Chapter 28 – Going Back To Square One
"No, I want them gone," the woman said. "I'm adamant in my decision."
Sakura's heart ached viciously but at the same time, she wanted to shake her something awful. Instead she settled on picking up her paperwork and turning a page, jotting something down.
"It won't be a quick and simple process, I'm afraid." Glancing up, she raised an eyebrow. "There needs to be psychological examinations and countless meetings-"
"Why?" she demanded.
"Because there is no real reason to have your ovaries removed," Sakura couldn't help but snap in response. "You have no cancerous genes and there are no abnormalities, Akino-san."
"I can complete more missions successfully without them!"
So basically, she wanted to remove her ovaries for the sake of the village and in that moment, Sakura could have sworn her vision turned red. Many things had been taken away from shinobi in the name of their village and now this. A woman wanted…
"Your ovaries are in perfect condition – something you should be extremely grateful for," she replied seriously. "There are many women who would give anything to be able to have a child, but aren't able to because their bodies won't allow it. You should be grateful for the fact that you have a-"
"You're not listening to me," Akino yelled angrily. "It's my decision and I want them gone. If you won't do it, I'm sure I can find another medic who will."
She merely shook her head. "Any medic in their right mind wouldn't take away something that has the ability to give life. Not without a serious reason. Like I said, your ovaries are healthy."
If she allowed Akino to remove her ovaries for the sake of the village, Sakura knew she would never be able to forgive herself. They fought hard to protect their village and would gladly give their lives for it, but to ask such a thing of anyone was downright unforgivable.
Sure, it wasn't actually asked of her, but Akino was thinking only of her missions and life as a shinobi. She wasn't thinking about the possibilities of becoming a mother and sharing her life in one of the best ways possible. And it hurt Sakura, because even though she was only barely reaching seventeen, she honestly couldn't wait for that part of her life. Finding a loving husband and starting a family with him had to be one of her major goals in life, after all.
Who wanted to spend their entire life alone?
"Look," Sakura sighed and rubbed her forehead, "I suggest you go home and think more clearly about this. Maybe even have a conversation or two with a woman who can't have babies and see things from their perspective." Her expression became pleading as she then went on to tell her, "Please don't give something like this up for our village, Akino-san. Hokage-sama wouldn't want something like that for anyone."
"They're a hindrance," she retorted coldly. "Periods are a hindrance. Having to use a contraception jutsu whenever I go on an extended mission is a hindrance. If other women want them so badly, then they can have my ovaries. If it makes you feel any better, I'll even freeze some before the operation-"
"It's not as simple as that," Sakura told her. "With an oophorectomy, or a hysterectomy-"
"I've done my research." Akino cut her off and stood up, fixing her bag over her shoulder. "I know what the procedure is about. If you're against it, then I understand, but just know that I will go to another medic who will do this for me."
There wasn't the chance to reply, because the woman suddenly slammed out of the examination room, the harsh bang of the door closing making Sakura sigh and rub her aching temple. She knew she hadn't acted professionally, not completely, anyway. However, it had startled her how Akino was so up for being sterilised, simply because she wanted no distractions during missions, or for anything to become more important than her missions.
The woman wasn't from any particular clan, Sakura noted as she turned back to the desk on her swivel chair and flicked through the file. Quite an average family, actually. Almost like herself. The only difference was that Akino had two brothers and her father was dead. Therapy had been requested, but it seemed she never turned up, so her spot was given to someone who was willing to get help.
Why hadn't anyone followed it up? Sakura thought with clear agitation.
Continuing to mutter obscenities to herself, she collected Akino's file and left the examination room, intent on heading straight to Tsunade's office. While it was still fairly early in the day, it wasn't early enough for her shishou to be unconscious. Just hungover and with the temperament of a huge, hungry grizzly bear.
Along the way, she was stunned to pass none other than Itachi. He was seated in the waiting area, seemingly patient and calm. Surrounding him were many others who were waiting, but not as patiently as himself, it seemed. They were all showing signs of agitation and annoyance, from bouncing knees, to sighing and then to glaring at the clock.
"Itachi," Sakura acknowledged with a small hint of curiosity. "What brings you here?"
His eyes showed that he wasn't actually feeling patient and calm, especially when they drifted to the side, silently telling her to look behind him and to the right. She did so as discreetly as possible, but couldn't help but roll her eyes at the sight of three other Uchiha. They were watching him with unfaltering gazes, not wanting to miss a single twitch in his muscles. An examination, more than likely. To make sure their future patriarch was in tiptop health.
"Come on." She rolled her eyes again and tipped her head in the direction of the examination office she'd just come out of. "I've got some spare time and it saves you sitting around for hours."
It was an extremely busy day for them. Some absolute idiot had scheduled appointments wrong, doubling many of them up. It was why Sakura was at the hospital instead of with her boys, though they were understanding enough to wait for her. Chances were, however, that she wouldn't even be getting lunch. They needed as much help as they could get, going as far as to call in newbies.
