Summary: She's a doctor cherishing every bit of life. He's an assassin from a secretive elite organization. She knew nothing about his job until one-night things took a turn he hadn't expected.

Hello readers! It has been a long time since I last posted anything new. This story will have an updated writing style compared to my previous fic. Hope you like it! I apologize ahead of time for there will be some grammatical errors present.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own this fanfic plot.

Chapter 1: Mission

Thick dark clouds concealed the full moon and stars from being seen from below. Snow delicately fell from the sky, slowly covering the roadways and buildings in white. The roads were barely illuminated by the street post lamps, providing little reassurance through the darkness. Police cruisers slowly roamed the streets as the officers within observed their surroundings to see if anyone specious was out and about. Ever since the crime rate elevated to the city's all-time high in the past couple of weeks, no one dared to wander the streets at night. The fear of being the next missing and possibly dead victim plagued the minds of the innocents. No one was safe and law enforcement didn't know where to start searching. There wasn't any evidence or information to help launch a full-scale investigation, just cold trails to nothingness. It left those who had lost their loved ones to grieve without knowing what happened to them. The constant reminder from television, radio, and internet news continued to warn civilians day and night of the dangers. However, the warning only increased their fears even more.

The quiet moderate-sized hotel room was dimly lit by the single light above the small closet. The room was heated for comfort and the currants were drawn closed, shielding the lone occupant from the outside world. He laid on his left side upon the large queen size bed on the far side of the room with his back toward the entrance. He was dressed semi-casual, wearing a long sleeve black dress shirt and jeans. His peach skin contrasted against his clothes and dark hair giving him a paler complexion. Loose raven strands framed the side of his face while his hair was naturally spiked back in a unique style. A calm expression was written across his face as he slept. He didn't bother covering himself with the bedsheets or taking off his boots as he dozed off. The sudden vibration of his phone in his back pocket woke him from his slumber. He groaned as he opened his eyes slightly irritated someone had disturbed him. After taking the device out, his dark eyes checked the identification to see who was calling him.

The image associated with the caller filled the screen and immediately he knew who was calling. The selfie of himself with a woman was taken a few years ago when they were at a beach. It was a small trip they had taken together to celebrate his twenty-second birthday early. Her smile was bright as her emerald orbs shined in the sunlight. Her shoulder-length pink hair was tucked behind her ears with her amber shades sitting on her head, holding her bangs back. She wore a navy blue two-piece bikini with a black translucent cloth tied around her waist. He wore only a pair of navy blue and white surf shorts. She had her left hand pressed against his left cheek to keep his head close to hers. The jeweled silver band around her left ring finger caught the sun's beam just right. Around their necks were similar looking silver necklaces. His arms were wrapped around her waist holding her close as she held the phone up high in her right hand. Smirking slightly at the memories the image brought back, he pressed the answer key on the screen and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hi Sasuke–kun," her familiar voice said softly from the other side of the line. "Hope I didn't pull you away from work."

"Hn," Sasuke replied. He shifted his position and looked at the digital clock on the stand between the two beds. "It's eleven o'clock back home, shouldn't you be asleep by now?"

"Yeah." A light sign came from the receiver. "But I wanted to talk to you before I went to bed."

He leaned his head back into the pillow and closed his eyes. "You shouldn't be staying up too late."

"I'm a grown woman Sasuke–kun, I can stay up if I want to." She sounded a little irritated, even though she knew his words met well. "You don't have to sound like dad."

Sasuke's left eye twitched in annoyance, unable to comprehend why the woman was comparing him to her closet pervert of a father. Though he considered his father–in–law as one of his mentors, there was no way the older man's behavior and personality had rubbed onto him in any way. The one person Sasuke knew who could have inherited the deviant manners was probably stuffing his goofy face with ramen.

"Don't compare me to that pervert."

"Fine, I won't, and don't call him that." Light giggles reached his ears. "But you have to admit you are overprotective like him at least. Who knows where you got your big ego, bossy arrogance, and possessive attitude from?"

"You don't complain," he said smirking. "Especially in bed."

He pictured the woman on the other side of the line, knowing she was likely pouting with the biggest blush on her cheeks from his comment. When she didn't respond with a sassy remark to counter him, he knew had won.

