Summary: She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.
Pairings: Sasuke/Sakura
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.
Past Peripheral Vision
Chapter Fifteen – Kaleidoscope
Hazy eyes looked up at the female who was standing, taking in deep breaths. Her right hand clutched her painful left arm, muscle pain over anything else. She had to admit, she was getting better at her Tai Jutsu and Nin Jutsu and her Gen Jutsu was improving very well. It had been two weeks since they had both left Konoha to train. They had two weeks left. During the first week, all she was doing was basic Gen Jutsu and sparring. The week before as well as the current week, she was progressing to more complex Gen Jutsu, though these weren't unfamiliar to her, in preparation for the last week. During that one week, she had been promised an entirely different Gen Jutsu would be taught to her and the shortest time it took to master that single jutsu was a week. They expected her to master that single jutsu in a week when even the most gifted Gen Jutsu users took at least two. The Jounin Yuuhi Kurenai was different because she took half the time.
"Sakura, stay here and heal your wounds," instructed Aya as Sakura fell down to the ground, beads of sweat rolling down against her face. The pink haired Chuunin barely managed to nod, her mind teetering between the fine line of conscious and unconscious. "I'll go to the river and catch some fish for our dinner. I'm sure you'll be back to your old self in a few minutes. There are very few people who'd want to attack you all the way out here but just the same, be careful," said Aya, a wistful look in her eyes. Again, the Chuunin barely managed to nod her head. It was hard enough to even keep her head from falling down and succumbing to the land of unconscious as this rate. "I'll be back in a couple of hours or so," informed Aya as she faced the direction of the river, "Meanwhile, again, you just stay here and rest but remain alert." With that, the Jounin moved forward, vanishing as if she was never there.
"Haah," murmured Sakura tiredly as she fell back against the trunk of the tree. Luckily, she had collapsed in front of one. Slumping down, Sakura felt exhaustion seize her. Gathering all her strength, Sakura picked out a solder pill and popped it in her mouth, chewing the concentrated food ration slowly. "I never expected it to be this tiring," she murmured to herself, her eyelids closing. She hadn't been wearing her hitai-ate as of late, considering Gen Jutsu required ultimate and utmost concentration, especially on the whereabouts and position of her opponent and some of them were Dou Jutsu. With the hitai-ate, she was at a disadvantage. A slow thrum of power surged through her veins, color returning to her paling skin. Opening her eyelids, she put her hands together and began to perform a series of hand seals, a series she had been using quite often recently. "Chiyute no Jutsu," she mumbled tiredly before starting to run her chakra-covered hand over her wounds.
Jumping from tree to tree, a lone figure moved silently against the green foliage. His dark colored cloak was a stark comparison against the bright green of the leaves but it didn't matter to him. He was strong enough to defeat an entire platoon of ANBU, possibly even three or four, all on his own. He was notorious for his most famous murder, more like an almost genocide of an entire prestigious line than a carefully planned murder really. His piercing gaze looked down every once in a while, as if looking for something. Stopping on a sturdy limb, he began looking around. He had heard rumors that there were two Konohagakure no Sato kunoichi training nearby, one a Jounin and the other a Chuunin. If that was the Chuunin he was thinking about, then he was most definitely interested in seeing her. Finally, he spotted a lone kunoichi, sitting down near the root of a large oak tree, healing wounds she had incurred in a spar. A light smirk graced his features as he moved towards the girl. "Found you," he whispered to himself, the blowing wind masking his voice.
The figure remained stationary, sitting down on the branch he was standing on. His feet swung gently as he continued watching her. His gaze remained at her in rapt fascination, watching her every move. He had no specialty in the medicinal arts, nor did he have any inclination. He had always found some sort of morbid comfort in slaying, taking the life of anyone who had dared to go against him. His thoughts drifted to his past for a few moments, reminding himself of his roots, of the roots of the kunoichi that lay before him, the roots of the one who would inevitably face him in their final match one day. That same man was, like he, fascinated with the pink haired kunoichi but would never act out upon his feelings, at least not openly. What had happened nine years ago had stunted his emotional growth. Standing up, he noticed that the kunoichi had finished healing herself and was just resting against the oak tree, although still keeping an eye out for anyone who might attack. Jumping down, he made his presence clear and known.
