Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 14

The sun was shining, on this crisp winter morning. There was a peaceful silence as Kakashi walked outside towards the gates of Konoha.

He smiled and waved at the guards at the gate as he strolled out towards the edge of the forest. Kotetsu and Izumo looked at each other and sadly waved the Copy Ninja on through. Izumo sighed and said, "He's still in denial…" Kotetsu shook his head and sent a message to Yamato, informing him of Kakashi's whereabouts.

The silver-haired ninja walked into the forest until he came to a clearing where he summoned his pack again and asked Pakkun how the search was going.

The small pug said, "Boss we have all been searching for the last couple of days. It's as if she vanished into thin air. There was no residual chakra from either of them at the field they disappeared. If they had perished in an explosion, we would have found a trace by now. You might be onto something, she might be alive..."

Kakashi knelt and scratched the top of the small dog's head and said, "Keep looking Pakkun. If anyone can find her it's you and the rest of the pack."

Pakkun nodded and then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi went back to the gate and said to Kotetsu and Izumo, "See you guys tomorrow."

They both waved back and Izumo said, "Kakashi, are you going to the…. you know...Sakura's mem-"

Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke before Izumo could finish his sentence. He refused to accept that she was gone.

The memorial service was finally being held today. Tsunade had to postpone the memorial services because of the investigation into the Uchiha Clan and the Council's involvement. Sasuke's arrival had created such an uproar that the council, clan heads, ANBU and Senior Jonin officials all called for immediate answers and investigations into the matter. She had no choice but to make certain people aware of the situation and the council members quickly tried to hide everything under a rug before anyone else looked too much deeper into it.

Sasuke had stood silent, but Naruto was the one to outright accuse them of ordering an entire clan to be wiped out, including innocent people who had nothing to do with the coup d'état, just to maintain power and hide it from the other clans. He was very vocal about how the decision of four people affected the entire village and called for reform on some of the governmental policies.

Shikamaru had seconded that notion and said that if this village was to move forward they should learn from the mistakes of the past and not hide them. Shikamaru stood by his father and said that Konoha was founded by many clans, not just one, and the reason for its power was the cooperation of its shinobis as a whole.

Hinata stood next to Naruto and held his hand as she said that each clan's talents helped the village and they shouldn't have one clan be singled out or seen as better or worse than the others. She knew all too well about how thoughts of superiority could change a persons view on people and life in general. She wished for her clan to embrace this change and have something good come out of all of this hurt.

The clan heads had been outraged when it came to light about the decision to wipe out a clan without consulting the other clan heads.

Nara Shikaku was the first to point out that if the other clan heads would have been made aware, another solution could have been sought out, and the fate's of Itachi, Sasuke, and the rest of the Uchiha clan might have been different. He believed that since a coup d'état affected the entire village it should have been something that should have been consulted with the clan heads, along with the council, and the Hokage.

Now that Sasuke was the last of his clan, his kekkei genkai would have to be protected and he would have to someday revive his clan. The Sharingan was a powerful asset to Konoha and they all agreed that it should be kept within the village.

Sasuke's trial and punishment was going to be decided by the clan heads and Tsunade, but for now he was allowed to stay within the gates of Konoha and wear his chakra limiters.

For the last week he attended the trials and investigatory meetings held at the Hokage tower. His presence was felt by every clan head and while most understood the reasons why he turned his back on the village, and felt bad for him having to suffer the consequences of other's actions, they couldn't ignore that he willingly left to seek his personal revenge.

Naruto would argue that he was a kid who was being manipulated by others and had his emotions used against him. If the truth had been known before, he probably would have taken a different course of action.

Sasuke stayed silent throughout the proceedings and accepted anything that Tsunade and the clan heads decided. He only spoke up when Itachi's name would be brought up. Sasuke wanted his brother's name cleared and both of their names taken off the Bingo Books. The investigation further showed that Itachi had been a double agent for Konoha and had supplied the Leaf with valuable information and had purposely thrown the Akatsuki off track when they were trying to abduct Naruto. In light of these revelations, Itachi's name had the approval of the clan heads to be cleared.

