Because I'm already on Chapter 38,

I've decided my chapters are going to be longer.

Usually, I shoot for a 1,500-4,000 word range

but I think it's going to be more of a 3,500-6,000 word range from now on.

I might die of exhaustion, but I don't care! :D

Hidan and Kazuku are dead by now in this. Sorry ;_;

-Anii

Chapter 38: "Stuck in my head again. Feels like I'll never leave this place."

― Giving in by Linkin Park

Kisame shifted in his seat, Samehada leaning against him. "Madara knows about the Tailed-Beast Incident."

"Tailed Beast Incident?" Konan asked, her beautiful eyes narrowing in confusion as she glanced at Itachi.

Itachi sighed, closing his eyes slowly and leaning back in his high-backed chair. He waved his hand, motioning for Kisame to relay the story to her. Kisame was all to eager to comply. "Itachi tricked Madara."

"That's not possible." Konan's eyes widened.

Kisame grinned, both rows of sharp teeth glistening. "But he did. He sucked out a genjutsu Jinjuriki using just a little bit of the real beast's powers. The Gedo Rock reacted to the chakra, making Madara think he had the One Tail, the Nine Tails, and the Six Tails."

"Brilliant." Konan breathed.

"It was only temporary." Itachi murmured, his eyes opening. "He found out sooner than I had planned."

"Because of Nagato's attack on Konohagakure?" Konan asked, her voice dropping low.

Itachi nodded firmly and Konan's gaze slid to the floor. Silence fell upon the room filled with the former Akatsuki members. Itachi felt an ache begin in his head but chose to ignore it. He stroked the area where his Akatsuki ring had once sat.

He inhaled deeply as Kisame blurted. "Do you really believe he is a match for all of us?"

"Until recently, you didn't even know his real name." Itachi commented. "Madara's secrets are well kept. It will give him the advantage."

Kisame grunted and adverted his gaze. "So, the only ones still under Madara's thumb are-"

"Zetsu, Suigetsu Hozuki, Jugo, Karin, and Sasuke Uchiha." Itachi answered smoothly.

Kisame's leaned to the side of his chair and sighed. "Zetsu is too loyal to Madara."

"He's right. He wouldn't turn on Madara. But he's mainly used as Madara's spy." Konan stated.

Itachi nodded in agreement.

"Suigetsu can be easily dealt with." Kisame growled, a glint in his beady eyes.

"Karin, as well. She's a sensor type. Nothing more." Konan said.

"We shouldn't underestimate them." Itachi uncrossed his ankles and rose to his feet as he changed the subject. "Our allies are Kameko, Sumiko, Ume, and Sakura Haruno

"What could that kunoichi offer us?" Kisame asked, referring to Sakura.

"Sakura has been trained by the Sanin Tsunade and Kakashi Hatake as a child. Her mind is strong and she has learned to sense a genjutsu even as powerful as mine. She is learning to use her affinity for Earth and has also already begun work on lightning. She is currently with the Invader, Ume, who has master all five elements and Deidara." Itachi informed.

"She's learning." Kisame argued. "A child in training will be no help to us."

"But is it bad to have her on our side?" Konan countered. "She doesn't want a Fourth War. She wouldn't betray our goal to stop it."

Kisame shrugged his shoulders as a sign of stubborn agreement and Itachi walked towards the exit. "Deidara will be with Sakura until Sumiko is found and rescued. There is a meeting in the Land of Iron where Sasuke will try to attack the Kages."

Kisame snorted with disbelief. "That little runt is going to try to go that far to get himself killed huh?"

"Should we tell the Kages?" Konan asked, leaning forward in her chair with concern in her eyes.

Itachi stared blankly ahead as his steps paused to say, "They will not believe us so easily. It is better to wait for Sasuke to attack and help."

Kisame's mouth split into a grin. "Does that mean…?"

"Kisame, you and I are going to the Land of Iron to stop Sasuke." Itachi informed as he slipped through the doorway and into the shadows of the hallway.

••••••••

Naruto's head lowered as the ice cream dripped from his popsicle. The village was on its way to recovery and the town slept peacefully under the starry night sky. Only Naruto sat awake, his mind lost in despair.

Tsunade was still in a coma and the leaders had elected Danzo as the stand-in Hokage.. Danzo had called for a Kage meeting in the neutral Land of Iron and preparations were being made. Sasuke had also taken the Eight-Tails and the Raikage was furious.

