Author's note: So this is only my second Naruto story.. so please don't mind the horrible use of honorifics. Please keep in mind that I update via phone (do all the writing this way and everything) so the writing may not be the greatest. This is AU and the massacre did not occure... but Saskue still left in search of power - except he didn't become a missing nin. This is a Itachi/Sakura pairing story, sorry for those who do not agree or like this pairing.. but I do, so tough.

I don't own Naruto or anything so.. yeah, there's that and I will only say it once because that gets annoying to write as I'm sure it gets annoying to read.

I did make up a character for the purpose of this story and that's the only character I made up - Kagami

Enjoy

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The only sound in the room was the steady beeping sound of the heart monitor. Everyone's eyes were on the female that lie on the table. They were waiting. Everyone held a collective breath, not sure what would happen, only hoping that it would work.

Finally, Tsunade pulled back and nodded, leaving everyone to cheer. The implant was a success. The patient had not rejected her new pair of eyes, the only thing left was to wait and see if it'd work out.

"Are we ready to bring the patient to her room? I think she's earned some rest." Shizune asked enthusiastically. Tsunade nodded then stood to the side with Shizune, whispering in her ear, "Keep a close eye on her, we may be out of the woods, but we're not yet in the clearing."

Shizune gave a quick nod then signaled for everyone else in the room to start cleaning up and getting the patient comfortably onto the bed she'd be staying in for the remainder of her visit.

&.&.&.&.&.&.

"She hasn't woken up yet, her vitals are doing great and I've done several tests with her eyes. They react to light accordingly and seem to be doing fine. We'll find out the rest when she wakes up." Shizune informed Tsunade as the latter went through the female's chart checking off several items and writing down a few more. "Good. Give her a couple more days and if she isn't awake on her own by then, wake her up by force." Tsunade answered curtly, gaining a simple nod from Shizune.

There was an air of silence for a long moment between the two women as they watched the female sleep. "Lady Tsunade... Do you really think this was the best option? The most logical for our situation? Did we really not have any other options?"

"Do you question her ability? Her faithfulness to me and this village? Her teachings or teacher?" Tsunade questioned. Shizune shook her head furiously, "Of course not Tsunade-baasama! I just.." Shizune sighed deeply, "She's a very temperamental person. She shows so much emotion and sometimes it leads her astray.. With such great strength and.. with this added gift.. I just fear sometimes.. what she'll do to herself. Her life will be different the moment she opens here eyes. Things will change."

Tsunade remained silent for a long time before responding. "When I met Sakura, she was a pathetic 12 year old chuunin. She was heartbroken for a boy who would never see her as she was, her teacher at the time was so overwhelmed with having one of the great Uchiha heirs and the Kyuubi in his group that he over looked a girl that had such ease controlling her Chakra. He over looked the possibilities of who and what she could be.

"When I met this young woman, she was determined to not be left behind any longer - not by anyone ever again. She faught, and boy did she fight hard. She has surpassed even me in just under 4 years and joined the ranks of Jounin two years after that. She is impeccably smart and talented, and she has an unlimited amount of passion and drive. She won't fail us. She won't let herself do that.

"You say you fear what she could do to herself because of her emotions when you forget what she has already done to herself because of her emotions. It's her emotions that have gotten her this far. Maybe it isn't the normal ethics for a Shinobi to be so emotional - but she's not like most people. Especially not like most ANBU. Many of those people in there void themselves of feelings all together and have become so robotic.

"What kind of life is that? It's like living in a world of black and white.. and missing all the colors of the world. Sakura is bright, honest, and above all else, she is loyal. She was and is the right choice for this, that is something I will never regret. Not one damn bit of it." Tsunade smiled softly as both women kept their eyes on the slumbering pink haired kunoichi.

It was obvious, the love Tsunade held for the young woman. It was like watching a mother talk about their daughter. The pride that shone through was undeniable. Shizune smiled to herself, of course that's what she would say - and in many ways, Shizune agreed. Her only real worry was the life Sakura would now face.

"Has he gotten back to the village yet? He should be here when she wakes up." Tsunade questioned softly.

"Mmm, from what he said in his letter earlier, he should be here by tomorrow night the latest. One of his teammates had to be taken to a hospital in Suna before they came back." Shizune answered thoughtfully. Tsunade nodded to herself and continued to watch the sleeping beauty for a while, "Right, well, get Hatake over here to watch after her for a while. I would like either one of them here in case she wakes up."

Shizune raised an eyebrow, "Hatake? Lady Tsunade, I really don't see that happening. You know how much he dislikes hospitals. "

"Yes, but I'm sure he'll dislike me punching him into next December more." Tsunade answered shortly. Shizune smiled to herself and gave a nod before leaving the room to relay the message.

Shizune was right, though, on some fronts. Things would be different when Sakura woke up, and Tsunade could only hope it would be for the better.

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The rain came down on them in sheets, making it hard to see five feet in front of them let alone where they were going. The male at the front of the group signaled for them all to drop to the ground and regroup there. As he decended he sighed to himself, he really wasn't in the mood for any more inconveniences. It would be easy for him to keep going but he knew none in his group had the same novelties.

"We'll rest here until the rain let's up." The male stated from behind his mask, earning a nod from the three other members of his group. Turning towards the general direction of their destination, the masked man stared in concentration. What no one in the group could see were two crimson eyes watching into and through the rain, observing and calculating. If they kept their current pace, it shouldn't take them more than a couple of hours to reach the gates of Konoha.

Crimson eyes turned to onyx beneath that mask of his and the male turned to his team to tell them this updated news. Soon the rain would end and the make would be on his way to seeing the answer to everyone's questions first hand. Itachi did not look forward to much, but this was certainly giving him something to think about.

Itachi wondered if it could really be pulled off and what it could mean if it did. He sighed deeply, he had no idea how his clan even agreed to it all. The fact that Kagami was so willing to give up his eyes for the sake of this was something unheard of. Some how, however, Itachi knew Kagami (his cousin) wouldn't have said no to the whole thing anyway. She was the only one that even spoke up. The clan all but sacrificed her to Kami for being so frivolous with her family heirlooms, but ultimately it was indeed her choice. When the clan understood why Tsunade made the proposition and they finally saw reason to it - how eventually they'd all benefit from this, it was the only rational thing to do.

Smirking to himself, and he was more than sure that the choice in receiver was even more logical. He'd only met her a handful of times seeing as she was on his brother Saskue's team, but he knew Sakura was a very strong and capable kunoichi. She was the Godaime's apprentice and a member of the ANBU. She was the head of the hospital at the prime age of 23 - which she would have been given the "offical" title at 19 (because she's been the head since then) but the elders felt someone that young shouldn't be running a hospital. Well, it was mostly Ibiki who thought she shouldn't have been running the hospital when she could be doing ANBU missions instead to gain experience.

He hadn't worked with Sakura yet himself, but he knew she was more than a capable shinobi. He also felt that his brother was pretty blind and stupid to do what he did, ignoring her love and affection for him all in the name of gaining more power. He shook his head, he loved his brother dearly but he could be so blind. Maybe, however, it worked out in her favor? Maybe what he did helped give her the push that ultimately led her to becoming one of the village's prized items.

Itachi smiled, if everything did succeed, he'd be really interested in seeing how it would all turn out.

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Sorry this chapter is a bit short but it is indeed just an introduction. Hope you enjoyed it all the same! I will try and update as soon as possible! Let me know what you think so far! I don't bite ;)