The old council was forced to step down during their trial and since they were not a council that Tsunade would have chosen when she accepted the office of Hokage, she asked for new council members to be nominated.

With all of those meetings finally out of the way they had managed to get everything ready for Sakura and Itachi's memorial service.

Today they would say goodbye to their friend and honor her memory. Many more would learn about Itachi's double agent status and recognize him for the loyal shinobi that he was for the Leaf.

Naruto looked at the black garments on his bed. He knew that it was traditional for him to wear it but he looked back at his closet and saw the familiar orange and black jumpsuit that Sakura had always seen him in. He took a step closer to the closet and then grabbed the orange jacket. He saw the areas where Sakura had stitched up his jacket on a mission during the summer. He remembered how she scolded him for not taking better care of his things and how she wouldn't always be there to stitch up the only articles of clothing that he ever took out on missions.

She had playfully punched him on his arm when he looked at her and said, "Come on Sakura-chan, it's my favorite jacket." She then admitted, "Don't tell anyone, or I'll kill you… but, you do look better with this one than with the orange and blue one that you used to wear as a genin."

Naruto felt his eyes sting as he ran his hands over the even stitching. Sakura had the steady, gentle hands of a surgeon and could stitch anything, whether it was with thread or chakra.

He took the jacket out and placed it on the bed next to the funerary robes that they wore during the memorial of any fallen comrade.

He sighed and made his way to his dresser to look at their genin picture.

Naruto didn't notice the dark haired man looking at him from the kitchen as he picked up the framed picture and said, "Sakura-chan, Baa-chan will be making a speech about you and teme's brother today… I hope she gets it right and makes you proud, I… I just would have wished that you would have told us about you two before… well before… I mean we would have understood… I just wanted you to be happy."

He wiped a tear from his face and then turned around to see Sasuke standing right next to him. Sasuke's Sharingan was activated and he said, "I know that she was happy with my brother…" Sasuke touched Naruto's temples before he could move away and he showed him the last moment that he saw of Sakura and Itachi. He showed them the kiss that they shared and the peaceful look in Itachi's face as he embraced her.

Sasuke took a step back and let Naruto process what he just showed him.

"Teme… you saw?... They looked… well, in love."

Sasuke nodded and said, "Naruto, have you seen Kakashi?"
Naruto sighed and ran a hand across his hair, "Kaka-sensei hasn't been alright since that day. He has it in his head that Sakura is still alive. I want to believe him, but it's been over a week, surely Sakura would have sent a message or come back by now if she was ok."

Sasuke opened the window and said, "I'll be back, I have to check on something."

Naruto walked over to him and said, "Teme… be back for the memorial service."

The young Uchiha looked back at him and said, "I'll be there, dobe."

Sasuke took to the rooftops and began to search for his former sensei.

The Uchiha spread his senses and searched for Kakashi's chakra signature.

He ran through half of Konoha and then finally felt the familiar spark of chakra that belonged to the Copy Ninja.

Sasuke found Kakashi perched on a tree outside an apartment complex. He was looking towards an empty window with a forlorn look on his masked face.

Kakashi stood still as his former student approached him and scooted over to make room for the Uchiha next to him on the branch.

Sasuke looked up at the silver-haired jonin and said, "You don't think that they died, huh?"

Kakashi raised and eyebrow and said, "Now why would you think that Sasuke?"

Sasuke scoffed and said, "I have replayed the last thing I saw over and over…. My brother wouldn't have given up that easily if he had found someone…. like her…"

Kakashi's jaw tightened but then he relaxed and said, "This is her apartment. I saw her one night holding onto a jeweled hairpin and… she kissed it and held it to her heart before she put it in her hair."

Sasuke silently listened to his former sensei.

"She had never done that before… I mean she was not one to buy things like that or to ever go out with anyone… She… I told her that she needed to enjoy life, not get caught up in ANBU. Naruto told her too. We just wanted her to be happy. She was always working at the hospital or going out on missions."

Kakashi tore his gaze from the window and looked at Sasuke and said, "You know she did it for you."

