CHAPTER 7- "I am not ready to die yet."
Itachi knew that something was wrong the moment he stepped into the rather lively dining hall and found that everyone was present - well, everyone with the exception of his pink haired advisor.
As soon as the others caught sight of him the mood of the dining hall palpably changed, everyone having mixed reactions about his presence. Whereas some continued to talk as animatedly as before and didn't seem to mind his arrival, others stiffened and forced a smile on their lips as they greeted him with feigned enthusiasm whilst the remaining ones unconsciously put their guard up and glanced at the Uchiha heir with a mixture of fear and caution.
Itachi, however, was used to it.
It's been this way ever since he became a genin, and it only got worse when he became the captain of an ANBU unit at the age of thirteen. People either avoided him at all costs or treated him like an adult ever since so when he was named the next Hokage, nothing really changed in the way people behaved around him or talked to him.
"Hokage-sama, please have a seat."
Itachi gave Gaara a curt nod as he made his way towards the empty seat next to the Kazekage, noting that both Kankuro and Temari were already seated on Gaara's right as well.
"Good morning Hokage-sama." Temari greeted him with a polite smile as Itachi sat down on the chair opposite of him. The Uchiha heir offered her a nod as well, but since she was very well aware of the fact that the Hokage was a man of very little words, she didn't mind at all.
Itachi glanced at the long table that was filled with dishes and fruits of every kind but somehow, he didn't feel too hungry.
The sun was blazing at this early hour already and whereas he gladly accepted the cup of water that a female politician to his right offered him, he didn't have much of an appetite.
The Kazekage's brother, however, seemed beyond starved judging by the way he practically shoveled everything that was in his arms reach into his mouth.
Itachi couldn't fight the disgust that momentarily flickered in his onyx eyes as he put the now empty cup on the table in front of him.
Yes, totally not hungry.
"I hope that the two of you were able to get some sleep last night, seeing as you returned pretty late." Temari commented as she popped a grape into her mouth, teal eyes moving from her brother to the Hokage.
"We had to take care of something that was brought to our attention during the gathering, sister." Gaara replied, holding his sisters firm gaze with his own. "Fortunately, you and Sakura-san were able to take proper care of the guests in our absence."
Temari merely snorted in return as she twirled the knife between her fingers. "Yeah, lucky us." She grumbled as she returned her attention to the food in front of her, knowing that she wouldn't get the answers that she wanted anytime soon.
At the mentioning of the pinkette's name, Itachi once more subtly scanned the crowd in hope of catching her Emerald eyes. Sakura never was one to be late and usually was the first one to wake after him as well and the mere fact that she didn't join them yet was enough to gain his attention.
Just then as he was about to ask the Kazekage's sister if she had encountered his advisor yet did he feel a familiar and soft brush of chakra against his own.
It was very faint and if he hadn't paid close attention to his surroundings he wouldn't have picked it up but the closer she got to the dining hall, the more he noticed that something about her signature was off.
When they traveled together, Sakura always was in perfect control of her chakra, regardless of how much she had left. He always felt how it was like an extended part of herself that she had total control over even in the worst situations.
This time, however, it was beyond faint and wavered like a dimming flame that tried its best to survive the blowing wind.
Itachi's eyes bled red as he turned his head to expectantly look at the door, eyes narrowed and body tense in alarm.
Something was wrong with her chakra, but he had the sneaking suspicion that she wasn't even aware of it herself.
He felt her come closer and just as she entered his vision, his red eyes sharply narrowed within the split of a second and if possible, grew even darker.
Standing there in the doorway and barely holding herself on her feet was Sakura, clad in her white nightgown with her long rosy locks cascading down her back in soft waves. His sharp eyes made out every droplet of sweat that graced her skin, the way her chest heaved in an unsteady rhythm as well as the way her entire body was shivering.
Her dull emerald eyes were partly hidden beneath her half-lidded eyes and as he caught her drowsy gaze with his own fierce one, it was as if she was looking right through him, not at him.
What angered him the most, however, was that his fellow politicians greeted her as if nothing was off and even offered her a seat that she, in this state, clearly couldn't accept.
Her dry lips parted and it looked like she was about to say something but before she could even do as much as utter a word, Itachi saw her eyes roll back and it was then that he moved.
Ignoring the worried gasps and cries of surprise and concern, Itachi was at Sakura's side within the blink of an eye and caught her shaking body in his arms with ease.
Her head rolled against his chest as he wrapped one arm around her waist and slid the other under the back of her knees so that he had a firm grip on her.
His eyes instantly scanned her entire body as he tried to make out any possible injuries as the sound of hurried footsteps reached his ears.
