Chapter 18- Mind made up
The first thing they teach you at the academy is that you always have to be prepared for the unexpected.
It was crucial for a ninja to always be on alert and have a backup plan for every scenario if the circumstances called for it.
For the very first time ever since her first day at the academy, however, Sakura found herself in a predicament that she would have never, not even in her wildest dreams, expected herself to be in.
Unfortunately, not even a Plan B would be able to get her out of this mess or, at least, prevent her from helplessly staring at the sleeping face that was only inches away from her own in sheer and utter disbelief.
As she was now.
Yes, Sakura's spotless reputation of always having a backup plan at hand if the situation called for it was officially ruined by her infuriating boss and his mood-swings.
As much as she wished that she was still asleep and that it was just her imaginary wishful thinking that created this illusion of Itachi laying in bed right next to her, the events of the previous mind washed over her like a cold wave that caused her stomach to flip in a way that she didn't like the least bit.
Sakura knew that the moment she'd move, Itachi would be on high alert and wide awake within a matter of seconds. Then again, if she were to simply stay in her current position with her face right in front of his, their shoulders barely brushing as they shared a pillow with her watching him sleep like a freak, it'd probably result in an even bigger mess.
She was torn between both options but so far, none of the two seemed practically endearing to her, much to her dismay.
Fortunately- or unfortunately, Sakura wasn't too sure which one was more appropriate at the moment- before she was able to make a decision on her own, fate seemingly took it into its own hands. Not even two full minutes later did the sound of a heavy hand banging against the wooden door of her room break through the previous comfortable silence, causing her to flinch at the sudden, unexpected sound.
"Rise and shine lovebirds, I expect you downstairs for breakfast in ten sharp!" Kisame yelled from the other side of the room and Sakura could practically see the grin that was plastered onto his lips.
She closed her eyes as she heard his retreating footsteps, not daring to open them out of fear what would most likely expect her if she were to open them so instead, the pinkette rolled over to the far end of her bed, pushed herself off and dragged her body straight into the bathroom, fully aware of the pair of sleepy onyx eyes that were watching her every move.
As soon as she locked the door behind herself, Itachi closed his eyes and exhaled a soft breath as he rolled onto his back, wincing at the soreness of his body.
He was blankly staring at the ceiling, trying to adjust to the stiffness of his body, the dull ache in his neck and upper thigh as well as the slight burn of his muscles.
Itachi knew that he was quite lucky that Sakura managed to heal him to this extend and also knew that he could be in a way worse condition than he was currently in. The dull aching was nothing in comparison to the pain that he was in the previous night and even though he knew that it was partly his own fault for knowingly walking into Orochimaru's trap, he knew that he had no choice.
He had to be sure that he was still alive, and that it was actually him and not one of his many tricks to drive him crazy just like he had done all these years ago.
Itachi would have to talk to Tsunade as soon as he would be back in Konoha. The Godaime knew her former teammate better than anyone and would provide him with the information he needed in order to predict Orochimaru's next move.
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he heard the water in the bathroom running, his mind drifting back to the pinkette that was currently occupying it.
It was a mystery indeed, how a kunoichi like her could single-handedly take out dozen of Orochimaru's men, keep their way out of the hideout open with her bare hands, heal his lethal injuries without batting an eye and then practically flee as she did mere moments ago.
As amusing as it was, Itachi found himself strangely tempted to give into the chase that Sakura had unknowingly started. He was gradually becoming more selfish, but he couldn't help himself. The more he was ignoring her presence or the growing effect that it was having on him, the more he felt the urge to keep her close to him.
The way her breath hitched when he pulled her close, how her vibrant eyes widened out of surprise- it was all worth being selfish for once and he didn't regret it one bit.
She was unlike others and somehow managed to do what no one ever did before- get his attention in a way that drove him crazy.
His mind was made up- and once he found something that he wanted, he would not stop until he would get it.
Just as these words filled his mind, he heard the door to the bathroom open. His eyes lazily drifted to where a freshly showered Sakura was standing, a towel in her hand as she gently wrung the water out of her wet hair.
Her eyes met his and despite of her previous escape, it seemed like the prep talk that she'd most likely had in the shower did work for now, she didn't seem the least bit unnerved or uncomfortable by his presence.
"Kisame is waiting downstairs, you got around five more minutes until he will most likely come barging in here." Sakura casually informed him as she walked over to put her now wet towel over the chair that was standing in the corner of the room.
"Hn." Was all that Itachi returned as he carefully sat up, the aching in his neck and thighs suddenly turning into a sharp, burning sensation that caused him to flinch as she swung his legs over the edge of the bed.
"Does it still hurt?" Sakura inquired as she turned to look over he shoulder with a small frown of her own.
"The pain lessened over the night." Itachi informed her but he should have known better than to expect Sakura to be satisfied with such an answer, for it only took the pinkette a second to stand in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest and a stern expression on her face.
"Shirt off, now."
At that, Itachi couldn't help the amused quirk of his brow at her sudden demand. Sakura of course realized too late that maybe she should have phrased her demand slightly differently if the way his black eyes darkened for the split of a moment was anything to go by.
She forced herself to ignore the small jump in her chest at the way he looked at her, not willing to show him the effects that he was having on her. She didn't need to push the Uchiha's ego any more than needed and thus, lifted a daring brow herself.
Itachi waited for another three seconds before he gave a small, amused huff and eventually did as told and removed his shirt.
Sakura's eyes instantly fell onto the purple bruise on his neck and hummed lowly as she instantly placed her cold palm over the bruise.
She felt Itachi tense under her touch and she fought the smirk that dared to take over her lips. Even now he still wasn't used to her touch and she couldn't help but feel proud to know that she had some effect on this stubborn Uchiha.
The bruise was still hot to the touch and throbbed gently, causing Sakura to frown as she looked down at it.
"I need to take a look at it when we're back in Konoha. I can only do so much out here, but so far you're out of any immediate danger." Sakura informed him, a soft sigh passing her lips as she moved her eyes from his shoulder to look down into his eyes that were already watching him.
"This may burn a little." She warned before she allowed her chakra that filled her body to run into her palms.
Itachi didn't show any reaction though and merely kept his eyes locked on her from where he was sitting on the bed in front of her. Usually, Sakura would feel strangely unnerved by the intensity of his stare but today, she wasn't going to give in and instead, returned his stare with one of her own as she soothed the burn in his skin.
"You are hiding something." Sakura mumbled under her breath as she slightly tilted her head so that she could look him dead in the eye, her brows furrowed in disapproval. "You'd never be as reckless as to walk into a trap and barely manage to make it out alive. What was it that you found inside?"
She saw something in his eyes flash for the split of a second, telling her that there was indeed something that he was trying to keep from her.
