Yey! New update!
He stirred to the faint sounds of plates and chairs being moved. Careful to open his eyes to avoid the pain brought on by the early morning light, he propped himself up on one elbow.
Everything was so clear and vivid. He could see the parting of the wood on the floor, the rusting hinges on his cabinet doors and the veins on the back of his hand. If he looked closely enough, he could also see the woven crisscross of the thread on the other side of his bed. Which was empty.
His eyesight was back. But Sakura was gone.
So was her box.
The ringing of a steel pot clanging with another echoed through the house and he twitched a little bit at the noise. It was only six in the morning after all. Sakura could be in the kitchen but when he probed around the house for a signature, he found none.
Sakura may have masked her chakra before she got out of bed to keep from alarming his sixth sense.
On his side table was the hair tie he pulled out before he drifted to sleep last night with the beautiful but broken healer in his arms. With two twists, he secured his low pony in place and headed downstairs in his usual pace.
However, when he peering into the kitchen, he was not rewarded with the sight of the pink-haired woman cooking breakfast.
"Okaa-san."
His mother seemed panicked over the sound of his voice. Her grief-stricken features which were previously concentrated on the bulb of onion she had been chopping were now contorted into what seemed to be worry or stress.
She dropped the knife and wiped her hands on her apron before rounding the island counter, opening her arms to him as she quietly greeted him.
"Itachi," Mikoto said, her voice almost breaking into a sob. Her eyes, however, betrayed her before she could even bury her face into her son's chest. "Sweetheart, I was so worried about you. Were you hurt?" Her hands went to his son's cheeks gently.
He shook his head the best he could in his mother's grip. "I have been fine," answered Itachi, taking his mother's hands into his. "You have heard of Sasuke's condition?"
His mom nodded. She allowed him to pull away from her face but his hold on her hands was firm. That was what she needed right now, Itachi knew—someone strong to hold onto. He could not afford to be selfish and wallow in his own misery when he knew there were those who needed him.
He wanted so bad to ask whether his mother had seen Sakura but given that she had not mentioned her, he assumed that Sakura probably snuck out before his mother arrived. Or perhaps that was the reason she slipped out in the first place.
"I wanted to see you and pick up a few things before I went to the h-hospital. I just wanted to drop off a few things in his room before I go to the…"
The funeral ceremony. Itachi nodded in understanding. "Of course. I will come with you. Spare me a few minutes to prepare. You must too."
"After I prepare breakfast." That, tagged with a forced smile, was all he got before she went back to the counter and resumed preparing breakfast.
She shouldn't have. Itachi knew how much effort it must have taken her to assure him that she was fine but she shouldn't have to exert too much. That was what he was here for. His mother shouldn't have to prepare him breakfast and go on like everything was fine. Like nothing happened. As if she hadn't lost a husband and lost a son to comatose.
Seeing his mother hunched over the kitchen counter made him want to assume his position as clan head as soon as possible. Mikoto, after all, deserved to rest after at least two decades of being pegged as the ideal Uchiha wife. She deserved to be the woman she wants to be.
If he were to assume the position of clan head, he would be pressured to find a wife immediately. But word in the compound was that three of the five clan elders were dead. And if the elders were not a complete quorum, the clan head could overpower their decisions.
Thank the gods the geezers were too proud for their own good and went to battle at 70 years old.
Before leaving the guest room in the Hokage Tower, Shizune promised to accompany Sakura to the hospital after the funeral ceremony was over. Halfway out the door, she was met by Kakashi who was holding the door open for her.
Sakura heard her old sensei's voice ask, "Can I come in?"
"It's fine," she called out from behind the changing screen. "I'll be out in a minute."
The door shut close and she heard Kakashi's clothes ruffling followed by the sound of the creaky sofa being sat on. With one swift move, she pulled over the black long-sleeved shirt draped over the changing screen.
When she stepped out into the middle of the room, she found Kakashi sitting quietly on the sofa near the door where she and Shizune were seated only moments ago, talking about Sasuke and his condition. The silver-haired veteran was now seated slouched more so than usual with his hands in his pockets.
He was wearing a greyish black shirt that connected to his face with a mask. The color probably washed out due to wrong laundry processing. Kakashi never knew how to do house chores.
His eyes scanned hers while she did the same. She found nothing, as always.
"You look terrible," he commented rather bluntly.
Of course she did. She had just come out of the bath because she hadn't been able to take a shower at Itachi's in her haste. Her shirt was too big for her because it wasn't hers in the first place—it was Shizune's. She was yet to comb her hair because Shizune forgot to bring her a comb.