Naruto's heart ached painfully in his chest as he thought of Sakura. He was the reason she was with the Akatsuki - God only knew what they were doing to her. His fist clenched around his popsicle stick.

He was a hero in the people's eyes but he hadn't actually protected the village or its' people. The village was destroyed and only through Nagato's sacrifice had the villagers' lives been saved.

He always assumed he was meant to do something but what if he wasn't? The world would go on with or without him. Maybe he was too narcissistic. Maybe he was just a bothersome kid after all. He couldn't seem to do anything right.

He felt helpless as he stared down at the blue puddle near his feet. Sakura. He thought, just her name bringing tears to his eyes. Sakura, what am I going to do?

I couldn't protect either of them. The darkness in his heart grew and he sunk further into despair as Sasuke and Sakura's faces flashed before his eyes followed by more recent images of them.

Sasuke stood on that cliff, glaring down at Naruto with one hand on his hip. Sasuke's eys were pits of emptiness and his words cut like knives. The vision fizzled out, replaced by one of Sakura, her hair and face stained with tears, blood and dirt as she stared down at him helplessly. She begged him not to fight, to let her save him. All the while, that Itachi bastard stood behind her.

The visions faded and Naruto submitted to his depression. His eyes slid closed as the cool night air ruffled his blonde hair. He didn't know what to do and, with Jiraiya gone, he felt lost without anyone to guide him.

His head tilted back and he stared up at the star-filled sky. His last moment with Sakura flashed across his mind and he felt his heart beat erratically as a blush permeated his face. Sakura hadn't kissed him back but it did nothing to dissolve his hopes.

He would prove himself to her one day and, hopefully, she would accept his love and return it. The thought made a tiny streak of sunlight break through the gloom in his mind. He rose silently and dropped the popsicle to the ground.

He couldn't stop believing in himself now, not when he had so many things to do. Thank you, Sakura, for making me remember that.

••••••••

Sakura walked beside Deidara, embarrassed over her earlier freak out. He walked silently at her elbow, an unusually calm expression on his face. Ume and Kameko walked ahead, whispering low to one another.

Sakura puffed out a sigh and tilted her head up to look at Deidara. "You don't look much older than I am."

"I'm 19." Deidara answered.

Sakura's eyes widened. "That young?"

"Mhm." Deidara replied simply.

"Do you miss your village?" Sakura asked, pushing aside her amazement at his young age. He looked young but not that young and his skill certainly led Sakura to believe he was older.

"Not even a little bit." Deidara smirked.

Sakura was surprised by Deidara's honesty and openness. She had never really tried to pry open the man's secrets but she had always assumed Akatsuki members were secretive and held their pasts locked away deep in their chests. "How'd you become a member of the Akatsuki?"

The muscles beneath Deidara's skin rippled as he clenched his jaw tightly. "I lost to Itachi Uchiha."

"W-what?" Sakura stammered.

"I worked as a bomber for various countries and caught the attention of the Akatsuki to replace Orochimaru." Deidara told her. "Itachi, Kisame, and Sasori came to recruit me. I accepted a challenge from Itachi."

"What was the challenge?" Sakura asked, feeling wary of the answer.

"It was simple, really. If I lost, I joined them. If I won, the Akatsuki would leave me alone for good." Deidara grinned. "It gave me a reason to train even harder though."

Sakura opened her mouth to respond but her voice failed her. She had nothing to say.

"I hate Itachi but I'm not stupid. I know he's a good leader and strategist." Deidara murmured, almost to himself.

Sakura thought he would go on, but Deidara was done sharing. Sakura's mind swirled around the information she had collected about Deidara. She knew so much yet so little about him. She knew more than most, however, and that made her the slightest bit happier. Information was difficult to obtain and she had more than most people had about the Akatsuki.

With the formation of the New Akatsuki, Sakura didn't have any plans on attempting to bring it down. Yet.

If the new version became as corrupt as the old, she'd use all she had to shatter it just as she was attempting to crush the old Akatsuki. She would need to train more, however. Ume was a talented teacher and, with the basics she had learned from Itachi, Sakura was becoming stronger with each passing day.

Her mind was able to withstand weak genjutsu attacks altogether now and the tingle in her arm never failed to alert her to any genjutsu thrown at her so far. Tsunade's Chaotic Mental Collision was becoming easier and easier to use but Sakura's work with Earth was a struggle still.