Sasuke looked confused and raised his eyebrow and Kakashi continued, "She only wanted to get strong enough to get you back, to free Naruto of his promise to bring you back. She always believed that you thought her to be weak and she wanted to prove you wrong."

Sasuke looked down, he knew that if he didn't witness his own brother die in front of him and Sakura work on him relentlessly to get him back, he would have still thought of her as weak.

Kakashi chuckled and said as he looked back at Sakura's apartment, "After this one mission she came back and wanted to spar with me with katanas. I thought it odd that I recognized Itachi's fighting stance. I brushed it off as a coincidence, but she was amazing. She took to your brother's fighting style like it was her own natural style. I'm guessing that Itachi recognized her own strength and made her aware of how powerful she was… If your brother is the same man that I used to work with in ANBU, he wouldn't have given up… he would have found a way out, and taken his most precious person with him. I know that they are still alive. Both of them wouldn't have given up if they finally found someone that they wanted to be with."

Kakashi then said just above a whisper, "I wouldn't have given her up either."

Sasuke then looked at Kakashi and said, "I won't give up looking for them. I know my brother is not gone. He found a way out before the explosions hit. I know him… he showed me everything he thought and felt since the Kyuubi attack during our fight. I have replayed his words over and over. He was trying to prepare me and to let me... take over where he left off. I know that they are alive too."

Kakashi sighed and said, "I know… Look… there on Sakura's dresser… She took the picture of her parents and of Team 7. All of her other pictures are still on her walls, the only two that are not in her home are the only two that mattered to her. They must have had a plan of some sorts."

Sasuke clenched his fists. He wasn't sure if to be happy or angry of the possibility that they faked their deaths…. In the end he decided that for once he would put his brother's happiness above his own. If his brother was alive somewhere he would be happy for him, but he swore that he would find him.

They stood there in silence for a few more minutes and then Sasuke said, "I'll be going… today is Sakura and Itachi's…" He looked up at the man standing next to him and the pained expression on his face made him stop. He sighed and then simply said, "I'll see you around, Kakashi. Oh and I'll let you know if I find anything."

Sasuke left his former sensei and went back to Naruto's apartment to change.

When he got to the apartment, Naruto had already left.

Sasuke changed into the black uniform that they only wore during funerals. He knew that this wasn't necessary as both Itachi and Sakura must still be alive, but…. Naruto asked him too.

He had always been so consumed with hate and revenge that he really wasn't sure what he was feeling now.

He remembered what Itachi said: "You know nothing, but I will set you free little brother."; "You are almost free little brother."; "I am sorry, brother... for everything, I cannot atone for my sins and will always be deserving of your hatred, but I can no longer see the person who has been more important than anything else destroy himself."; "I need for you to be prepared, little brother… Something is coming and you need to be prepared, be weary of Madara… or an orange masked man for that matter, trust your team, they might not be blood related but they are the ones who still believe in you and have never given up. I need to leave you these final gifts, just know that I will always be with you brother. You are free of your curse."

Something changed inside of him after Itachi let him inside his mind. He understood his brother on a whole different level now, and although there were some days that he wanted to go back to his former self and just take vengeance against the council members, a sort of calmness came over him and he would touch the spot where Itachi placed the seal over his curse mark. Orochimaru's curse was now gone and he couldn't feel the hate that he had kept feeding his body with. He wasn't sure what his brother did, but he truly felt free of his former hate.

There was something about being inside his brother's mind that gave him a new outlook on life. He wanted to belong again. He didn't want to be alone anymore and he was being given a new chance and an opportunity to rebuild his clan. He was sure that he would certainly have his brother's ideals be the foundation of the clan and hopefully one day, Itachi could come back home as well and see where he was taking the clan. He wanted to show his older brother that his sacrifices were not without meaning, that they had truly set him free.

Sasuke approached the throng of people gathered in front of the Hokage tower. They made way for him and he was soon at the front with Naruto, who was dressed in his black pants but wore his trademark orange jacket. Yamato and Sai were there next to Naruto and they left a space for Kakashi, but they all knew that he wouldn't show up. Since both Sakura and Itachi were members of ANBU, most of the Black Ops organization lined the memorial service from the tops of the buildings. They all wanted to say goodbye to two of their own.