"Thank you." He stood without hesitation and followed after her, only to pause and glare over his shoulder when the three Uchiha also stood. "I don't believe I need any assistance in this area."
"Itachi-sama, we must make sure she doesn't-"
Her eyebrow ticked and Sakura spun around with a glare of her own. "If you don't have any appointments and you're not dying, then get out of the hospital. If you haven't already noticed, we're low on staff today and it has been nonstop since early this morning. Nobody has time for this shit."
They returned her fierce glower, their upper lips curling and around them, the patients watched fearfully with wide eyes. "Oi, don't speak to us-"
"Get out!"
They all tensed and it took Sakura a few moments to realise the voice wasn't her own.
Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned to glance over her shoulder and swallowed hard at the sight of her shishou standing by the reception desk, hands on hips and the fire of hell in her eyes. Obviously, she was still majorly hungover and wasn't in the mood to deal with any shit.
They hesitated, looking amongst each other questioningly.
Tsunade's left eye twitched dangerously.
"We will wait for you outside, Itachi-sama," the oldest of them stated reluctantly. "Please remember that you have to meet with the elders, so do not try to lose us again."
So that was why they were so adamant about staying by his side. If they weren't, then he'd pull a disappearing act. It was quite amazing, really, for it was something she'd never expect of someone like Itachi.
Not sparing any time to think about it, because they seriously were rushed off their feet, Sakura turned and once more made her way to the examination room with Itachi a step behind her. Along the way, they passed the woman who was supposed to do the check-up. Sakura only realised this because of the way she stared at them. Unsure and defeated. Wary and annoyed. It was obvious that she wanted to complete the check-up, but that was too bad now. She'd taken too long.
Sakura didn't even look at her as she plucked the file out of her hands, only risking a single, quick glance to make sure it was actually Itachi's. As expected, it was. It was surprisingly thick, too.
"Is it just a check-up?" Sakura asked.
Just as she was about to hold the door open for him, Itachi lifted his hand way above her head, holding it open for her and allowing Sakura to walk beneath his arm. She smiled in thanks.
"No. It is a physical."
She faltered in her steps, even though she warned herself not to.
That was why the nurse had appeared so upset.
The sound of the door shutting seemed loud and in that moment, the pristine examination office seemed way too small, like it was forcing them to be closer than necessary. It was a foolish feeling, but it was still there and it refused to let up.
"How long has it been since your last…?"
"About a year."
Damn it! Sakura forced herself to continue over to her desk on the far wall and placed down the two files. One was Akino's, which had yet to be given to Tsunade, and the other, Itachi's. Turning, she did her best to smile. It would be best for both of their sakes not to show any of the awkwardness she was actually feeling.
"So you were due for one anyway, despite your clan pressuring you."
"Yes."
Was he feeling uncomfortable, too? Sakura turned and bit her lip, sitting down in her chair and opening his file, leaving Akino's hidden beneath it. Usually they were not to have a patient's files within reach of another patient, but it couldn't be helped in this circumstance.
There was no need to go through the whole thing, as fascinating as it probably seemed to do so. Mostly it was routine check-ups, with the occasional admission due to an actual injury. Much to her relief, there were no notes made about any possible illnesses or birth defects. And with this examination, she could make sure that…
"Okay, sit down on the bed," she ordered and spun around in her chair, smiling. "I'd like to say that I'll be as quick as I possibly can, but then that would mean I'm not being thorough."
Itachi nodded once and did as he was told, sliding onto the examination bed. "I understand."
"If you're uncomfortable at any point, let me know and I can ask for another nurse to come and complete your psychical examination." It would be difficult, since they were so busy, but it was important to let him know such a thing. Not only because he was the heir of a powerful clan, but because first and foremost, he was a patient. "I wouldn't hold it against you."
But he simply stared at her. "I am as comfortable as I am with any other medic."
Oh…
That stung.
"I see." She smiled again, trying to ignore the threatening tick of her eyebrow. In an attempt to hide it, she turned back to his file, pretending to look through it again. "Before we begin, I would like to ask if you have found yourself in pain at any point."
"No."
Sakura nodded and reached into her drawer, pulling out a to-do list. It wasn't very professional, but it made sure they didn't forget anything. Some of the other nurses had a tendency to do that when they were examining somebody such as Itachi. Not that she believed she would do so.
"Your file says you received an injury to your chest not too long ago. Has it fully healed without any complication?"
Of course it had. She'd been the one who'd healed him, but it was necessary to ask about the previous, serious injury. It had been a challenging mission, their first mission together. Against Akasuna no Sasori and Deidara, in fact. That was Itachi's last serious injury that had been recorded.
"Yes."
She nodded once, ticking it off. "And do you have any complaints or concerns about your health?"
"No."
She found herself releasing a breath she hadn't even been aware of holding. But that didn't mean anything, really. Itachi, being the stubborn and proud man that he was, could possibly be withholding information to make the examination go by without any delays. By the end of the physical, Sakura was more than certain that she would have her answers.
