Itachi hadn't been all that bothered by Ino showing up at Sakura's apartment. For the second time, they had let physical affection get taken a little bit too far and he wanted to get some space from her. He couldn't blame it entirely on Sakura (and he wouldn't have, even if it had been her fault).
But when she had asked if she could kiss him, her voice so tender and eager, her eyes lit with anticipation – well, it did things to him. His whole body had seemed to respond to her without even a touch. It was mesmerizing and horrifying all at once because he had no clue what he was doing. He wanted to take her right then, to rip off that sweatshirt and show her exactly what she did to him.
Of course, he couldn't do that. It was too much. Too soon. There was a modicum of propriety that needed to be upheld. Sakura was special. He wouldn't mess their relationship up by taking things too quickly. For his own sanity, he needed to slow down.
But, oh, had she been a real temptress. Everything about her – her scent, her hair, the way her lithe fingers clung to his face while she kissed him – it was intoxicating. He vividly remembered the way she had straddled his leg, so wanton, so desperate. He could feel her heat, her dampness. And that he had been the one to do that her! It had taken more self control than he'd ever used before to prevent himself from pinning her down and ravaging her on her soapy, bloody bedroom floor.
So Ino's appearance had been welcome. She was a good distraction. For Sakura, anyway. Though their topic of discussion had been interesting to Itachi (had she flirted with Gaara?), he hadn't been able to pay too much attention since all of the blood in his brain had rushed elsewhere.
After he'd excused himself (and received a welcome, but surprising kiss from her), Itachi had gone straight back to the Uchiha compound, which had been blessedly empty. For the first time in his life, Itachi touched himself. He'd never been one to indulge in such hedonistic pleasures. He had certainly imagined that if he ever did, it would have been with another person, and not just himself.
But the situation necessitated it. He couldn't think straight. He couldn't get Sakura out of his mind. He thought of her, imagined her. Her lips teasing him, her legs wrapped around him. He wanted her so badly.
And yet, from an outside perspective, it would have seemed like she was the one who wanted him. How could that even be possible? How could she desire him like that, so much that she would grind against his leg with reckless abandon? She had apologized when they parted. She had only wanted a kiss. If he had pressed her for more… If Ino hadn't showed up… Would they have had sex?
By the time Itachi had woken up the next morning, he didn't feel quite so hot. Sasuke was still absent, and even though he wanted to see his brother, he was grateful that he wasn't there now.
Itachi wanted advice. When he had still been a law-abiding citizen of Konoha, Itachi had never been afraid to ask for help. He couldn't know everything, and he'd never learn it if he didn't ask. Shisui had always had answers. Itachi couldn't help but wonder what advice he might have given regarding Sakura. Shisui always seemed to be good with women.
It didn't do any good to dwell on that now. Who else could he ask for help?
Deciding that it was probably in his best interest to go ahead and finish his mission report and turn it in to Tsunade, Itachi made his was toward the Hokage tower.
He was surprised to find Jiraiya coming out of Tsunade's office when he arrived.
"Itachi," he said with a hint of surprise.
Itachi hadn't mentioned it to anyone, but he had been feeding Jiraiya information about Akatsuki for as long as he'd been a part of the organization. He trusted the sannin to do the right thing for Konoha with that information. There wasn't much else Itachi could do for Konoha while he was still a part of the organization.
It had been quite some time since Itachi had seen Jiraiya. After Itachi's last official Akatsuki mission, they had been unable to meet. And since Itachi had been unofficially disbanded from Akatsuki, he had no new information to share with him anyway.
He had a suspicion that Tsunade was now aware of the relationship they had with one another. Itachi had been fearful to let the Sandaime in on that secret as it could have been used against him. But now it seemed he didn't have to worry about that.
"Jiraiya-san," Itachi greeted. "What are you doing here?"
"I received a tip that Akatsuki's base was in Rain."
"So you came here to tell Tsunade-sama?"
"No, I went to Rain and found half the city completely destroyed," Jiraiya said, and though the subject was quite serious, he wore a goofy grin. "And I'd know the aftermath of Rasengan anywhere so I figured Naruto had something to do with it."
"You went to Rain knowing that Akatsuki's base was there?" Itachi asked. "They would have killed you."