Tsunade stepped forward and addressed the men and women before her.

"We honor two great, and loyal shinobi of Konohagakure. It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi. The status of Itachi's double agent status was not known to most, but he had been aiding our village and steering Akatsuki away while handing over great intelligence that has saved countless lives. His selfless act of willingly be labeled as a missing nin and serve our village from afar. will be remembered and honored. Sakura…"

Tsunade's voice broke at the mention of her daughter-like apprentice but she continued, "Sakura came to me as a genin asking to be trained. Her exceptional chakra control made her the perfect apprentice for my style of fighting and for medical ninjutsu. She excelled in all that I taught her and she came up with new ways to improve on my own skills. Sakura excelled at teaching others and creating new ways to help her comrades, both in the hospital and on the field. However, what she didn't know, was what she taught me. Her compassion and caring nature drove her to seek out new ways of doing things all because she wanted to protect her precious people. Never… in all the time that I knew her, did she use her skills to gain power over anyone. Their sacrifice on this last mission protected us from a threat that was unknown to us at the time. Remember Sakura when a medic nin is healing you, when someone is in need of your help, remember her compassion. Remember Itachi when you are undercover, when you feel pressured and alone while out on missions, remember his sacrifice. We will never forget them."

She looked at the faces of the shinobi gathered and her heart broke at this sight before her. They stood still, their bodies standing straight and tall, but their eyes spoke of the grief within them. Silent tears were shed by Ino and Hinata.

Sakura's team stood together, without their leader but a flash of silver caught her eye and she saw the familiar figure of Hatake Kakashi, in his ANBU gear, join the line of ANBU guards that lined the outside of the memorial service.

Tsunade understood the anonymity that ANBU provided was a comfort mechanism for the Copy Ninja and she would respect his wishes for returning to the organization for now.

They stood there in silence honoring the memory of two of Konoha's best. Tsunade then walked up to where they had set up both of their pictures and then bowed deeply. The rest of the gathered shinobi followed and without a word they all disappeared back into the village.

Such is the way of the ninja.

The next following days passed by in a blur. Kakashi had reenlisted into ANBU and was getting ready to leave on a mission. He had avoided most of his teammates after the memorial service but somehow Sasuke always found him.

When he first saw Kakashi in his ANBU uniform he just stood there and stared at him. After a few moments Sasuke said, "I will join you one day, Kakashi." Kakashi nodded and said, "I'm sure you will Sasuke."

The Uchiha then said something that surprised Kakashi, he said, "My brother looked up to you… I just didn't see that until now. I… I'm sorry."

Kakashi walked up to Sasuke and said, "When you are ready to take the ANBU trials, I'll be there."

With that he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi took off back to his apartment, he needed some air and right now the village felt like it was suffocating him.

He arrived in his apartment and took off his ANBU mask and set it on the counter. He headed to his room to start packing and froze as he felt the spike of chakra coming from his window.

A crow stood still watching his every move. There was a scroll in its beak and Kakashi felt a knot tighten in his stomach.

He approached slowly. The crow moved from the window to the top of his desk and as Kakashi held out his hand, the crow flew towards him and dropped the scroll in his hands and flew back to the window sill.

Kakashi noticed the seal and quickly released it as the scroll unrolled in his hands.

Her scent assaulted him.

Kakashi pulled down his mask and took a deep breath. He didn't want anything to come in between him and the scent that told him that she was alive and well. He knew that this was from her, from Sakura. Her scent permeated the scroll and then he caught Itachi's scent intermingle with hers.

He knew it. They were both alive.

He read:

"Kakashi,

This is the first that we could get word out… I know that you and the guys must be worried about us, but we are fine. Itachi and I had some wounds that we had to deal with but we are ok. Itachi took the brunt of it and I have been working on getting him better since.

Is the team ok? How is Naruto? Is Sasuke ok? Did he come back with you guys? This might have come as a shock to all of you, but I guess that there is no going back. I need for you to know the truth and assure Naruto and everyone else that we are all right.