"Do you smoke?"
"No."
"Drink? Excessively, at least."
"No."
"What is your diet like?"
"Healthy." At her disapproving stare, he added, "I refrain from eating foods with too much sodium and I eat my five-a-day."
Sakura refrained from smiling, biting it back. That last comment had been sarcastic, even if it sounded serious. "How often do you exercise?"
"Every day."
Another tick. "And are you sexually active?"
"No."
It took everything to hide her sudden blush, although she was certain it matched her hair in colour. "I guess… That ticks off the question about your sexual health, then," she murmured.
It was hard to believe that a man such as Uchiha Itachi, who could have any girl he wanted with the click of his fingers, was still a virgin. Though it was probably because of his clan, right? They were probably really strict about sleeping around before marriage, just like the Hyuuga Clan was. Hinata had been telling her when Sakura had inquired about it.
Vaccinations!
Thankful for the distraction, she turned to face him again. "You're due to have a few vaccinations."
"I suppose I am."
He didn't even seem fazed about the fact he'd just admitted to being a virgin. Most guys would have been embarrassed as hell, especially at Itachi's age, but he couldn't care less by the look on his face. He just seemed bored. Seriously, though… Nearly twenty-three and he'd never had sex…
Sakura shook the thoughts from her head and stood, distracting herself with preparing the vaccinations and the needles. Grabbing a metal tray, she placed each of them down before making her way over to him, placing it down by his side.
"Take your sweatshirt off." Once it was off, leaving him shirtless, Sakura then wiped down his arm, cleaning it. She reached for the first needle, next. "This is the flu vaccination," she informed him. "You may have a temperature along with aching muscles for a few days."
"I understand."
Most people flinched when receiving the flu vaccination, but Sakura wasn't surprised to find that Itachi wasn't one of them. The same went for the next few vaccinations, which were needed due to travelling to other countries and nations during missions. It protected them from foreign diseases and infections and all shinobi had to receive the vaccinations annually.
It only took a few minutes to go through the routine check-up. It included checking his blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate and temperature.
Grabbing the stethoscope from around her neck, Sakura placed the earbuds into her ears and the cool metal plate to his chest. There was the faintest of flinches, his muscles twitching in protest, and she scolded herself for forgetting to warn him about it being cold.
"Sorry," she apologised, but soon had other things to worry about.
Normally, in adults, they breathed between twelve and sixteen breaths a minute. Itachi, however, breathed eighteen breaths in a minute. Hiding her frown, she made a note of it. It would be imperative to keep an eye on it, as it could possibly suggest heart or lung problems. Her heart leapt in her chest at the reminder of the other Itachi's illness. Was this Itachi…?
Everything else about the routine check-up was normal and average, so all they could really do was keep an eye on his breathing, even though it aggravated her to admit it.
"Okay…" She smiled up at him and picked up a clean tongue depressor, easily tearing into the packaging and releasing it. "Say 'ah' for me."
Itachi opened his mouth for her, going as far as to lower himself slightly so that she could see clearly enough. The height difference never usually bothered her, but in that moment, it did, though she didn't show it.
"Itachi…"
He sighed. "Ah."
She smiled in thanks and placed the tongue depressor into his mouth, shining her small torch with the other hand.
Throat and tonsils seemed healthy enough and his teeth were… Well, to die for, to be blunt. Straight and white without any signs of build-up plaque or tar. Then again, Itachi had already told her that he didn't smoke. As well as that, his love for dango didn't show in his teeth. Lucky him.
His ears were in perfect condition, as were his sinuses, lymph nodes, thyroid and carotid arteries. His eyes, however, were a small cause for concern, but were easily dealt with.
"I'm just going to clean your eyes with my chakra," Sakura warned him and raised her hands, cupping the sides of his face. "There's a small build-up of chakra behind them – the only reason why I can see it and the other medics can't, is simply because I can sense the chakra."
He nodded, accepting what had to be done. Once her chakra was being extracted and she was lowering her hands, Itachi asked, "What about Shisui?"
"Shisui?"
"He has the Mangekyō," he told her patiently, like he was merely reporting the weather. "Does that mean there will be a build-up of chakra for him, also?"
Sakura frowned. Why she'd never considered it before, she'd never know. The other Itachi's eyes were in a disgusting mess and she was willing to bet he could barely see a thing. It probably caused him a great amount of pain to even activate his Sharingan, but it would be the only way he could see.
"I'll look into it," she assured. "For now, however, you're my patient and my main concern."
Again, he nodded.
"Okay, if you'd just lay back…"
With only a short pause to allow Sakura to take away the tray with the used needles, Itachi did as he was told. She could feel his eyes on her as she disposed of the needles, but ignored him for the most part. It was only when she returned to him that she acknowledged his stare with the raising of her eyebrow.
No reply.
Rolling her eyes, she set about the next stage of the examination and checked his abdomen for the size of his liver and whatnot. It took longer than the first two stages, but Itachi was cooperative, much to her happiness, so it didn't take as long as it would with a patient such as Hatake Kakashi. That guy was constantly trying to sweet talk his way out of his examinations and effectively causing it to last so much longer.