"I may be an old man, but that doesn't mean I don't have any fight left in these old bones," Jiraiya said, flexing his biceps. This new, silly Jiraiya was not the same one he rendezvoused with during his time in Akatsuki.
"I heard that you and Naruto took them all out by yourselves," Jiraiya said. "So I suppose you're glad to be back on Konoha's side of things again."
"Yes," Itachi admitted. "I am."
After a few more exchanges of pleasantries, Jiraiya convinced Itachi to grab a bite to eat with him. He supposed that asking for a mission could wait. Jiraiya was a distraction enough as it was.
So he found himself at the familiar ramen stand, watching Jiraiya devour his bowl of food with a voracity that rivaled Naruto's.
"So do you think that Akatsuki threat has finally disappeared completely?" Jiraiya asked between mouthfuls.
Itachi shook his head. "Akatsuki was just a front for whatever Madara was planning. With all of his manpower gone, he's going to need time to rebuild and decide what he will do next."
"Right," Jiraiya replied. "So that gives us some time to prepare for him."
They continued to eat in silence, Jiraiya completely oblivious to Itachi's discomfort. It wasn't that he didn't necessarily like the sannin. They had gotten along well enough while he had been in Akatsuki. He respected the strength and power that he knew Jiraiya had. It was mostly his erratic and often perverted behavior that Itachi found off-putting.
"So it must be weird for you to be back in Konoha," Jiraiya said. "There isn't anything you need to protect it from right now. It's always been war, the massacre, then Akatsuki. God knows what else. I bet having some peace is nice."
"There will always be threats against Konoha," Itachi said. "Even now. Only recently Kabuto created a disease meant to infect shinobi. One that could be used as biological warfare."
"Kabuto?"
"Orochimaru's lackey."
Jiraiya seemed to bristle at the mention of his former teammate. Itachi didn't know what Jiraiya's feelings were on the other sannin's death, but having lost his own teammates and even his family, Itachi could relate. These were the lines that became blurred when one was a shinobi. Friend and foe. Should he have been celebrating the death of his enemy, or mourning the loss of his comrade?
"What happened with the disease?" Jiraiya asked. "I've never heard of it."
"Tsunade-sama's apprentice took care of it."
"Ah, Sakura Haruno," Jiraiya said with a lecherous grin that Itachi did not care for. "She's quite shapely, isn't she? Breasts too small, though."
"She's a very skilled medic," Itachi said tersely. "In fact, Kabuto tried to recruit her after she created a vaccine for his disease."
"Did he, now?"
Itachi didn't respond, turning back to his food. He was annoyed now, not only because he felt Jiraiya's words were disrespectful, but also because he'd been doing his best to keep Sakura off his mind and now she was back at the forefront of it.
"I can see why he'd want to have a little tart like her around," Jiraiya continued, unaware of Itachi's subtle glaring. "She's quite exotic looking, what with the pink hair and all. And her legs, wow, they just go on for days."
"Jiraiya, you old pervert!"
Both Itachi and Jiraiya turned around at the sound of the familiar voice and saw Naruto bounding toward them. He slid into the seat beside Itachi, waving his arms to get Ayame's attention.
"If Sakura heard you talking like that she'd kick your ass," Naruto said. "And in front of Itachi, too!"
"Come on, even a stoic man like Itachi has to admit that she's a fine piece of work," Jiraiya said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"The fact that Kabuto wants to recruit her means that he's working toward something," Itachi said, steering the conversation away from Sakura. Naruto knew of their budding relationship, and that wasn't something he necessarily wanted Jiraiya to know. "I think Konoha should be concerned about him."
"You think?" Naruto asked. "I mean, he has to know we could kick his ass. Sasuke demolished Orochimaru. Me and you took on most of Akatsuki by ourselves. Does he think he stands a chance?"
"Never underestimate your opponent, Naruto," Jiraiya advised.
"I just think we should keep an eye out for him," Itachi said.
"Maybe we should send someone to spy on him," Naruto suggested. "You know, see what he's up to. Does anyone know where he is?"
"I know he has a base in southern Fire Country a few days east of the River border," Itachi said. "It looked like he was carrying on Orochimaru's work – doing human experiments."
"I bet Sasuke would know more about him," Naruto said.
That wasn't a bad idea, Itachi thought. Maybe he could persuade Tsunade into letting the two of them take a mission together to gather information about what Kabuto was doing.
