Disclaimer: Anything and everything Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sensei; which means characters, places, and all the flippin' awesome Justus are not mine. What do I own? My kickass plot tweaks that make the story better.

Summary: Naru is caught by the Akatsuki while on her Training trip with Jiraiya and is held prisoner for about two months before she escapes. While a captive Itachi is charged with watching her but he's not quite what she suspected and finds herself captivated by the mystery that is Uchiha Itachi. Upon her return to the village she decides to go through everything related to him and the Uchiha's and she finds herself falling in love with the Itachi. Will she be able to bring Sasuke home before he confronts Itachi or will she lose the love of her life?

Rating: Rated "T" for language and possible violent and/or bloody scenes (I mean come on they are ninjas).

Regular speech

'Thought'

Flashback

'Flashback thought'

Bijuu speech

'Bijuu thought'

Chapter 21

Finally they reached the town and Sakura led the way to the hospital and was given a room to use. Naru and Sai sat outside the room waiting, after the scheming to get Danzo's eye the trip was rather boring; well except the second night when they set up camp.

Flashback

They had just finished setting up camp and the three were sitting around waiting for their dinner of freshly caught fish to cook and Naru saw Sakura looking at Itachi nervously but wasn't sure what was up she hoped it wasn't something with his health, but before she could asked Sai spoke up.

"You know he's taken so why do you keep looking at him, Ugly?" was Sai's oh-so-tactful question and Naru just wanted to face palm.

"That's not it." Sakura said paling, then she remembered Sai called her ugly and she turned red in anger, "I'm not ugly! You just need your eyes fixed!"

"Sakura it wouldn't matter what you do, he will never think of you as beautiful." Naru said.

"Are you saying you agree with him?!" Sakura asked angrily turning to Naru.

"No, I'm saying you're not his type?" Naru said Sakura just looked confused "Did you not notice how close he and Yamato-taicho are lately?" Suddenly Sakura face got an enlightened look, and then she looked dejected.

"Why doesn't anyone ever tell me these things?" Sakura asked sadly "My best friend is seeing a criminal, two of my other teammates are seeing each other, next thing Kakashi-sensei's gonna be married before I'm even notified. Don't you guys trust me?"

"Oh come on you know we trust you and don't worry about Kashi-nii his marriage isn't legally allowed(A/N: No gay marriage Stuffy old coots T.T )." Naru said as she took one of the fish, "And think logically could I really tell you 'Hey I'm in love with Uchiha Itachi, you know the one who is said to have massacred his whole clan in one night' you would have thought I had gone crazy. Hell you probably think that now."

"Yamato-taicho and I are not official." Sai stated "But if you wish to know I do hope for a relationship with him in the future. However he has told me he has some things to sort out, though he never said what."

"It is probably about Kashi-nii." Naru said off-handedly, "They dated years ago when they were both ANBU and maybe being around each other brought back old feeling. I know it caused a couple fights between Kashi-nii and Ir- his boyfriend."

"Kakashi-sensei is gay too? Who's he dating?" Sakura asked shocked. "But wasn't he dating Anko during our chuunin exams?"

"He goes both ways and can't say but you'd never guess." Naru said smirking. "Now why don't you tell us why you were looking at 'Tachi so nervously?"

"Well, you see he kind of needs to be washed." Sakura said quietly, "He's still covered in filth from his fight and it's not good for him health wise."

"Is that why you were nervous?" Naru asked trying not to laugh.

"Well, I didn't want you to think I was trying something" Sakura said with her head down "You know with my Uchiha fan girl history."

"Why do you want to be the one to wash him?" Naru teased with a serious face.

"NO! I-I was g-going to s-suggest you d-do i-it." Sakura stuttered in a panic with her face red. Naru couldn't help it any longer; she burst out laughing with tears running down her face and it took a couple minutes to compose herself.

"I forgot how fun you are to tease." Naru said as she wiped her tears, "Sakura, I'm not worried about you wanting 'Tachi you can chill out. I know you are happy with Lee; why is beyond me but to each their own I guess."

"I find his enthusiasm cute." Sakura justified with a pout.

"I'm just saying I know you have learned to go by more than looks." Naru said. "But I do think a bath sounds good so I might just take one as well." She had finished her food and was going through her pouch looking for the scroll she wanted. "Do either of you want to join us?" Sakura blushed at the thought but Sai agreed, "Good cuz I'm gonna need help with 'Tachi. Are you sure you don't want to help Sakura?" Naru teased.

"I'll just stay and watch the camp." Sakura said as she blushed beet red.

"Suit yourself." Naru laughed as she and Sai carried Itachi to the nearby river.

After about as an hour in the exam room Sakura called them in.

"Okay everything is fine with him health wise, as for his disease it seems to be slow progressing, I'll do a check-up when he wakes; but as far as I can tell he will live at least another five years without a cure." Sakura told them.

