by the others in this room. "They decide to become a Shinobi willingly and know that every breath they take may be their last. The only way we can properly protect them is by getting rid of any threat to Konoha and whilst we are working on ridding Konoha from all its enemies, it's not something that can be done overnight, as all of you are aware of."
Itachi made sure to get his point across and judging by the way the temperature palpably dropped after his words and everyone remained silent for the following minutes, it worked. Itachi never liked conflict and wanted to take care of anything swiftly and without causing a commotion but thanks to them, it seemed like this time, he would have a harder time doing so.
"As true as it is, it doesn't change the fact that we have to do something." This time it was his father, Fukagu, who spoke up. Itachi wasn't surprised, for he knew that his father liked to openly disagree with him every once in a while, like this time.
He had his arms crossed above his chest and wore a grim expression as he looked at the other clan elders. "Konoha and its citizens just as well as its Shinobi and kunoichi need to get properly protected. We have to get rid of everyone who poses a threat to Konoha in any sort as fast as we can, regardless of what it takes to achieve that."
Murmurs of agreement followed his fathers words right after, and Itachi refrained from narrowing his eyes. "As I mentioned before, we are already working on that." He once more reminded them, but it didn't seem convincing enough to a certain trio.
"But not fast enough." Danzo commented, his cunning eyes boring through his. "We have to take more drastic measures and should consider involving ROOT to take care of the problem. This way, we can at least be certain that they will be properly taken care of once and for all."
Itachi tensed at his suggestion and openly displayed his displeasure upon hearing Danzo's suggestion. He never held much of Danzo's puppets and didn't plan on involving them or Danzo for that matter in any way. Itachi would take care of it his way and without Danzo's rats anywhere close to his investigations.
"I agree." Homura said, his raspy voice echoing through the room. "This way, many lives of Konoha's citizens would be spared and both our Shinobi and the people living in Konoha would be safer."
The Uchiha heir didn't miss the way Danzo's eyes flashed with satisfaction as his fellow council member backed him up. Irritation filled Itachi as he tried his best to remain composed so he merely leaned back in his seat and placed his elbow on the armrest, putting his chin onto his fist as he openly eyed them with a disapproving frown.
"I won't let ROOT get involved." Itachi curtly refused. "Slaughtering everyone who may hold an aversion towards Konoha won't solve the problem either and would not make us any better than them."
"I agree." The Inuzuka elder once more spoke up. "I trust that the Hokage knows how to identify any possible threats to Konoha and take care of them without instantly slaughtering anyone who may hold a grudge against Konoha."
"Indeed." The elderly Akimichi woman also spoke up, shooting Itachi a warm smile. "All of us know how well our current Hokage has taken care of all the previous issues involving Konoha so I don't think that there is reason for any of us to worry about this one as well. Whereas it is true that the amount of attacks on our shinobi have increased, it's nothing that hadn't happened before and so far, it looks like he has the situation perfectly under control. I don't think that I need to remind you of the Sandaime's words, my dear friends."
Once again, Itachi was grateful to have Akimichi Aiko seated on his left. The Akimichi elder was an elderly woman who was not afraid to state her opinion, was known for her bluntness and rather thick skull and for some reason, she had taken a liking to Itachi and his way of handling Konoha after the second meeting or so. Maybe it was because of the fact that he was rather reserved in comparison to the others but then again, the fact she used to visit his mother once every week back then when he and Sasuke were still children may have played some part in it.
His eyes flickered to Aiko, duly acknowledging her support before he turned back to look at the elders once more, his mind set and his eyes filled with determination as he spoke his next words.
"I won't let anything harm Konoha's citizens or Shinobi if it can be prevented, this I promise you."
Not again.
It was late at night when a very conflicted and rather exhausted Sakura was standing in front of the Hokage's office. She just left the hospital and wanted nothing more than to fall into her bed and drift into a deep slumber, but after the hospitals incident she knew that she needed to see Itachi before she could even think about going to sleep.
Sakura lifted her hand to knock, kept it in the air for some moments before she let it fall back to her side, her heart troubled.
It was ridiculous and she didn't even know why she was hesitating, but she couldn't help it. She needed to talk to him if she wanted to get a good nights rest and even though she knew that it would hard to get anything out of the stubborn Uchiha, she needed to at least try.
"This is quite unlike you, Haruno."
Sakura slightly jumped in place as her head whipped to her right to see Uchiha Itachi leaning sideways against the wall behind her, his dark eyes boring into hers. It seemed like contrary to her expectations, he had just returned from the meeting and must have been standing there for quite some time, if the amused glint in his eyes was anything to go by.
