I apologize for how long this taking and how short this chapter is; don't hate me peeps. This is a huge process being my own Beta reader and trying to keep it as in line with everything that has happened previous. When I write a chapter I also am taking notes at the same time to give you guys a quality story with a flowing story line.

I read every single comment on this story and I am so grateful for the love and support you guys have shown this story. I am currently on break from school so I'm hoping to get some writing done. I swear I love you all and I want to get farther with this story. Happy New Year and Holidays from this past month 3

Enjoy~

Flashbacks

Inner Talking

CHAPTER 13

Sakura POV

What are we going to do? How are we supposed to cope with this? Inner?

I can see her form ghosting over to me quickly, a worried look on her face. She takes me into her arms and says, Saki, it's alright. Don't freak out, we'll figure something out love.

Holding onto her I start to cry. Her arms tighten around me and she runs her hand over my head to help calm me down.

Sweetie, I think I have to come out.

I pull away from her in surprise, tears running down my cheeks to stare at her. She looks serious but there's something else there...guilt?

What's wrong Saku?

I reach out to her, cupping her face in my right hand. She's trembling under my hand, looking like she's going to cry.

Y-you might hate me Saki.

I could never hate you! You're me Saku. What's wrong?

She looks at me. Her emerald eyes the same as mine, but hers are filled with unshed red tears welling up. Taking a deep breath, she finally calms down enough to talk again.

Your seal Saki, I...I remember who gave it to Orochimaru in order to give it to you.

You...remember?

Y-yes. You were in so much agony when it was going down that you succumbed to me and I took over your senses. That man also... it's not important. I need to tell them who it is Saki.

I have about a thousand emotions going through me right now, but the most prevalent one is fear. Saku never sounded so haunted before than when she said that last part. He must have done something vicious to her to make her sound like that.

She looks over to me and I can see she's waiting for something.

What?

You're not yelling at me.

That's what you want me to do?

She pauses for a second then says No, but I didn't think you would be so calm about it.

Saku... you realize that for the entirety of my life, you have been there for me right? There is not a single time I can think of where you led me in the wrong direction or gave me terrible advice.

I know but I –

Yes, you kept something from me. But you kept something from me that seems to be a good thing that I don't remember. It's obvious you didn't do it to spite me, you're upset with yourself. But whoever did this to me also did something to you and that overshadows my minuscule anger for you. So take me over, tell them.

Saki, I want to help, but are you sure?

I hug her close and let a tear slip out of my eye.

I succumb to her.

Third POV

Once Sakura has collapsed, Orochimaru and Mori got into a heated debate. Itachi was watching the young pinket in her brother's arms writhe in what could only be pain. Her face was scrunched up and she kept moving.

Itachi was listening to the family members argue, but he put his hand up to stop them when he noticed a change in Sakura's chakra. It was a large burst of chakra at once, and there was light flowing out of Sakura's body. It only took a moment, but then there was...something else there.

It was Sakura, but almost an inverted form. Instead of her creamy pale skin, this was black with a small white outline. Sakura had on her black capris and red tank-top, this girl has on a bone-white Haruno tank top and blood-red pants. Even her hair changed, from the soft flower pink, to a deep black with a slight red hue.

The most striking part was that her eyes are the same emerald color, and she looks like Sakura.

Mori, still holding onto her, stands up and puts her down. The girl looks at him, and a smile spreads across her face.

"It really is you, nii-san." She even sounds like Sakura.

All the boys are stunned by this, and none of them say anything. The girl doesn't look at them just yet though; she is looking down at herself, at her hands that she's flexing, at her body, her outfit. She reminds Itachi of an infant that becomes self-aware of themselves and what they are for the first time.

He's had his Sharingan activated the whole time, and he is floored that this girl and Sakura have the same chakra pathways. The only way for that to be true is if they are the same person. But there's no way that is what is happening here, right?

Mori and Orochimaru are looking at this girl and seem to be just as confused as Itachi.

"Hey" Mori breaks the silence, "who are you?"

He looks deep in thought, almost like he has an idea of who this is but isn't sure.

The girl looks at him and smiles, "I know you must be confused, all of you." For the first time, she looks at Orochimaru and Itachi.

"I can explain who I am, if you would like," she says, folding her arms, "but I'm not sure if you'll believe me. Not that you fuckers have any choice."