I met Itachi a few months back after a solo ANBU mission. I was hurt… I mean... I was dying and Itachi helped me. He nursed me back to health while I was unconscious and saved my life. I was surprised at first, but when he left I couldn't stop thinking why he would have helped me if he was a missing nin. I was assigned another ANBU mission and well… he save me and my teammates once more. That time I asked him why he was helping me and he said that he couldn't tell me unless I wanted to question all that I knew. When I got back to Konoha, I accidentally came across some documents from ANBU when I was in the Archives, please tell Tsunade-sama how sorry I am about that, but I looked and saw a secret mission scroll regarding Itachi and the Uchiha Massacre.

I don't know how much you know but I am sure that my clever sensei can figure it out. I didn't really see or seek Itachi out, but our paths crossed again during my recon mission. He was, and has been, the informant that Nara Shikaku has been dealing with all of these years. Well, that is where we got to know each other better. We had plans to somehow make our relationship work but then the whole thing with the Akatsuki and Sasuke came up and we had to change plans. We never meant to leave you guys like this. I love you too much-"

Kakashi had to put the scroll down. He needed to control his breathing. The last thing that he read was too much for him, especially written in her hand. He looked up and saw the crow looking at him intently and said to it, "You know Itachi, I know that you can see what your crows see. How could you do this to us? How could you take her from us like this? You could come back. You've been pardoned you know."

He shook his head and continued to read, "I love you too much to have you worry about us. I found someone who completes me and I love him."

He put down the scroll and ran his fingers through his hair and growled at the crow who stood silently watching him, "Do you understand what this is doing to me?! Aghhhh…."

He paced up and down his room, unsure if he should continue reading or burn the scroll. His heart was painfully being crushed but then again he knew that she was alive and happy. How could he be mad at her for not knowing how he felt. It's not like he ever took the opportunity to tell her while she was here.

He decided to continue reading.

"Itachi is still recovering so I'll await Tsunade-sama's orders. You are the only person that I can trust with this scroll and I know that I can always count on you to be there for me. Please send my love to everyone and tell them not to worry.

Love,

Sakura"

On the bottom of the scroll there was a different but recognizable handwriting that could only belong to Itachi. It was neat, precise and elegant, like all that the Uchiha did.

"Kakashi-san,

I am deeply sorry for the way that all of this came to light, Sakura and I did not plan it this way.

I am aware that the way that we fought against Madara might have made it seem like a suicide but I can assure you that it was not our intention. Please watch over my little brother, he is still hurting and might continue to be confused about all that I showed him.

I have always trusted your judgement on and off the field and I am sorry for the way that things turned out. As my captain I trusted you with my life… I should have trusted you with the truth back then, and for that I deeply apologize.

I am willing to accept any punishment that Hokage-sama deems fit and will return with Sakura if that is what is required of us. My crow will stay by your side until we receive word from you.

My sincerest apologies,

Uchiha Itachi"

He looked at the crow and raised an eyebrow and said, "Stay by my side, huh? I should have my pack use you as a chew toy after how long they have been looking for your master."

He shook his head, rolled up the scroll, and headed back to the Hokage tower.

Kakashi had a feeling that he might be reassigned from his mission today.

He got his answer after handing over the scroll and standing silently as the Hokage of Konohagakure read its contents. The desk that was thrown out the window was not a good omen for the Copy Ninja.

"Hatake! When did you get this?!"

The usually calm and collected jonin replied, "Just when I got home to prepare for my mission. I came here right after."

The blond reached for her tea, she had kept her promise and not touched a drop of saké, and said, "Does anyone else know about the contents of this letter?"

"No, Hokage-sama."

"Good. Hatake you are now reassigned. I will have you and Sasuke head out and try to find Sakura and Itachi."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and said, "Will we be bringing them back?"

She thought about it for a while and she placed a silencing jutsu in the room and said, "Come here Kakashi, I have a plan…"

The Copy Ninja listened intently and approved of her plan. He raced back to his apartment to get his pack and then went to look for Sasuke.