Then, she did the neurological exam. It included checking his nerves, the strength of his muscles, reflexes and balance. Once that was over, Sakura had to ask him to remove his pants, for she moved onto the dermatological exam, meaning she had to check all skin and nails to make sure there were no problems or diseases.
There was no use in telling him to put them back on because soon enough, he would have to drop his underwear too. Just the thought nearly made her blush and Sakura found herself swallowing down the bubble of nervousness that threatened to show. She was a medic and it was important to remain professional and serious at all times. Otherwise, it would make the patient uncomfortable.
Still, she was going to see…
Stop it!
The extremities exam was just as long as the other two. It involved her checking for physical and sensory changes, as well as checking the pulse in his arms and legs. Examining the joints aided her in assessing for any abnormalities. Still, there was nothing to be found, much to her relief.
Also, he was more scarred than she would have thought. It didn't seem possible for somebody as strong as Uchiha Itachi to have any scars, because it was so damned difficult to actually get your hands on him, but there were quite a few. They were either fully healed, or on their way to fully healing. None of them were anything to worry about. Also, unlike the other Itachi's, his birthmark was still there and wasn't faded or altered (with the aid of surgery or chakra) in the least.
"How long have they been tailing you for, then?" she asked while going over her notes, making sure she'd jotted everything down.
Itachi sighed and for the first time since he entered her examination office, he showed an emotion: annoyance. "I awoke to find them in my kitchen."
Oh, that wasn't good. He was a man who preferred being in control and in charge. Uchiha Itachi needed to be the alpha. "They entered without permission?"
"My mother allowed them entry."
Ah.
She scratched the back of her neck and was glad that she'd decided on putting her hair up that morning. It was warm enough to cause a sweat if her hair had been down, though it was nowhere near as bad as the desert's heat. Thankfully, however, she'd left her bangs down, so they were capable of hiding her expression should she need them to.
"I didn't get to ask yesterday…" Sakura looked up apologetically. "How's your dad? I don't mean physically, either."
Again, he sighed. "Not well."
Sensing that Itachi didn't want to say much more about the subject, she looked down at her to-do list, only to inwardly whimper at what was next. No, she wasn't being childish. It was just that… Well…
"Please remove your underwear."
There was no hesitation. He merely stood up and removed them, folding them neatly just as he had with his other clothing before setting them down onto the pile.
And there he was…
Standing in her examination office in all his naked glory.
It was impossible not to look, just like it was impossible not to blush. Clearing her throat, Sakura turned, demanding herself to gain at least a small amount of composure. This… was not how she reacted to any of her other patients. Then again, it wasn't every day that she gave a physical exam. At most, she did routine check-ups, but not physicals.
In that moment, he didn't have an erection, though she knew there would be good few extra inches when he was. That wasn't what had her blushing, though. It was the muscles she could see, the ones that were defined and made her want to trail her fingers along them…
Green eyes went wide on her list.
What?
Composure. She needed composure. Turning once more, she offered him a reassuring smile.
"I'm sure you've been through all this before."
He nodded. "A few times."
"Well, it probably doesn't get any less uncomfortable," Sakura stated, again seeming apologetic. "I still need to be thorough, however. If at any point you feel like I'm being unprofessional, or I am making you more uncomfortable, please tell me."
Another nod.
Okay… First on the list was the testicular exam. She told him as much, so that he wasn't surprised when she moved forward and suddenly got stuck in. Sakura scolded herself for how she was wording her thoughts.
There were no reactions to her examination, but Sakura didn't look up to see his features. She could feel his eyes weren't on her, either and wondered if perhaps he was uncomfortable with her being the one who was examining him. Perhaps she should have left it to the other nurse? Then again, she wanted to do it too much.
Certain that there were no lumps, Sakura asked, "Has there been any changes in size?"
"No."
"Tenderness?"
"No."
Before she released his testes, she shifted her hand slightly, tightening her hold, before nodding to herself. It had been to make sure he wasn't lying just to get it over with and once she released him, Sakura noticed how she wasn't the only one relax a little.
There was no time to relax fully, though.
Next was the penis examination.
Damn it, Sakura yelled at herself. It didn't affect her or make her bat an eyelash when it was any other man. Why was it so different with Itachi? Was it because she found him attractive? Was it because of the poke to the forehead? Or was it because of Izumi's words the night before?
After giving him the warning, she reached out. Hesitant at first, because no matter how many times she told herself to act more professional, Sakura still couldn't gather more strength to do so. She yelled at herself to be more serious, more professional, but couldn't deny the blush on her cheeks as her fingers grazed his length. Eventually, she managed to get on with the exam, holding him firmly yet carefully in her hand. So far, so good. There were no signs of any diseases or infections and-
Her heart stopped.