"It won't take that long to find a cure will it?" Naru asked worried.

"No," Sakura said, "once we get back to Konoha is should only take a month or two. Three at most because it will be something I will have to work on privately on the side if you choose not to bring him with us to Konoha."

"Does he need to be in the hospital or can he just be cared for at home?" Naru asked.

"At home should be fine. He'll just have to be carefully monitored and hooked up to IV's for nutrients until he wakes you." Sakura said "Once he wakes up he will be on a liquids only diet for a week after that he can slowly be reintroduced to solid food."

"Okay." Naru said as she thought some things over "What about his eye?"

"I have a nurse prepping an operating room now," Sakura said "I am going to implant the eye and take some blood samples and some other thing I will need to create a cure for his mystery disease." Just then a nurse entered and Sakura headed for the door with Itachi in a hospital bed.

"I'll know what I'm gonna do when you get done." Naru told her getting a nod in response. Naru stood in the middle of the room empty except for her and Sai; she then bite her thumb drawing blood and forming signs as she hit the ground with her hand.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu." Naru said and in a big poof of smoke a large orange toad with purple markings and wearing a blue vest appeared.

"Yo Naru-chan, what's up?" the toad asked.

"Not much, Gamakichi. I just have a few questions I want to ask." Naru replied.

"Okay shoot. I'll answer if I can." Gamakichi said.

"I was wondering if people without a contract are allowed on Mt. Myöboku?" Naru asked.

"I think if you can get the elders approval it can be allowed but it has never really been done before, why?" Gamakichi asked.

"I have someone I will need to keep an eye on but I can't bring them to Konoha," Naru said "I figure seeing as Jiraiya is bringing me there in a week or so to train it would be ideal for him to hide."

"If you give a name I will go ask the elders permission." Gamakichi said.

"I have a better idea, seeing as I can't go, how about I sent a short letter," Naru said "The situation is a bit complicated."

"How complicated?" Gamakichi asked as Naru started writing on a scroll.

"Extremely." Naru replied "The person is my lover, Uchiha Itachi."

"As in the one who is a traitor to Konoha." Gamakichi said.

"That's the complicated part." Naru said "He was ordered to kill his clan by the elders but they hid their involvement and said he did it in cold-blood. It's a really long story but short version is he only killed the clan council and some other hostile members while the councils ANBU killed the rest, the third sent him to spy on Akatsuki, then he decided that he should die at Sasuke's hand for his part in the clan massacre; however I stopped that foolish idea and when he wakes up 'Tachi is getting a serious talking to. Anyway baa-chan already knows 'Tachi is innocent."

"Then why not bring him to Konoha?" Gamakichi asked confused.

"The only proof of his innocence is 'Tachi's memories but I won't let anyone in his head until he wakes up." Naru said as she finished the scroll. "Here the scroll." Gamakichi took the scroll and disappeared in a poof of smoke. After Gamakichi left Naru and Sai went to sit outside the operating room. 45 minutes later Sakura came out of the room.

"Okay his eyes have to stay covered for two weeks while the transplanted eye heals." Sakura said "which shouldn't be an issue seeing as he shouldn't wake up before then if my calculations are right. Have you figured out what you're doing?" Sakura asked.

"I'm just waiting for a reply." Naru told her.

"Why don't we go to the recovery room so I can do a post-op check so he'll be ready to leave in an hour," Sakura said "that way we can be on time to regroup with Kakashi and Yamato."

"No need they'll be here by then." Naru said. "Sai do you think you can find a way to distract them until 'Tachi is gone, I have a feeling they want him back in Konoha."

"That was the plan they came up with, yes." Sai said "How should I distract them?"

"Nothing that will get you in trouble I'll just need another 10-15 mins." Naru said.

"Okay" Sai said as he took off.

"You know if you keep doing whatever you want you'll never make Hokage." Sakura said with a sigh.

"Just think of it as me showing my leadership skills along with how awesome my decision making is." Naru said with a cheeky smile.

"I have no idea how you have lived this long without Tsunade-sama beating you to death." Sakura said.

"Because it would mean she would have to wait longer to find a successor." Naru said.

"You know I could always tell her I want to be Hokage." Sakura said.

"Why you want to spend all day going through all that paperwork?" Naru asked teasingly.

"I do plenty of paperwork as a medic a little more won't hurt." Sakura said with a shrug and Naru started laughing. "Do you still want to be Hokage so that the village has to acknowledge you?" Sakura asked in a serious tone.