Sakura thought that, perhaps, she was reaching her limit of power. Still, she wouldn't stop pressing forward. A thought crossed her mind that made her spin towards Deidara sharply as she gasped.

Deidara jerked back, startled, and stared at her. "What?"

"You have an affinity for Earth, right?" Sakura asked, barely containing the excitement in her voice.

"Y-yeah." He stammered.

Sakura's eyes sparkled and she grinned widely. "Perfect!"

••••••••

Ume shook her head. "I'm not staying here to watch you two play with mud. Kameko, how about we go ask around in the town and see if anyone's seen Sumiko?"

Kameko shrugged her shoulders and silently gave in. Sakura smiled after her departing comrades and turned to face Deidara, who stood in the tiny stream before her, the water rising just above his ankles. His robe was on and his pant legs were rolled up. Sakura was wearing a simple Kumogakure tunic dress but she gathered the hem of the skirt and tucked it in her belt to keep it from getting wet. She had shorts on beneath - she didn't trust Deidara that much.

"Let's see if you can handle wet earth." Deidara's head drooped to the side, his grin dominating his face.

Without hesitation, he launched two bird sculptures her way. Sakura placed her hands together at the wrist and rose them high into the air. The damp soil beneath her feet shot up, protecting her from Deidara's explosion.

The soil fell quickly, sending up a splash as it slapped against the water. Sakura's hands, still together at the wrist, arched from left to right. Soil rushed to follow her movements and once again stopped Deidara's "art."

"Good." Deidara called. "You only use Earth as a defense. Do you know how to use it as a weapon?"

Sakura shook her head and Deidara clasped his hands on his hips. "Okay, get ready."

His body movements were powerful and fluid; Sakura struggled to watch and evade his attacks. He controlled the earth well and threw in several of his little exploding sculptures.

"Focus on the Earth you have control of. Imagine it tightening - hardening - into a sharp point." Deidara advised as he lashed out at Sakura with his own attack. "Then launch it at me."

"But what if I really kill you?" Sakura gaped, blocking Deidara's fist with her forearm as he lunged at her.

His grin was wicked. "You aren't good enough to kill me."

Sakura's lips pursed into a thin line at the retort but she truly didn't want to hurt Deidara. However, she did as she was told. Her mind focused on the dripping wet Earth that hovered in mid-air at her command. She imagined the Earth twisting and molding into a sharp needle-like point.

The Earth crashed to the ground, sending up an enormous splash. Water droplets rained down on Sakura and Deidara, who still fought hand-to-hand. Deidara was laughing hysterically but Sakura ignored him, already trying one more.

Instead of making the Earth come to her first, however, she focused on the Earth beneath her feet. She couldn't explain it, but she felt the Earth respond to her. Sakura inhaled sharply and leapt away as a spear of hardened Earth shot up from the ground.

Deidara managed to dodge but his clothes were torn straight through on his left side. Sakura smirked. "Almost got you, Deidara." She taunted.

"Beginner's luck." He shot back, grinning madly.

Sakura dashed out-of-the-way, calling the soil to form a hardened arch above her as Deidara's kunai sliced through the air towards her. The Earth held its own and the kunai fell in the water without touching Sakura.

Deidara laughed, praising her richly. "You already got the hang of controlling the Earth's density and shape. Good."

Sakura sighed, laying on her back in the water as she let the soil sink back to its rightful place. Her breath hitched in her throat as she stared up at Deidara. His jacket was completely open and the wind made it flap behind him. His black pants hung loosely on his hips and Sakura marveled at the strong outlines of his muscles. His abs were chiseled and his frame was thin.

She had seen Deidara shirtless before but never like this. The sun beamed down on him from above and there was a wicked gleam in his eyes as he positioned his hands. One arm stretched out, all five painted fingers splayed out. His other hand resided just below his visible eye, his index and middle fingers pointing in the same direction as his opposite arm.

His hair was up but fluttered delicately with the comfortable breezes that passed by continually. Water droplets clung to his pale skin and drifted down his long and slender torso.

Sakura launched herself away from her resting spot and somersaulted out-of-the-way as a wave crashed down where she had been. Deidara flashed a sinister grin and laughed victoriously, placing his fisted hands at his hips. "Am I more beautiful than anyone you've seen, Sakura?"

