Okay, I'm back!

Unfortunately, I'm still have difficulties with this fanfic

I deleted so much from this chapter -_-;

So, I may update a little slow, just for right now

so that I can give you guys a great story.

I really like this Fanfic and I know how I want it to end

but it needs more events in the middle lol ^^;

Please be patient with me and offer as much advice as you possibly can!

I need it!

It seems like some of you wanted to see Itachi's reaction to the NaruSaku moment

Well...here it is ;D

IMPORTANT UPDATE 2/11/2013:

I have a schedule that I'm going to try to start following. Okay I will update one story on certain days:

Tuesdays - Rude Awakening ( Vampire Knight & Blood+ Crossover )

Wednesdays - Her Lost Wings ( Teen Titans )

Thursdays - A Cherry Blossom's Compromise ( ItaSaku )

Weekends - I'll post whatever the heck I want xD

Let's see if this works out. This will be posted on my profile if you need to look back at it in the future -Anii

Chapter 26: "What's more important?"

- Phone Call by Forever the Sickest Kids

Itachi's fists were trembling as his vision clouded over with a haze that turned his newly fresh world different shades of red. The keen eye of Hatake Kakashi watched Itachi with clear distrust, never once moving from the man he perceived as a threat. Kakashi's eyes begged Itachi to move- even twitch- so that the gray-haired man could kill Itachi where he stood.

Itachi's eyes closed calmly, his entire body perfectly still, but inside he was raving like a madman.

The flame in his chest roared throughout his body, boiling the very blood in Itachi's veins. His teeth clenched as he tried to take several deep breaths and soothe the beast raging inside of him. Anger? Even in his times as a child he had never been so angry. He was usually quite the pacifist.

However, he recognized this scorching feeling. He was angry- angry and jealous.

"Naruto, we should get going." Kakashi whispered low, no doubt his eyes were still on Itachi.

"Y-yeah." Naruto laughed nervously and, in Itachi's mind, a howl of anger erupted so loudly he was sure someone else must have heard it.

Itachi wanted to throttle the boy. The boy who he had put his faith into. The same boy he trusted to save both Sasuke and Sakura from the dark paths they now tread upon. He had deceived everyone to give this boy the strength to defeat any villain that stood in the way of rescuing Sasuke and Sakura and yet, Itachi's fingers itched to squeeze the life out of the young ninja.

Leaves rustled and silence fell against Itachi's ears. He opened his eyes to see Sakura in the same place, rooted to the very spot she had stood when Naruto had kissed her.

Her back was ramrod straight and a gentle breeze brushed her hair to the side. He almost didn't want her to turn around. He didn't want to see the look of joy or bliss on her face that Naruto's kiss had no doubt given her. Itachi kicked that part of him aside as he parted his lips and spoke with a calmness that he didn't feel, "We also need to get ba-"

A loud hiccup interrupted Itachi's sentence and his eyes narrowed, "Sakura?"

The girl spun around, tears building in her large eyes.

"What am I supposed to do?" Sakura's lip quivered. "I don't think I love him the same way he loves me."

Her tears glistened against her cheeks as the sky lit up with a brilliant shade of orange and the sun sunk quickly beneath the horizon.

Itachi took a step back, his mind reeling. The burning in his chest didn't go away, instead, it changed into something entirely new. The beast scorching his body sneered and scoffed at Naruto, clearly happy at the boy's rejection.

Itachi shot a jeer at the beast, Just because she rejected him doesn't mean she wants a kiss from us.

The beast shrugged its shoulders, smugly content with this turn of events.

Itachi groaned softly. This day needed to end, here and now, before he made a mistake that would suck Sakura down far into the darkest levels of humanity with him.

He could see the line before him and it was taking all his trained willpower to keep himself from crossing it. The fingers that had itched to slaughter a boy for kissing Sakura now itched to tangle themselves in her soft pink hair.

"Itachi?" Sakura's head titled to the side, her tears momentarily stopping. "Are you alright?" She took a step towards him.

Harsher than he had intended to, Itachi shouted, "Don't move!"

Sakura immediately stopped, her eyes growing wide in her small face. Itachi chided himself for scaring her and opened his mouth to apologize. However, Sakura's figure appeared just inches before Itachi and her hand slapped his forehead.

"You aren't fine." Sakura remarked, her cool hand resting against Itachi's warm face.

Itachi didn't respond.

"Your skin is hot." Sakura noticed.

"It's not a fever." Itachi insisted.