Sakura nodded. "I know."
"At least you look alive," added Kakashi though it sounded as if he didn't mean to say it out loud. "Looks like Uchiha took good care of you."
Flabbergasted. That was how Sakura felt. How the hell did he know?
"I don't know what you're talking about," she segued smoothly as she turned her attention to the floor and her sandals. Wow, her nails looked like shit. She missed the way Kakashi had rolled her eyes at her terrible attempt to play innocent.
"Well, I went off to look for you yesterday," Kakashi began nonchalantly. "I found your building was in ruins so I thought I'd check the Yamanaka's. You weren't there and apparently you told Mrs. Yamanaka you were staying with me. Thankfully, I ran into Ino who told me you were staying in the hospital. And that was where I found Shisui-san who told me Itachi had taken you in."
Her head shot up and she raised her eyebrow at him. "And you stopped looking after that?"
"Hm," he shrugged. "He told me not to go and whatever I had to do or say could wait."
"What? Why would he—?"
"Well, he told me I could interrupt something."
"What."
"He did have a point. It would have been awkward to walk in on you and—"
Sakura threw her sandal at him in an attempt to make him shut up. He evaded her footwear effortlessly and regained composure in a matter of seconds. His eyes were as blank as ever.
How could he talk about it so casually? Why was her face getting hot? How could he assume something like that? Why didn't she want to think about it? How the hell could Shisui say that? Why would he say something like that?
She took a deep breath and exhaled with a sigh. "Nothing happened, okay?"
"Oh, and I also caught up with Hyuuga Neji the other day."
At first, Sakura wasn't sure what to make of the information but it dawned on her moments later. Oh, the little gossip. Of course, she couldn't assume Neji knew anything about Itachi and her but he must have seen something or some things that helped put the pieces into place.
And he must have accidentally on purpose told Kakashi.
"I'm filing a team resignation letter," she said after a while.
Kakashi nodded. "Why?"
"I… I just have to," came her weak reply. She hadn't exactly thought of that. If ANBU asked for a reason for her resignation, what would she tell them?
Clearly, her former sensei had a clue of what was running through her head. It was Hatake Kakashi, for crying out loud. He never missed a beat. He had known her since she was 12. She was aware that he had memorized her face and emotions.
And that was why she knew that he knew about her and Itachi.
Just as he knew her like the back of his hand, she was familiar with the look he had been giving her at the moment. She'd given the same look to Naruto a million times. It was the look that said he thought everything was a bad idea but regardless, he knew it was going to push through anyway.
He had looked away from her some minutes ago. Sakura knew the conversation was over but there were a lot she wanted to explain to him. However, instead of badgering him of her reasons, she simply took a seat beside him.
No sooner than that, the door opened and the unpainted face of Kankuro peeked through the gap.
"Can we come in?" asked Kankuro carefully. "We were told to stay here to wait until the ceremony."
Sakura smiled. "Sure. There's plenty of room."
Kankuro walked in the room. His younger brother, the Kazekage, followed shortly. Gaara's eyes met hers and suddenly, an idea came to mind. She could only hope Gaara would go through with it.
He and his mother arrived at the Hokage Tower just before Hyuuga Hiashi did with his two daughters tailing behind him quietly. The clan heads were called an hour before for a special viewing area during the ceremony but those of the smaller clans chose to stay with their families in the crowd.
In the end, only the Uchiha and the Hyuuga bothered honoring the young Hokage's offer.
Itachi had a reason for coming today—he was to consult with Naruto and his council of his assuming his position as head. As for Hyuuga Hiashi's reason, he was yet to find out. He had a few guesses.
"Good morning, Hyuuga-sama," greeted the raven with a polite bow. Mikoto followed his lead with a smile.
Pale eyes darted from Itachi to his mother and then back to him. The heir decided to overlook the air of arrogance he received from the Byakugan user. Itachi took the hint. It wasn't him Hiashi had come for or else he would be a lot more accommodating than he was at the moment.
He was planning to offer his daughter's hand to the Hokage.
"Good morning, Itachi-san," the older man greeted in return. He bowed but not as low as Itachi did. It was understandable. He had not declared taking over the Uchiha just yet after all.
Hinata and Hanabi both bowed as well, openly displaying more respect than their father. The two sisters' hands were entangled with one another, he noticed, so he graced them with a small smile to ease their tension. The older of the two smiled back while the little one proved to have more gut than her sister had.
Footsteps came echoing from the hall until a raven woman—Shizune—emerged from the hallway to welcome them.