Sakura was so entranced, she stared ahead at him and replied. "There's something about you…"

Deidara's teasing expression dropped and he stared dumbly at her, his eyes widening the slightest. "What did you say?"

Sakura flew towards Deidara, stopping just a hair's length from him. She felt this curiosity when she had looked into Itachi's eyes so long ago. She was intrigued and all notions of personal bubbles or modesty went out the window. She was just too enthralled by the secret of Deidara's body.

Her fingertips danced across Deidara's shoulders, sliding under the fabric of his robe. She pushed the robe off and it dropped down into the water. Deidara didn't move an inch and Sakura was so focused, she didn't notice Deidara's deep intake of air.

Sakura pressed her fingers against Deidara's pecs, prodding the muscles beneath his skin. Her eyes narrowed as she honed in on the tattoo across his left chest muscle. "What is that?"

She swiped away the beads of water tumbling down his left pec with her palm. Her hand glided against the smooth muscle effortlessly and her hand stilled just as it passed over the tattoo. Her eyes traced the design eagerly as her brain worked to find some related memory to the tattoo on Deidara's skin.

She'd noticed it on him before when she had healed him but she never paid it any mind due to her earlier predicament. Now, she was entirely alone with him with time to spare. "The body of a ninja is such a beautiful work of art." Sakura murmured out loud.

Sakura's other hand lifted and brushed Deidara's hair away from his left eye. She gasped inwardly at the contraption clinging to the left side of his face. Her fingertips brushed around the rim of two circles in the device - one was red; the other blue.

Deidara cleared his throat, seeming to snap out of a trance. His fingers coiled around her wrists and he pushed them away gently from his body. He didn't move to explain so Sakura asked, "What is that device? And what does this tattoo represent?"

As she spoke, her fingertips traced the black lines of Deidara's chest tattoo. His entire body convulsed with a shudder and he sucked in air between his clenched teeth. "Stop touching me."

Sakura's curiosity was defeated by her embarrassment and her actions crashed down on her. "I'm so sorry."

She pulled back her hand but before she could get far, Deidara's head bent low and he pushed her palm flat against the tattoo, his hand over hers. Sakura felt the stitches in the tattoo as Deidara guided her hand across them. It only deepened her confusion.

She felt his heart beat rapidly beneath her palm and a warm sensation in her hand as Deidara's head lifted, his eyes filled with pure and unrestrained passion. "This mark will lead to my greatest work of art ever and my name will go down in history as the most skilled artist ever born."

Deidara's passion and emotion was something Sakura wasn't used to. She had been away from him for so long and partnered with Itachi for so long, she nearly forgot that ninjas had emotions.

Deidara's chest bounced beneath Sakura's palm with his laughter. "Are you starting to fall for me, Sakura?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed even as a blush took over her face. "Not a chance."

"Too bad." Deidara chuckled.

He was so close, his breath brushed against her cheek. All the energy left her body as her mind frantically worked to get everything under control. She felt Deidara's warmth and it burned her skin. She could smell his shampoo and his sweat. She felt his hand cradle the back of her head as his other held her hand over his heart.

The caw of a crow snapped her out of her trance and Sakura's head bowed as she removed her hand from Deidara's chest. He didn't stop her. "You're an idiot." She whispered.

Deidara didn't have time to register her words before her fist collided with his jaw. He flew back off of his feet before crashing down into the tiny stream with a splash. Sakura flexed her fingers before balling them into a fist. "Don't say stupid things to a girl, you asshole. I'll break your damn face if you try that again."

••••••••

Itachi sat silently on the tree branch that gave him a perfect view of the ripe full moon hanging in the starry sky. The moon's light soothed his racing mind. Randomly, every so often, Itachi would feel Sakura's fingers dancing along the back of his skull and tangling themselves in his hair. It brought on a whole wave of emotions, questions, and hopes.

He was currently working on hiding them all deep within himself.

Soft sounds of leaves scraping against one another alerted him to someone's presence. His head turned in just enough time to see Deidara appear out of the bushes, holding his chin. "Reporting for my last check up, boss." Deidara spat the title with clear venom.

Itachi shrugged off Deidara's anger towards him. It was actually comforting to see the hatred once more. Deidara had always hated him but as of late, he had been more friendly. It was unlike him.

"Tomorrow you will be leaving to find Sumiko." Itachi stated. "How far have you gotten with the investigation."