"Sakura!" Came Temari's concerned call as she and Kankuro moved to stand in front of her friends unconscious body in the arms of the Uchiha, both of their eyes wide and filled with worry. "What the hell happened?"
Itachi pursed his lips into a thin line as he returned his gaze on Sakura's pale face, unable to answer Temari's question as well.
"I'll take her to her chambers and expect Suna's best medics to meet me there in an instant." Itachi curtly ordered and Kankuro nodded before he swiftly retreated to get the medics as Itachi told them to.
Temari remained at Sakura's side, an angered frown gracing her face as she took in the state of her fellow friend. "She seemed alright when I left her last night, so whatever caused this must have happened within the past six hours." She informed him as they made their way out of the room and into the hot corridors of Suna.
Itachi furrowed his brows and was about to question the blonde about yesterday's events after he and Gaara left when a whisper suddenly reached his keen hearing.
"Itachi."
His eyes instantly snapped to the face of the still unconscious woman in his arms, mildly surprised and inwardly wondering how she could recognize his mere presence whilst being unconscious still. Itachi noticed the way her body relaxed the slightest of bits in his arms and tightened his hold on her as he effortlessly jumped up the flight of stairs, mind reeling with all kind of theories and possible suspects.
He would find whoever was responsible for Sakura's current state. She was his responsibility- any attack on her equals an attack on the Hokage and whoever was foolish enough to make that mistake and not consider the Hokage's punishment upon finding the culprit would soon come to find out that Itachi Uchiha was one of the most feared individuals for a reason.
As they reached her room Itachi pushed the door open before he went inside and gently laid her onto the bed, Temari following him like a shadow.
The blonde moved to sit down on the bed next to Sakura and gently laid a hand onto her forehead in order to check her temperature, just to withdraw it with a hiss as soon as her palm touched it. "Damn it, she is burning up!" She exclaimed as she held her palm and shot Itachi, who was standing next to the bed, a concerned look.
Itachi silently observed Sakura's shivering body before he shifted his gaze to the window, eyes hard. Someone was now officially trying to get to him and whereas it was possible that one of the attackers underlings was still present, he knew that the real culprit was most likely long gone already.
The mere fact that someone managed to get to Sakura, one of the best Ninja's of Konoha that was most likely going to surpass Tsunade one day, was unsettling enough as it was.
His eyes once more drifted to the now pale and shaking form of the woman that he once believed to be immune to anything thanks to both her knowledge and her combat skills.
He would find the one who put her into this state, as it was his responsibility as both the Hokage and her superior.
"Temari-san, please ensure that no one other than the medics and your brothers enter this room. I will find the one responsible for this." He ordered, his deep voice sharp and clear.
Temari pursed her lips and took Sakura's hand in her own, teal eyes fixed on the pinkette's in sweat covered face.
"It would be wiser to wait for the medics to arrive and to hear their diagnose before you run off to catch the bad guys. This way it might be easier." Temari commented as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes.
Itachi, however, remained expressionless. "I will be back before the sun sets." He merely returned and with one last glance at Sakura, left the room within the blink of an eye.
Temari sighed as she held Sakura's hand tighter. "Stupid girl." She mumbled as she heard the medics and her ever so noisy brother approach. "I told you not to get yourself killed overnight, didn't I?"
A knock echoed through the otherwise silent room and Temari called them in as she glanced over her shoulder to see Kankuro enter the room, followed by an elderly man and a woman who seemed to be in her mid- thirties.
"I called them like Hokage-sama told me to." Kankuro informed her, expression stern as his eyes fell on Sakura.
The medics instantly caught sight of the pink haired woman as well and rushed to her side, instantly falling into the medic mode that suddenly reminded Temari of the times when Sakura did that.
"She seemed fine last night." Temari started, eyes locked with the female medics that she recognized as indeed one of the best medics of Suna. How Kankuro managed to get her this fast, she didn't know, nor did she care if she were to be honest.
"Did she eat anything during the gathering?" The elderly male inquired as he put a glowing hand on Sakura's stomach, who in return unconsciously flinched. Temari shook her head with narrowed eyes.
"No, not that I recall. She seemed fine and didn't act strange either, until we found her this morning drenched in sweat and burning up yet shaking as if she was freezing." Temari returned, wondering what he was getting at.
He moved his glowing hand over the length of Sakura's body once more before he retreated it and motioned towards the needles in the woman's first aid kid.
The woman instantly complied and prepared the syringe before she took hold of Sakura's arm and carefully injected the needle into her flesh.