He knew it wasn't. It was the internal battle raging inside of him that caused his temperature to flare up. The normal, calm, and collected Itachi was losing badly and Sakura's hand pressed to his forehead wasn't helping much.

Thankfully, Sakura removed her hand and stepped back a little. The charming scent of vanilla wafted up Itachi's nose, teasing his senses, and he clamped a hand over both his nose and mouth.

Sakura's eyebrow rose, "You're scaring me. Are you really Itachi?"

No, he wanted to answer. He wanted to tell her to run and catch up with her blond-haired friend and never look back. He wanted to actually throw her back into the village.

But he also wanted to bring her close to him and never let go. He wanted to inhale that fresh scent of delicious vanilla and relish in the feel of her skin against his. He wanted to hear her say his name in all sorts of ways and he wanted to watch that delightful face of hers scrunch up or relax with all types of emotions.

Itachi turned sharply on his heel, finally grasping a hold on himself, "We need to get back. There's no time to waste any longer. Something isn't right."

The sudden change in direction of thought, snuffed out the flame in Itachi's chest as if someone had poured frigid water on it. There was something going on behind his back, crawling around in the shadows, and he was going to squash it before it became a real problem, no matter what he would have to do.

••••••••

Deidara threw his hands up and back behind his head, "So, why are we leaving?"

Madara tugged his gloves into position on his hands, "Pain is dead. Sakura and Itachi have betrayed us. We must move and form a new plan."

"I'm still not comfortable with you talking like that." Deidara grumbled, pouting slightly.

Kisame grunted, "I don't believe that Itachi would-"

"Then why isn't he here? You haven't noticed how strange and protective he's been of that girl? He let her save her home. I don't trust her." Madara's arms crossed over his chest.

Deidara stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "Whoa, Sakura saved us lots of times. I don't know if it's okay to just-"

Madara interrupted yet again, "Shut up. You're just infatuated with her. It's disgusting. Pull yourself together."

Deidara's jaw clenched and he threw his arms down, fists shaking at his sides. Kisame's hand clapped down on Deidara's shoulder. The shark man's beady eyes punctured Deidara's, a hidden message behind them.

Deidara bowed his head, "Are we really going to abandon Itachi though?"

"It's not abandoning." Madara turned his back to the two men, "We are simply moving on after he abandoned us."

Deidara's entire body tensed, "So, what now?"

"Sasuke has-"

"Sasuke!?" Deidara's head shot up.

Madara walked ahead of them, continuing his sentence, "Sasuke has joined us now. As we now speak, he's on his way to collect the eight-tailed beast."

Madara paused, a smirk present in his voice, "Did you hear that Itachi?"

Kisame and Deidara whipped around just as a raven burst forth from the trees. The black wings beat furiously, shifting around to speed away from the three Akatsuki members. Madara's hand shot out, aiming for the bird, but the raven had already disappeared. Deidara's held-in breath blew silently passed his lips in a sigh of relief.

Madara lowered his arm, "Konan has also left the Akatsuki. We are left with only five Akatsuki members, including Sasuke."

Kisame chuckled, grabbing the hilt of Samehada, "That's all we need. We already have all tailed beasts except for the sixth and eighth."

Madara tilted his head, his already low voice dropping lower and dripping with venom, "Indeed."

Deidara lifted an eyebrow but did not question the strange new Tobi. No, Tobi was a fake. Tobi never existed. This is the real man, this Madara person. Deidara's fingers curled into a fist once more.

••••••••

Itachi's hand slapped over half of his face, his breathing rate increasing as panic consumed him. Everything he had tried to protect was in shambles. His village was destroyed and the Akatsuki had his brother. How had he failed so drastically?

Itachi couldn't help but feel anger towards his brother. Itachi had done everything to prevent war and his very own younger brother was now going to be the cause of it. The darkest side of himself came forward, insisting that killing his brother would have been better than this outcome.

"Itachi?"

Itachi's body convulsed with surprise as Sakura's voice broke through his gloomy thoughts. The girl knelt beside him, her gentle fingers swiping a lone tear that trickled down Itachi's cheek.

"What's going on?" Sakura whispered, her voice carrying all of the concern Itachi found in her face.

Stars twinkled overhead and the fire behind Itachi cast undulating shadows across Sakura's terrified face. He didn't want to tell her. Today had been physically and emotionally draining for her, he didn't want to add more fuel to the fire.

"Things have changed. You have to go back."