"Nothing worth your attention." Itachi merely returned, the way she poured just a bit too much of chakra into his shoulder in return causing him to flinch ever so slightly.
"I am not going to accept your vague answers anymore." Sakura declared, face blank as she searched his eyes with her own narrowed ones. "I won't pretend to not see how you almost get yourself killed without telling me why."
Sakura watched how Itachi's calculating gaze turned into the one that he always used to show their opponents that he was their superior, that they should make a run for it if they wanted to live on but Sakura would not allow herself to be intimidated by it.
Before Sakura could realize what was happening, Itachi was already standing right in front of her, his height forcing her to tilt her face upwards to keep her eyes locked with his.
Her palm was still placed on his shoulder but the glow was gradually fading, her attention solely focused on the way he was practically looming over her.
"Why won't you listen?" Itachi frowned, his voice not giving any of his thoughts away as he watched her eyes spark with fury.
"Because contrary to what you think, there are people who actually want to help you because they care about your well-being!" Sakura snapped, her nails digging into his bare shoulder.
She was angry and at this point, she didn't even care if he was the Hokage or not anymore. Her pride was long gone, her nerves have run thin and she knew that if she didn't speak her mind now, she'd regret it later on.
Sakura didn't even know what has gotten into her to speak like this to him, to her teammates big brother, to the Hokage, but she had to admit that his strange behavior was causing her concern.
And it was driving her crazy.
Itachi's eyes softened as he took in the frustration in her green eyes, the way her chest heaved in an unsteady rhythm and her nails dug into his skin.
She was the first person to even dare to speak up against him, to demand something from him and if he were to be honest with himself, it was quite refreshing as well.
He knew that Sakura was a person that always spoke her mind and voiced her concerns and yet, to have her actually hold concern for him caused something in his chest to stir,
Something that was very keen on making its presence known lately, it seemed.
He didn't push her away because he didn't appreciate her concern, her stubborn intention to help him or anything like that. Itachi did it for her own sake, something that she clearly failed to understand.
He felt his strength leave his body at the way her innocent eyes were searching his, the light that they held causing him to wonder when he has lost his own before he slightly lowered his head to lean his forehead against her own. He closed his eyes and exhaled softly through his nose, feeling his tight grip on his self-control slowly slip as he clenched his jaw.
"Reconsider." Itachi murmured, halfheartedly wishing that she would but knowing that it was highly unlikely. He didn't want her to get pulled into the dark, ugly mess that was his life. It would taint her innocence, her pure soul and scar her heart in ways he would never be able to heal.
He felt her questioning eyes on her and even though she hesitated, hew knew that it wasn't because she actually contemplated her options but for an entirely different reason, causing his hands to itch in order to hold her.
"I'm sorry." He heard her whisper, her grip on his shoulder loosening so that her palm was softly resting on it. Sakura felt her heart in her chest clench as she looked at him, knowing that the weight of her words would cause ripples that she was not yet aware of, but Itachi.
The Uchiha heir then opened his eyes, staring directly into her own orbs but contrary to her expectations they didn't hold any annoyance, anger, or disappointment.
He was looking at her, really looking at her for the first time without that barrier that he always put up. They were holding a warmth that caused her heart to flutter in surprise and when the corner of his lips tilted upwards ever so slightly, the warning bells in her head went off.
It wasn't his usual cold or amused smirk that he wore around her, no. This one made her feel like she had just signed a contract with the devil and sold her soul to him for eternity.
Little did she knew that in comparison to the devil, Itachi wouldn't take his sweet time in collecting his debt.
No, he would start now.
"I've warned you." Itachi mumbled as he lifted his arm to gently take her chin into his hand, His thumb gently brushing over her soft skin as his eyes sparked. "You've brought this upon yourself, Sakura."
With that, he released his hold on her and grabbed his shirt, put it over his torso and without another word made his way towards the door.
When he opened it, it revealed Kisame with his fist raised and ready to knock but before he was able to open his mouth, Itachi walked straight past their informant and downstairs to where their breakfast was waiting for them, not even bothering to acknowledge his presence.
Kisame, obviously surprised and confused turned to look at Sakura with a raised brow. "You were taking quite some time. Everything alright?"
Sakura merely shook her head in return before she moved her eyes from the empty space next to Kisame where Itachi had left to settle them on the missing-nin. She didn't know what had just happened, but the weird feeling that was creeping under her skin told her that she was in deep trouble if Itachi's warning was anything to go by.
"I hope so."
X
Breakfast went by uneventful. Kisame chatted away as usual and successfully managed to get Sakura's mind off the Uchiha that was seated at the small table in front of her. She settled on ignoring his presence and instead, talked to Kisame about all of the different villages and cities that he had already been to.
"Are there more villages like this?" Sakura inquired, genuinely curious as she plopped a strawberry into her mouth, her elbows placed on the surface of the wooden table as she eyed the blue-skinned male in front of her.
"Of course there are." Kisame replied as he leaned back in his seat and heartily patted his exposed stomach. "Though, not many are aware of their presence, for obvious reasons."
Sakura in return nodded as she allowed her eyes to roam the inn's small cafeteria that they and a few others were seated in. They looked fairly at peace, their posture not giving any tension or concern away as they happily enjoyed their breakfast without a care in the world.
"It's a gray-zone." She muttered, a thoughtful expression on her face as she turned to look back at Kisame. "Why don't the villages send any teams out to look for their missing-nins if they know of these places then?"
"Well, it isn't as easy as it sounds." Kisame told her as he glanced at Itachi. "Even though most of the Kage's know of these villages, they know that they can't just send a team to retrieve them. If Konoha's shinobi would march in here and demand one of their missing nin's to return, not only would they be faced with their missing-nin, but also with half of the village here."
"They won't give anyone up that easily. That's why we try to catch them on the run, it's less complicated that way." Itachi added as he as well leaned slightly back in his seat, eyes lazily fixed on the pinkette who hummed in return.
"So to put it short, they made their own small villages consisting of criminals and shinobi who fled from Hidden Villages." Sakura summarized, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Itachi. "It's dangerous to leave villages like this unsupervised, though."
Itachi glanced at Kisame out of the corner of his eyes and he instantly took the hint. "The Kage's all have eyes and ears in here to prevent them from getting any ideas. That's how the Uchiha princess over here found out about our little friends hide-out, because he got me. Just like that, the other Kage's also got their ways to find out what information they need."
Sakura could see the sense in it and took a sip of her orange juice, mind processing the information she just received. Huh, seemed like there still were quite some things that even she as a top kunoichi, the Godaime Hokage's apprentice and the current Hokage's advisor was not aware of just yet.
"Well, any ideas as of what we should to about our friends?" Sakura inquired as she looked at the males in front of her with questioning eyes. Kisame looked at Itachi, knowing that after the previous nights events it was up to the Hokage to decide on what to do next.