"I was unable to find any injury and Haruno-san does not seem to be under any type of genjutsu either, what causes me to strongly believe that she has been poisoned." He revealed with a grim expression and both the Sand siblings instantly tensed.
"Poison?" Temari whispered and within the next second her eye were burning with fury. "What kind of poison?"
This time it was the woman who spoke up. "Judging by the symptoms it seems to be one of the stronger and lesser known poisons here in Sunagakure. It's not common for someone who has been poisoned by the most common ones to show all of these symptoms at once but in Haruno-san's case, it seems that we are dealing with someone that knew exactly what kind of mixture to use and how much of it."
Kankuro growled as he clenched his fists. "So how the hell do we get it out of her?" He asked, not liking where this was going.
The man heaved a heavy sigh as he gently patted Sakura's hand, his old and wise gray eyes filled with pity. "It seems to be a rather strong poison that was specifically made to slowly destroy her body step by step from the inside. Since it seems to be a mixture of many different ones it is harder to extract it than others, if not even impossible."
Silence followed his words as both Kankuro and Temari tried to process his words.
"So you are telling us that it's a rare kind of poison that is practically impossible to extract and that we should simply let her die?" Temari hissed, her anger rolling off of her in waves. "There has to be something that we can do in order to save her!"
"Yeah!" Kankuro agreed. "What about an antidote?"
The medics both glanced at one another, sharing a silent message before the woman once more decided to explain.
"It would take too long to analyze her blood sample and to form an antidote based on the many poisons that we would have found in her blood by then. It would probably take weeks and by then, she would be long gone. The only way is to extract the poison from her body whilst healing her at the same time and this is a task that no ordinary medic is capable of doing. Extracting the poison itself would take a huge amount of skill, power and endurance on the medics side and healing her at the same time only complicates things." She kindly explained, rueful eyes locked on the concerned and angered faces of the Kazekage's siblings.
"Not to forget that most patients that are in such a state are too weak to survive such a process." The elderly medic added.
Temari heaved a sigh as she clenched Sakura's hand tightly into her own and gritted her teeth. The only medic she knew of that would be able to save Sakura was Tsunade but even she would probably have troubles saving Sakura even if she were to return to Konoho in time.
"How long does she have?" Temari asked, not daring to look up and meet the pity filled eyes of the medic.
A deafening silence followed her words and for a moment, Temari regretted to have voiced her question aloud in the first place. She was suddenly unsure if she even wanted to hear the answer and yet, she knew that they needed to know how high Sakura's chances of survival were.
"Three days at most, if not even less."The woman sighed. "By then, her vitals will have suffered too much damage to ever fully recover, regardless of whether the poison will be successfully extracted afterwards or not."
Temari lowered her head and bit the inside of her cheek, having already guessed their answer to be like this. Tsunade would never make it to Suna within three days since she would need to be informed about Sakura's condition beforehand. Besides, she couldn't just leave Konoha unprepared and with no one to fill in her place at the hospital, even though she would do so within a heartbeat if Sakura's life was at stake.
What unfortunately was the case.
Her thoughts then returned to the Uchiha who suddenly disappeared and she knew that he would not like to hear that his advisor was dying and that there was nothing that even he could do to save her.
She just hoped that Itachi would at least find whoever was responsible for hurting Sakura and make him pay.
Itachi was walking through the dark corridors that were hidden beneath the Hidden Village of Sunagakure, every step that he took echoing loudly through the empty hallways. His entire posture screamed authority and whereas he, as a ninja, usually concealed himself, he purposefully made his intent and mere presence known to every prisoner that resided in the cells of Suna's hidden prison.
His Sharingan was activated, blood red eyes piercing through the darkness as he took long and purpose filled strides towards one particular cell.
As soon as he was standing in front of it he stopped, eyes falling onto the prisoners within. One of them was laying on his back, unconscious whereas the other two were each sitting in one of the corners in the back, covered in bruises and dry blood.
Just as he left them last night.
"Open the cell."
As soon as the words have left Itachi's lips a guard stumbled forwards and fiddled with the keys before he complied and managed to unlocked the cell.
Itachi dismissed him with a brief yet pointed glance before he opened the rusty metallic doors, the squeaking sound music to his ears as he took a step inside.
He then shut the door behind him close and looked down on the still unconscious silver haired male, expression blank. He was the one who seemingly had most to say during his interrogation last night and thus, still had to suffer under the consequences. The other two seemed to be in a surprisingly good shape considering yesterday nights events and thus, Itachi didn't even bother to sugar coat anything and to instead get straight to the point.
"You poisoned her."