"Oh, I went in for an ultrasound today," she said happily, changing the subject. "Shishou was finally able to confirm the gender. We're going to have a healthy baby girl."

His heart warmed at the news his wife gave him. He recalled the night his wife had told him the initial news of her pregnancy and couldn't help let a small smile grace his lips. It was the best birthday present he had received. When he had gone with her months ago to find the gender of their child, the occupant in the womb wouldn't cooperate and hide its gender. He clearly remembered the blond doctor grumbling about how those that inherit his family name are stubborn the moment they're conceived.

"I told mom and she was beyond delighted to find out she was going to have a granddaughter." She giggled lightly. "Oh, she and Toya–kun are staying over."

"Let me guess," Sasuke groaned. "She cooked up a feast."

"Yup. She ended up preparing a lot of food and I couldn't get dad to stay for dinner to help eat. Luckily I was able to convince her to only cook what three of us could eat and store everything else. There are about three to four days worth of food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the fridge. All I have to do is cook it."

"Hn."

"Will you be coming home soon?" Her voice was soft, but he could tell there was a hint of sadness behind it. "You've been gone for more than three weeks already."

A sigh escaped his lips as he ran his free hand through his hair. "If negotiations go well, I will be back within a few days."

"You said that last week when I called you Sasuke-kun."

"I know."

He knew she was disappointed with his answer and frustrated that he was away more often than usual. Though a strong independent woman, she needed him around, especially now. She was with child and it was increasingly difficult when he wasn't around to support her.

"You're never away this long for a business trip. It's sort of lonely at home without you around."

"You could have stayed with mother and Toya at the main house or taken Kakashi's offer to let him stay over at the apartment with you."

"I know, but I don't want to bother them too much, especially in my current state. You're aware that I hate being waited on." She signed. "Dad has already been driving me back and forth from work. It's just not the same without you around."

Sasuke heard a click from the door and immediately switched on the lamp at the side of the bed. His right hand reached under his pillow to grab hold of the combat knife he had hidden as he turned his eyes to see who was entering. The door opened and in came a man several years older than him. His hair reached down to mid-back and was tied loosely together with shorter strands of hair around his face. There were visible bags under each eye, making him look older than his actual age. He was dressed in dark clothing as well with a long metal case swung over his shoulder. The small duffel bag he held was tossed on the empty bed before he gently placed down the long case.

"I need to go now Sakura," he said into the phone.

"Will you call in the morning?"

"If I have time, I will, but I will send you a text message. Rest now."

"Okay," she responded. "I love you Sasuke–kun. Good night."

"I know, night."

He waited for the line on the other end to go dead then pulled up the main screen on his phone. Sasuke pushed the security application, entered a password, and a live video feed appeared on the screen. He shifted through the various live footage, checking the rooms of the apartment and saw everything was silent. He noticed there were several more packed boxes in the living room and figured his wife had gathered more things together for their move. His mother and nephew were in the guess room sleeping peacefully. He switched to the master bedroom and saw his pregnant wife settling herself on his side of the bed. Once she turned off the lights, he switched off the feed.

The security system he had installed in their apartment was just reassurance to know that his wife was safe whenever he wasn't around. He knew she was capable of taking care of herself, but with his line of work, the dangerous possibilities he could attract was high. The only security the small apartment complex had was a gate at the entrance and that did little good. Even though his employer had installed a security system, he didn't trust it completely. If he was capable of slipping through without setting it off, he considered it obsolete.

He sat up and stretched his tense muscles. It was going to be another long night for them. He stood up and looked at his reflection in the mirror hanging before him. Despite being physically and mentally well, his eyes showed his weariness. Two years have past and the toll it had taken on him was evident. They didn't want their problems to drag on any longer. They needed to end everything before more damage could be inflicted. He walked over to the closet and took out his large winter coat. Sasuke felt so much weight on his shoulders that he knew sooner or later it was going to crush him.

"Was it Sakura?"

Sasuke nodded as he put on his coat. "Mother and Toya are staying over."

"Is something wrong?"

Sasuke shook his head lightly. "Mother is celebrating." The older man lifted a single brow in bewilderment. "You'll have a niece in within the next three months Itachi."

All he could respond with was a tiny smile at the news. Through all the hardships they were enduring, there was a light at the end that kept them going.