"We'll go back to Konoha." Itachi told her, causing Sakura to arch a surprised brow.
"You just want to leave like that?" She asked, clearly not having expected that. "They know about us, isn't it too dangerous to simply leave them behind like that instead of taking care of them first?"
"For now, they won't do anything." Itachi informed her, his expression turning more serious as he thought back to the last night. "They know that we now know who we're up against, they didn't expect us to get out of there alive with the information that they kindly provided us with."
"So it's true after all, huh?" Kisame muttered, frowning as he crossed his arms above his chest. "That bastard really is the one behind the attacks."
Sakura looked from Kisame to Itachi, her silent question reaching Itachi as the Uchiha heir held her gaze with an unreadable expression in his eyes.
"Have you heard of the legendary Sanins?" He asked Sakura, who gave him a curt nod in return.
"Of course, Tsunade-Shishou is one of them, just like Jiraya and their other teammate." She told him, and Itachi hummed in approval.
"One of the people that are leading the group that attacks Konoha and plans on doing so with the other hidden villages as well is Tsunade-sama's former teammate, the legendary Sanin Orochimaru who left the village over ten years ago." Itachi revealed, the surprise in her green eyes clearly evident upon hearing the new piece of information.
"I've been after that snake for quite some time now." Kisame sighed as he plopped a grape into his mouth, expression grim. "It doesn't surprise me that he is part of something like that, he has always tried to use Konoha in order to pursue his own sick and twisted ideals."
"Why did he leave Konoha?" Sakura asked, her heart breaking for her teacher. She could just imagine how hard Tsunade must have taken his betrayal if they had been on one team. Sakura knew that it would kill her if one of her boys would leave and betray the village and even though Tsunade didn't display her emotions too openly, she saw the pain and exhaustion in the blonde's eyes whenever she thought no one was looking.
Itachi, not oblivious to the spark of sadness that flashed in the pinkette's eyes pursed his lips into a thin line. "Konoha didn't approve of his experiments and twisted ideals so he left in order to fulfill his goal. He wants power and is willing to anything in order to get it."
Sakura took another sip of her glass, hiding the way her lips tilted downwards in disgust before she exhaled a deep sigh.
"So Orochimaru wants revenge on Konoha and uses its Rogues in order to achieve that." Sakura clarified, earning a nod from Itachi in return.
"Konoha is just their first target, though. Once they managed to get Konoha, the other Hidden Villages will follow." Kisame told her, and Sakura thoughtfully hummed in return.
Itachi straightened in his seat before he leaned forward so that his elbows were placed on the table, hands interlaced. "We'll discuss any further actions in Konoha. We should pack up and leave to prevent any run-ins that may delay us."
Sakura nodded in agreement before her eyes fell on Kisame. "What about you? They will recognize you if you stay here." Sakura reminded him, the concern that laced her words causing the shark-like man to smile wickedly.
"Don't worry about me princess, I don't plan on staying here either. I heard that Wind country has some great places to visit at this time of the year." Kisame told her, causing her to smile in return.
She already knew that she'd miss Kisame and his carefree nature. It was very refreshing and an unexpected change from what she was used to. As much as she hoped that she would see him again in near future, she knew that it was rather unlikely, especially given his status.
"We should probably start packing." Itachi broke through her thoughts, onyx eyes fixed on the slightly saddened expression of his pink-haired advisor. Sakura turned to look at him and offered him a smile that was followed by a nod before she plopped one last grape into her mouth and rose from her seat.
"Let's go."
The two males followed suit and made their way upstairs to gather their belongings. It didn't take them too long, considering that they didn't have too many things to pack up in the first place and not even ten minutes later they were once more walking through the villages busy streets towards its outskirt.
The walk was filled with a comfortable chatter and not even twenty minutes later, they found themselves at the very same spot that they first encountered each other.
"I'll inform you if I stumble across anything." Kisame promised as he gave Itachi a firm pat on the shoulder. "Keep me up to date, will ya?"
Even though all Itachi did was nod in return, Sakura didn't fail to notice the way his posture was relaxed whenever he was around the missing-nin. She suspected that the two of them most likely shared some sort of history that he had yet to tell her about and if she were to be honest with herself, she would really like to hear it some day.
"Well princess, as much as I hate to admit it, you've left quite an impression on me." Kisame told her with a wide grin as he crossed his arms above his chest. "Do me a favor and keep this stubborn boy from getting himself killed, 'kay?"
"Don't worry, if he'll ever get killed then by my hands only." Sakura returned with a bright, innocent smile that didn't match the dangerous glint her eyes held.
Kisame threw his head back, a heartfelt laugh escaping him before he reached out to ruffle Sakura's head, causing her to wince at the force he applied.
"Seems like I have nothing to worry about then." Kisame returned, his grin having turned into a smirk as he exhaled a small sigh. "I'll be on my way then. It was nice to do business with ya again, Uchiha."
"Hn."
With one last salute at the Konoha duo, Kisame turned around and walked into the opposite direction. Sakura and Itachi watched his retreating back in silence and when he finally vanished into the depths of the forest, Itachi turned to look down at the pinkette that was standing next to him.
Sensing his eyes on her, Sakura tilted her head upwards to look at Itachi with a small yet genuine smile, her emerald eyes glistening in the light that shone through the clearing of the forest.
For a moment, all the concerns that were weighting down his chest eased and when he saw her expression turn so innocently curious at his silence, his expression softened.
It seemed like maybe Tsunade was right after all.
"Let's go, Haruno."
X
It was in the middle of the night when Sakura opened the door of her apartment and tiredly stumbled inside, kicking the door close with her foot as she tossed her backpack into the hallway.
She went straight for her room and didn't even bother to change into some more comfortable attire as she collapsed onto her bed.
The sheer bliss she felt as soon as she felt the familiar mattress beneath her worn body was indescribable and the moment she surrendered into the sweet feeling she was already drifting into a deep slumber.
That lasted exactly three hours.
Sakura groaned as a familiar chakra-signature made itself known and with a whine of protest the pinkette buried her face into her pillow.
"Go away." She mumbled, praying that the intruder would allow her to have some more hours of sleep before she would be forced to deal with all the paper-work but as cruel as life- and the Uchiha- were, all she received was a deep chuckle in return.
"Sorry Sakura, but they really need you at the hospital."
Sakura sighed into her pillow and rolled onto her back before she cracked an eye open to shoot her visitor one of the best glares she could muster.
"Since when are you one of Tsunade's messenger boys, anyways?" Sakura asked as she turned her head to look at the clock that was standing on the night-stand next to her bed, the bright green lights reading 03:23 staring tauntingly back at her.
Oh Tsunade really would be the death of her one day.