"W-what?" Sakura jerked back.

The sounds of flapping wings filled the silent area. A raven perched on Itachi's shoulder before melting into his flesh. A bitter smirk took over his lips, had he really been so stupid to assume that Sakura would just leave willingly after having put up such a fight to stay with him earlier? Fine, maybe the truth would scare her into running back home and into the arms of Naruto.

"The Akatsuki has dismissed both of us. Madara has taken Sasuke into the ranks of the Akatsuki and sent him on a mission."

Sakura's face paled and Itachi felt no triumph fill him as he saw the terror in her eyes, "Mission?"

"Sasuke is on his way to capture the eighth tailed beast. There's nothing you can do. I'm not sure even I will be able to do anything. You must go-"

"You can't tell me what I'm going to do. You're not an Akatsuki member anymore and you're going to need all the help you can get when it comes to getting through Sasuke's thick skull. The village doesn't need me. There's nothing I can do there. I won't sit on the sidelines anymore goddamn it! Treat me like an equal!"

"An…equal?" Itachi's eyes narrowed. "We aren't equal."

Sakura's fists went to her hips as she glowered down at Itachi, "You're right. But we will be. Because you're going to train me."

"Oh?" Itachi almost burst with laughter, the dark thoughts scattering from his mind momentarily.

Sakura nodded, determination leaking from her body, "I'm tired of not doing anything. Please," Sakura threw herself on her knees before Itachi, her forehead touching the soft grass beneath them, "don't throw me aside. Let me be of use."

"I won't go easy on you." Itachi murmured.

"Neither did Tsunade." Sakura remained prostrated before Itachi but he sensed the smile in her voice.

"You might die if you go with me." He warned.

"'Ninjas must always be prepared to die.'" Sakura quoted.

Itachi's eyes closed, his head tilting back. Inside, he suppressed the raging emotions from earlier. He needed to. This wasn't a game anymore. He wasn't allowed to live a normal life. He lived to keep peace.

Peace was more important than his feelings. Peace was more important than anything- more important than Sasuke, more important than Sakura, more important than himself. He had to keep peace at all costs. But that didn't mean he didn't have to do it alone.

For so long, he had shouldered the weight of keeping the balance between the Akatsuki and Konoha. He didn't want to drag Sakura down with him. He never wanted her to feel the burden of giving up everything for peace. But she was throwing herself before him, begging to be of service...

Itachi's fists clenched. He had decided to let Sasuke live because his emotions demanded it. Did he have any right to thrust this towards Sakura? A new war raged inside of his mind as his lips formed a single word: "Alright."

He didn't want to bring Sakura down to the darkest plane of exsistance he now lived on but he also couldn't be so arrogant to assume that he alone could keep the peace. He had tried that and it had failed. War was brewing in the minds of all ninjas everywhere and his best efforts were shattered.

Keeping her by his side would only be dangerous if his emotions escaped. He would make sure they wouldn't. With his emotions gone, he could mold Sakura into a dangerous weapon to keep the balance of good and evil in check, holding each party at bay so the world could live on in peace.

Itachi also couldn't deny that both himself and Sakura might have an affect on Sasuke. If they could get his brother back on the right track...

Hope, a rare emotion, swelled in Itachi's chest. Alone, he had failed. But if he could save his brother and teach Sakura, they could join Naruto and bring this world back to the peace Itachi wanted so desperately. Also, just maybe the world would forgive him for not being able to save it.

Itachi 's eyes lowered, reason bursting forth like a ray of sunshine from thick, tangled gray clouds. "Alright, I'll train you."

His gaze sharpened as it focused on Sakura's still bent over body, "But once we have rescued Sasuke, you must go back to Konoha."

"Yes!" Sakura answered happily, her body still doubled over.

"You will listen to every word I say. I don't speak for the enjoyment of hearing my own voice." Itachi ordered, slipping into his new role as mentor.

Sakura's upper body shot up, her face lighting up with more joy than Itachi had ever seen in her before. Momentarily tunned, he just sat there as she stuck out her hand, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "This time, it'll be a pleasure to work with you, Itachi Uchiha."

His skin brushed hers fleetingly as he batted away her extended hand gently, his eyes instead locking with hers. "I wouldn't use the word pleasure, however, it will be...interesting to work with you as well, Sakura Haruno."

Yup, they finally left the Akatsuki :3 I know some of you were really waiting for that lol xD Please send me a message or leave me a review if you have any advice for me! -Anii