The boys stay silent, taking in the different air of the girl who was just unconscious. Itachi takes a step forward and says, "Yes, please explain."

The girl laughs and says, "Wow, it was the Uchiha that actually spoke up! Alright, now I have to tell y'all what I am, the world must be ending soon if he's the one talking!"

Itachi looks at her and glares, but she just shakes her head and keeps laughing. She keeps her arms crossed and then looks at the guys surrounding her before sobering up.

"I suppose I should start from the beginning, huh?" She asks them.

The boys look at one another and then back to her, nodding.

She takes a seat on the ground and motions for them to do the same. Mori is the only one who does so, Orochimaru and Mori choosing to stand with their backs to the large tree the other two are sitting under. She shrugs and starts her tale.

"From the time Sakura was born, I have been inside of her mind. She calls me Saku-chan or Saku; I call her Saki-chan or Saki. From what I understand, many people have inners – what I am considered. I have met a few different people who have them, one of them being your little brother, Itachi."

This piques Itachi's interest, and he asks, "Does it do anything to harm him?"

Saku shakes her head and smiles a little, "It doesn't do anything to hurt him. In fact, Sasu-chan is very helpful for your brother. He and I are on the same plane so we tend to leave our hosts for a little while and talk. He's talked your brother out of doing some crazy things, and Saki is also helping him stay in place. Plus, having someone who knows you as well as you do is helpful."

She looks back at the ground and says, "I have been a part of Saki forever and you would know me as her friend in her head, Mori-san. The person she would tell you she was talking to all the time, and the thing you would catch her talking out loud to, was me the whole time. Saki figured it out later on that she didn't need to speak in order for me to hear her and talk with her."

Saku smiles to herself, almost as though a mother does when she sees her child playing with something.

"Anyway, as Saki grew older I was there to help her with her training. She has had a special teacher since she was six and I was helpful in working with her memorization skills and someone to confide in when she felt weak. I am almost like a cheerleader, because I cannot do much physically for her, but I try to help her, mentally, as much as I can." She takes a moment to collect herself.

Orochimaru is looking at this girl and remembering when his niece was younger. How she would come running into his arms when she would see him and how she would parade around Rain holding his hand. His people loved the pink-haired princess and in turn, started to like Orochimaru because of her. He remembered giving her the seal when she was only four years old. But he can't remember who gave it to him, that's where things get hazy.

Saku smiles, one of the saddest smiles the men have ever seen, and continues, "One of the perks of being an inner is we can be awake while our hosts are asleep. This goes for being knocked out, sleeping, or even drugged. We are technically a separate entity in our own rights, but we have our limits. If our host is drugged, we feel the effects of it, but we can still sense more than our hosts can which can be really helpful. Because of this, I am able to tell you who gave my uncle the seal you see on our bodies."

Saku turns around and shows us the white seal on her own right shoulder blade. It was a stark pale white compared to her dark, slightly glowing, ebony skin. It looked intricate and it compels Mori to reach out and trace it. Saku pulls away from the contact, but relaxes after a moment, letting him get a better look at it.

"It's so intricate," He whispers under his breath, in awe at the precision the seal needed to be drawn and applied. He turns Saku around to face him and he says, "I will figure out how to get rid of this. I don't want either of you in any pain anymore...you don't deserve to be."

This makes Saku feel even worse, but she smiles for them anyway. Might as well make the blow now and let them sort their feelings out about it.

Saku puts her right hand on Mori's left knee and says, "Well, to be frank, there are only three options to get rid of this." She looks at all of them in turn, making sure they meet her eyes. "One, have the person who gave it to us remove it. Two, have her awaken her Keiki Genkai. Or three, you have to remove it with another seal."

The men look at one another and Itachi speaks up.

"I tried three already, it didn't work."

Saku shakes her head with a sad smile and says, "That's because you didn't use the right one. If you did it right Saki wouldn't remember anything."

Mori sputters, "What do you mean?"

Saku retracts her hands and crosses her arms over her chest. It didn't look defensive though, more so as though she was holding herself.

"If you use this specific seal," she continues, "you have to wipe her memory. The seal is meant to cleanse the subject of everything, like a factory reset. She would lose her memories, the knowledge that she has, literally everything. Her physical strength would still be there, but she would have to be retaught. She wouldn't remember who anyone is, not your parents, not her teammates, or even me probably."