"When are you planning to tell her brother?" Itachi asked as he turned to face him. "She has the right to know." The younger man ignored his bother. "You can't keep hiding this from her."

"I plan to continue keeping this from Sakura." Sasuke took out two handguns and strapped them to a utility belt. He placed it around his hip, making sure they were easy to take out, but also hidden by his coat. "I will take this secret to my grave."

"And what if she finds out?"

"She won't."

"There are risks with this job Sasuke," Itachi said with a hint of frustration. He needed his little brother to understand the safety of their family comes first. "You know the job can follow you home, endangering Sakura and your unborn child."

"Once we're done with what we set out to do," Sasuke said, taking out a black metal case hidden deep inside the closet. "I won't be out on the field anymore unless necessary."

"If something happens to you, what then?" Itachi grabbed his brother's shirt and made Sasuke face him. "Sakura needs to know before she ends up getting hurt."

Sasuke pushed the older man away and turned his attention to the metal case he had taken out. "Nothing is going to happen to me, Sakura, or my daughter." He set the case on the tabletop and opened it to look over the contents within. "I will protect them and make sure they are safe."

Itachi knew he could never convince his brother to tell the truth. His repeated advice was to tell Sakura before things turned out bad, but Sasuke had continued to hide their darkest secret. Though the topic had been consistently brought up whenever they were alone, Sasuke always responded with it wasn't necessary. Their mother had attempted to persuade her youngest son to tell her beloved daughter–in–law, but nothing worked. Hell, the two of them had a difficult time telling their mother about what they did even though their father was already involved. It was around the time Itachi was about to enter high school did they agree to open up to their mother. She had hinted about having known but stayed quiet until they chose to open up her. Granted she wasn't entirely happy about having her sons do what they were doing, but supported them none the less. Their mother always helped them by looking over the family whenever they were away.

Deep down the younger Uchiha felt his wife would be driven away if she knew, especially when his job conflicted with her occupation. The topic of his job was something Sasuke had brought up hypnotically long ago when he was dating the woman that was now his wife. The idea of it was unimaginable to her because she had always aimed for the medical field to save lives. She had been set on her career choice since she was young and nothing could change her decision. He was serious about his relationship with Sakura, from when they first started dating to their current marriage. The only unfaithful thing he had ever done was keeping this horrific secret from her. Itachi knew very well that it bothered his brother to no end, especially when he had to lie to Sakura whenever they had to travel. To her knowledge, her husband's job in law enforcement pertained to improving the use of technology in preventing crimes and catching propitiators, which was only a quarter of truth. He would tell a white lie to his son about going on business trips, but he understood his father's job involved catching bad guys.

What they did was dangerous, but someone had to fix the screw-ups and corruption law enforcements either overlooked or knew nothing about before it got out of hand. Sasuke had always finished his assignments within a week, but lately, things had gotten complicated. He was almost away from home for at least two weeks out of the month.

"Remember we need him alive," Itachi said as he took a seat on the edge of the bed. "He has information we need."

Sasuke sighed and looked at the contents within the case in front of him. "This will be our last chance." He closed the case and let his fingers run over the small engraved silver plate. Uchiha Fugaku. "We can't afford any more dead ends."

The older male pulled out a wallet-sized photo from the pocket inside his coat. His weary eyes stared at the photo of himself with his wife and son. Her waist-length chestnut-colored hair was braided and placed over her left shoulder. Her light skin was void of any marks except for the small blemish under her right eye. Her dark orbs that had been slight crimson tint shined brightly, holding so much warmth and love. Itachi has his left arm around his wife's waist as his other arm held his son who sat on his shoulders. The little boy, who inherited most of his father's looks had the widest smile on his face with his arms raised up high. It was the last family photo he had taken together before the incident. He was willing to give up everything just to turn back time to save her, to bring back the mother his son had lost at a young age.

This mission was very personal for the Uchiha brothers, but Sasuke knew the mission meant more to his brother. The past two years have put a major toll on Itachi and he was there to see the worse of it that occurred mostly in the past year. Depression, frustration, physical and mental abuse, hospitalizations; if it wasn't for his nephew, Sasuke knew he could have lost his brother.

"If all goes as plan, father will finally rest peacefully."

Itachi looked over at Sasuke as he pocketed the photo. "And so will Izumi."