"My apologies," she said in between pants. "Please follow me to your waiting rooms. Uzumaki-san with be with you in a minute. He is just concluding business with the Kazekage."
They walked behind Shizune in silence. He allowed the Hyuugas to walk before them so he and his mother were last in line.
Mikoto was restless, he noticed. She kept tucking and untucking her hair behind her ear and she wouldn't cease playing with the hem of her shirt. Her eyes kept darting to the back of Hyuuga Hiashi's head so much that he began to notice it despite his blind spot.
She didn't like him, he assumed. Even when running into him in an important gathering, his mother never seemed to like looking at the Hyuuga head in the eye.
Itachi took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She stopped her mannerisms for a while. Well, at least until they reached the waiting room.
"Hyuuga-sama," the woman finally said after three flights of stairs and a long hallway. "You will be staying here. Uchiha-sama, please follow me to the next room."
He and his mother did as they were told. Shizune opened the door for them only to stop midway.
"Apologies, Kazekage-sama," Shizune said, her voice slightly risen in panic and embarrassment. "I thought you were in the other room with Naruto and Kakashi-senpai. I'm sorry. I will look for another room."
And then he heard her.
"There's no one in the room across this," Sakura said. Sakura was in that room. "Are we going now? We'll just be a minute."
Shizune shook her head. "Take your time, Sakura. Kazekage-sama, please excuse me."
The door shut close and they were led to the next room. After which, he and Mikoto were left to wait for the Hokage to attend to them.
Meanwhile, he wondered why Shizune told them that Naruto was simply concluding business with the Kazekage when Gaara was in the room across theirs with Sakura. He swallowed down the frustration of not being able to at least catch a glimpse of her. Or her hair.
His mother took a seat on the couch while he leaned by the window. The view of the village from the tower was devastating and captivating. Almost no buildings were left to obscure the bright blue skyline of the village. Everything was in ruins. And now, there were people from all around the village, gathering in front of the Hokage Tower.
How devastatingly beautiful. Only catastrophe and death could bring these many people together.
"Your father was a man of honor," said his mother. When he brought his attention to her, she was staring at the floor as she spoke. She looked withdrawn. "Although he was very strict and held very high standards, he always acknowledged accomplishments made by other people. He didn't force them to do the impossible—only what he knew they were capable of.
"Fugaku didn't push you to become what you are now because he wanted you to be like him. He pushed you to become the best version of you that he was confident you were going to be. He just has a problem admiring people out loud—especially you, Itachi."
He tried not to scoff at the statement.
"Strange as it may sound," she continued. "But it was all because of all the people he believed to be great, he had to be wrong about you—his own son. You weren't as great as he thought you were. You were better. You surpassed all that he expected of you. You surpassed him at the age of 11.
Do not hate your father for what he has done, for how he raised you and for how he led the clan. He never planned for it to be that way. When he took over the clan, the village needed more of what the Hyuuga had to offer—soldiers. And your father, being Police Chief, would be damned if Konoha lost dependency on the Uchiha for powerful shinobi and fully rely on the Hyuuga."
His mother was not one to rationalize or defend the motives or beliefs of others. Mikoto was not trying to make him understand why his father had become the ruthless clan head the Uchiha and the whole of Konoha had known him to be. She was only explaining to him the burden of becoming clan head.
More than maintaining traditional clan values through the ages, he must also be sure to keep the standards high. The village's dependency on their clan was also to be observed because that was a factor that made the Uchiha so powerful in politics. There was also the issue of keeping their kekkei genkai exclusive. There were so many things to consider beside the image of the main family.
But he'd already been aware of that. He just wasn't going to argue with her. Not with his mother.
A knock on the door startled her mother but he'd already sensed the Hokage's presence outside. He hadn't even had the chance to respond when the door creaked open and a blonde head popped in through the doorway.
"Uhm, Uchiha-san," he greeted. "Can I come in? Oh, hello, Mikoto-san."
The raven gestured for him to enter and Naruto was sure to close the door behind him.
"Good morning, Hokage-sama," greeted his mother. She rose to her feet and bowed a full 90 degrees before Naruto. Itachi followed suit.
Itachi sensed the awkwardness in Naruto's smile when he stood up.
"M-Mikoto-san, please," Naruto stammered. "I only wanted to show you to your area. Is it only the two of you? I-I mean, no other Uchiha wanted to—"
"I intended to discuss with you my plans on assuming the position of Uchiha head after the ceremony," Itachi interrupted him before he broke his brain trying not to say something to strike a nerve or trying to speak in a diplomatic manner.
