Act 2: Who's that girl?

"MORE PLEASE!" the loud blonde screeched as he was served his 15th bowl that day.

"Jeez Naruto… take it easy. We only have so much money." The lazy brunette said pushing away his 4th bowl.

"You eat more than Choji" Neji said calmly.

The loud restless blonde didn't seem to hear them. And continued on cramming down his food.

"Neji-kun!" A cheery brunette girl called out.

"Oi, the girls are back…" Neji got up and greeted his love with a sweet embrace.

"Why don't you ever do that?" A young girl scoffed hitting her lazy man across the head.

"OW! Jeez… you're so troublesome --;;…"

"WHAT WAS THAT!"

"Err…nothing Ino" Shikamaru go up and kissed her on the cheek, making her turn a slight pink and forgetting about her previous rant.

Naruto wiped his mouth and set some money down and got up to join his friends.

"Where's Hinata?" he asked curiously.

"Oh she ran into Hokage-sama, and told us to go ahead." Ten Ten explained cuddled up against Neji causing the Hyuuga to beam like a tomato.

"Huh? What did the old-lady want?"

"It's not very nice to keep calling Tsunande-sama and 'old lady'." Hinata said timidly as she walked up to them.

"AH! Hinata there you are!" Naruto hugged her and kissed her on the cheek.

"So what did Hokage-sama say?" Ino asked curiously

"Oh umm… just an interesting little tidbit regarding the return of a certain pink haired nin." Hinata said

"Sakura's back?" They all chimed together.

Hinata just nodded.

"Since when?" Ino squeaked. "When did she arrive!"

"Just this morning." Replied an enticing feminine voice from behind.

They all turned

"SAKURA!" Naruto yelled as he ran to greet his long awaited friend

"Yo " she smiled embracing her cherished friends.

"It's been a while" Neji said as they all strolled down the street

"Yes it has Neji-kun…" she smiled, and looked over at Ten Ten

"How long has it been?" Sakura asked. Ten Ten blushed and looked down at her tummy which was slowly starting to show.

"Almost 3 months now " she smiled as Neji wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"We're hoping for a boy" he stated happily.

Sakura smiled. Then turned to Hinata and Naruto.

"Have you two set a date yet?"

Hinata blushed. "Sakura-san, you've been home for less than a day and already you know so much about us…" Sakura didn't know what to say… she felt as if she was intruding. "But..." Hinata continued, "We don't know much about you yet…how have you been?"

Sakura giggled, she was away for a while yes… but she still knew her girl friends well. "Hinata, you're avoiding the subject again P" she said playfully. Hinata blushed

"You caught me"

They all laughed a little, and told Sakura everything she had missed the passed few years.

"Wow I missed so much" Sakura frowned "I kind of regret being ANBU now ("

"Don't say that, you were on the squad that ended the war 5 years ago" Ino said trying to make her friend feel better… the girls had shooed the boys away so they could have some girl talk.

"Yeah…" Sakura didn't look any happier "the same squad he was on…" her friends looked at each other… they knew she was reminiscing….

- FALSHBACK -

"SAKURA! We need you here!" her teammates were yelling at her... crying for backup. She had only become ANBU 2 weeks ago, and this was her first time on the front. Sasuke was ANBU already and he was with her at the front. This had been a bad time for Konoha, and the sand. Akastuki had attacked the same time as sound, and it was a 3 way war… both opponents were pinned against Konoha.

It was really bad up at the front… and Sasuke had encountered Itachi. They were battling it out on a hill top. Sakura could see them, attacking, evading, they looked evenly matched… then Itachi actually started to try.

The next thing Sakura saw was Sasuke bleeding insane amounts of blood, he was on the ground grasping his head in pain. No doubt that Itachi has used THAT jitsu on him…of all things; Itachi had used THAT jitsu against his own brother…. THAT jitsu against HER Sasuke, HER love… that's when she lost it…

She darted towards Itachi he felt her coming and swung around to kick her, but she was gone, there were two kunai stuck in him… that she had implanted, one on his chest and one on his thigh.

"How did she!" Itachi thought, he then noticed the girl in front of him grinning mischievously.

"Boom" she mouthed. And the kunai blew up sending Itachi flying backwards into a tree. He was shaken disturbed that a newbie ANBU caught him off guard. He stood up and felt something warm trickle down his side.

"I'm bleeding… I never bleed." He thought enraged. He looked up at where she was, but to his surprise she was nowhere to be found.

"What the fuck!" his crimson eyes scanned the area around him. "She's good at hiding… I can't find her at all… Left… no…right… no… above?"

"BELOW!" Sakura yelled as she popped up out of the ground beneath him, landing a forceful uppercut to Itachi's Jaw.