Mori feels his heart lurch, along with Itachi and Orochimaru. They stay quiet for a few minutes, turning this over in their heads.

Can they do this to her? Who would do it? Would she forgive them? Would she be okay with this? They feel the pressure of the questions building and Mori was the first to break the silence.

"We have three options, what about 1 and 2?" He sounds scared. His face white, a small frown touching his usually smiling mouth, and Saku reaches out grasps his hand.

"That's where this gets complicated," Saku whispers.

The men fall silent, waiting for her to continue. Mori squeezes her hand and hopes for the best, no matter how bad the odds seemed to the rest of the people present.

"The person who gave this to us...it was a man calling himself Uchiha, Madara."

"That's impossible," Itachi says quickly. If anyone had been looking at him, they would have seen the fear and anger flash in front of his eyes. That was the man who helped him murder his own clan and had explained that it was a necessary sacrifice. But this wasn't the time for him to feel any of that.

Saku looks over to him and snidely says, "Do you really think I would say this if it wasn't true? I've kept this from Saki ever since it happened because I didn't want to hurt her. I know Orochimaru is the one who gave it to us; we were four when it happened. But I was also aware of who was also there to see it done. That person was Uchiha, Madara."

Itachi looks over to the snake Sanin and sees the surprised look on his face.

"How did you know that?" Orochimaru asks.

Saku smiles and says, "One of the perks of being an inner means I can use Saki's senses even when she is unconscious. I have to want to use them though; I just can't hear or see everything. I have to focus my chakra to those senses I want to use and then I can utilize them."

The guys were all in their own heads, but Saku is worried about her friend. She wants them to come to a decision, so she continues speaking, "That leaves us with option number 2. Let her activate her Keiki Genkai."

"You can't forccce that," Orochimaru hisses. He looks livid at the mention of this, but puts his long tongue back into his mouth.

Narrowing her eyes, Inner spats, "We don't have too much left to do because she's already taken her first life. Saki's having a hard enough time with that because of her teammate's response to it."

This takes the men by surprise and Mori says, "She's killed someone?"

Inner looks at Mori and her face softens, she says "Yes. They had a C rank mission that turned A rank at the beginning when their squad was attacked. Saki took on one of the guys who surprised them and she used a technique her special teacher taught her and nicked the guys artery in his neck. She did it to protect their charge and teammates. I thought it was really brave of her especially considering the circumstances."

Mori was trying to think of his baby sister killing someone, and while it was scary to think about, he was still proud of her. But he also knew what the first blood on her hands would do to her.

"She hasn't awoken it yet?" He asks.

Saku shakes her head and says, "No, probably because there was no physical blood. All the damage was internal so she didn't see the bloodshed, but she still feels the effects of murdering him."

Mori nods and then his thoughts went internal. He knows what it feels like to deal with their family's curse they call a power. His uncle was the only reason he hasn't lost his mind to the curse. He wants his sister to understand what it is and how he and their uncle can help her.

Itachi has no idea what the blood limit can do and is curious as to what it will do. But he wants the little blossom to stay safe, no matter what he has to do. He doesn't want her to be taken by the Akatsuki and if they find out about this ability she has they will surely go after her more. He narrows his eyes and ponders what to do.

Orochimaru is worrying about his niece because he knows what can happen if she rejects her ability like her brother did. Sometimes, the Haruno who awakens this power cannot cope with what is done to their mind and in turn, it slowly eats at them. Many people in their clan have killed themselves over it, so as the generations went on they decided to be merchants and took up non-shinobi jobs. It wasn't until Sakura's father decided to become a shinobi that the threat came back to their family. Orochimaru could still remember when his niece came to him, begging for him to help her husband control his demon.

Mori looks around at everyone, each of them with a look of concern and concentration covering their faces. He looks to his uncle, then Itachi, and finally, his little sisters' inner spirit, Saku. Of everyone, she looks the most concerned and has this pinch between her eyebrows he recognized as a look his sister always had when she was trying to figure something complex out.

He closes his eyes for a moment, takes a deep breath, and opens them. He reaches for Saku's hand, snapping her back into the present, and stares at everyone with determination in his eyes.

"We're going to awaken her Ketsueki Noroi," Mori says, looking at Saku.