Black boots stepped along the snow-covered asphalt. He wondered the quiet dark roads with the hood of his coat pulled over his head. He was dressed comfortably but greatly desired to be out of the cold. The collar of his jacket was tugged up to keep him warm, hiding his face from the nose down. As he walked the streets, his dark orbs surveyed the surroundings. He held the handle of the black metal case tightly in his gloved left hand with his other stuffed into his pocket. His senses were on high alert, conscious of possible threats that could be lurking in the darkness.

A sudden chilly breeze blew passed him and the cold brought back some bad memories. He stopped in his tracks and looked up to the dark sky. One particular event would always be embedded in his mind, haunting him in his dreams until it could be locked away. The panicking screams and grieving cries rang loudly in his ears as if it was happening all over again. His pocketed hand clenched into a fist as anger flooded his system. It was on that frigid night things changed for his family forever in a matter of minutes.

When he heard the sound of a vehicle approaching from behind, he looked over his shoulder to check that it wasn't a police car. Unable to see clearly, Sasuke let his onyx orbs turn crimson with three commas surrounding the pupil. His visibility of the surrounding area became better, processing the details around. He saw the high beams flash in a coded pattern and knew it was one of his own. Recognizing the vehicle approaching, he stopped in his tracks and the black van stopped by him. The door slid open, revealing a female and two males inside.

"Get in Sasuke," said the woman that opened the door.

She wore a black winter jacket, blue jeans, and brown knee-high boots. She had a single piercing under her lower lip and dark blue eye shadow around her eyes. Her blue-purple hair tied up into a tight side bun above her head toward the right with her bangs free around her face. Her unusual shade of blue lipstick and light makeup completed her look.

"The target has been spotted."

Without hesitation, Sasuke got in the vehicle and slid the door closed behind him. He pulled off his hood, dropping the bits of snow that had collected itself on top and revealing his raven hair. He unzipped the top of his coat slightly to prevent the high collar from obstructing him. The interior of the vehicle was suited with their team's communication and monitoring equipment, keeping track of all active members.

"The target is at an open area," the one in the front passenger seat said.

His dark brown hair was tied up high with the ends sticking out in all directions like a pineapple. His light beige and green coat was open, too warm to zip up while in the heated car. His eyes looked drowsy as if he lacked sleep, but he was wide awake and alert. Caught between his lips was an unlit cigarette he was planning to smoke earlier, but didn't get a chance to. His brown eyes scanned over the information he was receiving on the onboard monitor.

"Is it crowded Shikamaru?" Sasuke asked.

He opened the case he had been carrying and pulled out the contents within. The sleek black sniper rifle glowed slightly blue from the light coming from the monitors. He grabbed the scope that went with the weapon and attached it.

"Fortunately it isn't," Shikamaru answered. "He was originally spotted at the pier by the waterfront and probably got spooked. We believe he is armed. We sent Naruto out to follow him instead of Neji." Shikamaru pointed at the man in the driver seat. "Safer to have him drive in this weather than the knucklehead."

"More like we had no choice," Neji replied as he drove to their destination. His long hair was tied back loosely as his pearl white eyes focused on the icy road. "Naruto's assigned drop-off point was the closest to the pier."

"What about nii–san?"

"Itachi has been notified. He and Saori are on their way over to the pier as we speak." Shikamaru began to type away on the keyboard. "Deidara and Pain found the guy's apartment and is trying to find some clues for us. I have a few incoming photos as we speak and it's not a pretty sight. Konan has already contacted the local authorities."

"We're hoping they will cooperate with us," Konan said. "If not then we may have to worry about civilian interference."

"Then again, while we've been out," Neji said. "There hadn't been a single person out on the streets beside us."

Sasuke felt the phone in his back pocket vibrate and took it out. Seeing his brother was calling him, he answered right away, placing it on speaker so everyone in the van could hear.

"Where are you Sasuke?" Itachi asked huffing.

Judging from the sound of the wind and his voice, Sasuke assumed he was running.

"Close."

"Target is on the run," Itachi said. "We can't let him get away."

With nothing else to say, both ends hung up. Emptying the live bullets in the rifle, Sasuke placed in a magazine with special tranquilizers. He settled the rifle down and pulled out one of his handguns strapped to his waist and changed the magazine to tranquilizer bullets too.