To say these words out loud made him uncomfortable, if he were to be honest, and angered him only further. Saying it out loud made it real, and even though it was just an assumption, he knew that it was the only explanation that made sense considering the state that he found her in. Sakura got poisoned, and maybe wouldn't even live to see another day if he didn't find a way to get her out of this mess within the next hours.
His red eyes picked up the faintest of movements from the one on the right and his eyes instantly narrowed. This mere reaction was all that he needed in order to know that they what he was talking about.
"We didn't poison anyone." Came a slurred voice from his left, followed by the sound of him spitting in front of him. "All we did was knock these guards out, as we told you yesterday already."
Itachi clenched his fists ever so slightly and pursed his lips into a thin line, the displeasure that he was feeling clearly showing on his face.
"It wasn't the Kazekage that you were after." Itachi mumbled as he took a step closer to the two, eyes shifting between both of their swollen and bruised faces. He could see the sweat that was dripping down their temples and the way their flinched ever so slightly whenever his gaze fell on them and he knew that he would go well past the playing nice game if he wanted information.
Yesterday, he and Gaara were only able to get information by using the most painful and mentally exhausting ways they knew of due to their stubbornness but after they managed to break them, things suddenly went a lot of better.
Now that they did most of the work yesterday, Itachi knew that it would not take him long to get the information that he wanted.
"Who else would we have been after?" The left one once more inquired, his voice a low grumble whereas the right one once more remained silent.
Itachi's eyes narrowed sharply before he moved faster than their eyes could see and held the right one by his throat up against the wall, tomoe spinning steadily in his eyes as a silent warning.
The man whimpered and shut his eyes close, fearing of what would happen to him if he would look into them once more as he did the night before.
"You separated us on purpose." Itachi lowly spoke as he tightened his grip on the throat of the man that ever so desperately gripped Itachi's wrist in hope of getting to loosen his grip, in vain.
"I don't know what you are talking about." He managed to choke out, tears rolling down his cheeks as he kicked his legs wildly back and forth.
Itachi had none of it. "You caused a scene knowing that we would interrogate you for the night. You had someone poison her when she was asleep and not by my side."
This time the man remained silent, his eyes nervously darting to the guy in the left who was glaring at the two of them in return.
"Nonesense!" He called in protest. "We have nothing to do with it!"
Itachi knew that he was right the moment the one he was holding looked at him with pleading, teary eyes. He didn't need to verbally confirm it though, for his eyes told him enough.
"Tell me their name." Itachi ordered as he once more tightened his grip and this time to an extend that could easily break his neck.
"Don't you dare open this damn mouth of yours, we're dead either way!" Came the yell from Itachi's left but he paid him no mind. The person of interest was currently in his grip, struggling to breathe and obviously contemplating on whether to answer Itachi or to risk getting killed by said Uchiha.
In the end, he chose the easier way.
"The one who poisoned this girl calls himself Kasaki, but he is just like the three of us." He choked out, a breathless wail following after. "All I know is that the one behind all of this orders others to do the work so that he doesn't get his own hands dirty!"
"Shut up you moron!"
Ah, there it was. So they knew something after all, even though he was very stingy with the details- but that didn't matter. Now that he was certain that the trio did know something after all, even though they insisted that they didn't know any names or other important pieces of information that would be of use for him, Itachi would cut the chase and get the information his way.
He released his grip on the man and allowed his Sharingan to take care of the rest.
The sun was just about to set as Itachi entered Sakuras room. Temari was standing in front of the window while Gaara was seated next to Sakura and exchanged hushed whispers with Kankuro. As soon as they noticed his presence however, they immediately straightened.
"Hokage-sama." Temari was the first one to greet him, her expression dull. "We have a problem."
Itachi's eyes instantly fell on Sakura, who still didn't seem to have regained conscious during his absence and he frowned, not liking what Temari was getting at.
"There is no antidote for the poison that was used on Sakura." Gaara explained, getting straight to point as his dull eyes watched Itachi with an intensity that he has only rarely seen.
"Explain."
This time it was Kankuro who spoke up. "They said that someone has to extract the poison from Sakura whilst healing her at the same time but since it is a poison that consists of many others, it is a nearly impossible task for any common medic." He swiftly explained, expression grim as he averted his eyes from Itachi in shame.
"We have to get her to Tsunade-hime then." Itachi concluded, knowing that if someone was able to save her, it would be the slug princess and Godaime Hokage. "She's the only one who would be strong and skilled enough to save her."
"I also thought of that, but it would take too long until she would arrive. We would have to send a messenger hawk to inform her and then she would have to make it in time. She wouldn't be able to make it within the deadline of three days that Sakura was given by the medics." Temari grimly reminded them.