.
Later that day, Itachi found Sasuke back at the Uchiha compound. "Sasuke," he said, "Are you up for a spar?"
It had been a while since he had sparred with his brother and he was curious about what he could do. It was always engaging to fight against another Sharingan user.
"Should you be sparring in your condition?"
"Tsunade-sama cleared me," Itachi said, "I'm good to go."
Sasuke smirked. "Alright then."
They moved to the area behind the main house where Itachi used to practice with targets when he was younger. The place made him feel nostalgic and seeing Sasuke standing there, grown up and ready to fight made him swell with pride.
Itachi couldn't deny that mistakes he made with Sasuke had been detrimental, even before the massacre. He had always pushed his brother aside, both wanting to protect him and just not knowing whether or not he could come through on any promises he made.
Now he had an opportunity to right those wrongs. He wouldn't have to push Sasuke away anymore. He had planned to let Sasuke win their fight, to let him kill him. But this time, Itachi would not hold back.
The spar kicked off with genjutsu, as Itachi predicted. Sasuke was adept with his Sharingan, Itachi was pleased to note. With his Mangekyou, there was little chance of Sasuke capturing Itachi in a genjutsu for more than a few seconds, but it was interesting to see what kinds of illusions his little brother had learned to create.
Itachi steered clear of using emotional traps and stuck to physical sensation to fool his brother. Sasuke was smart and capable, but it seemed like a low blow.
But it seemed that Sasuke wasn't afraid to use that very tactic against him. A shrill cry rang out from the trees and Itachi looked over to find Sakura writhing in the fallen leaves, soaked in blood.
The sight sent a pang of horror coursing through Itachi's chest, but he wasn't fooled. Sasuke knew that wouldn't have fooled him anyway.
Breaking the genjutsu with a hand sign, Itachi sent a glare in Sasuke's direction. "That's a cheap trick."
Sasuke smirked. "I was just curious to see your reaction."
Itachi didn't care to mince words with him – and certainly not about Sakura, who he was still having quite a bit of trouble keeping off his mind. He launched himself into physical attacks – throwing shuriken and fists.
Sasuke was extremely fast, Itachi learned. In fact, he seemed to be quite a bit faster than he was. They kept up a taijutsu battle for quite some time, each brother parrying and dodging expertly. They battled to the point that Itachi felt exhaustion creeping up on him.
Itachi was an excellent shinobi, and without arrogance or conceit, he was aware of it. But coming off his taxing mission, he could feel that he was about to lose this fight to Sasuke. It filled him with pride to know that his brother was so strong now – that he wouldn't need his protection anymore. And maybe he hadn't for a long time.
But he wasn't quite ready to admit to himself that Sasuke had become stronger than he was. Itachi didn't have much of a competitive nature, but the idea of losing to his brother now seemed very unpleasant.
In a real fight against an enemy, Itachi could fall back on the powers of his Mangekyou. He was nearly invincible that way, and he knew it. He didn't like the idea of using those powers against Sasuke, who hadn't awakened his own Mangekyou yet. But he disliked losing to him even more.
Itachi parried a well-thrown thrown punch and grabbed Sasuke roughly by the back of the neck, shoving him to the ground.
By the time Sasuke had returned to his feet (a fraction of a second), Itachi had initiated his partial Susanoo. He felt the pain sharply and acutely everywhere in his body. Using Susanoo was risky, especially while he was still in recovery from his previous injuries.
He saw Sasuke's eyes widen slightly, but noticeably. His Susanoo's form was only skeletal, nowhere near the full and devastating potential it had. But it would be enough to beat Sasuke.
Itachi began throwing punches again, slow but heavy and accurate. Sasuke was quick enough to dodge them and smart enough not to stay in close range. But all Itachi had to do was wait. He wouldn't be able to land an attack on him without getting close.
Pain continued to sear through him and Sasuke seemed aware of it. From a safe distance, Sasuke paused, giving him a curious and reprimanding look. "Do you think it's wise to be using your Mangekyou right now?"
Itachi didn't answer, instead using his Yasaka Magatama to launch a ranged attack at him. No, he thought, he shouldn't be using a technique like this right now. If Tsunade knew what he was doing she'd have his head. She had warned him about over exerting himself and using his Mangekyou.