The amused glint, however, faded the instant he caught sight of her bruised eye and was instead replaced by a spark of mild curiosity.
His eyes narrowed for the smallest of bits as he pushed himself off the wall and straightened, a light frown gracing his features as he took in the sight of his advisor troubled appearance.
Sakura suddenly felt very self-conscious under his burning, questioning stare cleared her throat as she tightened her hold on the bundle of paper that she was carrying. She would have already healed her eye if Tsunade hadn't forced her to tend the emergency cases for the past six hours straight, but it had slipped her mind after she was finally freed from the hospital and made her way to the Hokage Tower right after.
"You are troubled." Itachi observed, instantly noticing the way her body tensed after his observation. Her lips curled upwards into a small, sheepish smile as her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. So much for trying to keep it discreet.
"Is it that obvious?"
Itachi was tempted so say that even a blind person could feel the uneasiness that radiated off her in waves but refrained from doing so and instead, merely lifted his brow in return.
Sakura, of course, instantly got the message and huffed out of amusement. "I wanted to talk to you about some things and judging by the dark circles under your eyes, it seems like I wasn't the only one who had a rough day."
This time, Itachi didn't fight the smirk that pulled at the corner of his lips. Even though Sakura had a blue eye and looked like she had spent the past hours at the hospital jumping from one surgery to another whilst wrestling with her patients for dear life, what was most likely the case, she still didn't fail to loose her sense of humor.
"I start to think that your day may have been more interesting than mine if your bruised eye is anything to go by." Itachi spoke as he walked past her to unlock the door of his office, causing Sakura to snort as she thought back to her rather eventful morning.
"Well, I doubt that one of the elders went all berserk on you and tried to kill you so chances are high that it was." Sakura muttered as she followed the Uchiha into the dark office and closed the door behind her with a soft click.
Itachi turned on the small lamp in the corner of his room, the dim light allowing Sakura to make out something in the dark as he sat down behind his desk.
Sakura dropped her backpack next to the desk, placed the bundle of paper on its surface and sat down on the seat opposite of him.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Itachi's eyes were fixed on her face that was barely illuminated by the dim light that filled the office and he caught himself looking at her bruised eye more often than he liked to admit.
Her hair was loosely pulled back into a low bun, two loose strands framing her face while her emerald eyes were fixed on the window behind him.
Itachi had to admit that he was surprised to find Sakura standing in front of his office, especially with a bruised eye. He didn't expect her to seek him out at this hour, but he couldn't say that it wasn't a pleasant surprise. Maybe a talk with his little brothers teammate was just what he needed after the rather exhausting meeting hat he had with the clan elders.
"I don't know where to start." Sakura suddenly confessed, a soft frown crossing her face as she struggled to find the right words. Itachi remained silent and gave Sakura all the time she needed to put her concerns and thoughts into words, what didn't go unnoticed by the pinkette who, of course, appreciated it.
"We have time." He reminded her, and Sakura's eyes shifted back to his as her lips tugged upwards into a small, yet grateful smile.
He found himself tempted to return it, but successfully managed to stop himself from doing so. Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder just why it was that whenever Sakura was involved, he had to keep a tighter grip on the mask that he wore to keep his emotions hidden away from sight.
"Shikamaru and I went to the interrogate one of the two survivors." Sakura suddenly started off, causing his attention to instantly shift back to her. The smile that previously brightened up her face considerably dimmed as Yato's panic stricken face flashed in front of her eyes. "It didn't go too well."
"I can see that." Itachi mumbled, his eyes flickering to her bruised eye for the split of a moment before they caught hers once more. He already assumed that Sakura received her bruised eye from one of her patients, but he didn't expect one of their Jonin's to be the one who attacked her.
This was unsettling indeed.
"He tried to escape and even though I managed to catch him before he was able to do so, he said some things about the day of the incident that unsettled me." Sakura confessed, feeling how the burden on her chest was slowly starting to fade the more she told him. "About Konoha in particular."
By know she had gained Itachi's full attention, and she was very well aware of that. The Uchiha arched a dark brow, mildly surprised by her words as his calculating eyes never left hers.
Itachi couldn't say that a part of him, however small it was, didn't expect them but he had hoped that it wasn't the case.
At least not yet.
Sakura was clearly troubled by whatever the survivor told her and since it involved Konoha, her concerns were justified. That didn't mean that whatever he had told her wasn't true, though.
"What did he tell you?"
Sakura bit her lower lip and averted her eyes from his, fixing them back on the window instead. "He blamed Konoha on the attack. He said that Konoha betrayed him and his team and that because of that, his teammate had to die and he would be next if he wouldn't escape." She recalled, her eyes softening as she remembered the frightened look in his eye. "He was in a state of panic and was convinced that if he would stay, he would not survive to see the other day. You should have seen the look in his eyes, he was frightened to death."