Itachi's eyes fell on Sakura once more as he remained silent for the next moments, pondering on what would be best to do in this situation. There were many times and many different situations where Itachi was forced to make decisions where others life depended on it. One wrong movement, one wrong order and one wrong word could get someone killed, just like hesitation.
That's why he didn't hesitate with his next words.
"I'll take her back to Konoha."
He knew that it would be the only way to save her and even though he would have to force his body to its limit, he couldn't just let her die here. It was risky and for some even suicide, but it was their only chance at saving her.
"What?" Kankuro sputtered, clearly not having expected his words. "But you can't run for two days straight, especially not with all the sandstorms!"
Itachi's expression hardened as he walked past Kankuro and gently lifted Sakura from her bed, shifting her so that she was comfortably laying in his arms before he turned to face the Kazekage's brother,
"I won't let one of my people die here and if it means that I will have to run for two days straight, then so be it."
Gaara stood up from where he was seated and looked at Itachi, considering his words silently before he eventually gave in.
"We will send Tsunade a letter so that she will know of your return and the circumstances beforehand." Gaara informed him as he crossed his eyes above his chest. "Though I agree with Kankuro, the sandstorms may pose a problem if you wait any longer."
"Are you even capable of running from Suna to Konoha in this state and without any rest?" Temari objected, seemingly not too fond of their plan.
Her friends life was at stake and whereas she knew that Itachi would keep her safe, she didn't like that they rushed things all of sudden.
"I've been through worse." Itachi mumbled before he gave them a low bow and tightened his hold on Sakura. "I hereby thank you for your hospitality, Kazekage-sama. I will make sure to inform you of Sakura's condition and to tell you as soon as we get any information regarding the one behind these attacks."
Gaara returned the bow and Temari and Kankuro instantly followed suit, knowing that whether Sakura survived or not now solely depended on Itachi.
"Please be careful and inform us as soon as you arrive in Konoha."
Itachi nodded and took one last glance at the pinkette in his arms, his stony expression softening the slightest of bits before he turned his back to the Sand siblings.
Sakura's skin was paler than before, her entire body was covered in a cold sweat and yet she was shivering. Her lips were pale and held a light blue hue while her eyes were moving beneath her closed lids, her breathing irregular and heavy.
Never would he have thought to see his little brothers teammate in such a vulnerable state and even though he couldn't say that he cared for her as anything other than his advisor and a loyal kunoichi of Konoha, he didn't want her to die nonetheless. She was a very skilled medic and kunoichi that Konoha would have trouble to replace and besides of the fact that many people, including his little brother and his blonde teammate would deeply mourn her loss, Itachi had a feeling that Sakura's purpose in his life wasn't quite fulfilled yet either.
She wouldn't allow her to die, not when he still had a say in it.
"Farewell."
And with that, he jumped out of the window and started his journey back to Konoha.
"Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama!" A panicked yell echoed through the hallways of the Hokage tower, causing Tsunade to look up from the staples of papers that she was currently working on in Itachi's absence in surprise.
She didn't know who would be as stupid as to cause such a commotion at this early hour, especially whilst knowing that the Godaime was busy and not to be interrupted, but she hoped for his sake that he had a damn good reason to do so.
Her honey orbs moved to the door as a young messenger who seemed to be around Naruto's age stumbled into the room and fell onto his knees, clearly out of breath and covered in sweat.
"What's the meaning of this?" Tsunade inquired, eerily calm as she shot her guards a look that caused a shiver to run down both of their spines.
"He wouldn't listen and insisted to see you, saying that he received an urgent message from S-Sunagakure." The first one said, slapping the young messenger on the back of his head. The young messenger in return winced and rubbed the back of his head with a pout, shooting the guard a glare.
"Suna?" Tsunade asked, her words cutting through the office like a knife. She put her pen down and ignored the sudden chill that filled the office as she extended her hand, motioning to the letter that the messenger was tightly holding.
The young boy scrambled onto his feet and gave her the letter, urgent eyes never leaving the blonde's face.
"It's bad." He whispered, gulping down the lump in his throat. "Really bad."
Tsunade gripped the letter tighter than necessary as her eyes scanned the contents of the letter, eyes narrowing further with every word that she read.
The silence that filled the office with the exception of the messengers rushed breathing was suffocating as all eyes were on the Godaime Hokage, whose eyes ever left the letter.
She re-read it once, twice before she slammed the paper onto the wooden desk.
"Shizune!" She bellowed as she pushed herself away from her desk and stood up, her palms firmly planted on the desks surface, crumbling the paper in the process.