The blonde only nodded in understanding. Naruto cleared his throat as he showed them their spot for the ceremony. On their way out, the door to the other room had been left open and he caught a glimpse of Sakura pulling away from an embrace with the Kazekage. The redhead's hand went to her shoulder and he gave it a firm squeeze. Sakura gave him a warm smile.
Curse his newly efficient eyesight.
They were led to the tower top of one of the annex buildings of the Hokage tower. It was several feet lower than the main building but it still gave him a good view of the Hokage and the whole crowd that gathered in front of the tower.
Meanwhile, the Hyuugas appeared on the other annex building led by Shizune and Sakura. On the top of the main building, Naruto appeared and behind him was the Kazekage who was sure to keep his distance behind the blonde. Sakura and Kakashi both emerged from the stairwell followed by Shizune and Kankuro.
Itachi looked down on all the people who looked up at the Hokage, waiting for his first words. He saw the many emotions that swam in their eyes and he began to wonder whether it was a good thing that Sakura had fixed his eyes once and for all.
Grief, anger and resignation—that was most of it. There were those who looked at peace but in a crowd of thousands, there were only about ten people who appeared so.
And when Naruto had finally spoken, the whole of Konoha practically bowed their heads but not in respect but because of the tears that threatened to pour down. He took note of the clan of carrot tops and redheads take up a small part of the crowd.
Then he found the clan with pale eyes looking up at their clan leader instead of the Hokage. He glanced up at Naruto who was now on the verge of tears. Sakura and Kakashi looked ready to run to him and break down with their teammate.
Sakura.
He'd lost his father in this war. Itachi lost one mentor. She lost three of them.
He watched as the remaining mentor she had in her life pulled her hand away from her fidgeting and held it in place. Sakura turned her head and looked him in the eye. Itachi wasn't exactly sure what happened but she smiled at Kakashi and shifted closer to him.
Before the ceremony concluded, the Kazekage gave a few words of sympathy on behalf of his own village.
"Let us now all take a moment to honor our fellow shinobi—our fallen heroes—in our own way," said the blonde before the crowd.
Naruto raised his hand which was now glowing with chakra he had called on from the Kyuubi. Sakura raised hers which glowed a pale shade of green while Kakashi produced chakra that sparked on his hand. Everyone else imitated the gesture.
The Hyuugas raised their glowing hands before them in such a way that they would in battle. The Inuzuka clan along with their canine companions howled together. The Kaedo clan summoned their phoenixes and had them circle the crowd from an altitude. Rays of light shot from the hands of another minor clan called the Tenshio clan. Major Hikano's clan knelt to the ground and infused their chakra into the ground until the border of the civilian crowd was filled with buds sprouting from the ground that quickly bloomed into white lilies.
He looked up at the Hokage once more who he found was now glancing at him expectantly. All the other shinobi had paid their respects and here he was, marveling at how the death of their fellow shinobi turned the living into something so heart-wrenching yet beautiful.
Itachi was not one for grand displays of emotion. It didn't take a genius to figure out where he'd gotten it. So instead of summoning a thousand crows or leading his clan into displaying their inclination to the element of fire, Itachi closed his eyes and gracefully dropped on both knees, flattened his palms to the ground and bowed until his forehead touched the back of his hands.
He raised his head slightly to peek at his clan in the crowd. While many followed immediately, there were those who only got down to one knee and a few who were downright hesitant. However, with some convincing from their fellow clansmen, everyone else paid their respects in the same manner as their new clan head.
His head slightly rose to focus back on the new Hokage who was smiling down on him for his humblest way of showing the greatest respect and honor to Konoha's fallen shinobi.
"We shall carry their legacy over to the next generations to come," Naruto said proudly. "To a new beginning!"
0-0-0-0-0-0
His mother planted a kiss on his forehead as she bid him goodbye. The original plan was to talk to the Hokage together before they visited Sasuke in the hospital. However, Hyuuga Hiashi had gotten into the office before them, no doubt to try and convince Naruto to marry his daughter as soon as possible.
The joke was on him, however, because it was only half an hour later that Naruto entered his office and practically stumbled back into the hallway at the sight of Hiashi.
It was almost an hour since the ceremony ended and he didn't have the heart to keep his mother from Sasuke any longer so he allowed her to go on ahead of him and promised to keep his discussion with the Hokage as brief as possible.
Half an hour later, the door opened and out stepped Hyuuga Hiashi whose daughters were waiting in the same room they were assigned to earlier. Itachi stood up when Hiashi stopped in his steps in front of him.