Itachi's eyes softened for the smallest of bits as he took in the way Sakura clenched her fists on her lap, expression blank as her stormy eyes shifted back to him. She obviously felt conflicted after the incident, and he couldn't say that he blamed her.
"Tsunade told me that there was a chakra scalpel stuck in the corpses neck, what means that the ones who attacked Yato and his team must have been the same ones that killed the previous Anbu members and the shinobi that Shisui and his team recovered. I can't help but think that maybe there is some truth to Yato's words, however wrong that may sound." She continued, and Itachi pursed his lips into a thin line.
She was way too intelligent for her own good. Tsunade had always told him how Sakura was a very intelligent young woman and heavily relied on her gut feeling and emotions, but he never believed Sakura to go as far as to question Konoha, regardless of the circumstances.
She was entering dangerous territory by questioning Konoha, especially by openly doing so in front of him, the Hokage, but he had a feeling that she wasn't questioning Konoha the way others may.
Unfortunately, she had every reason to do so and Itachi had a feeling that he knew exactly where this was going.
"You think that Konoha is somehow involved in the deaths of our Shinobi."
Plain silence followed his statement and the Uchiha allowed Sakura to take her time in letting the weight that his words carry to carefully settle in.
"I don't think that they were killed on Konoha's, or more specifically your order." She carefully clarified, her brows furrowed. "I just think that there is more to Konoha than I am aware of."
Itachi stayed silent and eyed her for some more moments, unsure of how to respond. He wouldn't lie to her, but he wouldn't confirm her assumptions either.
The young woman in front of him was in a state of confusion and deserved answers, answers that only he had but was not ready to give. He didn't want her to know any more than she did right now, it was the only way to keep her out of trouble and harms way.
"There is no need for you to be concerned." Itachi assured her, instantly noticing the way her eyes darkened out of disappointment. "I can guarantee you that Konoha is not at fault for the deaths of our Shinobi."
"But you can not guarantee me that any of our men weren't somehow involved." She spoke, her voice having dropped a few octaves lower as her deep green eyes carefully studied Itachi's expression.
His lips were thinned and his eyes never left hers, but she didn't fail to notice the way his eyes were filled with a spark of regret upon hearing her words.
So she was right after all but for some reason, Itachi refused to tell her just what was going on.
She tried to keep her disappointment from showing.
"It's in your best interest not to get any further involved in this than you already are." Itachi told her, and Sakura's eyes instantly narrowed in return.
"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" Sakura challenged, causing Itachi to mirror her expression. Her patience was slowly starting to grow thin and whereas she could understand Itachi's reasons for wanting to keep her in the dark, she was sick of being in the dark all the time.
Itachi knew that he couldn't keep her in the shadows for much longer, especially due to her position of his advisor, but that didn't mean that he liked it.
He could trust her, that wasn't the problem, and it was true that he did promise to involve her further into Konoha's business. This, however, was something far more complicated than that. He didn't want her to see the world the way he did, to witness the terrible things that he tried his best to keep hidden from all of them.
But it looked like there was no way around it after everything that happened so far, so he was left with very little choices.
"Please." She once more tried, the urgency that her eyes held heavily weighting down on his heart. "I would rather have it be you who tells me instead of some scalpel wielding killer."
In the end, she did have a valid point. It would be better if he answered her questions before someone else decided to make use of her uncertainty and would feed her lied, as it apparently was the case with their Jonin.
He guessed that in the end, he couldn't deny her this request and yielded.
"Meet me at Konoha's central library at sunset and I will answer all of your questions." His dark, velvet voice filled his office, much to the surprise of the pinkette. He hoped that he wouldn't come to regret his decision in the future, but when he saw the way Sakura's eyes brightened upon hearing his words, he had a feeling that he wouldn't.
"Really?" She asked, surprised at his sudden willingness to cooperate. Whereas she was more than happy to hear that he would finally tell her everything that she wanted to know, she couldn't help but suddenly feel guilty into pressuring him into telling her. "I don't want to force you."
Itachi couldn't help but eye the woman sitting in front of him in wonder. One moment she looked ready to throw a tantrum and the next she looked like a guilty puppy that got caught stealing some of the treats without its owners permission.
Sakura continued to talk about how she just wanted to know the basics and didn't need to know everything if he didn't want to tell her and as amusing it was to watch her babble, Itachi knew that she would never stop on her own, so he did the first thing that came to his mind.