"Hello, Sakura-san," said the male with a casual wave. His voice was hardly any different from a lazy drawl. Sakura's heart thumped loudly as she froze. Panic and fear were written all over her face as she continued to stare at him. She was at an obvious disadvantage. She had just come from a sparring session with a gifted Konoha Jounin and was still deathly tired. He had fresh and raw energy to spare and his eyes were hauntingly red. His eyes were not the Sharingan she was used to seeing. "Magenkyou Sharingan or the Kaleidoscope Sharingan as some people call it. One who has the Sharingan can obtain it by killing their most important friend," explained the male with an extremely calm demeanor.
"And you killed your best friend for this power, I suppose, Itachi?" asked Sakura, her voice growing cold. Her spine stiffened. She didn't need to know more about the deaths that the Uchiha prodigy before her delivered. She had already heard about the Uchiha Massacre and knew that he was the one behind it. She didn't want the terrifying nightmares that came along with the knowledge to come to her as they did for Sasuke. She would have broken at least a thousand times if she were in Sasuke's place that evening nine years ago. "What are you doing here, Itachi? I suppose to kill me although why you would, I wouldn't know. What value am I to those of you in the Akatsuki?" she asked bitterly, turning her head away from the S-Class Missing Nin of Konoha. Stories she heard from various sources said that even Orochimaru was afraid of this man. Rumors they may be but being in the intimidating presence of the other Uchiha made them seem to be true.
"If I were on Akatsuki business, Sakura-san, Kisame would be with me," said Itachi calmly, not even daring to take out a weapon or at least think of some sort of plan in case the kunoichi would attack, "And you seem to be incapable of attacking me, for now." A bitter laugh escaped Sakura's lips as she bent her head down, her rosette colored tresses blocking her eyes. "And even if he were to catch up to me by now, I would have ignored formalities, killed you or abducted you, depending on my orders and would have started moving back to the Akatsuki Headquarters, don't you think, Sakura-san?" murmured Itachi calmly as he looked down at her. Another chill ran through Sakura's spine. "I don't think I'm the type of person who dawdles around before completing what I was set out to do and I'm sure you know that very well, Sakura-san," added Itachi, a somewhat thoughtful tone to his voice.
In Konoha
Onyx eyes widened at his hand. The chopsticks broke under sheer pressure. Why he had been applying pressure to them in the first place, he didn't know. "Oi, Sasuke-teme, surely you don't expect to continue eating your ramen with a broken pair of chopsticks," said Naruto with a dulled voice, his ocean blue eyes staring at the broken wooden pieces in Sasuke's hand. The splinters stuck out painfully and luckily, the Uchiha remained unhurt, save for a small wound on his palm that would scab soon enough. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke set the broken chopsticks down and picked out another pair. Breaking it apart, Sasuke continued to eat his ramen. "It's the start of the third week of Sakura-chan's training," murmured Naruto quietly as he swirled his chopsticks in the soup of his own ramen, "I think she'll be okay. What do you think, Sasuke-teme?" Picking out some noodles from his bowl, Naruto slurped it down in a mere second.
"Don't really care. It's her training so why should I pay attention? I'll just be either disappointed or surprised next time she gets the chance to show her skills," muttered Sasuke idly. Deep in his mind, he had a bad feeling. Whenever he broke chopsticks, it was a sign that Itachi was near someone he knew very well and preferred not to die. Looking down at his bowl, Sasuke saw his reflection on the misty miso. Slowly, the ripples affected the image and morphed it into that of Itachi. For a moment, Sasuke's heart stopped and his gaze grew colder. For a minute there, he swore he saw the face of his brother. Shaking his head, he got some more of the ramen and continued eating. Feeling Naruto's inquisitive gaze focused on him, Sasuke shot him a withering look before speaking. "Mind your own business, dobe," he hissed before concentrating once more on his food.
"Isn't it far too late to be grumpy, Sasuke?" commented Kakashi idly, appearing behind Sasuke. The Uchiha was used to this, being under the tutelage of the lazy and perennially late Jounin ever since he came back to the village. Naruto still wasn't used to it and began shouting at Kakashi. "Sorry about that, Naruto," said Kakashi apologetically, a somewhat smile rising from beneath his mask. Naruto let it slide by for the umpteenth time since he had been put under Kakashi's training while Jiraiya was gone. "Two weeks left," mumbled Kakashi idly, pocketing his hands as he waited for the two boys to finish their ramen, "I wonder what Tsunade-sama is making her do out there."