"Twelve o'clock," Neji said the moment he turned onto the slippery main road, letting the tires slide on the ice a bit. "How are you planning to take him down Sasuke?"

"The faster the better," Sasuke replied as he opened the van door.

The warmth was immediately sucked out by the freezing air. Their breaths became visible as they exhaled. The chilly wind coming into the car made it feel colder than it was. Sasuke looked out and spotted a familiar head of sunshine yellow. He wore a dark orange and blue puffy jacket, dark blue jeans, and black combat boots. His hair was spiked in all directions and his bright cerulean eyes were large. On both sides of his cheeks were three markings that looked like whiskers.

"Get him teme!" shouted a blond man as he continued to run, in attempts to catch their target. "I'm right behind you!"

Neji gassed the vehicle to a manageable speed on the ice-covered street, passing the other three members of their team who were chasing after their target. Both Neji and Sasuke noted that the target was unusually fast, especially when a certain blond was chasing after him. The target was a tall brunet with an average build body, nothing special, but looks could always be deceiving.

"What's our speed reading?" Sasuke asked, holding up his rifle to aim.

"Believe it or not," Neji said looked between their target and the car's speed meter. "Ten and climbing up to fifteen. Not humanly possible for a normal person."

"Keep steady," Sasuke ordered.

Aiming his rifle at the target, Sasuke peered through the scope for a venerable target. Seeing the exposed neck, Sasuke took the shot and watch the tranquilizer hit his target. The techs that created the solution said the liquid would take immediate effect after the victim was hit, but the target only yanked out the vile and kept running. There were no signs of fatigue as if the man was immune to the substance in the tranquilizer.

"He should be limp on the ground or at least slowing down," Konan said.

"Hurry and shoot him again," Neji yelled.

The driver was getting annoyed with the icy roads, knowing that the smallest jolt could mean a misfire. Frustrated, Sasuke aimed his rifle once again. The research and development team said just two milliliters was more than enough to take down a full-grown adult in a matter of seconds. The solution in the rounds Sasuke was using was four milliliters, two more than what should be needed. The mixture was not fatal no matter the dosage. It only made capturing a temporary limp or paralyzed victim easier. A double dose of the tranquilizer was said to be unnecessary, but the man they were after didn't seem like any normal person. Once Sasuke had another clear shot again, he pulled the trigger. It was a direct hit and again the victim didn't seem affected one bit.

"The solution isn't working," Sasuke gritted through his teeth.

Crimson orbs narrowed in suspicion. Something wasn't right and he couldn't place his finger on it. Sasuke pulled out the tranquilizer magazine and placed one live bullet. He had to go for a nonlethal shot that would immobilize their target. Just one shot would stop the target in his tracks and bring them a step closer to their goal. Realizing what the young Uchiha was planning to do, Konan pushed down the rifle before he had a chance to aim.

"Even if you just injure him Sasuke, there's a chance he may die in these conditions without proper medical attention. We don't have his medical history to treat him properly if things do go wrong."

As much as he hated to admit it, Konan was right. They were a tactical team with only basic medical knowledge lacking a medial team for backup. Not wanting to waste any more time, Sasuke tossed his rifle to the blue-haired woman and jumped out the moving vehicle after the target. The adrenaline pumping in his body pushed him to his limits to catch the man. He ignored the cold breeze hitting his body and continued to run. It was their last chance to find out who had ordered the hits. He wasn't going to rest until he saw the persons responsible for the kill order on his father and sister–in–law was dead.

When he was within arms reach, Sasuke grabbed the man's jacket collar and pulled with as much force as he could muster. With no desire to get caught, the man turned around and prepared to swing his fist at Sasuke's face. Deflecting the attack with his left, Sasuke kneed the man in the chest hard then got behind him and pushed his face down on the ground. Grunting from the impact, he immediately threw Sasuke off and swung another fist toward the man. Blocking the incoming fist down, Sasuke drove the elbow of his free arm into the man's face. Suddenly the running blond tackled the man down but was pushed off immediately. The brunet got back on his feet and was prepared to bolt. Sasuke grabbed the man's coat once again, pulling him back slightly, and sent his foot into the side of his face. The blond swing his legs under and tripped the target. Instantly grabbing his arms, the blond forced the man's face into the snow-covered ground. Holding the target down with all his strength, the blond struggled to keep him down and pinned.