Itachi reached out and gently tapped her forehead with his index and middle finger, his dark eyes taking in the way her eyes widened out of surprise at the sudden contact.
No words were needed to be said in order for her to understand the underlining message of his action and before Sakura could help herself, her lips curled upwards into a soft, genuine smile.
"Thank you." She mumbled, happy that he was finally willing to share some of his burden with her. She didn't know if he realized how much it meant to her that he finally decided to more or less willingly involve her, but she had a feeling that he knew without having her tell him.
She appreciated it and maybe, this was the first step into the right direction that the two of them needed to take.
Sakura didn't know if it was because of the lightning in the room, but she could have sworn that his eyes softened the slightest of bits at the sight of her smile. His fingers, contrary to her expectations were warm as they slowly moved down from her forehead to trace her bruised eye, leaving her immobilized.
Her traitorous heart fluttered at the small caress even though she tried her hardest not to be affected by his touch.
When his thumb reached the outer corner of her eye and the most painful part of the swelling however, Sakura winced ever so slightly. Itachi frowned, clearly displeased that he had hurt her even if he had done so unintentionally, moved his thumb to rest on her lower cheek instead.
"I want you to have it healed until tomorrow."
Sakura tried her best not to get too affected by the intensity by his stare and eyed him in silent wonder. As touching as his demand was, she couldn't allow herself to get weak in front of him. Doing so would only result in him thinking that he got the upper hand and that was something that Sakura certainly didn't want.
"I may be your advisor, but don't forget that I don't like to get ordered around, Uchiha." She softly retorted, and judging by the way Itachi's eyes brightened with content at her answer he had already expected her to say something like that.
Damn Itachi and his perceptiveness.
He hummed lowly as he regarded her for some more moments, head tilted ever so slightly to the right. "Then you will have to get used to it, Haruno, because whether you like it or not, it looks like we'll have to spend quite some time with each other during the next weeks."
His words had the wanted effect and only fueled the burning fire in Sakura's eyes as she merely huffed, trying her best to keep her amused smile from showing. "I may not know what bad I have done in my past life to deserve this rather cruel fate, but I guess that there is no way around it as your advisor, Uchiha."
Neither of the two was willing to break their locked gazes, both the stubbornness and pride preventing them from doing so. Emerald clashed with onyx in a fight of dominance and if it weren't for the sudden knock on Itachi's office door, Sakura was sure that they would have spent the next hour sitting in front of each other whilst doing nothing but stare at one another in hope of getting the other to avert their eyes first.
Itachi, even though he took his sweet time in doing so, released her and leaned back in his seat. Sakura frowned ever so slightly as she noticed that Itachi's face was once more blank, no trace of his former smirk left as his dark eyes shifted to the door behind her.
She would make sure to find out more about this enigma called Itachi whether he liked it or not but for now, she was satisfied with the current progress that they were making.
"Enter."
Sakura straightened in her seat and looked over her shoulder just in time to see her teammate enter the office, seemingly not surprised to find Sakura in his brothers office this late at night.
"Nii-san." He greeted his brother, who offered him a nod of acknowledgment in return before his eyes slid to his pink haired teammate, who instantly shot him a smile. "Sakura."
"Sasuke." Sakura returned, pleasantly surprised by her raven haired teammates arrival. "What are you doing here this late?"
Sasuke leaned with his back against the now closed door as his eyes shifted from Sakura to Itachi, before they fell back on the former and he spoke. "You weren't at the hospital or at home, so I figured you'd be here."
Sakura didn't miss the hidden message and felt her heart warm up upon hearing his words. It was true that she hadn't seen her teammates for most of the past week and now, she suddenly felt guilty for not dropping by and checking on them earlier. It was just that she has been so busy lately that she didn't find the time to do so, but it looked like she would have to change that.
"I am sorry, I didn't mean to worry you two." She said, guilt clouding her green eyes before she turned her head back to look at Itachi, who had his eyes fixed on Sasuke. "But I think that we were done here anyways."
This time, Itachi's gaze shifted back to her and as soon as their eyes met, Sakura offered him a small, triumphant smile. Itachi arched his brow at the pinkette in front of him and watched her with calculating, onyx eyes before he gave her a curt nod.
"Hn."
He then watched her stand up and grab her backpack before she walked to his brothers side, who had his gaze locked on Itachi. A mildly confused frown graced his features after he watched his brothers and Sakura's little exchange but he knew better than to comment on it, so he didn't.
"Ready?" Sakura asked Sasuke, who nodded and opened the door for her. Sakura turned around to shoot Itachi one last smile before she exited the office, closely followed by Sasuke who closed the door behind him without glancing back even once.