No big deal, Sakura told herself, willing to slow the fast beating of her heart. It wasn't exactly unheard of to happen at this point in the examination and it had happened several times before. It was only natural, especially if he'd been telling the truth about still being a virgin. Not too long ago, when they were still on the same team, Naruto had crassly yelled out, when he himself had gotten one, that a guy could get an erection over the wind blowing the wrong way.
Still…
Itachi's breathing was even, but she could pick up on the increased pace of his heart. It was nowhere near as fast as her own, though still noticeably different. He was forcing his breathing to remain steady, then. Trying to remain indifferent. It would be best not to, but Sakura found herself stealing a glance at his expression, only to quickly look away when she saw that he was already watching her with intense, dark eyes. They felt like they were burning a hole straight through her.
It would be best to continue it as quickly as possible. So, with his now erect penis in her hands, Sakura pushed back the foreskin, checking for any warts or ulcers, trying to ignore the slight hitch in his breathing as she did so. His hands were on the bed once more, clutching it and it was only at that moment that she noticed the whiteness of his knuckles, easily giving away how tightly he was holding onto the bed.
Lifting up the penis (though not really needing to, as it now stood upright by itself if she removed her hand, touching his stomach), she inspected the area below. He didn't shave like some of the other men did and Sakura found that she preferred the sight. For some reason the idea of a man having no pubic hair just seemed unappealing to her. Like she'd previously thought, too: there was a good few added inches to his length when he was hard.
"All done. Nothing out of the ordinary." She wasn't sure who seemed more relieved. Herself or Itachi. Again, she ticked off the boxes. "Now…"
He already had an idea. It was obvious from the vaguely displeased look on his face. Still, it had to be done and so Sakura didn't waste time in grabbing a clean glove and the lubricant, making sure there was plenty on her finger.
It was time to check his prostate.
"You look like you've just been to war."
Sakura sighed and entered her shishou's office fully, trying her best to ignore the strong stench of sake. "Just a physical exam."
There must have been a certain emotion on her face or a tone in her voice, because Tsunade was suddenly laughing loudly, regardless of her earlier hangover. She must have had some painkillers, then. That or she'd hit the bottle already, which wasn't really unheard of if it was a bad day for her.
"Shishou, it's not funny…"
"Oh, but it is." She continued to laugh, though was thankfully calming down. "I've never seen you react like this to a physical. Let me guess: the man was attractive."
"Worse." Sakura threw herself into a spare chair and hid her face. "It was Itachi."
The previous fading laughter increased and grew in volume. "I get the picture of what must have happened then."
Deciding that they shouldn't discuss it any further, she held out the file that was now on her lap, sighing. Not only should they stop talking about it because it was confidential, but also because Sakura was certain she wasn't ready to do so just yet. Having to check Itachi's penis had been bad enough, but then his prostate…
"What's this?" Tsunade sobered up and accepted the file, frowning at the name. "I've heard of her. A kunoichi, right?"
Sakura sighed again. "Yes. She wants to be sterilised."
"Sterilised?" she repeated, startled as she flicked through the pages. "But she's completely healthy."
She nodded, a grim look on her face. "Akino-san wishes to have no distractions on missions, or to have anything that could be more important than a mission."
The file was thrown onto the desk like Tsunade had been burned and her expression was one of disgust and anger. However, no matter how she felt about it, she then sighed and gave a reluctant nod. "Have her go through the necessary procedures. If all goes well, she can have the operation."
Sheer disbelief washed over her. "Shishou!"
"Do not get emotionally involved with the patients, Sakura," Tsunade snapped. "This is Akino's decision. Not yours."
"But…"
"Sakura!" Anger showed on her features. "Do not make me repeat myself."
Despite wanting nothing more than to yell right back at her, to demand to know what the hell was going through Tsunade's head to agree to such a thing, Sakura remained silent, holding her rage back and nodding once.
"I understand if you don't want to be the one in charge of this," Tsunade stated seriously, her anger still present. "And if that is the case, say so now and I will be the one who will take care of it."
How was she supposed to agree to something like that, though? The woman was willingly giving up her chance of doing something all women should be able to do: give life. Not every woman was able to do so and it broke Sakura's heart that Akino didn't care or have any empathy for them.
"No, that won't be necessary," muttered Sakura.
Even so, to have her patient pushed onto someone else simply because she didn't agree with it, was pathetic and unprofessional of her. Akino had mentioned donating her ovaries, which were perfectly healthy, to a woman who couldn't have babies. It would be almost like surrogacy, except Akino wouldn't be giving her ovaries to someone in hopes of having a child for herself. Then again, it all depended on the other woman's body. The other woman could either be too old, or her body could be too small to handle a pregnancy. Sakura often got the feeling that hers was the latter, since she had fairly small hips compared to other women.
Either way, Akino was her patient. If she passed the tests and examinations, then there truly was no way of preventing such a procedure. It was better to have it done at a hospital, where it was a clean and sterile environment, than out on a dark alley by some nut job with a shaky hand.
"I'll do it."