"What's with all this energy?" the blond grumbled. He pressed his right knee into the man's back to prevent him from struggle, but it didn't work. "Didn't you shoot him teme?"

Reaching into his coat, Sasuke pulled out the gun with live ammunition and pointed at the man's head.

"Go on ahead!" the man yelled. "The only way you're going to get me anywhere is if I'm dead."

"Don't do it teme!" the blond said. "We need him alive!"

Sasuke wanted to pull the trigger badly and let the bullet strike through the skull, but it would lead him nowhere. Aiming the gun at the man's left thigh, the raven-haired man pulled the trigger. The brunet yelled out in agony the moment the projectile hit him. Slowly blood began to seep through the man's pants and dye the snow red.

"Teme!" the blond yelled loudly.

"He'll live," Sasuke said as he put the gun away. "It will keep him from running."

Konan ran over opening a small pouch and pulled out a syringe. When she saw the blood in the snow, she sent a glare at Sasuke who looked indifference about having shot the target. The blond held the man down as she inserted the needle and injected the fluid within. Moments after, their victim resisting effects became manageable has the injection weaken his body just enough.

"I need to draw blood Naruto," Konan said as she put the empty syringe away and took out a fresh needle.

Naruto placed one arm of the assailant under the pressure of his leg as he pulled out the other. He drew up the sleeve to reveal the man's bare arm. Wasting no time, Konan quickly removed the plastic lid and inserted in the needle into one of the many visible veins, drawing the needed blood sample. A black car pulled up and Itachi stepped out along with three other men. The shorter one of the three had red hair and could pass off as a teenager. One of the blonds had long hair tied into a high ponytail like a girl with the rest of his long bangs covering half his face while the other had spiky short hair with many piercings over his face.

"Blood sample collected," Konan said as she caped the end and pocketed the sample into the pouch. "We will have to bring it back to the lab for a thorough analysis."

"Guess what we found yeah?" the blond with the ponytail said.

"Spill it out already Deidara," the red-headed said. "We don't have any time for guessing games."

"You're no fun Sasori yeah."

"Live grenades and handmade ammunition," the one with the piercing said.

"It was like an ammunition supply chop shop," Deidara said. "Tell them Pein."

"There were two modified sniper rifles designed to shoot this specific ammunition," the man responded.

Pein reached into his pocket to pull out two bullets. He tossed one to each of the Uchiha brothers for them to examine. The silver projectile was a unique large caliber with a spiral design, created to be untraceable and accurate from a large distance. It was a bullet the brothers were all too familiar with. The image of it had been embedded into their minds ever since he first saw it used years ago.

"We've collected all the weapons and any other stuff of related relevance," Pein said. "We will have to take them back with us to analyze everything and find the person behind the design." He turned his gaze over to the pinned man. "Unfortunately we need to call in another team to document and collect what we found in the basement."

The older Uchiha nodded. "Get him out of here," Itachi said as he closed his fist around the bullet. "We're done here."

Naruto pulled out a pair of metal handcuffs from his back pocket and cuffed the man's hands together behind his back. With the help of Sasuke, the blond got the man back on his feet. Despite the wound from the gunshot and being drugged up, he was capable of standing fairly well.

"That's not all yeah," Deidara said. "The guy had a multiple x–rays of —"

The man slowly began to heave, his body attempting to force something up his throat. Suddenly the man vomited fluid and a familiar-looking pin. Eyes widened immediately the moment they realized where the pin was from and didn't hesitate to find cover. Sasuke and Naruto kicked the man back as far as they could with their combined strength then took cover behind the pile of snow that had been piled up by snowplows earlier on. Their target was forced toward the railing and having lost his footing on the icy ground, his body fell backward toward the water.

BOOM!

Small cliff hanger to end off the first chapter and to keep readers hooked.

The idea for this plot comes from a range of media. Originally I had wanted both Sasuke and Sakura to be assassins, but that there seems to have been likely overused. After thinking over Sakura's character and focusing her more as a medic/doctor, it was fitting to make her unaware of Sasuke's true employment to create all the drama and whatnots for this story.

Please submit a review to let me know your thoughts, it is greatly appreciated.