"Hyuuga-san," he greeted with a straight face. Itachi had tried to be civil with him earlier but the man chose to look at him as if he were an inferior. He was not gonna make the same mistake twice.
The older man's eyebrow twitched before he nodded to him.
"My condolences, Itachi-san," he said. "Your father was a very honorable man. I have failed to express to him my admiration for his clan leadership and I deeply regret it. I trust you will be able to lead the Uchiha just as well as Fugaku did."
His words were loaded. Hiashi expected him to follow in his father's footsteps. While Itachi agreed with the Hyuuga leader, there was no chance he was going to take the same path his father had. Especially now that the clan elders were peaceful in their graves and off his shoulder.
The Uchiha smirked. "I believe my father deserved to be admired for the way he has led our clan. But he is now gone and all that is left is my mother and I believe my mother would want me to pursue my own desired path in leading the Uchiha. Now, if you excuse me, Hiashi-san, I must meet with the Hokage. Kindly send my regards to Hyuuga Neji. You have quite the potential leader from the branch family."
Itachi slipped into the Hokage's office before Hiashi could even pick up on the malice. He didn't intend to insult his daughters—Itachi wouldn't dare. He'd heard stories about the younger Hyuuga princess. The comment was simply a reflection of Hyuuga's stubbornness when it came to acknowledging the rest of his clan.
Once he was inside the office, the first thing that struck him was the ceiling which had been covered with plywood and the dents and cracks all over the office.
"Good afternoon, Uzumaki-sama," he said, bowing before the blonde in white and red robes.
Naruto stiffened—awkward once more at the display of respect.
"Itachi-san," he greeted in return. "You don't have to do that, really. Please. Uhm. Ahem. What did you want to talk about?"
"I plan to assume the position of clan leader as soon as possible," he started. "Usually, before I may take the position, the clan elders must deliberate upon my qualifications and my propositions on my leadership. After which, they will speak to you regarding the matter. However, as more than half of our elders are deceased, I have taken it upon myself to decide."
Naruto gestured to the wooden chair in front of his desk which was nailed together.
"Okay then," he said in a tone of uncertainty. "Sit down. Please. I'm sorry about the cruddy chair. This place was a mess before I got here and Tenzou-senpai's still busy so… Okay. So you're taking over the Uchiha. Sorry, I don't know what I should be talking to you about but continue. Please."
Itachi led his discussion, careful to explain the laws regarding the policies within clans since he was positive that Naruto had yet to peruse through those.
More than an hour later, he finished explaining everything he had in store for the clan and the two had come to their agreements regarding the clan's loyalty and contribution to the society of Konoha.
"Is that all?" asked Naruto as he stretched his arms above his head. "I mean is there anything else you wanna talk about? You're going to become the head of the clan. Doesn't that mean you have to get married soon? Or is it different with the clans?"
At the opening of this subject, Itachi felt a lump form at his throat. Of course, the matter of marriage never really bothered him especially now that no one was badgering him to marry within the next year. However, he was bothered at the fact that there was one woman that crossed his mind when Naruto brought it up.
And she was both their teammates.
The Uchiha cleared his throat. "It is usually the clan elders who decide on the marriage of the heir. But because they are no longer able to do so, I wish to focus on the rest of my clan rather than my own family for the time being."
"Alright," he said. "Is there anything else we forgot to—"
Itachi shook his head. "I believe we've covered all the important matters."
"Okay then. I'll be sure to repeat all this to Kakashi-sensei and Shizune then we'll talk another time to make it all final. Thanks for stopping by, Itachi-san."
Halfway to the door, he paused in his tracks and turned around. Naruto looked at him blankly as he inhaled deeply.
"I must speak with Haruno Sakura," said Itachi quite hesitantly. "Do you know where I may find her?"
Itachi was sure he caught a smirk before Naruto covered it up with a cough. Had Sakura spoken to him about him?
"Sakura-chan," he repeated with a wistful smile. "Well, last I saw her, she was with Shizune. I think they said they were gonna check how things were at the hospital."
"Thank you."
He tried to slow his footsteps as he left the office. He wasn't in a rush. No. He wasn't in a rush to see her.
Itachi kept telling himself so but the voice in the back of his head ran dry the moment he stepped out of the tower. Over the collapsed buildings all over the village, he could see the slightly deformed state of the hospital. He took one step towards it and launched himself with his chakra-infused feet.
Once he reached the hospital, he navigated through the labyrinth that served as the hallways of the place. He found himself in front of his brother's private room, knocking on the door.