Sakura didn't mind Sasuke's little interruption and was glad to be able to spent more time with her teammate, even if he was only accompanying her back home.
She was looking forward to tomorrow and was curious as to what she would find out, but she hoped that whatever it was that Itachi would tell her wouldn't fully destroy the image that Sakura held of Konoha.
The walk back to her apartment was silent, and even though Sakura liked to talk to Sasuke despite of the fact that he was not much of a conversational person, this time she preferred the silence and his mere presence over their usual chit-chat.
Somewhere along the way, the two of them stumbled across Naruto, who just returned from having his probably fifth bowl of Ramen at Ichirakus today. The blonde, of course, instantly insisted on joining his teammate in walking Sakura back home and together, the trio made their way to Sakura's apartment.
After a short ten minute walk they have finally reached the familiar building but just as they reached the door, and Sakura lifted her hands to form the familiar set of seals that would unlock her door, a cold shiver run down the length of Sakura's spine.
She instantly paused, staring at the door with an unsettling feeling in her stomach as the warning bells in her head were ringing loud and clear.
Naruto stared at Sakura in confusion whereas Sasuke narrowed his eyes out of suspicion , instantly taking in the way Sakura's eyes were fixed on her door.
"What's wrong?" Naruto inquired, clearly not understanding why she was not completing the seal.
Sakura in return pressed her lips into a thin line and felt her heart skip a beat at the suddenly heavy feeling in her gut.
"Something is wrong." She mumbled, lowering her hands before she grabbed the doors handle and pressed it down. Just as she had feared, the door instantly budged and opened as she gave it a gentle push and since she was certain that she had locked the door when she had left her apartment this morning, that could only mean one thing.
"Someone was here."
She instantly felt her boys next to her stiffen upon hearing her words.
"What?" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes moving from Sakura to the door before the blonde's blue eyes narrowed and he moved to stand in front of her.
Sasuke instantly followed suit and moved to stand next to Naruto, one hand resting on the handle of his sword as the duo without any further delay made their way into Sakura's apartment, followed by the pinkette itself.
Once again, Sakura was glad to have her boys with her. Even though she was not scared, she knew that she wouldn't feel comfortable spending the night on her own whilst knowing that someone broke into her apartment the day before.
Whoever it was that managed to break the seal, would manage to break it once more if they wanted to and even though she doubted that the intruder was still in her apartment, she didn't know whether they left her a present or not.
And she didn't feel like sleeping with one eye open.
As the trio slowly made their way inside, they decided to part ways when they reached the living room to carefully examine every room. Naruto took care of the Kitchen whilst Sasuke went to check the laundry room and Sakura left for her bedroom.
At first sight, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. If it weren't for the broken seal, she probably wouldn't have even noticed that someone was inside her home but the mere fact that someone managed to trespass into her home was reason enough to make her feel uncomfortable in her own home.
When she entered the bedroom, she took her time in carefully analyzing the entire room. Her bedroom looked just like she had left it this morning, but when she took a step closer to her bed did her eye catch sight of something laying on the white sheets, its pale color easily blending in with the color of her blankets.
Sakura frowned as she took a step closer and reached out to pick the object up, and swiftly realized what kind of gift her intruder has left her.
A Kiku.
"Sasuke, Naruto, have a look at this." She called, her eyes never leaving the beautiful flower in her hand. It didn't take her teammate more than two seconds to be by her side and when their eyes fell on the flower that she was holding, they tensed.
Sasuke and Naruto both knew what this flower symbolized. They were forced to place them on too many caskets during their years of living as a Shinobi and the mere fact that someone had placed one of them on her bed spoke volumes.
Whoever broke into her home was threatening her.
"This bastard." Naruto cursed as his burning blue eyes were fixed on the innocent flower that rested in in Sakura's hand. "Just wait 'til I get my hands on him!"
Sasuke hummed in agreement whereas Sakura remained silent, the chill never left her body.
It was then that she realized just how right Itachi was. Maybe it was better for her not to get further involved in any of this.
But then again, it seemed like it was already too late for that.
A/N: Merry Christmas my loves!
I tried my best to finish this chapter before Christmas and let me tell you that I struggled quite a bit with this one, even though I am not quite sure myself why.
I hope that every one of you who celebrates Christmas is having great holidays!
I wanted to thank everyone who took their time and reviewed the previous chapter, favorited and followed this story and keeps on reading!
I sincerely hope that you liked this chapter. If you did, please tell me by leaving a review. Your kind words of encouragement are what keeps me going!
I promise that I will try my best to update before New Years Eve, so stay tuned!
Stay blessed, positive and healthy.
Love,
Sara.