Deidara removed his hand from his face. "The Getsugakure girl heard a rumor that this 'Sumiko' might be in the Land of Iron."

Itachi hid his surprise and panic. "Rumor?"

Deidara shrugged. "It's all we've got so far."

"The Kages have called a meeting." Itachi informed. "Kisame and I are traveling to the Land of Iron to stop Sasuke."

"So the brat's going to attack the Kages all at once? What an idiot." Deidara scoffed.

Silence fell between them and Deidara lifted his head, his gaze throwing daggers at Itachi. "It's funny how you get so much respect and admiration when really you're just a con artist."

Itachi didn't reply but he stared at Deidara vacantly, which seemed to piss the blonde-haired man off even more. "How strong was the genjutsu you used to get Sakura to love you?"

The flame roared to life in Itachi's chest - the same flame that had become his constant companion for quite some time now. Itachi held his tongue but Deidara was too angry to stop himself. "I create art. You create lies. I'm the only one who can see through your bullshit and it's infuriating."

"So the little kid knows some big words." Deidara spun around to come face to face with Kisame, who grinned down at him with razor-sharp teeth. "You shouldn't leave those girls alone for too long. They might hurt themselves and be in need of your 'art'."

Deidara flashed Itachi a threatening glare before vanishing completely. The flame in Itachi's chest, however, only seemed to burn more intensely. Kisame glanced at Itachi and nodded politely before turning and heading back towards the rundown hideout. "See you inside."

Once he was sure he was alone, Itachi pressed a hand to his burning chest. At his touch, a dull ache throbbed in his chest and he snapped his eyes shut. He knew what that ache meant. He wanted to see her. But he refused to satisfy that wish. He had to. But how long could he keep it up?

His body was deteriorating once more; he could feel it with every passing day. The pain was manageable like it had always been but he feared her seeing him in his sickly state. She would no doubt try to heal him.

It would benefit everyone greatly - minus Itachi's enemies - but it left him with a deeply embedded guilt. Every thing he saw and every moment that passed without pain was because of Sakura. He was only living because of her and yet he would only ever bring her pain and suffering. He would never be able to give her a moment of happiness.

His heart throbbed with guilt and Itachi lowered his hand from his chest. I will give her a life free from war. He told himself. That is my gift to her and the only one I can give.

••••••••

Sasuke pressed a finger against his throbbing temple as Karin's loud, annoying voice bounced around in his aching skull.

"I can't believe that he thinks those three women were too much for us to handle!?"

"The blue-eyed one killed Masaru." Suigetsu murmured, his head bowing. "She took his blades, too."

Karin crossed her arms across her chest and pouted. "He tells us were so useful and powerful yet he won't let us face the enemy."

Sasuke's eyes snapped open and he glared at Karin as he hissed in his usual deep voice, "I'm powerful and useful. You're just part of the package deal."

Karin stared into his eyes and a blush painted her face. Sasuke snorted in disgust and closed his eyes once more. Suigestu spoke up, shattering the blissful silence. "Do you think we'll be able to fight the Kages?"

"We benefit from the element of surprise." Karin stated.

"Madara and Itachi had a falling out though. Do you think we'll be able to stop him?" Suigestu asked.

"Stop talking." Sasuke barked. "Just do it and quit complaining." Sasuke shot up from his couch and stormed down the hall into his room.

He dropped down onto his bed as images rushed through his mind. Sasuke rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands as if that could make them go away. Why was his brother protecting the village? Why? It made no sense. Maybe his brother was fearful of attacking Konoha and starting a Great War, but Sasuke wasn't. He'd take his brother's revenge even if Itachi wouldn't.

I'm fudging the timeline a little on this whole story, please remember that.

The scene with Naruto is after the entire Pain incident in this story even though it's like the scene in the Anime when he's mourning Jiraiya's death. I loved that scene but I didn't get to add it in so I put it here

And Itachi usually refers to Sakura as "her" (even when he's thinking) for a reason. It's kind of corny but it's almost like saying her name will have an affect on him and make it harder to control his emotions

I'm so glad to hear that so many of you are coming to love the characters I created :) But, I'd like to remind everyone that all of Ume, Kameko, and Sumiko's secrets haven't been revealed lol so if you have some questions, you can ask me (I really don't mind!) but I'll most likely explain them in future chapters -Anii