Chapter 11

Edited 18.12.2015

Mission

"SA-KUUU-RA-CHAAAAAN! I'M HOOOMEEE!"

'Oh joy.'

...

'This isn't good,' Itachi thought and frowned. Naruto wouldn't recognize his chakra as he was masking it, but he couldn't say the same about the demon that was sealed within him.

"Saakuuraa-Chaan! Where are you?" Naruto whined and Itachi heard as he took the stairs.

"Naruto, quiet down, I'm in my room!" Sakura yelled and looked up at him.

"I'll go see Tsunade in a while about that mission, see you before that so we can work out the details?" Sakura asked in a whisper and smiled at him. Itachi nodded and was gone in blink and not a second later Naruto pulled her in for a hug.

"I missed you so much!" Naruto said and swirled her around.

"Naruto! Put me down!" Sakura said laughing and hugged him back.

"But Sakuraaa-Chaaaaan, I haven't seen you 168 hours!"

"That's only 7 days, dickless," ah, it seems that Sai was here too.

"Hello Sai," Sakura said with a small smile. It was good to her boys back, she had missed them. Naruto was grinning like an idiot and Sai gave one small smile as well. They seemed to be glad to be home too. Neither one of them looked hurt, only tired, nothing that a good food and plenty of rest couldn't cure.

"Ugly," Sai greeted as Sakura pulled him in for a hug.

"I missed you guys," Sakura said happily as she let Sai go.

"It's good to be home!" Naruto exclaimed whit a grin. He turned around, no doubt about to go into his room to get clean clothes and a shower. Sai didn't move and inch and Sakura gave him a questioning look.

"Sakura, who was that Anbu?" Sai asked.

'Shit, sometimes I forget he is an Anbu himself,' Sakura thought and giggled awkwardly.

"Don't worry Sai, he's a friend of mine," Sakura said, hoping that Sai would drop the subject. Sai nodded, but Sakura wasn't too sure if he believed her.

"I see," Sai answered and turned around to leave the room.

Sakura sighed when Sai was gone and fell down on her bed. Naruto would -no doubt about it- want to go for ramen after he was done with his shower and Sai was probably going to come too. Maybe if they were lucky, they would see Kakashi-Sensei and ask him to join them.

'Unlikely, I haven't seen more than a flash of him since the new book came out,' Sakura thought with a laugh and shut her eyes for a while. Naruto would come and get her when he was ready.

…

Itachi looked from the nearby roof as Naruto hugged Sakura, a bang of jealousy entering his mind. He told himself that he had no reason to feel such silly emotions, but the feeling wouldn't go away. So with a frown he turned around and made his way to his hotel. He had things to pack before their mission.

'I almost told her who I am,' Itachi thought as he jumped from roof to roof. Sure, he wanted her to know, but he needed a plan. One that wouldn't –hopefully- get him killed.

He thought about the incoming mission, it would be a perfect opportunity to make her his. After all, they already agreed that they would get "engaged" on said mission, he would just have to make it real. He had a few plans in mind, but they all included the Sharingan. He didn't want to use it for his future wife, so he told himself to save it as a last resort.

He would have to tempt her in the old way. He wasn't one for pretty words and flowers, but he could be quite charming when he wanted to be. He was the Uchiha heir after all.

Besides, if he so decided, he could take his mission scroll to the Hokage and ask to be pardoned. He has been on this mission long enough in his mind. He thought of Sasuke then, his reason for being away from Konoha, his home. He has been so unselfish his whole life, his thought was always on Sasuke and what he would need.

Couldn't he be selfish this once and have himself a life of his own?

'It's time to think what I need,' Itachi thought.

Yes, he decided, when they came home from this mission, he would talk to the Hokage.

...

"Naaruutooo, you can't eat that much!" Sakura said and watched with amazement as he drowned his tenth cup of ramen. Sakura was hardly finished with her first cup!

"But Sakura-Chaaan! I haven't eaten here in a week!" Naruto whined.

"Dickles, that is only seven days," Sai commented, he was on his first bowl as well.

"I know how many days are in a week you bastard!" Naruto yelled.

Sakura sighed.

She did miss her boys, but this she did not miss. Sometimes, they could be so childish! She guessed that she was just used to more nature company while at the hospital, even though even some Anbus were babies about needles.

'Scratch that, only mature company I've had is Tachi,' Sakura thought with a smile.

