AN: Oh man. And here things get interesting. Hemophilia B actually exists and I had to do a bit of research to really pull the bits and pieces together.
Oyasumi and Oyasumi Nasai mean good night/sweet dreams, essentially what is said right before bed.
"The starting point of all achievement is desire." Napoleon Hill
Itachi sipped his tea thoughtfully as he took into account what Sakura was saying. They had both finished their miso quickly, eager to get to the information at hand. After all they were both genius' and work -a- holics at the core; neither could avoid the subject of their research for long. Itachi particularly looked forward to it because it had been a while since he had collaborated with someone of worthy intelligence. It hadn't happened since Sasori's death. This was not to bemoan his previous partner, Kisame, but the shark man really couldn't compete with Sakura's intellect.
"So you're saying that you have a 'feeling' that something's wrong with the information provided." Itachi said eyeing her, eyebrow arching in silent accusation.
"There's a lot of things within Shishou's notes that didn't quite add up. The cause of death being the first. The area of impact being the second, and finally the poison, itself." Sakura finished as she fingered her mug of tea.
"Explain" Itachi ordered.
"It's too simple. Sasuke being susceptible to a rare poison that has a fifty percent chance of killing as it doesn't? What kind of idiot ninja uses that kind of poison to kill him?" Sakura asked. "I mean he wasn't a god or anything, but he wouldn't have been beat by a second rate ninja."
Itachi smirked. "Some use to think that the Sharingan was a gift from the gods to rule among the land of mortals." He told her.
Sakura rolled her eyes.
"To answer your question though, it would be the kind of idiot that knows his body is susceptible." Itachi remarked pensive as he stroked his chin.
"Are you telling me that there's a Hemophilia trait within the genetics of the Uchiha clan?" Sakura challenged, eyebrow arching.
Sakura was extensively aware of the Uchiha medical records. She had set to memorizing them by heart when she was finally granted access to them. She had been trying to decipher some sort of medical clue in regards to the mysteriousness that surrounded their family and the Sharingan. It wasn't just simply because of her rather obsessive compulsive nature of stalking Sasuke.
Sakura had actually started with the Uchiha files about a year after Sasuke had left them, hoping to uncover something useful regarding Itachi. Instead what she had discovered unlocked a lot of clan strife, and more questions than she had legitimate tangible answers. There were a lot of things she longed to ask him as she had formed a few speculative hunches in regards to the dead members of the Uchiha Clan. She suspected Fugaku of child abuse based on some of the medical files.
"No genetic trait exists that I was ever aware of, but then again the specific medical issues of my family wasn't exactly knowledge I was privileged to at that age, or along the lines of my specialty." Itachi said meaningfully.
Sakura scowled. He had to bring up that issue didn't he? It was so hard to hold in context that the man who was having tea with her and so incredibly talented and intelligent had also committed the near genocide of the entire Uchiha clan.
"So you don't know?" Sakura replied, ignoring the poignant jab, chewing on her lip.
"It is possible, I suppose, that Hemophilia B was present in my foolish little brother, but we wouldn't have had any way of catching or diagnosing it, at that point in time. Particularly not during the third's reign. Medical ninja were never a luxury he had the time to train." Itachi replied.
"The Sharingan wouldn't have caught that in his blood?" Sakura asked.
"The Sharingan sees through genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu, Sakura. It doesn't allow you to see through skin layers, but rather contains more useful properties such as the ability to copy techniques." Itachi chided.
"The Byakugan contains properties of this ability, allowing it's user to 'see' through the flow points of chakra but nothing so sophisticated exists that I'm aware of in a Kekkei Genkai of any clan, as the Sharingan." Itachi finished.
Itachi had traveled the world, had probably been among more hidden villages and battled more kekkei genkai than Sakura could even imagine. If any one would want to know that costly kind of information it would have been Uchiha Itachi.
"So the Sharingan can't see the blood cells?" Sakura asked, eyebrow raised skeptically.
Itachi regarded her skepticism with a smirk.