Shizune, having heard Tsunade's call instantly rushed in with a concerned expression. "Yes, Tsunade-sama?"
"Move all patients that are currently in the ICU to the second floor and prepare Room 35A for an emergency poison extraction. No one is allowed to enter the room with the exception of you and me regardless of the circumstances. Also, make sure to keep it on the low, I need to prepare myself." She ordered, getting a chorus of "Yes, Godaime-sama!" in return as the three men made their way out of her office in a flash, leaving only Shizune and Tsunade behind.
The blonde woman heaved a deep sigh as she turned around and looked out of the broad windows of her office and down onto the lively village. Just as the messenger has said, things looked bad. She didn't know how this happened, nor did she know if Itachi would make it back in time and in one piece, but all she knew was that she would have some very tiring hours ahead of her if she wanted to save Sakura's life.
"Tsunade-sama, may I ask what's going on?" Shizune timidly asked, face scrunched up in concern. If what she managed to pick up from the messengers words was true and her assumptions were right she had every reason to be concerned for either the Hokage's or her friends life.
Tsunade remained silent and continued to gaze down onto the village, thoughts racing. She knew best that if someone would be able to save her apprentice, then it would be her, but a poison extraction such as this would pose a challenge for even someone as skilled and experienced as her.
After all, she knew it best- for she was once years ago in the same position. The mere reminder of this fateful day years ago caused her heart to painfully clench beneath her chest as the familiar and haunting images of the day played in front of her eyes.
Tsunade clenched her fists out of anger, her honey eyes dimming with shame.
This time, it would end differently- this time, she would succeed.
She had to.
He has been running at full speed for one day straight without taking any break and slowly, he noticed how she was becoming heavier in his arms. If Itachi had been running on his own without any additional weight, he wouldn't have any troubles but with Sakura in his arms, it slowly took a toll on him.
They had been very fortunate that Itachi managed to outrun the sandstorm that was supposed to appear one hour after his departure, for that would have only slowed him down and tired him out even more.
By now Itachi managed to reach the Land of the Rivers, Sakura still unconscious in his arms. It was raining heavily and Itachi was drenched to the bone, jumping from tree to tree with the help of his chakra. Konoha was a one day travel away from their current location if he were to pull through, but Itachi knew that this was impossible, as much as he wanted to finally reach it.
He was running low on chakra and needed to rest, just like he should find a place where he could start a fire so that they wouldn't freeze to death due to the rain.
In comparison to Suna's heat, it was quite cold in River even though it was only autumn and due to the rain and sudden climatic change, their bodies had to accustom to the sudden cold in or way or another.
Itachi activated his Sharingan and scanned the area as he continued to jump through the trees, looking out for anything that may give them some sort of shelter.
Of course he could have also taken the main route and stopped by a village, but after their last incident he wasn't too keen on doing that. Besides, now that he was on his own and Sakura was in a critical condition, they were an easy target. If a group of shinobi would attack them, he would have troubles to fight them off while ensuring Sakura's safety and making it back in time.
So he decided to take the more isolated path, not that it mattered to him. It seemed that in his life, he ironically always preferred to take the more isolated path now that he thought of it.
Funny how life worked.
After one more hour of running, he finally managed to pick up a small cavern not too far away, isolated from the forest that they were about to depart.
He shifted Sakura in his arms and briefly glanced down at the pinkette to ensure that she was still breathing, content to see her chest rise and fall in an unsteady rhythm.
Sakura didn't even wake once during their travel and as much as he appreciated the silence, he couldn't help but feel like even though she was present, it was still too silent. Never would Itachi have thought that he would feel affected by the loss of Sakuras constant chatter and arguments.
It was weird to hold her in his arms without her saying anything, if he daresay so.
I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult. Sorry for not being too chatty while being unconscious, Uchiha.
Her mocking voice filled Itachis mind as he jumped down from the last tree and continued towards the cavern, his grip on her tightening as he narrowed his eyes for the slightest of bits.
Even though he didn't know her for too long, he could already imagine what her responses would be like. He didn't know whether that was a good or a bad thing.
Deciding that he should not think of the pinkette too much, he finally arrived at the cave and was pleased to find that it was rather spacious, contrary to what it seemed like from the outside.
The sound of his wet sandals colliding with the stone ground echoed through the otherwise silent cave as he walked deeper inside.
Itachi slowly lowered Sakura onto the ground so that she was in a sitting position, her back leaned against the cold cavern wall. Itachi knelt down in front of her and gently turned her head so that she would be in a more comfortable position, the burning skin beneath his fingers not easing his concern of reaching Konoha in time.