"Eh, Sakura-Chan... why are you smiling? You're not gonna hit me again, right?" Naruto asked uncertainly and covered his head. Lately, he had learned that seeing her smile was not a good sign.

"Please stop smiling ugly, it makes you even uglier," Sai just had to put his word in.

"That's it! I'm gonna kill you two!"

...

After making sure that her boys learned their lesson, Sakura made her way towards the Hokage tower. She was hoping to catch a sight of Tachi on her way there, but he didn't seem to be anywhere to be seen. Thought, she was avoiding the main street, she didn't want to be seen by a certain -or any- Hyūga.

When she crossed paths with one earlier, they bowed to her in greeting and called her "Sakura-Sama".

She guessed that the world traveled quickly in a clan.

So with a quick nod at their way, she had pulled her two very confused boys away from the scene. When they asked what it was about, she just told them she had healed those Hyūgas earlier that week.

Luckily they believed her.

It wasn't like she could tell them that she was going to -not if she could stop them!- be their new patriarch.

'Now that I think about it... That sounds harder to believe. Should have just joked about it and they would have dropped it,' Sakura thought with a humorless laugh.

She was going to turn a corner when someone took a hold of her shoulder.

"Sakura," a quiet voice greeted and turned her around.

"Ta- Tachi? I was just looking for you," Sakura said with a smile.

"Aa," Tachi hmed and removed his hand.

"So, what is the plan?" Sakura asked and looked into his dark eyes.

"I found a mission for us. But you have to request it since I'm... on a holiday you could say," Itachi said and pulled out a scroll.

"Here are the details," Itachi said.

"But... I'd hate to bother you on your free time," Sakura said, but took the scroll anyway. She wasn't going to say no to a mission with Tachi!

"You aren't bothering me, Sakura, believe me on this," Tachi said with a smirk.

"If you say so..." Sakura mumbled and opened the scroll. She scanned it through and couldn't help but be impressed. It was a spy mission of sorts, easily doable alone, but the given time for this mission was a month. So a month away on a mission with Tachi, just the two of them.

"How did you acquire this? These kind of missions are a rare treat!" Sakura asked with a wide grin. Even the pay from this mission was good! Almost her two months' pay from the hospital!

"I have my ways," they included the Sharingan and a few clones, but she didn't need to know that.

"I'm sure you do," Sakura said with a laugh.

"Not, I'll go and see Tsunade so that we can be off as soon as possible," Sakura said and was already turning away but a familiar hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"I'll be waiting at the gates," he said quietly and just like that, was gone.

'Pft, ninjas,' Sakura thought grumpily, not even noticing that she insulted herself as well.

With a small smile, she was off to the Hokage tower.

...

"Quite a catch you have there, Sakura," Tsunade said approvingly, clearly impressed that she was able to snatch such a nice mission first.

Those kind of missions didn't stand on the roster more than a few minutes. The good pay, lots of free time and easy appointment ones were literally fought over.

"Yeah, it took some work to get it," Sakura said with a smile.

"So, when are you leaving?" Tsunade asked.

"I already packed, so as soon as I say bye to Naruto and Sai," Sakura said.

"I see. Have a safe trip then, Sakura-Chan," Tsunade said motheringly, making Sakura grin.

"I will Tsunade-Sama!"

...

"You are leaving!? But we just got back!" Naruto yelled and hugged the living daylights out of her. He couldn't believe his Sakura-Chaaaan was going to leave just when he got home! They were supposed to train together and eat ramen together and spend some time together and-

"Naruto, air!" Sakura gasped and tried to free her arm to hit him.

"But, but... I wanted to spend some time with you first," Naruto said sadly, a pout working its way on his lips. He loosened his hold, making Sakura sigh.

"I know, Naruto. I'll promise to spent time with you when I'll get back in a month," Sakura promised.

"A MONTH!?"

'Oh boy...' shouldn't have said that.

…

I'm so sorry guys! D:

I was at the hospital and it came kind of suddenly, so I wasn't able to inform you guys about my small hiatus.

But now that they fixed up my arm and I don't need those strong meds anymore, I'm able to write once again! (:

I know this chappie wasn't my best and it's kinda short, but try and bear with me. I'm trying to find my touch again...

And as always, thank you for reading and have a nice day!

R&R

TY

-Hana