Instead of dodging like Itachi presumed he would do, Sasuke allowed the attack to land. With horror, Itachi watched the magatama rip through his brother's flesh, blood spraying into the grass beneath him.
Instantly, his Susanoo was gone and he was by Sasuke's side.
A second too late, Itachi realized that it had been a genjutsu. He felt movement behind him, but his exhaustion made him too slow, too sluggish. The cool steel of a kunai met the skin of his throat and he heard an amused chuckle from behind him.
Itachi turned around to face his brother and admit defeat only to be met with a fist to the face. He reeled backwards, stumbling to the ground.
"I win."
From his position on the ground, Itachi prodded his fingers into the swelling skin around his eye. It would be black by morning, he knew. He looked up at Sasuke, who was covered in bruises and scrapes of his own.
"You win," Itachi conceded.
Sasuke extended a hand to help him up.
"I'd like to fight you again, though," Sasuke said, still grinning in the aftermath of his victory. "After you've recovered and are back at full strength. It's not as much fun beating you when you're practically cripple."
"I'm not even slightly crippled, Sasuke," Itachi argued, but he was smiling too. Losing to Sasuke hadn't been as bad as he'd expected.
"Whatever," Sasuke said with undeserved smugness. "Should we get you to the hospital?"
Itachi briefly considered the fact that he should go to the hospital now. His entire body felt like it was on fire, every cell in his body lit with agony. It was the unfortunate side effect of his Mangekyou, which he knew he shouldn't have used. If he went to the hospital now he would have to explain that to Tsunade.
"No, I'm fine," Itachi insisted.
"You don't look fine."
Itachi glared at him and then winced. He could feel the blood dripping down from his eyes like tears. His vision had noticeably worsened since Sakura had taken a look at them just yesterday, and now everything was slightly blurry again.
"Should I get your girlfriend to come take a look at you?"
Another unappealing option. How could he try to keep his mind off of her when everyone was constantly bringing her up?
"She isn't my girlfriend."
"So that's a yes, then?"
Itachi attempted to stand up and faltered a bit. He was exhausted, but it wasn't his weakened state that made it so hard to stand. It was the unbearable pain coursing through every part of him. Sasuke pulled his arm up over his shoulders and helped him get to his feet.
"Yes, please go get her."
.
Predictably, Sakura was not happy when she arrived at the Uchiha compound. She only got one day off this week, she complained, and now she was wasting it here doing what she essentially would have been doing at the hospital anyway. She looked exhausted, too, Itachi noted. Probably from all the partying she'd been doing with Ino the night prior.
Itachi felt a stab of guilt in his gut for making her do this. He had been the one to urge her to go out with her friend, and then also the one to demand that she come heal him after what was admittedly a stupid decision on his part.
But even though her words were harsh, her hands were gentle where they touched him. She eased the pain throughout his body with a calm pulsing of her chakra. She reduced the swelling of his blackened eye and fixed the various scrapes and cuts Sasuke had inflicted on him.
"How are his eyes?" Sasuke asked. He had watched the process from the doorway, which Itachi was somewhat grateful for. It kept him on his best behavior while he longed to reach out and touch her.
Touching her was a no-no right now. In fact, even just seeing her brought those urges flooding back to him.
"You're very concerned about his eyes, aren't you, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, her tone a little too harsh.
"They're his most important weapon," he snapped. "Of course I'm concerned."
Sakura rolled her eyes, but Sasuke wouldn't have been able to see it with her back turned to him. Itachi, however, grinned at the gesture. She caught his eye and looked away demurely. It struck Itachi as odd that she'd be so shy about eye contact, but then he felt her hand settle on his thigh, warm and pleasant. She brushed the pad of her thumb back and forth along the inner side of his thigh and Itachi felt a sharp stab of heat in his chest.
"His eyes will be fine," she said to Sasuke. "But you really have to stop using them so much. You shouldn't have used them while you're still rehabilitating," she said to Itachi.
"Sorry," he replied.
"All that effort and you didn't even win," she teased.
Itachi glared at Sasuke over her shoulder. "You told her?"
"Of course I told her."
It was Itachi's turn to roll his eyes. "I let him win," he whispered to Sakura just loud enough for Sasuke to hear, too.
"You did not," Sasuke snapped.
Sakura giggled.