"None of the Uchiha members at that time had the eye strength to be able to catch something of that sort. Unfortunately, I didn't think to look for something as a genetic mutation present in him whilst we lived in the Uchiha compound." Itachi sighed.
"Weren't there any medics among the Uchiha?" Sakura questioned.
"Medical knowledge was never a priority and even if it had been, Hemophilia B isn't exactly common placed knowledge, either. You know the chances of that outcome as well as I do." Itachi replied.
"1 in 34,000." Sakura replied, brow furrowed.
"If he had such a genetic problem present, how did he manage to keep from bleeding to death?" Itachi asked, frowning.
Such a problem in his brother should have been information that passed through or to him as the probable heir to the Uchiha clan. At the very least he should have been told so as not to kill his brother with a simple fight, knick or cut…Well, that was to say, until he was ready to do so, of course.
"Oh no." She cried, smacking her forehead. "Baka, Baka, Baka!" Sakura scowled, banging her head on the table.
Itachi didn't have to say anything for Sakura to correctly interpret his look.
"S-sorry" She murmured.
She pulled herself together and took a deep breath.
"Sasuke had several medical exams when he was little, particularly when he was throwing kunai whilst training according to the notes in which is fingers were badly cut. They probably discovered it at that point in time." Sakura said.
"What would they have done to halt such a devastating problem? As far as I was aware, no cure existed." Itachi asked.
Sakura smiled. "Your knowledge of medical jutsu impresses me, Itachi san"
"There's no cure for the condition, but there are measures that can be taken to supplement the body's lack of genetic function. They probably gave him some sort of injection of antibodies which would stray the problem for a while." Sakura replied.
"You memorized the Uchiha Medical records?" He prompted, surprised.
Sakura flushed. "It's not what you think. After Sasuke left, I wanted to see if I could find anything within the Uchiha family…that explained..." She didn't finish.
"Why I might have possibly killed my clan?" Itachi finished for her.
"I didn't mean it like that-" She protested.
Itachi smirked. "You are not the first to question my sanity, Sakura." Itachi replied, dismissing the subject.
"Now, Antibodies are a common solution to most unknown clinical symptoms present with small children, correct?" Itachi replied.
Sakura nodded.
"Then it's probable, even though difficult to believe that Sasuke might have had this condition and been misdiagnosed but given proper treatment anyways and been unable to outgrow it as originally hoped with the treatment." Itachi stated.
"If…and this is a big if, Sasuke had such a genetic factor, the symptoms of the poison weren't simply for a straight kill, which is why it's suspicious that it was still present in his body…after all most ninja use poisons that dispel quicker so they're not traceable." Sakura
Itachi took a sip of his tea, the tilt of his head encouraging her to continue.
"I made it a specific study of mine to make sure I knew my poisons and antidotes. Most of my research to be able to graduate as a trained medic during my three year apprenticeship was in making more progress on our archives of poisons and antidotes for those." Sakura said.
"Which is why you were able to save the Kazekage and his brother" Itachi commented thoughtfully.
"And also why I know what I do now. The poison in his body wasn't simply a fifty fifty chance of killing him though it's commonly used as that by any half rate nin. The side effects of such a poison, assuming that he had such a genetic factor as Hemophilia B would have also hampered his own body's abilities to clot his blood. The wounds from his autopsy would be extensive enough to do the job in light of that factor" Sakura said, chewing her lip nervously as she tapped her finger on the table.
"So the enemy knew more about his medical conditions than Konoha was able to aptly diagnose at the time of the third's reign." Itachi said, thinking out loud.
"Hmm.." Sakura frowned.
"We can safely say that our killer has an extensive knowledge of his medical conditions, if he did, indeed, have something so rare, that even the Godaime Hokage wouldn't have immediately recognized it." Itachi said, approval shinning in those dark eyes of his.
Sakura waved her hand flippantly. "It's a very rare genetic factor and one would have to know what they're looking for on both spectrums to be able to connect the two." Sakura replied sheepishly.
"And yet you were able to within a matter of hours." Itachi replied, eyes on her.