Itachi managed to shield her from most of the rain so Sakura didn't get too drenched, but he wouldn't risk her getting sick on top of poisoned and thus, went back on his feet and gathered some twigs before he used one of his katon jutsus and started a fire.
The light of the flames lightened up the dark cavern and even though it wasn't a big fire due to the rather small amount of dry twigs that he managed to find, it would suffice to keep them from freezing.
Itachi removed his wet vest and dropped it onto the ground next to the fire in hope of it drying before his eyes drifted to Sakura, inwardly contemplating as to what to do.
Whereas she was obviously having a high fever she was still shaking considerably, the light of the flames illuminating her sickly pale skin.
Deciding that there was no helping it, Itachi settled down next to her so that her head rested on his shoulder, his arm propped on his right knee as he gazed into the flames, deep in thought.
He never was one who liked to be touched if not necessary but he wasn't heartless either and thus, he decided that he could make an exception.
He didn't need to hear her complain about a sore neck as soon as she woke up, he told himself as he suddenly grew more aware of her head on his shoulder.
Her long pink locks tickled his neck as it flowed down along his arm in unruly waves, bringing a stark contrast to his black clothes. Her dry lips were lightly parted as she fought to take one breath after another, droplets of sweat running down her forehead. She looked beyond exhausted and even slightly pained the more he looked at her.
Itachi could only imagine the pain that she must be in judging by what he was told by the Kazekage and his siblings and he was certain that if it wasn't Sakura but anyone else who would have been poisoned, they wouldn't have made it this far alive.
Sakura was a strong woman indeed, he couldn't deny that.
It was after around an hour passed and the rain increased that he suddenly felt a shift in her swaying chakra. It was minimal, but it instantly caught his attention.
He glanced to his right through half-lidded eyes to see her brows tightly furrowed before she forced her heavy-lidded eyes open, revealing dull emerald eyes.
Itachi didn't dare to move as her soft groan filled the cavern, her eyes slowly shifting from the fire in front of them to the ceiling before she closed them once more.
This time, however, he knew that despite of her closed eyes she finally was awake.
"Uchiha?" She breathed, shifting her head so that she could tightly press her forehead against his shoulder, her face scrunching up in pain as she gritted her teeth tightly.
Itachi was mildly surprised that she was able to recognize him in her state and glanced down at her, careful to pick up anything that may point towards something alarming.
"Aa. You shouldn't waste your energy on speaking, Haruno, it's not recommended in your state." He spoke, voice low so that she wouldn't get too startled.
Sakura let out what sounded like a huff, still too exhausted to open her eyes. "Getting poisoned during a political gathering isn't quite recommended either, is it?"
Her voice was weak and yet he managed to pick up the bitterness that laced her words. "It isn't." He agreed. "However, it was something that no one reckoned with. You are not at fault."
Sakura remained silent for a few moments, the sound of the fire cackling filling the cave and if he didn't knew better, he would have believed her to have lost consciousness once more.
Her next words however caught him off guard.
"I am not ready to die yet."
Itachi turned his head so that he could fully look at her face and this time, her eyes were open and looking straight at his face, though unfocused.
He found himself once more immersed by the sight of her. Even at the brink of death, she didn't speak these words teary-eyed whilst pathetically begging him to save her.
No, she spoke these words out of honesty and determination. Though knowing that her chances of survival were low, Sakura would not give up without a fight. She still had many things that she wanted to achieve in this life and wasn't ready to give them up just yet. She hereby entrusted him her own life, determined that even if she would die, she didn't do so without putting up a fight.
Itachi kept her gaze locked with his silently daring her to look away as his onyx eyes were fixed on her. "You won't, not for as long as I have a say in it so rest assured." His eyes then softened for the slightest of bits. "You won't die."
Sakura tried her hardest to muster up a small smile, beyond grateful to the Uchiha. Even though they weren't what she would call on the best terms and he continuously drove her to her wits ends, he was willing to push his body to its limits just to get her back to Konoha when it mattered the most.
And this she would forever be grateful for.
She opened her mouth to say something but all words died in her throat when she suddenly noticed Itachi's frown and the way his eyes shifted from her eyes to her nose.
Too exhausted and dizzy to move, she glanced at him in concern, not liking his gaze.
"What-" She managed to whisper, the sudden dizziness causing her headache to worsen as Itachi moved so that he was sitting in front of her, gently holding her chin with his left hand whilst his thumb brushed over the space between her nose and lower lip, eyes hard.