It was safe to say that she was in a bad mood. Others seemed to sense it, as they avoided meeting her eyes and went out of their way to avoid crossing paths with her. Almost like they were all giving her a wide berth. She didn't care.
Her anger with not only Akino, but also Tsunade, had easily overshadowed her embarrassment of giving Itachi his annual psychical. The fact that her examination of his penis had given him an erection was blown straight out of her mind, for she was too focused on how selfish Akino's actions were.
Sakura had seen women self-destruct after receiving the news of being infertile, either drinking themselves into an early grave, or becoming so numb that they simply didn't care what happened around them. She'd had women breaking down in her office, unable to so much as take a deep breath to calm down, because of the unbearable, crushing pain that was settled on them.
Fists clenching and teeth gritting, Sakura stomped in the direction of the training grounds. It was impossible keeping calm. It was impossible hiding her emotions behind a blank mask and in that moment, she wished for her ANBU mask. She wished for the anonymity it gave to her. She wished for the strength it brought her.
The sound of yelling caught her attention, forcing her to glance over her shoulder, but all of her previous anger evaporated as she caught sight of what was going on.
"Help! Thief!"
He was running in her direction with an elderly woman's handbag tucked tightly to his chest. The boy looked around fourteen or fifteen, with dark hair, light eyes and tanned skin. Nothing about him made him appear as homeless or poor, meaning he was probably a thug who got off on making other's lives a misery.
It wouldn't do to destroy the ground, even though her foot itched to slam into it.
Instead Sakura merely turned fully until she was facing him, folding her arms over her chest and standing in his way. Apparently he didn't know who she was, because he tried running through her like she was nothing more than a pushover.
When he bounced backwards (she'd secretly sent chakra to her feet to keep herself standing after the collision) and onto the ground, she raised an eyebrow. Just as quickly he was on his feet once more, glaring at her hatefully. Around them, civilians gathered, murmuring among one another worriedly. They clearly knew who she was.
"You're just a kid, so I'll go easy on you," Sakura murmured to the thief, continuing to block his exit. "Now, go down nice and easy!"
At her order, he fled in the other direction, but she was faster and appeared in front of him, barely budging an inch as he ran straight into her a second time. Grabbing his arm, she twisted it, forcing him to kneel before soon enough keeping him flat on the ground, her boot on his back and his face pressed into the dirt. His arm was twisted at a painful, awkward angle, promising to snap in half should he try to move and his saliva coated the ground beneath his mouth. Perhaps she'd been a bit too rough? It seemed he was winded.
All around her, cheers erupted along with thanks. Sakura ignored them and tried her best to see through her curtain of hair, since both her hands were busy. Earlier, leaving her bangs down had seemed like a good idea, but now it was just annoying.
"Someone contact Uchiha headquarters."
"That won't be necessary."
She looked in front of herself and smiled gratefully at Obito's presence. By his side was none other than Shisui. The sight momentarily surprised her, as she hadn't thought the two were all that close. Apparently Shisui didn't have the same beliefs as the rest of the Uchiha, though. He seemed comfortable enough in Obito's presence.
"Thank you for stopping him, Sakura," Shisui said and stepped through the crowd.
At the feeling of the thief going limp in her hold, she realised Shisui had placed a genjutsu on the guy, so released him without a care and stood up straight. Collecting the bag that he had stolen, Sakura turned and surveyed the crowd. Where was the old lady?
Ah, there.
Smiling warmly, she handed it over, though stated apologetically, "I'm sorry about the handle snapping."
She only shook her head. "No, no. It wasn't your fault, dear. I held on as tightly as I could, but it snapped in my hand."
"If you go to a repairer to get it repaired, have it put under my name," Obito told her with a smile. "I'll pay for it to be fixed."
"You'd really do that?" she asked, stunned and sounding breathless.
"Of course." Walking over to them, he offered her his elbow. "Come, I'll walk you home."
"Oh my! It's been a while since a handsome young man walked me home." She giggled, though slipped her arm through his. "Thank you very much."
Sakura could only shake her head in amused disbelief as they walked away arm in arm, with Obito chatting away easily and asking the old lady about her life and what her name was, or whether she needed any shopping. According to Kakashi, he'd always been that way and it was something she admired greatly.
Turning, she regarded Shisui. "Can you manage him?"
He nodded once and proved his point by throwing the thief over his shoulder. "I'll take him to headquarters now. Thank you again for subduing him."
She smiled. "I was in a bad mood, anyway. Saves me taking it on Naruto, right?"
Shisui chuckled once. "I suppose so." He began walking away, though called over his shoulder, "I will come and find you later, Sakura."
His words made her heart stop.
It had been long enough for him to gather information and listen in on enough conversations to understand how the other Uchiha clansmen were feeling.
Shit!
She'd missed training by ten minutes, only turning up just as they finished and were in need of somebody to take their aches and pains away. Sighing, Sakura set to it, not for the first time lecturing them as she did so.