"Think I can take a shower first?"
"Only if I can join you."
Sakura rolled her eyes and tossed her pillow at him that he easily side-stepped.
"Shut up, Shisui."
Shisui merely held his hands up in defense as he gave her an innocent smile. "It was worth a try," He told her as he watched Sakura stand up from her bed and walk over to her wardrobe.
"You didn't answer my question." Sakura noted as she grabbed a fresh set of clothes and walked past Shisui towards her bathroom, shutting the door behind her as she swiftly undressed and hopped into the shower.
Shisui followed after her and leaned with his back against the wall next to the bathroom door, closing his eyes as he listened to the sound of the water running.
"I came back from a briefing with Itachi when I overheard Tsunade yelling at someone to get you at the hospital and since I missed you, I thought why not use it as an excuse to see you without seeming like a stalker." Shisui told her, smiling as he heard Sakura snort under the shower.
"If I didn't know you and actually believed the last part, I would be flattered but since I do know you, I am afraid to tell you that I'm not ." He heard Sakura's muffled voice from inside the bathroom.
"See, and that's exactly why I love you!" Shisui proudly declared, causing Sakura to grin as she swiftly conditioned her hair.
The hot water did wonders to her sore muscles and Shisui's little visit was also a nice distraction of what would most likely expect her at the hospital.
That reminded her-
"Itachi is already working?" Sakura asked, unable to keep her surprise out of her voice.
"Well, he is the Hokage so there are no set office hours." She heard Shisui from behind the door, and Sakura hummed lowly as she tilted her head back and allowed the hot water to rinse her hair for one last time.
"I guess so." She returned, a thoughtful expression on her face as she stared at her bathroom ceiling. For a second there she actually forgot that Itachi was not only heir to the Uchiha clan, but also the Hokage. An involuntary shiver run down her spine when the image of his face filled her mind but as fast as it appeared, it vanished.
Right.
"You're taking quite your time in there, sure that you don't want me to lend you a hand?"
Sakura rolled her eyes once more and turned the water off before she grabbed the towel and swiftly dried her body.
"You know Shisui, sometimes I really wonder how Itachi and you are related." Sakura told him, genuinely wondering how two so different human beings could share the same blood as she put her fresh clothes on. "You are nothing alike."
"Whereas that's true for the most part, me and him do share some similarities." She heard Shisui chuckle as she braided her damp pink locks. "I think that all of us Uchiha do to some extend."
The pinkette glanced at the mirror for one last time before she threw the door open and walked straight past Shisui towards her night-stand and grabbed her weapon holster.
"Considering that I grew up with Sasuke, spend more time with Itachi than my team lately and am occasionally graced by your presence, I think that I can verify that theory." Sakura told him as she strapped the holster onto her upper thigh. When she was done, she turned around to look at Shisui, the Uchiha was sideways leaning sideways against the door-frame, arms crossed above his shoulder and a proud smile on his lips.
"Did I ever tell you how awesome you are for putting up with us?" Shisui wondered out loud, earning a dazzling smile from Sakura in return as she mirrored his posture and crossed her arms above her chest as well.
"Well, someone has to do it and since I seemingly attract Uchiha's, there's little I can do about it now can I?" She asked, tilting her head lightly aside as Shisui shot her a lazy grin.
"How about you marry into the clan? I can think of a few who'd more than willingly have you around on a daily basis." Shisui teased, causing Sakura to snort.
"So you're finally willing to settle down and give up your bachelor lifestyle?" Sakura asked, a brow arched as she looked at the Uchiha in amusement.
Shisui in return merely chuckled, not even surprised at how well she knew him. "For once, I am not talking about myself. I am sure that there are quite a few Uchiha's that would claim you in a heartbeat."
Sakura hummed as she walked past Shisui into the hallway, the Uchiha following behind. "As flattering as your words are, I doubt that any Uchiha would be interested in me considering that your family doesn't tend to marry any outsiders."
"Don't underestimate your charm Sakura-chan, you leave quite an impression."Shisui insisted with a cheeky grin.
Especially on a certain cousin of mine.
Sakura snickered as she grabbed an apple and tossed another one at Shisui who easily caught it with one hand before Sakura turned around to look at him with a small smile.
"As much as I love you, I highly doubt that we'll ever share the same surname." Sakura told him as she took a bite of her apple and leaned with her back against the counter, glancing at the clock that was hanging at the kitchen wall.
3:39.
She'd have to hurry if she didn't want Tsunade to bite off her head.
"I wouldn't be too sure." Shisui confidently told her, eyes gleaming in a way that suddenly eerily reminded her of Itachi. "Wanna bet?"
Sakura, too occupied with rummaging through her cupboards in hope of finding some more vitamin supplements merely waved a hand at Shisui.
"What do you want, that I name one of my children after you?"
Shisui smirked confidently in return. "That's exactly why we should share a surname. You already think like an Uchiha!"
Sakura turned her eyes heavenwards but couldn't fight off the smile on her lips as she finally found what she was looking for and plopped one of the pills into her mouth.
"There is no way in hell that I'll become an Uchiha, not in this lifetime." Sakura told him with a sigh as she grabbed her apple once more and turned back around to face Shisui. "Race me to the hospital?"
Shisui chuckled softly as he straightened his posture, eyes sparkling at the challenge as he looked at the pinkette in a way she didn't like.
"I hope that you're prepared to loose, Sakura-chan." Shisui warned her, and Sakura merely smirked in return.
"You know that I don't loose, Shisui-kun." Sakura warned him, causing Shisui's smirk to broaden into a grin as his mind flashed to a certain cousin of his.
If his cousins most recent behavior around his little advisor and her newfound concern for his well-being was anything to go by, Shisui was willing to bet his life that this time, Sakura would lose their bet.
And he was not talking about their race to the hospital.
"Oh, I have a feeling that this time, you will."
X
It was late afternoon when Sakura was finally able to take a break. The hospital was packed with emergency cases and injured shinobi and even though Tsunade was there as well, Sakura was unable to as much as share a word with her other then to ask her who to treat next due to the high amount of patients.
It wasn't like Sakura wasn't used to long working-hours, but the fact that she had just returned from a mission and only got three hours of sleep quite weighted on her after some time.
When she was finally done with treating her last patient and it seemed like the remaining doctors and medics had the situation under control, Sakura allowed herself to bite into the energy bar that she just bought as she made her way towards Tsunade's office.
She was so deep in thought that she didn't even notice the dark-haired male that fell in step next to her. When they rounded a corner and she almost bumped into one of the head-nurses if it weren't for him pulling her out of the way just in time, she finally took notice of him and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sasuke." She breathed, relieved to see her teammate after such a long time again. Said male steadied her on her feet before he carefully let go of her, his scrutinizing eyes not leaving her exhausted face. "What are you doing here?"