"Whatever," Sasuke mumbled. "I'm going to find Naruto."
Sakura giggled again and then it morphed into full-blown laughter. Itachi smiled, caught up in her infectious grin.
"Don't forget to wrap up your dick, Itachi," Sasuke said as he was closing the door behind him. "You wouldn't want any pink-haired Uchiha bastards running around."
Itachi gave one point to Sasuke because that wiped the smile off both their faces. Sakura's face was beet red and she cast her eyes down to the floor. The door shut behind Sasuke with a forceful click, and with it all the air was sucked from the room.
It was the most awkward he had ever felt around her, even back in Toyeiki when everything was new and strange and hostile. There was nothing he could possibly say to ease the unbearable tension in the room now. All he had wanted for the day was to not think about Sakura, and certainly not about impregnating her.
"Pink hair isn't so bad," Itachi finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I'm not sure why he said it like it's a bad thing."
Sakura, still looking mortified and slightly angry, glanced up at him through her lashes. "Pink hair is recessive," she said quietly. "The only chance my children have of having pink hair is if their father has pink hair, too."
Itachi didn't know how to respond to that. The idea of someone else being the father of Sakura's children was unsettling. Luckily there were no pink-haired men that he knew of to picture her with.
But then she cracked a smile again, small but warm. "But that's sweet, though," she said. "That you'd pretend to be okay with having a son with pink hair."
Itachi felt his skin flush, because that wasn't quite what he'd said and now she was discussing what their potential children would look like. It was a step in the wrong direction, even though he felt an uncomfortable twitching in his pants just thinking about having children with her.
"And you also wouldn't need to worry about condoms," she continued, oblivious to his inner turmoil. "I can handle that on my end."
He swallowed nervously because he was definitely not comfortable with this topic of discussion. She was smiling still, but her smile faltered a bit when she looked up at his face. He wondered what she saw there that made her do that and he wanted to touch her face and make her smile again, brighter this time.
But she stood up quickly, brushing invisible dirt from her skirt.
"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Itachi-san," she said. The sound of the suffix attached to his name hit him like a sack of bricks. "Let me take a look at your eyes now."
He felt a pang of remorse, though he wasn't quite sure why. This relationship stuff was so new to him and it felt like he was in a dangerous free fall. It was his good fortune to have a girl like Sakura actually want him, and in no unclear terms. She wasn't playing games with him. She didn't try to hide the fact that she liked him. She had even told the Yamanaka girl.
It had to have been just as terrifying to her. She had never been in a relationship either. She had confessed to him, without his goading, that she'd never kissed anyone before. She was brave in every way that he was a fool and a coward.
His initial affections for her had been bold and risky. He had touched her face, caught her hair between his fingers. He'd brazenly looked her up and down. He'd let their arms brush against one another. All of those things had been simple. They could easily have been brushed away by either of them as flirtatious, but meaningless gestures.
Their kiss on the training field could not. Neither could their kiss in her bedroom. Her bedroom! All of these little touches were adding up. He could feel his affection for her surging, growing each day.
And she wanted more. It was obvious. He saw the desire in her eyes when she'd asked to kiss him. He was sure his own eyes mirrored that feeling. He wanted more, too. Yet she was the brave one, the one who asked for more, the one who took what she wanted. She let her hands wander farther than he trusted his own to. She pressed them closer together when he could do nothing more than tremble.
And it was easy to get swept away with her. He remembered the taste of her neck, the way she had writhed against him. He could have lost all control right there. But she had pulled away, then, because she thought he wanted her to. He didn't even know it was possible to want two so conflicting things. How could he want to push her away in the same breath he wanted to cling to her and never let go?
He looked at her now, so patient and concerned for him while he deliberated his feelings. She would eventually move on, he thought, if she grew bored with his pace. She would think he didn't want her. That was what she had done when Sasuke didn't want her. She moved on.
Who would she find next? Who else would she let kiss her, let touch the silky skin of her long, pale legs?
"Itachi-san?"
He cringed. How could she call him that now in the privacy of his home with no one else around? Who was she being professional for?
Again he looked at her, almost annoyed with the worry on her face. He wanted to push her back against the wall and kiss her until she forgot about his eyes. He wanted to snap at her and tell her never to call him Itachi-san again.
"I'm fine," he said instead. "You may look at my eyes now."