Her eyes fell onto his thumb that was now covered in blood, and not a small amount of it. Emerald clashed with onyx as he pursed his lips.
"We should leave."
Grabbing his vest from where it was drying next to the fire, Itachi moved back to Sakura and helped her lean forwards so that he could put it on. It wasn't much to shield her from the cold, but he had to maintain her current body temperature somehow.
Sakura, too weak to protest merely closed her eyes and allowed herself to be picked up by him, knowing that things just got ten times worse. Itachi noticed that she was close to passing out again and grimly noted that her nose was still bleeding as he put out the fire.
He would have to hurry if he wanted to keep his word to her.
With one last glance at the pouring rain the Uchiha took off into the darkness of the night, leaving no trace and making no sound as he hurried to reach his destination.
It took him one more day of running without taking a break before he got within Konoha's reach in the middle of the following night. He passed by the guards that were posted at the borders and jonin that patrolled without them noticing, covered by the shadows and sounds of the night.
She was still in his arms, alive but barely breathing. Whereas her breaths have been shallow and uneven before, it seemed that inhaling even the smallest bits of air was hurting her.
Itachi was relieved when he saw the familiar gates but kept it from allowing him to slow down for even the smallest bits.
Just because he succeeded in getting her to Konoha in time didn't mean that she would survive, nor that she would recover even if Tsunade-sama would be able to save her.
He passed through the gates at a speed that allowed him to remain unnoticed and from then on, his legs automatically found their way to the hospital entrance.
As soon as he reached the tall building he noticed that Tsunade was already standing in the doorway with a dozen of medics behind her. She must have felt the way Sakura's faint chakra was already flickering and notified the medics of their arrival.
As Itachi jumped down from the last roof and landed in front of the group with the grace of a feline, a collection of gasps and murmurs of concern between the medics broke the heavy silence as their eyes fell on the drenched and exhausted Hokage that was holding the medic everyone looked up to.
Itachi's eyes instantly caught Tsunade who openly displayed her concern at the sight that greeted her.
It looked bad, there was no need to hide it.
"Silence!" Tsunade yelled, instantly shushing the already gossiping medics behind her. Now wasn't the time for assumptions, theories and gossip.
Now, they had to save a life.
"Saito, Kenshi, you take Sakura from Itachi!" The Godaime bellowed, said males in return hastily nodding as they reluctantly rushed towards the Uchiha that was still holding onto Sakura, his mere presence overpowering everyone elses that was present.
The two males stopped in front of Itachi as the Uchiha eyed them in silence, somehow reluctant to let go of the pinkette. The moment he would let go of her would be the moment that he would lose the last bit of control that he had over Sakura's fate and he had come to realize that he didn't like it one bit.
"Itachi." Tsunade called, voice hard and yet eyes soft as she noticed the Uchiha's hesitation. "We need to hurry."
Itachi snapped back to reality and gave her a curt nod before he gently handed Sakura's limp body to one of the two medics whose name he didn't even bother to remember.
This was it.
"Get her inside. Shizune, show Itachi to his assigned room." She ordered as the male medics holding Sakura rushed past her and straight into the hospital. The blonde turned around and with one last look over her shoulder towards Itachi sprinted inside, followed by the remaining medics.
"Hokage-sama." Shizune gently called, bowing as his eyes fell on her. "Please follow me. I'll show you to your room where you can rest until Tsunade-sama will be able to see you."
On normal occasions Itachi wouldn't have bothered to even considered the offer and would have simply left to go home and rest, but this time he knew that he couldn't do so.
As her superior, he couldn't just go home and sleep without knowing the condition of his advisor. It would be tactless and disrespectful and since Tsunade would most likely want to see him after she treated Sakura regardless of the outcome, he may as well just stay at the hospital.
So in the end, he reluctantly decided to follow Shizune into the hospital, all the while his pink haired advisor haunted his mind.
A/N: Hey everyone! Are you surprised to see me update already? Well I certainly didn't expect to finish this chapter this early either but hey, I was quite motivated thanks to all of your reviews, favors and follows!
I hope that you liked this chapter despite of there not happening all too much. But I would still like to know what you guys think!
Do you think that Sakura will survive? Will there be some damage to her body if she survives? What about the rest of Team Seven and Tsunade?
So many questions! I hope that you are looking forward to the next chapter loves! Don't forget to tell me what you think of this chapter, if you liked it and if you did, what you think will happen next!
As you have probably also noticed the chapters are slowly beginning to get longer and that is due to the fact that I am slowly starting to get the plot into motion.
I'll update as soon as I can so stay tuned!
I love you all from the bottom of my heart.
Love,
Sara