"What, worried?" asked Sasuke as he stood up, leaving the second pair of chopsticks in the bowl. A few bills were left on the table for his food. Kakashi shrugged carelessly as Sasuke moved out of the stall and began making his way towards the training ground. Naruto, realizing that Sasuke was already finished, gulped down what remained of his seventh bowl, paid the money and began chasing after Sasuke, shouting. He was shouting something about Sasuke being unfair, leaving him to finish while the Uchiha prodigy would have more time to train and get stronger. Slowly, Kakashi moved his feet and began walking towards them. A wistful smile graced his face as he remembered the past. Naruto and Sasuke were bickering again, like they always did. The only one missing from the picture was Sakura, the one who tried to calm them both down. He, as their Jounin instructor, watched them with amusement and regret. His reason for amusement was obvious. His reason for regret was because when he was younger, he had never really experienced true friendship until the very end.
"When you both get to the field, start running fifty laps around the obstacle course I set up!" shouted Kakashi, using his hands as a megaphone. Naruto stopped and turned around, pointing an accusing finger at the Jounin. Sasuke merely snorted before continuing on towards their training ground. "What? Me? Want you both to suffer? What a preposterous idea Naruto!" said Kakashi, mock surprise written all over his face. In the minds of both Chuunin, they bitterly agreed that it was simply Kakashi to make them both suffer. "Anyway, since you both seem so energetic today after that ramen, why don't you both run to the training ground and start the minute you arrive! If you're not there in two minutes, that's an extra fifty laps around the obstacle course," said Kakashi, a somewhat sadistic smile on his face, "I'll be waiting." In a flurry of leaves, he was gone, their go signal. With a hefty groan from both boys, they began dashing towards the place that would take at least five minutes to get to.
With Sakura and Itachi
Within all that time, all Sakura did was stare up at Itachi, her right hand curled around a handle of a kunai that she had drawn out. All Itachi was doing was smiling simply down at the kunoichi, his hands free of any weapons. Sakura constantly shivered at the cold that emanated from the simple smile of the older Uchiha. Though he was only twenty-one, he looked far older than he really did. Sakura had the urge to blurt out and ask why he emanated a feeling of being older but restrained herself. Another smile appeared on Itachi's face as he watched Sakura battling with her own curiosity and her honor as a Konohagakure kunoichi. A laughing sound escaped his lips but to Sakura, it felt like her death was even closer to her than ever before. She could feel the coldness it wrought in the air around her. She could feel the terror it represented in the man before her. "What's so funny?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.
"It's nothing," said Itachi, the minute his laughter had subsided, "It's just that you remind me of my foolish little brother, the one who can never understand how important the things are in front of him." Sakura's eyes reflected her doubt but accepted his explanation anyway. "You seem to doubt me, Sakura-san," said Itachi, the scarlet of his eyes darkening slightly, as if receding to its normal onyx hue. Stretching out his hand, Itachi trapped a passing butterfly. "Let me explain," he said as he opened up his palm, the butterfly remaining in its position. Sakura watched, fear and doubt still in her eyes. "You remind me of my foolish brother because he had always overlooked the importance of family, only to realize it when I killed them all. You seem to not realize how important you are to him, keeping him sane while he continues to tread into more unfamiliar ground each and every day. How do I know this? Simple. I'm his older brother." With that, he crushed the butterfly in his hands, sending it to its doom. "Like this butterfly never realized that life is so beautiful until it felt my fingers crushing down on it."
"You're the epitome of the devil himself," hissed Sakura, her fingers curling even tighter around the knife in her hand. Itachi simply brushed the insult aside, silently bidding Sakura to continue. "You kill your family to what, measure your strength! Sasuke-kun never expected you of all people to do that! He would have grown up a very different person if he found out you were as shocked as he was to find your family dead in your own home! He wouldn't have had to go through all this torment if you didn't kill them!" she shouted, tears brimming and one stray tear falling gently down her face. She heard his reply, 'Would you have loved him anyway if he grew up to be an entirely different person?'. Her heart stopped. She never thought about that. She had always been thinking of how she loved the Sasuke of now, never the possibility of having a different Sasuke. Sasuke-kun is Sasuke-kun! No one can change that, even if the circumstances are different! "Yes, yes I would," she murmured weakly, her tears falling freely. Another smile graced Itachi's face as he leaned down in front of her. Cupping her chin, he forced her to face him.