"Quarterly check-up." He returned, making sure to adjust his pace to hers in case he'd need to drag her away from trouble again. "What are you doing at the hospital already?"
"Tsunade needed my help, you know how it is with the hospital." Sakura told him, a sigh passing her lip before she continued to munch on her energy bar. "How have you and the boys been?"
Sasuke faintly shrugged as they rounded another corner, their small stroll through the busy hospital being just what Sakura needed. "We've trained a few times because Naruto wouldn't shut up about the Tournament."
The Tournament, right.
A groan escaped her as she realized that she had totally forgotten about it and that there was no way in hell that they'd let her sit it out, especially Naruto.
"When was it again?"
"The day after tomorrow." Sasuke told her as he glanced at his teammate out of the corner of his eyes. "Think you'll make it?"
Sakura sighed as she gave him a reluctant nod. It wasn't like she didn't like the tournament, she loved their little tradition ever since they started it but there were some times when she wished that she could trade it for some hours of sleep.
"I have no choice, do I?" Sakura told him as they waited for the elevator to arrive on their floor. "Naruto and Ino would kill me if I were to break tradition."
"Hn." Sasuke returned, the small smirk that toyed at the corner of his lips confirming her words. "You still got two days to rest, so there should be no issues."
Sakura snorted at that and stepped into the elevator, Sasuke following inside before he leaned with his back against the elevator wall.
"I have a feeling like Tsunade and your brother won't be giving me a rest these two days. I still have to write a mission report, help Tsunade out at the hospital and meet up with the girls to go shopping for the sleepover after the tournament."
Just like the tournament, the sleepover that followed it also was a tradition that the girls religiously followed and Sakura was unable to skip, regardless of the circumstances.
"Itachi won't mind if you turn in your mission report a day later than planned, especially since he was your teammate on the mission." Sasuke reminded her, causing Sakura to sigh.
"I guess." Sakura returned, exciting the elevator when it reached her floor, Sasuke following her like a shadow.
The two of them spend the remainder of the walk to Tsunade's office in a comfortable silence and when they finally reached the door, Sakura turned around to look at Sasuke with a soft smile.
"Thanks for lending me some company. See you and the boys tomorrow at dinner?"
"Hn."
Sakura looked at Sasuke for another moment and for some reason was reminded of what Itachi and Kisame told her about Orochimaru's departure.
Sakura's expression softened before she stepped onto her tip-toes and wrapped her arms tightly around Sasuke's neck, inhaling his familiar scent and smiling when she felt him stiffen in her sudden embrace.
Sasuke never was one who appreciated physical contact but she'd liked to think that over the years he had somehow grown to tolerate it.
After some more moments passed she felt him relax before he softly patted her back and Sakura couldn't help but smile.
She really loved her boys.
When she pulled away, she shot him a bright smile and gently patted his cheek. "Thanks, I really needed that. Now hush, I am sure that you have somewhere else to be."
Sasuke arched a raven brow, suspicious but not surprised by her sudden change in mood before he eventually nodded and stepped away from her.
"Don't forget to lock the door with the seal." Sasuke sternly reminded her, causing her to roll her eyes with a smile.
"Yeah, I got it. Now get out of my sight."
Sakura watched Sasuke shake of his head at her before he eventually did as told and left without saying another word, leaving Sakura in front of Tsunade's office on her own.
The pinkette smiled at her teammate's retreating form before she turned around to knock on her mentor's office, entering when she heard Tsunade's muffled command from inside.
The moment she entered and her eyes fell on the bottle of sake that was standing next to a staple of papers, Sakura felt a strange sense of deja-vu overcome her at the all too familiar sight.
"You really need to stop drinking, Shishou."
"And you should really mind your own business, Sakura."
Sakura smiled. It seemed like Tsunade didn't have that much to drink after all.
The pinkette moved to sit down in the empty chair opposite of Tsunade, emerald eyes taking in her visibly exhausted mentor in front of her.
"How did the mission go?" The blonde asked as she poured herself another drink, her eyes never leaving the liquid as Sakura shifted uncomfortable in her seat.
"Well, it could have been both better and worse, I guess." Sakura answered as she run a hand through her now free, bubblegum locks.
Tsunade hummed lowly as she took a sip of her glass, her scrutinizing honey orbs now fixed on Sakura. "Anything you managed to find out?"
Sakura lifted her eyes from her hair to look at Tsunade with an arched brow, instantly recognizing the change in Tsunade's voice.
"You already know, don't you?" Sakura deadpanned, inwardly wondering how Tsunade was seemingly always one step ahead of her.
The blonde smirked. "I'm the Godaime for a reason, Sakura."
At that, Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Why did you want to know what happened from me if you already know then?" She asked, the suspicion in her voice loud and clear. She knew her mentor too well and was certain that Tsunade most likely had another reason for asking her if she already knew about Orochimaru.
"To see how long it would take you to tell me by yourself." Tsunade nonchalantly told her as she placed her already empty cup onto a free spot on her desk. "Unfortunately, you have grown to become more similar to me than I would like to admit, so there was no point in denying that I already know when you suspected it."
Sakura shook her head at the blonde before she slung a leg over the other, arms crossed above her chest as she cautiously looked at Tsunade.
"So Itachi already told you?" Sakura wondered, mildly surprised. Whereas she knew that Itachi would sooner or later tell Tsunade out of respect to the Godaime, she didn't think that he would tell her this soon.
Tsunade, seemingly reading her mind, placed her elbows on her desk and interlaced her fingers. "He summoned me as soon as he arrived. There were some things that he needed to confirm with me regarding his departure and the year prior to it." She told Sakura, who frowned in return.
"So he really did go straight to the office." She mumbled, causing Tsunade to lift a blonde brow. "Orochimaru really is a serious threat to Konoha then, if Itachi is that restless."
Tsunade eyed Sakura for a moment for a moment, as if she was contemplating whether she should tell Sakura something or not but in the end, the blonde sighed.
"Let's just say that Itachi has his own personal reasons for wanting to rid the world of Orochimaru, besides Konoha's safety of course." Tsunade told her and upon seeing Sakura's confused expression, she continued. "Orochimaru caused quite some damage before his departure, especially on Itachi. If there is anyone who wants to kill Orochimaru more than I do for what he did to Konoha, it's Itachi, and I am certain that when the right time arrives, Itachi will be the one to rid us of him once and for all."
All Sakura could so was to look at Tsunade in a mixture of shock and confusion for several seconds, her nails digging into her forearms. What personal reason could Itachi possibly have to want Orochimaru dead that badly?
Her mind went back to the moment when she heard that Itachi got caught and Orochimaru's name fell for the first time. Now that she thought about it, he never told her how he got caught in the first place and knowing Itachi, he would have never gotten caught that easily.