And just as he'd expected a pink-haired woman inside like he had this morning, his heart was at a loss between wrenching or warming at the sight of his mother pulling the sheets over Sasuke's torso.
"Okaa-san," he said, closing the door behind him.
Mikoto looked up and smiled at him. "Nobody told me he looked this bad," she sighed as she seated herself on the edge of the bed. "Or maybe I was wrong to expect something good would happen when I came to see him. Oh, my poor baby."
His heart decided to tighten at her words.
"Have you asked the doctor regarding his current condition?"
She shook her head. "They just told me that he's in a coma and that the doctors here have no idea how to fix him. Shizune-san told me all we could do for now was wait but Sakura-chan promised to find a way and I know she will."
"Sakura?" he repeated in doubt when he was certain that was what he heard her say.
"Yes, Sakura-chan," confirmed his mother. "They were just here. I thought you would have seen her on your way up here. She and Shizune just left the room about five minutes ago."
A quick chakra probe all over the building told him his mother was right about Shizune but not about Sakura. The only plausible conclusion was that she was concealing her chakra—no doubt from him.
Itachi approached his brother's bed and reached for his mother's arm.
"I'll return," he said before he left the room in search for Shizune who had just gotten off of the elevator at the first floor.
Itachi took the fire exit and jumped in the middle of the circular stairwell. He pushed open the door of the fire exit at the first floor and almost ran into the raven who used to be the Godaime's assistant.
"Itachi-san," she said, alarmed at their sudden interaction. "W-What were you doing in the fire exit? Please avoid running in the halls. A lot of nurses walk around here with a tray of syringes and containers of blood are hard to get back, you know?"
"Where is Haruno?" asked Itachi urgently.
"What?"
He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Where is Haruno?" Itachi repeated slowly. "My mother told me you just visited Sasuke and now, she is nowhere in the building."
"Well, she isn't," came her blunt response.
"Impossible," he said. "Is she concealing her chakra? I must speak with her."
"Must?" her eyebrow slightly raised at him.
He breathed in again. "I need to speak with her," he said more calmly. "Please tell me where to find her."
"That's better," Shizune said. "Calm down, will you? She's not in the building. Well, not anymore. I think she's off to ANBU Headquarters. Don't know why, though. But if you wanna talk to her, you should go. Right now."
It wasn't like Itachi was planning it any other way. He just needed to know where Sakura was. For some reason, he just felt the need to see her right now. He wasn't sure why but instinct told him there was a plot afoot and Itachi didn't like it when people moved without his knowledge.
ANBU Headquarters was only twenty minutes away from the hospital. Itachi made it to the gates in a 12-minute run, following the trail of chakra Sakura had left carelessly in her haste. The ANBU soldiers greeted him as he walked briskly across the Orchard of Honors.
Through the reception, he inquired—in a very mild-mannered way, if he may add—whether or not Haruno Sakura was in the building. Of course, he knew she was. Her chakra signature was everywhere. But he needed to know her purpose here.
"Hold on," said the woman over the counter. "Let me just check the log. Let's see. Human Resources. Yup. I redirected her to the administration first for the forms but I'm not sure if she's still there."
He narrowed his eyes on her. "Forms?"
The woman nodded. "A resignation form," she said. "And a hiatus form."
Well, that made sense. She expressed her wish to leave his team after all. However, from what she'd told him, Sakura was expecting a reassignment to the Defense Unit as her primary option. If that was so, what was the hiatus form for? Had her plans changed?
Without so much as a thank you, Itachi walked past the reception and into the offices. Nearly a decade into working ANBU, it was impossible for him to get lost in navigating through the hallways and offices of headquarters. And it was hard to forget where he first bumped into her here back when Ryodon had to take a snack break and left him to proxy for him for ten minutes.
Back then, Itachi doubted whether anything eventful would possibly happen in the duration of ten minutes in the Administration Office of ANBU. He didn't think too much on their exchange after it happened. Looking back now, however, he regretted even doubting her.
Yes, he had not seen her full potential but her heart had been greater than anything he expected from her. ANBU's psychological report on her stated that she had some form of lock on her subconscious that kept her from being fully recalibrated.
He wasn't exactly sure what that was but he was more than glad that she wasn't efficiently readjusted to become like the rest of the army because he knew just how effective their personality adjustment program was.
The administration room had been empty when he arrived. There was no sign of Sakura anywhere nearby so he guessed she must have filled up her forms by the Human Resources department. However, Sakura wasn't at the seats outside the HR office when he got there.
She was inside.