"It looked like she was quick to wrap up the autopsy, satisfied with the fact that poison killed him, not needing to dig deeper than that for the moment with other more pressing issues going on." Sakura replied, blushing under that gaze.
"A-and it's very easy to misdiagnose which I- I think was the case here. Not intellect." She stammered.
"Sakura" Itachi said standing. Sakura rose to her feet, nervous as he strode towards her.
"Eh…Itachi…san…" Sakura barely remembered the ending, hands on her chair, unsure of his proximity or what to do about it.
Calloused, nail polished fingertips forced her to look into his eyes.
"You are the only one who could have possibly known that information and have connected these two outcomes as quickly. We have made considerable progress today because of your efforts." He told her.
She blushed, prettily, the pink blooming on her cheeks, the color making her green eyes all the more alluring beneath her long thick black lashes.
"Take a compliment, Kunoichi" He said. He took her hand and kissed it, eyes never leaving hers as he delicately released her hand and left the kitchen to head back to the library.
Sakura flushed. "Itachi?" She questioned, turning as she followed his leaving.
"Rest for the evening. Enough progress has been made to warrant it" He replied as he sat down, setting his spectacles on as he pulled a book from a shelf in his living room, lighting a candle and sitting down to read. She had followed him into the room.
"But we could-" She protested, but his fingers on her lips stopped her. Green eyes widened, her lovely flush returning.
"We both need rest to recover our chakra. We will do better tomorrow when there is light out and we have slept on the information for a night." He told her with an amused quirk of those thin lips.
Sakura's eyes stayed fixed on them as she swallowed hesitantly. "I-Itachi…san." She added as an after thought.
That particular tilt of his head told her he was listening.
"Would you be willing to train with me tomorrow?" Sakura asked.
"Aah. I will wake you." He told her. "In the mean time you should examine some of the scrolls I left in your room. You might find them beneficial." He said, returning to his seat and book.
Sakura smiled softly and padded her way to her room.
"Oyasumi nasai" Sakura said shyly as she made her way down the hall.
"Oyasumi, Sakura" Sakura heard his reply down the hall.
…………………………………………………….
Sakura groaned as she wiped the sleep from her eyes as the ever silent Uchiha led the way. He led them downstairs that Sakura hadn't even known existed. Sakura could feel the difference in temperature, the rock formations surrounding causing her to shiver, the deeper they went. Torches lined the walls and with a snap of his fingers they lit brilliantly revealing a training area the size of the anbu fields.
"Y-you keep a training area in your house…underground. Ugh I should have known" She scowled.
"Training does not stop when one becomes a missing nin. In fact I'm bold enough to offer that this is where your real training will begin, Sakura."
"Begin?" She asked sullenly. Itachi smirked.
"You have much to learn in order to move and function as a nukenin." He told her.
"But what about the information we've discovered so far?" Sakura asked.
"We will have two sessions of training, once in the morning and once in the evening. The afternoons will be spent with research until we come up with a feasible plan." Itachi replied.
"But your mind should not be focusing on other things. You will need the entirety of yourself to battle me" He told her.
Sakura scowled. It had been the same with Tsunade Shishou when she had undertaken her apprenticeship. Twice a day. And research. Oh gods…
"Begin" He told her, and Sakura drew her kunai wearily.
………………………………..
Sakura was on the floor, covered with miscellaneous cuts and scratches, gasping for breath as Itachi stood over her. She coughed, spitting out a tooth she would have to surgically reapply later.
"We shall break for lunch and following that, research." He told her. She didn't move but to take a shuddering breath. "You did well for your first time." He told her.
"Ughhh…." She moaned.
"Come." He ordered. She groaned and rose wearily to her feet following after him with staggering steps as she picked up her bloodied tooth, tongue tracing the shallow hole hollowly as she put her healing chakra to good use.
Lunch came and went and the two were back again at researching.
"There are only two people Sasuke has come in contact with that would have that kind of medical prowess." Sakura said. "Kabuto, Orochimaru's creepy little assistant. And the red headed girl on team hebi.."