That is, if he didn't let himself get caught on purpose.
Realization dawned on her and caused an icy shiver to run down the length of her spine. Itachi must have found Orochimaru and confronted him, but why would he do so whilst knowing that Kisame and her were still in there as well instead of doing so at a later time.
Unless-
"You thought Orochimaru was dead."
Tsunade's eyes sharpened in an instant and when Sakura caught the flicker of surprise in Tsunade's eyes before her mentor skillfully covered it, she knew she was right.
"Orochimaru isn't even supposed to be alive, am I right?" Sakura inquired and when Tsunade remained silent, she continued. "That's why Itachi went to check that it was indeed Orochimaru and that he was still alive, because only his Sharingan would be able to confirm that it really was Orochimaru and not only a genjutsu or some trick to mess with us."
Tsunade sighed before she leaned back in her seat and rested her forearms onto her chairs armrests, expression stern and honey orbs hard.
"You've always been too intelligent for your own good." Tsunade told her, clearly not having expected Sakura to figure it out this fast. She had hoped that Itachi would tell her when he deemed it fit, but it seemed like she'd have to take care of it. "But yes, you are correct. Konoha believed Orochimaru to be dead. Our sources were credible and we had no reasons to doubt his death, until now."
Sakura frowned, not following. "Why don't we ask the one who presumably killed Orochimaru then? If anyone knows how Orochimaru could have survived, it has to be them."
Tsunade's hold on the arm-rests tightened as she dug her nails into the plastic, a sigh passing her lips. "That's not necessary."
Sakura looked at Tsunade, visibly confused. "Why?"
"Because," Tsunade started, face blank and eyes fixed on Sakura as she spoke the next words. "It was Itachi who killed Orochimaru 15 years ago."
X
Itachi was not in a good mood and that his advisor was obviously avoiding him did nothing to cease his annoyance either.
He lacked sleep, was buried deep in paper-work due to his little trip and needed to work on a way to rid Konoha of its newfound enemy.
It was the day after his return and so far, Sakura hadn't dropped by his office even once. He knew that she was probably exhausted from their mission but when he had sent someone to get her report and the messenger returned empty-handed and with the request to give her two more days to hand her report in, Itachi knew that it wasn't just his imagination, but that didn't make it any better.
He knew that Sakura was not one to slack off, what meant that she most likely avoided him for reasons beyond his knowledge.
What bothered him more than the fact that she avoided him was that it bothered him to the point where she wouldn't leave his mind.
"Troublesome woman." He muttered as he gazed out of the window and down onto the busy village, his mind made up as he rose from his chair.
A small smirk settled onto his lips as pink flashed in front of his vision. If she wouldn't leave his mind, it was only fair to ensure that he wouldn't leave hers either.
X
Sakura was seated between Naruto and Sasuke at Ichiraku's and silently slurped away on her Ramen while Naruto was animatedly telling them about the new jutsu that he learned from Kakashi, who was also present.
The night Tsunade told her that it was Itachi who killed Orochimaru fifteen years ago, Sakura didn't sleep well. If it weren't for her exhausted body forcing her to shut off, she was certain that she wouldn't have gotten a wink of sleep.
Tsunade refused to tell her more about what happened in order for it to get this far, and even though she knew that she could just go to Itachi and ask him about it, she didn't feel like it was her place.
She was confident that he would tell her once he was ready and yet, Sakura found herself thinking about Orochimaru, the Rogues, and everything related to it whenever her mind was freed of any thoughts.
She wanted to be of help but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of a way to take care of the problem.
And it was driving her crazy.
"We will so beat your ass at the tournament this time!" Naruto loudly declared, causing Sakura to wince.
"Naruto, there is no need to scream when I am sitting right next to you!" Sakura reminded him as she gently slapped him across the back of his head.
"Sorry, Sakura-chan." Naruto said out of habit, not the least bit sorry at all with a sheepish smile on his lips. "It's just that I can't wait for tomorrow!"
Sakura merely sighed in return. "Yeah, I got that."
"Just like the rest of the street did." Kakashi cheerily added from where he was seated, his visible eye crinkled in the familiar fashion.
Naruto pouted as he turned to seek comfort in his ramen while Sakura pushed her bowl away, having already finished hers.
"Didn't the girls win the last one?" Kakashi conversationally asked, knowing very well who the last Tournaments winners were.
"Tch." Sasuke spoke up, much to Sakura's surprise. "They were lucky and managed to land a hit on Shika, else they wouldn't have made it past us."
"But we did, so stop being a sore loser." Sakura returned with a roll of her eyes. She always knew that her boys were sore losers, but for Sasuke to be vocal about it was something that not even she expected.
"Just you wait and see, Sakura-chan. This time we won't go easy on you!" Naruto told her as he leaned back in his seat and patted his now filled stomach with a smile of content.
Sakura shook her head at the blonde and gave him a smile. "I don't expect you to. Then again, maybe if you finally will you'll actually stand a chance against us." She teased and as expected, Naruto instantly jumped at her words.
"Eh, what's that supposed to mean?" Naruto exclaimed, his wide eyes turning from Sakura to Sasuke for help. "Oi teme, say something!"
"Why should I? It was obviously meant to provoke you."
"Still, she is attacking our honor!"
"Shut up dobe, you're too loud."
"I don't care! On whose side are you on?"
Sakura chuckled as she turned to look at Kakashi, who returned her gaze with a shake of his head. While Naruto and Sasuke continued to bicker, Sakura placed her chin on her palm and tilted her head lightly aside as she kept her eyes fixed on her former teacher. "Will you be watching us tomorrow?"
Kakashi gave her a curt nod and Sakura could tell that his lips were tilted upwards beneath his worn mask. "Someone has to make sure that things stay fair, right?"
Sakura returned the smile with one of her own and sighed softly. "I guess so, but it's not like you ever had to intervene." She reminded him, what earned her a shrug from the copy-nin.
"Better safe than sorry. Besides, it's always funny to see you all slamming each other into trees or into the ground." Kakashi told her, his visible eye shining with mirth.
"Wow, how nice to know that you take joy of our pain, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura sarcastically returned, what earned her a small salute from the silver-haired nin.
"What about work." Kakashi suddenly inquired. "Don't you have some work to catch up with after your mission?"
When Sakura was about to open her mouth and tell Kakashi that she was taking a day off, she felt the blood in her veins freeze when a deep, all too familiar voice behind her spoke up for her instead.
"In fact, she does."
Sakura closed her eyes, wishing it to be a bad dream but judging by the way Sasuke and Naruto's bickering came to a rather abrupt halt, she knew that it wasn't her imagination that was playing tricks on her sanity.
