Akatsuki no Sakura

Rating: R for violence, sexual implications and strong language in later chapters

Category: Romace/Angst/Action

Pairings: SasuSaku, ItaSaku

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, blah blah blah. I pity you people who have to make sure we have these things, so my sympathies go out to you.

Chapter Eight: Revenge

Sakura opened her eyes to find herself in a hospital bed, with many itchy bandages wrapped about her. Sunlight was streaming in, and she groaned as it stung her eyes. Naruto's head shot up as he heard her.

"Hey guys! She's awake!"

Suddenly, Sakura found herself surrounded by her friends, all of them asking her how she felt at the time, what happened, who did it. Apparently Ino hadn't given them very much information at all, and Sakura couldn't really answer to the barrage of questions that was directed at her, until Sasuke held up his hand for silence.

"Sakura," he said, looking straight at her face. "Did Neji say anything to you? Or did he just attack?" There were suddenly little whispers of "Neji…?" here and there.

Sakura frowned. "He said he thought I was strong, since I had been able to defeat Hinata-chan and Kakashi-sensei. And he asked why I wasn't fighting back- but that was all, really."

"And why didn't you fight back?" Itachi's voice carried over from the corner, and his Sharingan eyes stared coldly at Sakura. The others in the room took the hint and left quickly, save Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura shrunk away from Itachi's icy glare.

"I-I was caught off guard, I fell asleep in the hall… he grabbed my wrist, that's what woke me up…" Itachi stood up and strode over to where Sakura lay, then roughly grabbed her wrist and examined it. "It looks just fine to me- nothing serious, the wrist should be able to heal on its own. So what exactly happened? That blonde wench only told the three of us that she found you with Neji advancing and ready to strike again." Sakura hung her head as she felt Naruto and Sasuke's intense, questioning stares. Sakura attempted to take a deep breath, only to find that it caused incredible pain to shoot through her chest. She winced slightly, gritting her teeth, and immediately controlled her breathing.

"I just fell asleep, and he yanked me up by my wrist and broke it…. he punched my stomach and broke a few ribs, and then he choked me… and he asked why I wasn't fighting back, if I was strong enough to beat Old Man Jiraiya and Tsunade-sama, and Hinata. I tried to talk to him, but he threw me against the wall… and then Ino-chan and Shikamaru came and got rid of him."

Sakura looked up to see Sasuke and Naruto shaking with rage, Sasuke's bright red Sharingan flared up, Naruto's eyes likewise had turned red. Itachi remained silent and still, but Sakura noticed his eyes were narrowed and he was in deep thought.

"Sakura…. I think that Hyuuga bastard deserves to be taught a lesson, don't you think so?" Naruto's voice shook slightly as he spoke, his fists clenched so tightly that Sakura could see the blood flowing from his hands as his nails dug into the flesh. Sasuke's face was twisted into a snarl.

"You know Naruto, I think you're right for once." Sakura opened her mouth to speak to them, but nothing came out.

"Heh.. Sasuke, whaddya say we go knock some sense into him the old-fashioned way?"Naruto grinned rather creepily, showing his elongated canines. Sakura's eyes widened a bit.

"N-Naruto, you're Hokage, can't you just arrest him or something?"Sakura managed to say, receiving smirks from both Sasuke and Naruto.

"Now now Sakura-chan, where would the fun be in that?"Naruto strode over to the window and and opened it roughly, leaping outside. Sasuke followed suit, glancing at Sakura with a look she didn't quite grasp before he leapt out after Naruto. Sakura grit her teeth and sat up quickly, letting out a sharp yelp as Itachi grabbed her and pushed her back down onto the bed.

"Don't even think about it. Besides, I'll make sure they don't get to him." Sakura smiled a bit, sighing slightly as she relaxed her body and closed her eyes. Itachi straightened up, grabbing his Akatsuki cloak and hastily putting it on as he made his way to the door. Glancing back at Sakura, he smirked slightly and made his way through the halls of the hospital. As he reached the main lobby, he got many frightened looks from the women there, but he ignored them and walked out the door.

Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't make it to Neji. Itachi wouldn't let them, because Sakura didn't want them to. However, he thought as he grinned darkly, there wouldn't be much of Neji left for them to get to.

He would make sure of that.