"You are referring to Karin." Itachi said.
Sakura's eyes dulled. The red headed girl who had originally been one of Orochimaru's henchmen but had joined up with team hebi all those years ago. Sakura didn't want to say her name, flashbacks of the mangekyou Itachi had used on her when they were in Konoha still made her flinch and shudder. Karin was one of their targets in finding out more about Sasuke's death. Great.
Itachi eyed her as he watched the emotions flickering across her face, in those eyes.
"We will go after her first" He said.
"But Kabuto has more medical prowess under his belt than-" Sakura protested.
"Karin would have more than likely seen my foolish little brother last. She has the most connection with him, and as such will be our first target." Itachi replied steadily.
Sakura scowled, but her eyes hardened as she was lost again in her memories of Itachi's illusion. She would have to fight against the red head.
Her eyes shone with determination.
"When?" She asked.
"Assuming all goes well, and your training continues, I presume three weeks. But it might be longer if all does not proceed according to plan. After all planning only comes from anticipated outcome" Itachi replied.
"So what exactly does this training involve?" Sakura replied.
"Everything. I will seek to give you technique, stamina, physical and mental toughness to endure the battles ahead. Your chakra reserves will deepen, your senses will heighten and if you do exceedingly well, you may actually be able to fight the Sharingan on equal footing." Itachi replied.
"Three weeks. That's not much time." She replied. "Me and Naruto trained for three years to reach a fighting level of jounin level ninja. I had three years of hard training before I made Anbu. And you think you can teach me to be capable in a matter of three weeks? It can't be done." Sakura replied.
"Those years you trained, were a stepping stone for the training you will now receive. You laid a foundation for us to build upon. You have been working your entire life to reach this point, Sakura"
"And just how do you plan to accomplish this? I'm the weakest of my three man team, still." Sakura admitted bitterly.
"Your three man team is also among the top ninja of the world. Third place of your team, taking into account that skill on a world's measure and that you still would rank high in the bingo books…This is not something to be ashamed of. It's a testament of strength that you've come this far." Itachi replied
"You're dodging my question" Sakura retorted.
"The answer is always found within, Sakura." Itachi replied.
"What do you mean?"
"You will find out" He told her. "Come. Our research is done for the day and as you've admitted, it will take a great deal of work to turn you into a credible nukenin."
Sakura scowled, glaring at the figure of the retreating Uchiha. "Done? We haven't done anything. Itachi-wait-"
"You sought me out. You demanded in your naïve arrogance for me to teach you. Do you refute your own words? If so, I will kill you now and be on my way" Itachi told her, Sharingan flaring.
Itachi was deathly serious as his eyes held hers.
"I meant them, Itachi san. I want to be stronger." She replied evenly.
Itachi strode towards her, centimeters away from her face as he looked her deep in the eyes. Sakura did not flinch, or budge under that unwavering gaze. His gaze was approving, studying and calculating as he looked her from head to toe. His fingers came up and Sakura blinked, those calloused fingers, running along her lips. Her gaze wavered as his other hand wrapped around her waist, bringing her close. She licked her lips hastily, eyeing him hesitantly.
"Do you want it more than Sasuke? More than Karin? More than the kyuubi bearer?" Itachi asked her, eyes hard.
"Yes" She replied evenly.
His lips crashed onto hers and she kissed him hungrily back as one hand snaked around her waist to bring her closer, the other burying itself in her short tresses. Her tongue slid across his own as she let out a disconcerted moan, gasping as he broke the kiss to suckle on her neck, placing adorning kisses and nips in a burning trail down her tender throat. It was no secret between them that they desired each other. Every look, every touch pointed to that most obvious idea. The question was could she overcome that?
Her mouth went to his ear, nipping harshly. "Itachi" She breathed. "Don't tease me" She replied with meaning, as she brought his head up and kissed him hard, hands buried in his raven black mane.
Itachi grinned, breaking the kiss chastely, as he stepped back. "Very good." He said, licking his bottom lip as he regarded the formidable kunoichi in front of him.
He led the way. Sakura followed.