"Hokage-sama." She heard Kakashi casually greet Itachi and even though his voice didn't give it away, she was sure that he was as surprised about his sudden appearance as she was.
"Oi teme, what is your brother doing here?" Naruto exclaimed in confusion, receiving a slap on the back of his head from both Sasuke and Kakashi with the former telling him to shut up.
Sakura, knowing that she was most likely the reason for Itachi's sudden visit decided to bravely face her fears and glance over her shoulder.
"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked as she tried to keep her voice as pleasant as possible. She tried to ignore the way Itachi's body was almost pressed against her back, his close presence affecting her more than she liked to admit.
Itachi, mildly surprised by his advisors rather obvious attempt of dismissing him stared at the back of her head in skilfully concealed amusement.
"That's what I would like to ask you, Haruno." Itachi calmly returned, not oblivious to the way Sakura was now pointedly fixing her gaze on the half-filled glass of water in front of her.
"I am having the day off." Sakura told him, her head turned to the side so that she wasn't being rude, but also not looking at him.
Clever.
"With whose permission?" She heard Itachi ask behind her and this time, Sakura couldn't help but tense. "I don't recall giving you the day off."
"And I don't recall having to ask you for permission." She curtly returned before she could stop herself and the moment the words left her mouth, she felt the temperature palpably drop.
Within the split of a second she felt herself getting roughly grabbed by the forearm, her body being turned around so that she found herself with her back against the counter and facing a rather amused looking Uchiha who was leaning over her.
"Itachi!" She gasped as she tried to break free of his grip. "What do you think you're-"
Before she could end her sentence Itachi beat it to her by turning to look at Kakashi with a skilfully blank expression, all traces of amusement gone. "I'm afraid that I'll have to take her with me."
"What?" Sakura incredulously exclaimed as she turned to glare up at Itachi. "I am not going anywhere!"
Much to her horror however, Kakashi merely waved his hand in a nonchalant matter and shot her one of his eye-crinkles. "I understand, I'll keep the boys company."
She watched Itachi shoot Kakashi a grateful nod before the Uchiha turned to look at both his frozen little brother and the gaping blonde Jinchuuriki with the ghost of a rather cocky smirk on his lips.
His eyes then fell back down on the wide-eyed pinkette that was pressed against the counter beneath him, his eyes taking in the way her emerald orbs were burning with both confusion and anger with satisfaction before he twisted her forearms downwards.
"Let's go."
Her eyes widened out of shock as he pulled her straight into his chest with a force that surprised even Sakura before he moved his free arm to wrap it around her waist and allowed crimson to bleed into his black orbs.
"Don't you dare!" Sakura warned him, but it was in vain. Her surroundings blurred and she found herself forced to tightly grip the front of his shirt to not loose her sense of direction before her surroundings finally cleared once more.
Much to her surprise, she found herself standing in Itachi's office not even seconds later. Sakura's eyes snapped back to Itachi's with an irritated glare, her forehead furrowed.
"You didn't seriously just do that, Uchiha."
Itachi dared to lift a brow upon hearing her words and it was then that she noticed that she was still in his arms, causing her stomach to flip in a way she certainly didn't like.
She released her hold on his shirt and moved to step away from him but the instant she did, Itachi tightened his arm around her waist and abruptly tugged her back into his chest.
Sakura's eyes widened in shock as she placed her palms flat onto his chest to stop herself from fully crashing into him, her expression holding both surprise and confusion as her eyes snapped back up at him.
His dark eyes were looking down at her in a way that she had never seen before and for a second, Sakura fought the urge to openly gape at him.
What the hell has gotten into him?
"Itachi, what the he-"
"You're annoying." He deadpanned and the instant these words have passed his lips, Sakura could have sworn that she heard inner Sakura snicker.
Did he really just-
She blinked once.
Twice.
And when she finally snapped out of her shock and realized that this was not just her imagination and that Itachi had actually said these words, she didn't know whether she should risk getting kicked out off the village by punching the Hokage or if she should simply walk out of the office and deny that any of this ever happened for both her sanity's and ego's sake.
Itachi, not oblivious to her inner turmoil used this opportunity to frown disapprovingly down at the pinkette, expression stern but eyes twinkling in concealed amusement.
"You're avoiding me." He elaborated, ripping Sakura out of her dazed state as he bravely held her gaze that instantly sharpened.
Sakura looked at him as if he had grown a second head before she gently pushed against his chest, what only resulted him in tightening his grip around her waist.
Much to her dismay.
She was suddenly aware of the tight and yet protective arm around her waist, his scent that was clouding all of her senses and his piercing stare that was enough to make her heartbeat turn irregular.
She needed it to stop, she needed him to stop before he noticed the way he was affecting her and that was something that Sakura most certainly didn't want or need.
Sakura tried her best to remain impassive and mustered up her best glare as she pulled her upper lip back into a threatening snarl.
"You got three seconds to let go of me Uchiha or else I will personally turn every peace of furniture in this office to dust." Sakura warned but it seemed like her warning fell on deaf ears for Itachi didn't even do as much as loosen his hold on her.
All he did was tilt his head lightly aside, his eyes holding a sort of innocence that didn't suit his usual dark and brooding image.
"You owe me an explanation, Haruno." He told her, causing Sakura to scoff out of disbelief.
"I don't owe you anything and now let me go before I'll-" She started, but when she suddenly felt herself getting pushed against the wall within the split of a second, a broad hand placed between the wall and her back to cushion the impact, she couldn't help but let out a rather inelegant noise that sounded awfully similar to an 'eep'.
Her breath hitched in her throat as she was now sandwiched between a rather intimidating Uchiha and the wall, the former staring down at her with a look that she would most likely never be able to forget.
The intensity of it caused an electric tingle to run over her skin, making the hairs on her neck stand as she looked up at Itachi in both surprise and shock.
"Itachi, what are you doing?" Sakura breathed, her voice barely above a whisper as she watched his eyes darken the moment his name passed her lips.
Itachi's burning gaze was locked with her own, his nose close to brushing against her own as he placed his upper arm against the wall right next to her head.
"You won't avoid me any longer." His deep voice commanded, the hand that was placed on her back burning against her clothed skin.
Sakura looked at him in open incredulity, unable to believe that Itachi would be this upset because she was avoiding him for the past days.
The temperature in the room was rising palpably, silence following Itachi's words that Sakura had troubles of processing.
She tried to calm her furiously beating heart as she kept her eyes locked with him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing what he was doing to her.
Though, judging by the gleam in his eye that refused to disappear, she guessed that he already did and that was the only thing she needed in order for her to ignore these feelings for the smallest of moments.
"I don't like to repeat myself, Uchiha." Sakura threw his words right back at his face, her brows furrowing as she tilted her face defiantly upwards, her lips dangerously close to his before she roughly grabbed the collar of his shirt, her fist tightly clenched. "Move or I'll throw you right through this window, Hokage or not."