"SHIT!" Itachi cursed as he was sent flying through the air "What strength… I should kick it up a notch" Itachi quickly regained himself and darted back to the ground right towards Sakura cursing slightly as he was hit by a sudden wave of pain. Scars, cuts, bruises and broken bones from his fight with his younger brother. Regardless, Itachi didn't show an ounce of pain. He continued to charge at Sakura, falling from the sky like a heavy raindrop to the earth.

"DIE!" he cried channeling chakra to his left palm making it needle-like. Sakura grinned, as if welcoming the attack.

It was at this unfortunate moment that Sasuke came too shaking the effects of the Sharingan off (something he has been training so hard to do), he immediately saw his brother charging… but against whom? His eyes followed the predicted path and came to rest on a certain pink-haired ANBU.

"SAKURA!" He cried, trying to get up but failing miserably. Falling back towards the blood-stained ground.

"SAKURA! GET AWAY! RUN!"

"No way... this is my last chance… its risky but…" She thought of Sasuke the first and last time she'd seen him smile for real. "He's worth it!" She dug her heels into the ground as Itachi came hurling towards her like a falling star. She took out 6 kunai and held 3 in each hand.

"THIS IS OVER!" Itachi yelled. The chakra in his left hand started to glow emitting an orange-ish aura. Sakura glared at him, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and channeling chakra to her eyes, when she opened them they were violet.

"What the?" Itachi thought, but charged at her never the less, he couldn't stop.

Sasuke yelled again watching his teammate stare down death was devastating him, he didn't want to loose another precious person. "SAKURA!"

Itachi let out a battle cry as he came within striking distance of his pink target. Sakura's eyes widened "NOW!" She thought….

Blood splattered onto the ground from where she stood….

Both bodies falling to their knees.

Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief…

There she was… on the ground… bleeding… Itachi's left hand in her right shoulder…pierced all the way through.

There he was

His hand through her shoulder… her kunai in his neck. He coughed and blood spitted onto her face. "You…. You…" he muttered… "Take…take….take care of…S…S…Sasuke…" and he dropped down on the ground next to her, his left hand sliding out of her pierced shoulder roughly causing her to cry out in pain.

He laid there… the great missing Nin… who slaughtered his entire clan…

Uchiha Itachi

Dead

She was exhausted. Lost a lot of chakra… not to mention blood. Her violet eyes returned to the usual emerald. She had made her first kill… her first real kill. And it was Uchiha Itachi. She fell backwards, slipping into an unconscious state she was hearing her name being called over and over again and feeling strong arms pick her up and laying her in what she later realized was Sasuke's lap.

"SAKURA!"

- END FLASHBACK -

She opened her eyes and looked at her girl friends that were looking at her with great concern.

"I'm fine…" she said. They didn't even have to ask… she already knew the question….

"Sakura"

The girls turned around to find a fine looking ANBU member, his navy hair sprouted from behind his wolf-like mask. His body was stern, built toned nicely… intimidating. But his voice was gentle and welcoming. He took off his mask. The girls could see how handsome this Nin was. They couldn't help but blush when he smiled. His face was simple and a soft tan shade, his velvety navy eyes blinked looking at the pink girl in black.

Sakura stood up from the table where they were chatting. "Jin?"

"I finally found you" He smiled and walked up to her hugging her tightly"

"I'm been gone for less than a day."

"The captain said you were thinking of retiring from ANBU"

She was silent

"Sakura! Is that true?" Ino gasped.

"But you're so talented!" Ten Ten added

"Why?" Hinata asked

"Sakura?" Jin looked at her…she looked at the ground.

"I haven't made any decisions yet…"

She started to walk away from them, Jin caught up with her, tugging on her arm and making her turn and face him. She looked up at him since she was only like 5'3" and he was 6'4"

"That's why I came back here!" she yelled at him. Tears started to form behind her emerald eyes.

They have had this talk before… Sakura knew well that Jin had feelings for her… and a year ago she had felt the same way too. Then he kissed her… her first kiss… but it was not Jin that she envisioned in her mind… it was Sasuke. She knew at that point that she couldn't love Jin the way she had loved Sasuke. She had returned in hopes that she would be able to see him… If he would see her.

Sakura was in a comma after that battle on the front… she was in a comma for 6 months the war was over. And Sasuke was gone. She figured that he hated her for taking away his ambition. His goal to kill Itachi… she had taken it away for the sake of saving him, and to her, it backfired.

A month ago Sakura had received word that Sasuke was back in action in Konoha, he had retired from ANBU and just settled for Jounin rank doing missions and living his life day to day… she longed to see him, and so she left. And now here Jin was trying to bring her back to the base right when she had just arrived.

"I don't think so! I'm not going back yet…" Sakura yelled in her mind

"Not until I see him"