Her voice was muffled through the door but he recognized it well. When he allowed his presence to be known, the volume of her voice lowered until he could no longer here it through the door.
He seated himself at the bench across HR and waited for the next twenty minutes for her. When she finally emerged from the office, she took one look at him, smiled and turned to leave.
"Sakura," he called her but she didn't stop. In fact, her paces quickened and Itachi was forced to chase after her. As they hurried through the hallways, Itachi stomped down the urge to call her to a halt to avoid a scene. But when they were finally back at the front yard of ANBU, he didn't hesitate. "Haruno!"
That was when she stopped and turned back at him. She was still wearing the same thing she had when he'd seen her at the ceremony earlier.
"Uchiha-sama," she said with a forced smile before she bowed before him. "I heard from Naruto that you talked to him about becoming clan head. I wish you well on that endeavor."
He shook his head. "Stand up, Sakura," he told her in a commanding voice. "Why have you been avoiding me?"
"I'm not—"
"You left while I was asleep," he began in a warning tone. "Not once did I run into you while I was in the Hokage Tower. You concealed your chakra in the hospital. And now, you refuse to speak to me. Do not tell me that you were not trying to avoid me."
She smiled and looked away from him. "I wasn't trying to avoid you. I just had a lot I needed to finish today."
"Why did you leave?"
"Because I couldn't stay," came her reply, as if it were so obvious. "I have to leave because I can't stay here."
And it was as if everything else stopped.
"You plan on leaving?" he asked quietly. His face turned grim and he wasn't even aware of it.
She smiled. "I am, actually. Right now. I talked with Human Resources. They're letting me go. But it's only temporary. I'll be back."
"When?"
"I don't know, Itachi," was her only response. "I have to go. I'm sorry."
"Saku—"
She was gone in a puff of smoke.
Shit, he thought to himself. It was all enough to make him run his hand through his hair and tug at his scalp. He kicked a harmless rock off of the pavement and to one of the trees in frustration. The impact was enough to make the medals jingle but he growled at the fact that it didn't break altogether.
He had lost his father. He lost his brother. He lost his freedom. And now, he just lost her.
"Fuck."
0-0-0-0-0-0
He had not returned to his mother as he promised her earlier but he planned to. Perhaps in an hour. Perhaps later tonight. But at the moment, he needed to breathe. Looking for a person who did not want to be found was not easy, after all.
Since Sakura disappeared in front of HQ earlier, Itachi had been restless. Fresh air, he thought, would help. But after an hour of sitting on the rooftop of headquarters, he learned it was useless.
"Well, this is awkward," he heard a voice from the general direction of the door. Itachi shifted and found the Copy Nin standing near the entrance of the rooftop with his hands in his pockets. "I was hoping to get some peace and quiet up here since the cemetery and the Memorial Stone was full. Luckily for me, you were just leaving, right?"
The raven gracefully got up and straightening up meters away from Hatake Kakashi.
"Hatake-senpai," greeted Itachi. "My apologies. I was leav—"
"Lighten up, Uchiha," he replied, not even bothering to look at Itachi as he made his way to the edge. "It was a joke. You know? To lighten up the mood? I didn't know you come up here often."
Itachi relaxed his shoulders. "I didn't know you came here often, Hatake-senpai."
"I don't," Kakashi answered. "Word around the Tower's you finally talked to the Hokage about taking over. Good for you. Or not. I don't know how it is with your little clans. You planning on getting married any time soon? Almost everyone else in our old platoon did."
He shook his head despite the fact that Kakashi was looking over at the village ruins. "I plan on getting married but not soon. I wish to focus on my clan and the rehabilitation of the village."
"How noble," chuckled Kakashi. "I know it's what you intend to do, Itachi. It's what all of us wanna do right now. But I'm not your fellow ANBU anymore. I don't have a clan so I'm not looking into competing with you or selling my daughter to you. So why don't you wanna get married yet?"
While waiting for an answer that he knew wasn't coming soon, Kakashi reached into his pocket and pulled out a vaguely recognizable box. He thumbed it open and picked out a stick of cigarette from inside. He held out the box to Itachi but the Uchiha declined.
"I just do not feel that creating my own family should be my priority at this time," Itachi said. "I had no idea you smoked."
Kakashi beckoned him over while his other hand pocketed the pack of cigarettes. When Itachi approached him, the silver-haired man extended his stick of cigarette to him, asking for a light. Itachi formed one seal and was careful to blow only a little. He lit the cigarette with a small flame.