Itachi's eyes visibly brightened at the threat, much to her dismay and when his lips curled upwards into his infamous smirk, Sakura realized that he had already anticipated her words.
"You'd dare to attack the Hokage?" Itachi inquired, already knowing the answer to his question as he watched Sakura purse her lips.
"Would you like to find out?" Sakura returned, the challenge in her voice loud and clear but instead of backing off as she had hoped he would, all the Uchiha in front of her did was smirk.
Oh that nerve of a guy-
"Tempting, but I am afraid that I can't take on this offer just yet." He returned, causing Sakura to frown out of both surprise and confusion.
"How so? Judging by the fact that you're still in my face, one would think that you are dying to find out." She huffed, emerald eyes shining in surprise as she saw his eyes darken.
Itachi hummed lowly as he looked at Sakura for a moment before his eyes left hers and roamed her face, taking in every little detail before they finally rested on her lips.
His brows furrowed for the smallest of seconds, before his eyes met hers once more, only confusing her further.
"If only you'd know how much I am dying to find out, you'd be more careful with your words." He mumbled, what only served to confuse Sakura further.
For some reason, she had a feeling that he wasn't talking about getting thrown out of the window anymore.
Suddenly feeling the air between them thicken in a way that was making it harder for her to breathe, Sakura loosened her hold on the collar of his shirt and pressed her palms flat against his chest, intending to push him away but when Itachi used his free hand to encircle it around her slim wrists and tugged her closer so that their faces were only a breath away from each other, Sakura's eyes widened.
She could feel his hot breath against her slightly parted lips, her entire body freezing under his touch as she gulped down the lump that formed itself in her throat.
"Itachi."
She could feel his grip on her wrist tighten ever so slightly as his name passed her lips in a whisper. The way she was glancing up at him through half-lidded eyes, emerald orbs shining in the light of his office as he felt her hot breath on his lips was enough to make him loose his composure, fueling his desire to just give into the sweet temptation called Sakura Haruno.
He froze when he suddenly felt her slide her hands slowly up his chest until they rested on his neck, her touch leaving a hot trail on his skin as her eyes darkened in a way that he would forever be imprinted in his mind.
"Please," She suddenly mumbled, her voice a mere whisper as she gently dug her nails into his skin. Itachi however didn't move and remained motionless, too focused on her sweet voice to notice the way the tips of Sakura's fingers started to grow warm.
Not even the Sharingan could have prepared him in time for what happened next.
Within the blink of an eye, Itachi found himself roughly hurled backwards towards the window and it was due to sheer luck that he managed to react at last second and channeled his chakra into the soles of his feet so that he would not crash through the glass.
When Itachi came to a halt, his eyes snapped up just in time to see his desk sliding towards him at a frightening speed, forcing him a step back so that he was forced back onto his office chair, his chakra filled hand halting the desk and preventing it from crushing him.
As he found himself on his chair, trapped beneath the wall and his desk, his eyes snapped upwards to see Sakura standing right in front of him at the other side of the desk, her expression smug as she placed her palms against the desks surface and leaned forwards.
"You have been warned, Uchiha." She told him, throwing his own words back at him as her heart pounded beneath her chest. Whether it was due to the fact that she had just caught Itachi off guard or the way his curious, burning eyes bore through hers she wasn't too sure of. "Do not underestimate me, or I will not hesitate to actually throw you through this damn window the next time you do."
She regarded him for another moment before she straightened and huffed, inwardly satisfied by the way his eyes darkened at the challenge. "Next time you need me, spare yourself the trouble and just send someone for me. This way, your window may stay in tact."
With that, Sakura spun on her heel and walked out of his office without glancing backwards. As soon as she heard the guards close the door behind her, she exhaled a breath she didn't know she had been holding and tried her best to walk through the large corridors with a straight face so no one would suspect anything.
Her skin was still tingling from his touch, his scent was still clear in her nose and her heart was still beating at a ridiculous rate that she would never openly admit to anyone.
She didn't know what just happened, but she knew that she wasn't supposed to be that affected by it.
And that her heart definitely wasn't supposed to beat this fast because of Uchiha Itachi.
Just thinking about him caused a shiver to run down her spine as a pair of onyx eyes flashed in front of her vision, causing Sakura to growl as she slapped a hand against her head to get rid of the image that he had left.
"Damn Uchiha." She muttered, eyes burning as a frown marred her face. The shinobi that passed her threw her a couple of weird looks upon seeing her angrily mumble to herself that she pointedly ignored.
She didn't know what kind of twisted game he was trying to play again, but she would certainly not fall for it again. He may have succeeded in catching her off guard this time, but she sure as hell wouldn't allow him to slip past her guard again.
She had to be careful because if she would not keep her guard up around him, he may actually succeed in slipping past it and the last thing she needed was an Uchiha who was messing with her mind.
And her heart.
Though, she thought as she exited the Hokage tower, fist clenched as she forced her heartbeat to go back to normal as she remembered the way her body still tingled from his touch. Maybe he was closer to winning than I had realized before.
Sakura shook her head at her own thoughts, snorting as she proceeded to walk down the road towards the training grounds to find her teammates.
What was she even concerned about? She would never allow herself to fall for Uchiha Itachi or his little games that served to mess up her mind for his own sick entertainment only in the first place, so there was no reason for her to further think about what happened.
He was the Hokage, her boss, and even though they weren't what she would call friends, he was her partner. She cared about him, that much she knew, but she knew that she couldn't afford to question herself how much she actually cared and if maybe, just maybe, she was beginning to care for him more than she should.
For her own sanity and the safety of her heart, she would have to fight the way her traitorous heart began to beat faster whenever his eyes darkened when his eyes met hers, or the way she hoped that maybe, she would be able to get through to him.
Sakura felt an odd squeeze in her chest and gritted her teeth.
The risk was too high and there was too much at stake, so she would have to be careful.
She wouldn't loose against him, not this time, she couldn't.
With her mind made up, she entered the training grounds, ignoring the uneasy weight in her stomach that remained her companion for the rest of the day.
A/N: I am beyond sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, but the past six month have been really hard for me. I just want you to know that this story will be continued and updated and that even though I may sometimes take slightly longer to update, I won't discard or not think about it!
Believe me when I say that it's always in the back of my mind.
I am beyond grateful that even after all these months passed you still support me. It really means the world to me.
I hope that you will continue to support me by reviewing, following and favoring immersion. It's what keeps me motivated to update faster and to keep on going!
Please tell me what you think so far by reviewing, I always look forward to hearing your thoughts!
I will see you very soon. Please stay safe and healthy during this time.
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I love y'all!
Sara