In an old abandoned Uchiha hideaway, a pink haired kunoichi laid in the arms of her lover fast asleep. Itachi was trying to meditate to get in touch with the crow that he had sent to Konoha with Sakura's message to her former sensei, but the scent of her skin was too distracting for him to clear his thoughts.

He looked down at the soft curve of her shoulders, the way that her hair fell and covered part of her face. Her soft lips were slightly opened as she sighed and held him closer. He was completely at peace, although he was still recovering from the wounds he got from the blast. Sakura had healed him everyday and would exhaust her chakra at times, just trying to regrow cells and mend tissues.

Itachi remembered the last time that they were in the presence of her team and he knew that it looked like they had detonated themselves. When he caught her in his arms, he stopped her from performing the last seal again. She was willing to kill herself to stop Madara and she would have done it without hesitation if he hadn't caught her.

He remembered wanting to kiss her one last time before they died from his clone's explosions.

As his lips touched hers she gripped his shoulders and sighed, seeming to accept her fate. His hands flashed through a set of seals and they disappeared using Shisui's shunshun jutsu.

Sakura later told him that he had transported them to a deep part of the forest close to this Uchiha hideout before he passed out.

She only had enough chakra to haul him inside, heal the worst of the damage to save his life, before she passed out as well. The bottle of soldier pills is what kept her chakra up as she healed him for the last couple of days. He kissed the top of her head and relished in the feel of her warmth beside him. She continued to sleep and he gently traced the ANBU tattoo on her arm. Sakura snuggled closer to his chest and mumbled, "Tachi… love.. you.."

He smiled down at his lover and said, "Love… Love… you need to wake up."
She opened her eyes and then kissed his chest right above his heart

He smiled at her and wrapped his bandaged arm around her and said "I love you Sakura."

She smiled at him and then said, "How are you feeling, does anything hurt?"
Itachi shook his head and said, "Love you need to eat and rest. You can't rely on those soldier pills."

Sakura frowned and said, "I know but I can't leave you by yourself. You are still recovering, Itachi you had severe burns all over your body, not to mention the concussion!"

Itachi took her hand and said, "Love I can handle myself now. I feel so much better and I have recovered most of my chakra. If you want I can go hunting to get you something to eat?"

"No! No, love I will do it. You stay and rest and I will go and get some food for us. We ran out of our rations packs anyways. What if your crow comes back with a response and you are not here?"
Itachi chuckled and then grabbed her by the waist and held her close as he kissed her jaw and said, "Go get some food, I have to look into one of the rooms in the hideout to get some things out for us."

She kissed his cheek and said, "Itachi, what do you think they will say? Do you think that they will accept us back?"

He could see the slight panic in her eyes and he held her close and said, "Whatever happens we will do it together."

She relaxed a bit and nodded before she picked her pack and headed out into the forest.

Itachi slowly got up and then went down the abandoned hallways of the Uchiha hideout. The clan had always kept money and jewels around the hideouts in case any of its clansmen ever needed it while out on long-term missions and such.

He took what he thought they would need and put it in a pack. If Konoha labeled her a missing nin he would have to make a swift get away with her. There was enough money and jewels in his pack to support them for the next six months. If he needed more, he could always go to the other hideouts or he could use the money that he hid from the Akatsuki.

He slowly made his way back into the main room to wait for Sakura.

He sat on the floor and began to meditate and connect his mind's eye with the crow that he had sent to Konoha.

He smiled at what he saw and relaxed a bit as he got up and made his way to the door to wait for Sakura. He could sense her already, she wasn't that far off.

He watched the tree line and then suddenly said, "I know you are there Pakkun. You can let your master know that you have found us. We will be here waiting… I think that he is already on his way… coming from the southeast."

Pakkun growled softly but accepted his answer. Sakura wasn't in any danger and he could sense that he was telling the truth.

As Pakkun left, Itachi smiled to himself and said, "I wouldn't have expected any less from you Kakashi-san."

His smile grew as he caught a flash of pink approaching with tonight's dinner.

A/N: So we are finally seeing Itachi and Sakura... I have to admit I was gonna go on a completely different direction originally, but I changed it last night and decided to go with this instead. I hope I can make this work out in the end.

More Itachi/Sakura next chapter!