Finally, after a 4-days-stay in Konoha and a travelling time of almost 4 days, she reached the HQ. She avoided Hidan and Kakuzu and even Tobi. She knocked at Pain's door and entered quietly. She put her report containing the information on the desk and tried to leave as discreetly as possible. "Any complications?" She stopped and smiled. "None" She didn't expect any other questions and left quickly. In the hallway she saw Konan heading her direction. The two girls hugged each other. "Everything ok?" "Yes, it was no problem. Do you know where I can find Itachi?" Konan grinned knowingly. "I think he's somewhere outside." "Thanks." Satsuki said before moving towards the exit.
Without noticing the idyll around her, she walked through the woods. Soon she reached a clearance with a little lake. The water confirmed her thoughts: Itachi was swimming. She sat down at the shore and waited. How could she ask him? Would he allow it? Would he prefer to die than go blind? How could she persuade him that he was important? That she didn't want him to die? "Comfortable?" The question surprised her enough to make her fall over backwards. A small laugh left Itachi's lips. Satsuki blushed at the sight of Itachi's bare chest, but his laugh infected her. In the end they sat next to each other, looking at the water. "Itachi… can I ask you something?" she began quietly. He nodded. "Your disease… How much do you know about it?" His eyes widened for a mere moment. Then his face darkened. "I do not know what you're talking about." He replied coldly. He got up rapidly and put his shirt back on. Quickly she got up and grabbed his arm. "Wait… Please, I understand that you don't like talking about it. But I found a healing technique that might cure you! You would be able to live like everyone else again! And there'll be a solution to your blindness, too! Please, let me try. I'm the one responsible for your health. I'll examine your body again and start the preparations right away! You've got nothing to lose but everything to gain! Please, let me try it." Her voice was desperate and tears had appeared in her eyes. Uncertain and confused Itachi looked at her. "Why would you go so far? Akatsuki kidnapped you and forced you to join. You've suffered grave injuries from the trial. And still you're not trying to betray us, instead you're concerned about our health." "You all are important to me because Akatsuki gave me for the first time since long ago the feeling of being wanted. After the trial everybody accepted me without asking any questions. Nobody was interested what I had been, what I had done before. It only counted that I was there now. I knew for sure that you remember the past. You remember the first time we saw each other. Back then with my parents. Already then you had that expression in your eyes, as if you knew that something awful would happen soon. I might ask you as well: Why did you do it? Why did you take all the blame without protesting against it? Why did you watch passively as Konoha stirred up the hatred of your brother against you? Why don't you react? Why do you not want to understand that he needs you? There's no replacement for a brother! He…" "Well, that definitely seemed different to me. I think you did very well! He didn't even let you out of sight anymore. You two seemed to stick together. I didn't notice his need of me…" She interrupted him: "Well, you've been gone during the most critical time! After he had lost everything, everyone he loved, there was nobody. Nobody to comfort him, to love him! How could he miss you when your parents were killed in front of his eyes by your hands?" Itachi pulled his arm out of her small hand. "You have no clue how it feels to have to kill your own parents, your own relatives and friends. Don't talk about things you don't understand." Satsuki had never seen him so furious but he had said those last sentences with such ice in his voice that she had the feeling of suffocating. He turned around but she couldn't give up. "Then explain it to me" She begged. "Help me to understand so that I'll be able to save you." Again she put her hand lightly on his arm. "It's enough!" Itachi turned quickly and hit her with the back of her hand across the face. Satsuki was hurled backwards and crashed hard into a tree. Unconsciously she sank down to the ground. Itachi shrinked from the sound and couldn't understand what he had just done. He took a step towards her, stopped and shook his head stunned. How could he have lost his control so quickly? How could he have let himself be lead to a reaction like that? He turned around and began to run; to run wherever his legs would lead him.
"Pain, I can't sense Satsuki's chackra anymore." Uncertain the Leader looked up from his work. "What do you mean, Kisame?" Restless Kisame's eyes wandered through the office. "Well, normally we feel each other's chackra because we're linked by the same element, water. Her chackra was uneasy and from all the strong emotions in a mess. But suddenly it all disappeared. And if a chackra simply disappears…" "…then there are only three possibilities: Either she's dead, or somebody suppresses her chackra or she's unconscious." Pain finished his sentence and even his face displayed slight concern. "This noon she returned from her mission and seemed completely fine." "She doesn't seem to be in the hideout either. I asked the others but nobody has seen her for days." "She asked for Itachi after she returned." Konan entered the conversation. "I told her, he would probably be outside somewhere." Kisame stopped his restless pacing. "That would explain the confused emotions but not the disappearing…" he mumbled. "Even if they had been attacked, Itachi and Satsuki together are close to invincible." Pain meant. "I'll search the surroundings for her." Kisame added determined and turned to leave. "Wait, take Hidan and Kakuzu with you. If you really encounter a fight, they'll be useful, and Hidan has been begging for blood for the last two days. And both of them like Satsuki quiet a lot, too." Kisame nodded shortly and left the room. "How did you find out about it?" Konan asked, listening to Kisame's disappearing steps. "I would say it's hard not to see how Itachi looks at her. He sees her as the most precious thing in the world. The challenge lies within both though… Neither Itachi nor Satsuki experienced parental love in their childhood and have a hard time showing their true feelings. I can only hope that none of the two did something stupid…" Pain answered. Konans eyes softened. It had been a long time since she last heard him talk so much. It was in the moments like this where she noticed how less Nagato had changed. He still mourned for Yahiko but took care of the members nonetheless. 'Though he did prefer some more than others…' Konan thought smiling, as situations with Pain and Hidan or with Satsuki appeared in her mind. Suddenly loud cursing sounded through the HQ. "I guess Hidan just heard of her disappearing…" Konan said grinning. Nobody really understood the miracle effect Satsuki had on Kakuzu and Hidan. Usually every member in the team of the two undead had to worry about his life. Either he would be tortured to death during a ritual or simply killed for his bounty. Satsuki, however, could trust them both to fight until their 'deaths' to save her.
"FUCK! How does this friggin' icy asshole dare to attack Satsuki! If I find that guy, I'll slowly cut him into pieces and offer his soul to Jashin to torture even in death!" Hidan had been going on like this for close to 10 minutes now. Without any participation of Kisame or Kakuzu Hidan grumbled about everything and threw a deadly glance at any animal they encountered. "There's the lake Satsuki usually sits at." Kisame said as they finally reached the water. Kisame knew that Itachi, too, had been quiet often here lately, and it had been easy to see who he was thinking about. "Hidan, shut up! If Satsuki is conscious, she might be able to say something." Kakuzu hissed with a deadly glance at Hidan, who was not at all intimidated. "Yeah, yeah, alright old fart…" "I'll look into the lake perhaps she's refreshing her energy." Kisame meant quietly before jumping into the water. "I'll search this side, Hidan. You do the other one." Grumpy Hidan agreed and walked to the other side of the lake.