"Thanks," he said in a hurry before he took a quick huff of his cigarette. He expelled the smoke away from Itachi and over the edge of the building. "A lot you don't know about me. It's one of the few habits I picked up by spending too much time with Asuma. I stopped smoking when your brother's team finally passed my first exam. By the time of your brother's rehabilitation and Naruto's training with Jiraiya, I started again."
"But why is it I have never seen you smoke?"
Kakashi took another huff and puff again. "When I started smoking again, I didn't make it through the stick. Sakura made me stop."
"I see," replied Itachi but more to himself than an actual response to the information.
"Even before she found out she wanted to be a medic," he began. "That girl was quite the worrier. Always afraid for others but never for herself. Not even afraid of death but I guess that's because she knows her way around the scythe. She's brave, just like your brother is. I've never seen her run away from anything. Well, not until now."
Kakashi put down the hand holding the cigarette and made sure the smoke didn't get to Itachi but his single visible eye was on him.
"I guess she's more afraid of the living than she is of death," the Copy Nin said. "We didn't stop her when she told us she wanted to leave the village for a while. A broken healer poses greater danger than a third degree burn. And while she's willing to fix all the pain in the village, there is not one person right now who will know how to fix her. Not Naruto, Shizune, me or you. Not even her parents."
Itachi mimicked his former platoon leader and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Has she said where she was going?"
"She has a special mission," answered the silver-haired man. "She's gone with the Kazekage back in Suna. I think she's testing some sort of program there or I don't know. Whatever it was, Gaara let her come with him. And she's going to be there for a while. Maybe longer than a while."
"Thank you," the younger of the two said as he looked away when Kakashi puffed the stick through his mask once more. "I must return to the hospital."
He had only taken a few steps before Kakashi spoke again.
"Before everything happened, she told me you taught her the benefits of seduction in the field on your mission together."
Itachi stopped in the middle of the rooftop. When he turned around, Kakashi discarded his cigarette to the ground and was sure to step on the butt.
"I know what that's like," the Copy Nin continued. "I've taught my share of women—and men too but I'm not too proud to admit it. Before your team left to help Suna, I found your necklace in her bathroom." Kakashi's face began to look grim although Itachi wasn't sure how he was able to tell through the mask.
The Uchiha remained calm under the accusing eye of his former platoon leader.
"I lent it to her for the mission," explained the raven. "I am aware that you most likely know what it means when the necklace is lent to someone else but you are making the wrong conclusions, Hatake-senpai."
"Am I?" he asked.
Itachi wasn't going to dignify his accusations with a response because part of it was true after all.
"I never intended to follow in my father's footsteps. The necklace does not matter anymore. It's broken, anyway."
"I know," Kakashi said simply before Itachi caught a glimpse of a smirk under his mask. "I told you—I'm not looking to sell my daughter."
Sakura met with Gaara, Kankuro and the Sand ANBU assigned to escort them at the gates by sunset. She was sure to only pack the essentials since she left her pack at the hospital at Suna and she didn't have much to bring with her anyway.
Kankuro greeted her with a hug while she exchanged smiles with Gaara.
"Thank you for doing this," she said.
Gaara nodded once. "You require a temporary escape. I require a distraction."
Naruto appeared in a curl of smoke before them.
"Thanks for showing up today," he said pulling the Kazekage in for a hug. "And thank you for helping me with the ceremony. I guess I'll see you again. I'm sorry I couldn't come to your ceremony."
The redhead nodded. "I understand there is a lot you still need to learn as a Hokage and you cannot afford to leave office even for a while. I hope we meet again soon."
"And take care of Sakura-chan for us," Naruto said, slinging his arm over her shoulder. "You sure you'll be alright?"
"Yep," she answered in enthusiasm. "It's Suna we're talking about. Room 403 is practically my second home."
He kissed her on the forehead before pulling her into a bear hug. "Alright. Just write to us and tell me when you wanna come back, okay? I'll make sure Kakashi's butt will be here when you do."
"Thanks, Hokage-sama," she replied, snuggling under the crook of his neck before she pulled away. "I'll be back, Naruto. I promise."
And that's it! This is not the last chapter, don't worry. I still have two more to go. But Under the Heir is almost ending!
Itachi and Kakashi's conversation was supposed to be more heated than I made it to be but it would be unlike Kakashi to be all up in Sakura's business so I just made the confrontation as little subtle.
I have a DeiSaku fanfic up, by the way. It's called Untitled so for those DeiSaku lovers out there, you can check that out, favorite, follow and review. It's still in its early stages but it won't be longer than ten chapters.
So there you have it! I'll see you all on the next update! Favorite, follow and review! The mother cat appreciates it!