…I do Not own Naruto…

Chapter 13: The Measure of Greatness

Sakura's body betrayed her, and she shivered despite her efforts to remain motionless. Her skin was cool and clammy from being washed in the early morning air. Beads of moisture ran together down her arms and legs, seeping into the tatters of her clothing. She did her best to focus on a fading star in the distant sky—anything to keep her thoughts away from the shinobi crouched mere inches from her.

It unnerved her to have Itachi at so close a proximity. She felt similar to a wounded rabbit under the gaze of a hungry fox. His deliberate care of her frightened her more than any threat he could have issued, and when his ministrations finally ceased, she cold not help but sigh. Her eyes fluttered shut momentarily, and she turned away from him onto her side.

Itachi was amused by the medic's assumption that he was finished with her, and even more amused at her obvious relief. To remind her that he was still in control of the situation, he reached out and traced a finger over the visible scar on her abdomen.

Sakura's eyes shot open. Before she could voice her outrage, Itachi pushed her the rest of the way onto her stomach. He ignored her flailing and lifted the back portion of her shirt.

His guess had been correct. An identical scar, in a corresponding location, was visible on the smoothness of her lower back.

Smirking as she flinched at his touch, he ran a finger across that mark as well.

The wound intrigued him. He wondered if it was from her battle with the former Akatsuki member, Sasori. There were rumors about the battle itself, but neither he nor any of the organization members really knew the truth of it. Everyone who'd been in that battle had died…with the exception of Sakura.

It was a wound Itachi wished he could have witnessed. Serious injuries during battle were the true key to testing a shinobi's character. Would she have cried? Did she simply give up? Would the pink-haired medic have so readily accepted death at the tip of a sword?

The eldest Uchiha doubted it.

Nothing he'd seen of Sakura's personality thus far lead him to believe that she would ever give up a fight she truly believed in. It was her weakness. It was also one of her greatest strengths.

And it was the reason she was the biggest piece in the puzzle he'd created.

Abruptly, he pulled her shirt back down and allowed her to roll onto her back once more. Anticipating her attack, he dodged as her feet swung toward him. It was futile and Sakura knew it. Itachi saw no element of surprise within her eyes as he held a kunai to her throat.

"Sasuke will be here soon," he whispered.

"I know."

"And do you also know that you are not the one he's coming for?"

A mixture of emotions flickered across her eyes and vanished before she replied. "I do. And that's why I know your plan won't work."

Itachi nodded. "Yes, you are correct. In the end, Sasuke will chose death over life. Hatred is the way to death, and hatred is all he has left."

"Then you aren't far behind him." Sakura held his crimson gaze. "You are just as corrupted."

He smirked. "For someone so smart, you disappoint me, Sakura. I do not do what I do out of hate. This is who I am. Nothing drives me other than the betterment of myself. That, and the cleansing of the Uchiha clan. It was a disgrace what we'd become. Only Sasuke and I had the power to change that."

"I won't help you."

He pressed the kunai against her throat. "Yes you will. You will do exactly what I say."

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Sai looked up as Yamato, Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba arrived simultaneously across the clearing from him. The group wordlessly surveyed the battle-scorched ground.

"Sasuke?" Naruto looked up at Sai.

The pale shinobi nodded. "The ninja hounds cannot trace him though."

Kiba smiled. "Perhaps not, but you haven't asked me yet."

The group looked at him, their surprise half-heartedly suppressed. Only Hinata, who'd been on the young man's team since childhood, seemed unaffected. She knew better than anyone the abilities Kiba had yet to demonstrate.

"You can pick up Sasuke's trail?" Naruto's blue eyes bore into the other Konoha shinobi.

Kiba pressed his hands together. "Just follow me."

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Sasuke was not surprised to see Itachi waiting for him as he entered the clearing. His brother stood, arms crossed, a look of impatience stamped on his features. Behind him, Sakura knelt awkwardly. Her gaze was fixated on the forest floor, and she gave no indication she knew Hebi had arrived.

"This is my fight," Sasuke said quietly to his group. "No one interferes for any reason." He looked pointedly at Karin. "Even if you think I need help."

"You got it, Sasuke." Suigetsu and the others nodded in unison.

The youngest Uchiha turned to Itachi. "Prepare yourself, murderer. I am here to avenge my family with your death."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "What are you going to do, Sasuke? Transform again? We both know you can't defeat me as you are now. Only the demon that is within you has the strength."