"A woman worthy to assume the title as Uchiha Matriarch," he murmured, his warm breath dancing across her skin. Sakura found herself blushing as Itachi held her in that position. For a few seconds, his Sharingan whirled wildly, as if about to activate a technique. "I wonder if I killed my younger brother and took you for myself," thought Itachi out loud, the scarlet in his eyes darkening even further. The intensity of Sakura's fear and panic grew even stronger. Another laugh escaped Sakura's lips. "That will probably never happen anyway. I fear your love for him is far too strong that if he dies, you'll kill yourself," he murmured absently, "It's too bad though. A flower's beauty is best seen in the light, not in darkness." Sakura's tears continued to spill. Noticing the stickiness from the salty liquid, a somewhat genuine smile found its way to Itachi's face. "There there, Sakura-san," he murmured as he drew her face nearer to his, "There's nothing to worry about." In an instant, he let go and kissed her. It was nothing passionate nor was it sweet. It was just a meeting of lips. "Think of it as a thank you gift, for keeping my brother alive until now, while he has yet to serve his purpose," said Itachi before vanishing in a flurry of leaves.
"Sakura, I'm back!" shouted Aya, a basket filled with fish in one hand, "Who was the one you were talking to? I heard voices." Focusing on Sakura, Aya noticed that the pink haired Chuunin was shivering. Setting the basket down, the Jounin began walking slowly towards her. "Hey, Sakura, are you alright?" asked Aya worriedly, wrapping an arm around the shivering girl. Sakura's hands were covering her ears as she continued mumbling a string of words. Fear began growing in Aya's heart as she began to recognize the symptoms. Sakura couldn't hear anything she was saying. Sakura was mumbling things about the Uchiha Massacre, as if she knew every single detail when no one outside of the two remaining Uchiha knew about. Her physical shell was here yet her mind wasn't. "Itachi!" she said urgently, rising as she drew out a kunai. She couldn't sense what direction he was coming from but she knew he was there. "Uchiha Itachi, show yourself!" shouted Aya, her amethyst eyes looking everywhere for her.
"Aya-san, please take good care of Sakura-san," said Itachi, looking down at the Jounin. Aya's eyes, wild with anger and determination, looked up to see the still calm Itachi. "And with your assumptions, yes, she's being affected by my Tsukiyomi," informed Itachi, proving the Jounin's fears correct, "It'll take her the rest of the week to get better. It wasn't so harsh that she'd be incapable of completing your goal for this training mission, Aya-san. So, again, please take care of her. She has to continue serving her purpose for my foolish brother until he can serve his purpose for me." With that, he cancelled the effects of the Tsukiyomi. A loud scream escaped from Sakura before she collapsed, unconscious. With all the strength she could muster, Aya shot Itachi a withering glare before rushing to Sakura's side. "Please do take care of her or you will feel my wrath, Aya-san. All of Konoha will," he murmured before completely vanishing from the surrounding area.
Tsuzuku…
And hey, what do you know, I'm on time!
I'm assuming you guys are all… ZOMGWTFJUSTHAPPENED! at the end and well, guess what, I am too! I don't know why it ended up like that but it just did.
And, obviously, for all those who stated in their reviews that Itachi was appearing, here's a cookie for getting it right! hands out cookies
Now, here's something you should definitely read.
As my exams are coming in three weeks and my parents are constantly looming over my shoulders to check on what I'm doing… I will be on hiatus for the next three weeks so I can concentrate on my exams. I'm terribly sorry about this but I really need to pass. I just took time off to finish this incredibly important chapter which you were all waiting for.
On a brighter side, guess which fanfic recently hit three hundred reviews? This one! Thank you to all who reviewed and helped in making me feel that writing this is worth it! Just twelve more chapters to go for this arc, a couple of weeks in thinking mode than off to PPV:AT!
So stay tuned for the next chapter which will hopefully come after my tests!
Next Chapter: Chapter Sixteen – Shitsukentou no Jutsu
Chapter Preview: "Listen to me carefully, Sakura," spoke Aya as she began to lecture the younger female. Sakura nodded, fresh energy thrumming through her veins. "This week, you'll be learning a complex Gen Jutsu very few Jounin know. The Godaime-sama herself told me to teach it to you so listen up. This Jutsu is called Shitsukentou no Jutsu. As the name itself states, it's a disorientation technique. The hand seals for this Jutsu are: Hebi, Uma, Usagi, Ryu," explained Aya, displaying the hand seals to Sakura without actually gathering chakra for it. The Chuunin nodded, performing the seals herself after Aya had shown it to her. "This Jutsu is a Dou Jutsu which numbs your opponent's sense of direction. It numbs your opponent's sense of direction in the sense that he or she cannot tell which direction the attack is coming from. If it's coming from the left, it'll be felt from the right. If it's from above, it'll be felt from below."