Fortunately for her, Naruto brought up how hungry he was and so they headed to Ichiraku for dinner. Not only was it a good idea because she was starving, but also because it meant she still had the chance to spend time with her boys, despite the fact Sasuke was silent and Naruto was the one doing all the talking.
It felt like old times as they ate together. Naruto was too busy eating to hold much of a conversation once the food was put in front of him, Sasuke was silent and brooding and she was happy to simply sit in their presence once more, happy that that ever present loneliness eased up.
"I spoke to my dad," Naruto told them over his mouthful of food. "You know, about that illness?"
Sakura sucked in a sharp breath, inwardly wincing and wondering just how much trouble she would be in with the Hokage. No, forget Minato. How much trouble was she in with Kushina?
"He told me everything," he went on to say. "Apparently I kept having seizures and nobody knew why, but my body couldn't handle it or something." Yes, the other Itachi had told her that. "But then, like somebody was watching over us, my mom lost control of the Kyuubi – remember, she had all of him, instead of just half. The seal was weakened because of childbirth, or something."
There he was again. Talking about the Kyuubi like it was an old friend. It annoyed her because of how vicious that thing was. How many people had it killed? How many lives had it ruined? In her eyes, the Kyuubi would always be a monster and nothing would ever change that.
"Anyway." Shoving more ramen into his mouth, he swallowed and then said, "So my dad had this idea, right. He decided to put half of the Kyuubi inside me, because it would heal me or something and then save my mom by putting half inside of her, too."
Again, she already knew the story, but pretended to be in awe anyway for the sake of keeping the other Itachi a secret. It would be suspicious if it seemed like she wasn't surprised. "Wow, really?" she gasped, eyes widening. "Do you think your mom knew it would happen?"
Naruto actually paused in his eating, seriously considering the fact, when in actuality, Sakura knew why the Kyuubi had really been released that night. "I never thought about that," he exclaimed, his own eyes widening. "Do you think she really did that for me, Sakura-chan?"
Oh, damn. Now she felt horrible for putting the idea into his head, especially since it wasn't true. "Who knows? It's obvious Kushina-sama loves you more than her own life."
He then frowned. "What's with the 'sama', Sakura-chan? You never used to call her that before."
"Don't start, Naruto." She sighed and turned back to her food. "It's respectful."
"Yeah but you're like-"
"She said stop, Naruto," Sasuke all but growled.
Sakura looked to her left and frowned softly. The boy beside her was completely tense, his grip on his chopsticks close to snapping them in half and he clenched his jaw. Was he still angry with Minato? Did he still believe it was him who stole his father's eyes?
"I saw Itachi earlier," Sakura told him, trying to ease his tension. "He was trying to run away from his new guards."
His dark eyes widened a fraction, the news stunning him enough to crack that anger. "H-He…?"
She giggled and covered her mouth. "Yeah, apparently they've been shadowing him all day."
Sasuke ducked his head, his hair shielding his eyes, but she could see the amused smile on his lips at the thought of his brother pulling a Kakashi.
"Say, Sakura-chan…" She glanced at the blond. "Do you think you can come on a mission with us any time soon?"
The Uchiha's anger returned. "I've already told you-"
"Now isn't the right time, Naruto." She smiled apologetically. "Fugaku-sama needs Sasuke-kun right now, even if he won't admit it. Also… Itachi needs Sasuke-kun, too. It won't be easy for him transitioning into his new role."
That seemed to brighten him up once more and she could almost visibly see her words chipping at his anger, breaking it down until it was nothing.
It was much later when Shisui finally came to find her. In fact, it was way into the evening, close to nine o'clock.
The sun had set a while ago and the sky was darkening, the stars slowly but surely making themselves known and on the ground, the venders had long since packed away their stalls, calling it a day when the market became less busy. It wasn't exactly appropriate for a grown man to visit a woman's house at such an hour and should anybody see them, they would assume the worst, but Sakura knew that they had no other choice. It was as private as it would get for them.
"Forgive me for calling so late."
She stepped aside and shook her head, allowing him entry. "Now's as good a time as any."
He must have agreed, because Shisui didn't apologise again or show any remorse. He simply entered the apartment, removed his sandals and stood in the centre of her living room, sighing. "It isn't looking good."
Like earlier in the day, her heart sunk. "How bad?"
"They believe the same thing as Sasuke."
"They're blaming Hokage-sama." Pressing a hand to her forehead, Sakura sat down on her sofa. "What does this mean? Will they try anything like…?"
Like in the other Itachi's timeline.
In that moment, Shisui expressed his own concern and uncertainty. "It's a possibility. If they find even the smallest piece of evidence that suggests it was Hokage-sama, they will attack without thought and demand retribution."
"But there won't be any evidence," she argued hotly. "We know who it really was."
"Exactly." Sitting down beside her, in the same spot Itachi had been sat in just yesterday, he sighed. "But that won't stop them from fabricating evidence. Some Uchiha are too proud, Sakura, to the point where it is their downfall. Their pride will not allow them to let this go, even if it means punishing someone who is innocent."