"It does not matter how I kill you, Itachi, only that you die."

"So you'd risk everything to kill me? How pathetic. Not only will you eventually remain in demon form, you'll destroy those around you who care about you as well."

A brief hint of confusion was visible within Sasuke's eyes, and he involuntarily glance at Sakura.

She hadn't moved from her position, and for a moment Sasuke wondered if she was under a genjutsu. He'd never seen her look so…

…broken.

And that confused him and angered him even more. He assumed it hadn't taken much to break her, but the question of how Itachi had done it tugged at his brain. It was all he could do to pull his gaze away from her.

In Sasuke's moment of distraction, Itachi waved his hand. Instantly, the former team seven member was on the defensive as the air before him shimmered and waved. He was shocked that his brother could have cast a genjutsu on him while he had the sharingan activated—until he realized that no genjutsu had been cast on him.

The atmosphere between the brothers shifted into a living picture. Sasuke could make out the image of Sakura walking alongside a shadowy figure. She appeared to be a few years older than she was now, and her green eyes held all the life Sasuke was used to seeing in them.

She held out her hand to the shadowy figure.

"You have a choice," Itachi said from behind the illusion. "You can attempt to kill me, and know that I will kill her instantly, or you can trade your revenge for the chance of happiness."

Sasuke sneered. "I gave that up when I left for Orochimaru. That future is no longer possible for me."

Feigning surprise, Itachi cocked his head. "For you? This has nothing to do with you. I was referring to Sakura-chan's happiness."

"Don't call her that." Sasuke clenched his jaw.

The image shifted again and the features of the shadowy figure became clear. A knot formed in the pit of Sasuke's stomach, and he forced himself to swallow the bile that rose in his throat.

The image of the man holding Sakura's hand was that of Itachi.

Within the illusion, the pair walked toward a lake where two distant children waved their hands in greeting. The Sakura within the genjutsu grinned and waved back, resting her head on Itachi's shoulder.

Too revolted to speak, Sasuke could only stare as the short scenario replayed itself over again.

"This is foolishness," the younger Uchiha whispered.

"I'm afraid not, little brother. This is the simple reality. You want to kill me, I will kill Sakura. However, if you allow me to live, I will protect her for the rest of my life. I'll care for her, give her the life deserving of such a kunoichi."

"Sakura would never allow it."

"Again, who said anything about allow? Her choice is as simple as yours. She can die, or she can accept me. I think we both know she's far too stubborn to die."

"Sakura?" Sasuke turned to her, waiting to see the telltale defiance within her eyes.

Her gaze remained on the ground. She did not reply.

Her silence was like a knife to Sasuke's heart—a heart he'd long thought he no longer had. He wanted to shake her; slap her; knock some sense into her. Why wasn't she saying anything? Just a look—something to let him know that she wanted him to follow through with his revenge.

Sakura knew Sasuke was looking at her. She also knew he was waging a war within himself. It was that battle that kept her quiet. The Sasuke she used to know would never have had to think about his own ambitions taking precedent over the welfare of someone he cared about. The very fact that he was debating it now was a testament to how much he had truly changed.

He wanted her to give him a sign that it was okay to attack Itachi; that it was okay if she were an innocent sacrifice. He wanted to know that she wouldn't hold him responsible for her death.

It was an excuse Sakura couldn't give him.

But while she couldn't give him an excuse to allow her to die, she could help him in another way.

Gaze still on the ground, she made her final decision and said, "Sasuke, you have to defeat Itachi without using your seal. It's the only way. That's the only way."

There. She'd just sealed her fate.

The fact that she'd said anything was strictly against Itachi's order. That she'd given away a vital piece of the puzzle was inexcusable. Now Itachi had nothing to base Sasuke's test on. The whole basis of the final battle had been to see if Sasuke could choose humanity over power.

Sakura ruined Itachi's test just as surely as if she'd killed him herself.

She was not surprised when he grabbed her by the shirt, holding her close as he backhanded her. He leaned down next to her ear, his voice a low growl. "I warned you Sakura. There will be no mercy for you now."

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Coming soon: Chapter 14: The Road to Hell is paved with Good Intentions

Author's note: Forgive the late update. I had this written last week and the disk I saved it to lost all the data on it. I had to rewrite it and I wasn't too happy.