"That's only one of the reasons, because I still want people to see me as Naru and not the Kyuubi." Naru said sobering up "I original wanted to be Hokage because Kashi-nii would tell me stories about the fourth and I wanted to be as awesome as him. He was my first role model and because I never knew my parents I guess I just wanted to make my hero proud of me. As I grow up I noticed the way people looked at me but I could tell they weren't really seeing me; that made me want recognition. When I found out what they were seeing I knew I would have to prove I was a great ninja all on my own, but the one thing that never changed was I wanted to protect everyone even the people who hated me. I just want to be the person people know they can turn to when there is a problem no matter how small."

Sakura just looked at Naru with an awestruck expression and they continued down the hallway. Just outside the recovery room there was a poof of smoke as Gamakichi appeared, Naru stopped to talk to him while Sakura went inside the room.

"Yo! Naru." Gamakichi said with a salute.

"So what was the verdict?" Naru asked.

"The Elder Sage Toad said he was allowed on Mt. Myöboku." Gamakichi said "Shima-sama said she would help keep an eye on him as long as you sent someone to set up the equipment."

"So is Gamanidai¹ available?" Naru asked.

"No, Jiraiya-sama is using him right now, but I wouldn't mind doing the transporting." Gamakichi said. "It will take a few trips and some patience on your part."

"I can be patient when I need to be." Naru said sullenly, "I just prefer to get things done fast. So how this going to work?"

"Well, I can take the medic and equipment first, then give me five minutes for the introductions and summon me back." Gamakichi said "I will then take Itachi; you'll have to ask the medic how long she will take then you can summon me back."

"You're going to be awfully busy today." Naru said.

"Then you can just give me extra snacks next time you see me." Gamakichi replied just as Sakura came out of the room.

"He's just fine and can be transported whenever you decide." Sakura told Naru.

"How do you feel about toads?" Naru asked her with a big smile.

"I don't freak out over them, why?" Sakura asked with apprehension.

"I need you to go to Mt. Myöboku to set-up for 'Tachi and tell someone named Shima what she needs to know about his care." Naru told her. "You just have to tell me how long you'll need so I can summon you back."

"Well it should only take about five minute to hook Itachi up to the IVs and another five to make sure everything is in order so 12-15 minute to be safe." Sakura said.

"Okay, go get the equipment that will be needed for 'Tachi and then I'll send you with Gamakichi first." Naru said "Then you can set-up while waiting for 'Tachi to get there."

"Okay." Sakura said as she headed to get the supplies; she returned pretty quickly and Naru sent her off as she sat at Itachi's side. After five minutes she resummoned Gamakichi and sent Itachi to Mt. Myöboku. She decided she might as well meet up the rest of the team, besides if she took much longer Sai was bound to get in trouble.

It took ten minutes to reach the team, and when she showed up she saw Sai tied up and Yamato patching up Kakashi.

"Sai, I thought I said not to attack them?" Naru asked with a sigh.

"I didn't, I had them attack me." Sai said not at all upset with his position, Naru just sweatdropped and shook her head.

"Are either of you injured Yamato-taicho, Kashi-nii?" Naru asked.

"I'm fine." Yamato said tending to Kakashi's arm.

"I just have some scratches nothing to worry about." Kakashi said "Where are Sakura and Itachi?"

"Oh, I almost forgot. Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Naru said.

"What took so long?" Sakura asked getting released from Gamakichi grasp.

"Sorry, there was a situation;" Naru said gesturing to their teammates, then turning to Gamakichi "I'll make sure to bring your snacks when I go to Mt. Myöboku with Jiraiya."

"Make sure you bring enough for everyone else and dad wants some Sake." Gamakichi replied before he poofed away.

"Damn toads are gonna make me go broke." Naru grumbled.

"You sent Itachi to Mt. Myöboku?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes." Naru replied "No one is going through his head when he's unconscious, even if I do trust Inoichi-san. I will bring him to Konoha when he regains consciousness."

"He should be brought back immediately, Naru." Yamato said "He is a criminal and needs to be brought into the Hokage."

"HE IS NOT A CRIMINAL." Naru snarled as her eyes became crimson colored.

"Naru, calm down." Kakashi said. "Yamato doesn't know all the facts so do not get so angry."

"You're right, I'm sorry Yamato-taicho." Naru apologized as she looked at the ground, she took a deep breath before continuing "The truth is everything the village was told about the Uchiha massacre was a lie, and Baa-chan already knows this. However the only way to clear 'Tachi's name is his memories as the people behind the massacre destroyed everything that pointed to them; but I refused to have 'Tachi's mind gone through without his consent so it will wait until he wakes up."

"Who is really behind it then?" Sakura asked "Do you plan on telling Sasuke-kun?"

"I can't say as we are trying to get them for their crimes and can't risk their spies finding out." Naru said, "As for Sasuke, yes I plan on telling him the truth and I also plan to beat the shit out of him for not using that 'genius' brain he's was always so proud of. But for now we should head home we are two days late and Baa-chan is not going to be happy with me."