Fabricating evidence… It was awful! Basically put, they would frame Minato if it really came down to it. If they couldn't find any evidence at all, they would forge some and drop their own Hokage in it. "Surely there's some way of stopping it?" she questioned in a whisper, her hope shattering at his expression. "We can't let that happen."
"There isn't much else that we can do," he told her bluntly. "It is the lesser of two evils, Sakura. Either Hokage-sama is blamed, or the other timeline's Itachi is found out. There is no telling how that will affect our universe, especially if both this Itachi and that Itachi come into contact."
Come to think of it, that had never happened before. Each and every time, the other Itachi made sure to be gone and out of sight, leaving nothing behind. She supposed their Itachi never picked up on his chakra signature because it was so similar to his own, pretty much exactly the same, meaning it didn't stand out to him. What would happen if they did come into contact with one another?
They couldn't allow Minato to take the blame, though. It wasn't fair and there was no telling who would be dragged into his so-called punishment. They could target Naruto or Kushina and Sakura knew she would never ever forgive herself if either of those things happened.
"Then we'll create false leads," Sakura offered, her expression helpless yet somehow determined at the same time. "Send them on a wild goose chase-"
"It won't work."
"How do you know?"
"For starters, the suspicion is already there," Shisui muttered, running a hand through his wild, wavy hair and sitting back into the sofa. "It won't take long to-"
A knock on her door had her sighing with annoyance and scrambling to her feet. The sound of the knock had been at the same time as Shisui's sentence and had faded in volume towards the end of it, confusing her. Just in case it was that bratty thief from earlier or one of his friends (since she knew he was thrown in a cell and would demand revenge eventually) trying to prank her, she rushed to the door, yanking it open.
But was utterly stunned to see Itachi standing opposite her.
She breathed out a shaky sigh, eyes going wide at the sight of him. "Itachi, what're you doing here?"
"I wanted to speak with you about something," he murmured, a minute frown pulling at his features. He wasn't looking at her. Instead, it looked as though Itachi was trying to see through the door. "It seems you are not alone, however."
Suspicion.
It made her stomach drop.
Of course he would be suspicious. It was late into the evening now and wasn't appropriate for a man to be dropping by a woman's home, unless they had specific… intentions.
Damn it!
"Wait, Itachi-"
His hand lifted, easily pushing the door from out of her hold and she could see his guards coming up around himself. She watched helplessly as his eyes drunk in the sight of his best friend lounging back on her sofa, of his sandals placed beside hers at the door. If Itachi had managed to catch the end of their conversation, too…
She was betting he had, since his knock had trailed off towards the end.
"It won't work."
"How do you know?"
"For starters, the suspicion is already there," Shisui muttered, running a hand through his wild, wavy hair and sitting back into the sofa. "It won't take long to-"
He'd misunderstood their conversation and she couldn't even blame him for it, considering the circumstances. Considering the fact that she'd been speaking with a defeated, whiny voice, like everything and everyone was against her. She could see it in his usually empty and cold eyes that he'd misunderstood and she couldn't even tell him the truth, not without telling him about the other Itachi.
"Forgive me." Dark eyes came back to hers and once again, they were empty and guarded. They were cold. "I didn't mean to interrupt."
No…
"Wait, Itachi-"
Standing, Shisui frowned, suddenly catching on. "It's not what you think, Itachi."
"She is too young for you." It sounded like he was quoting something. Maybe it was a conversation he'd previously had with the older Uchiha? "She is not your type."
Sakura had thought that the next time she saw Itachi, she would have been embarrassed due to their earlier situation, but all she could feel at that moment in time was pure horror and mortification. It felt like she was being thrown straight back to square one.
"An excuse to try and eradicate the suspicion that was already there." Itachi turned and began to walk away. "You have always been one step ahead, Shisui."
She was right behind him, leaving her door to swing open and bang against the wall as she chased Itachi. "Wait!"
He ignored her.
"What happened to not shouting at me?" she tried.
"I am not shouting."
When he turned towards the stairs and began to descend them, Sakura came to a stop at the top, frowning. "But you're still angry."
Silence, although he stopped halfway down the stairs.
"You jumped to conclusions last time and it's what you're doing now."
"Then stop giving me reasons to jump to them," came his cold reply.
All Sakura could do was stare after him as Itachi continued to walk away, her hand coming up to her neck and rubbing at it harshly, trying to ignore the burning sensation in her eyes.
Reluctantly, she returned to her apartment, dragging her bare feet behind her as she sighed and met Shisui's eyes.
"It's for the best, Sakura," he told her quietly. "It would have been a lot worse had he heard our entire conversation."
That was true, but…
Why was her heart aching so much?
A/N - I always keep my promises! Neptuneium (I don't know if you have the same username on here as you do Tumblr, it's hard to keep track of everyone - I'm sorry!), I don't know whether you've finished your scrap book or not, or even if you've gotten any proper sleep, but these are for you. I made a promise I would update both stories if you managed to do both, so here you go! :-) Good luck!
