A/N: (Updated: March 10, 2021)

Hello my lovely readers,

Yes, today we have an update for I am not sure when I will be able to update the story next. My schedule is officially packed and I have very little time to do any creative writing — so hopefully there will be another update towards the end of the month. If not, it might have to be November. I am definitely curious about your responses to this chapter, so please leave a word.

LiluFaery87: I am happy that I surprised you with Itachi's arrival in the future. His "travel" was planned from the very beginning and the reason why — you'll read in this chapter. Always wonderful to read your reviews, so thank you for that!

Alright, let' dive in.

You know the drill.

This story is rated M for a reason — you have been warned.

Happy Reading ^^

Chapter 14. A Mother's Secret

For Itachi, the modern world was unlike anything he ever dreamed of. Niwamachi or as Sakura now called it Konoha had changed tremendously. There were no longer the traditional homes sectioned off by tall walls that made up individual compounds within the city. There were no longer the lively markets he was used to seeing on the road towards the palace. The palace was undergoing major reconstruction — apparently it nearly burned down to the ground a few years back, but people were eager to help rebuild it. The pathway had changed too. It was no longer made of simple gravel, instead it was made of a firm stone — he was not sure how it was made possible but, in the end, it did not bother him. There were no horses on the street anymore. Instead, according to Sakura in this time, they used horseless carriages of sorts that were powered by electricity — like lightning she said. There were many things in this time that he didn't understand. It was overwhelming, and he felt out of place.

Her home, however, was a different story. Her house — well, she called it an apartment — was a rather peculiar dwelling. There was a bathing room that sprayed water with the twist of a handle simply at will. Sakura's explanation was that the pipes in the walls forced the water out with pressure at the turn of the handle. He was quite fond of the shower, especially when she assisted him with the cleansing. While she prepared their lunch, he wandered around the rest of the place, eventually settling down onto her couch, intrigued by the heavy books scattered on her low table. He loved the familiar smell of sage and lavender that carried itself through her place. There were so many trinkets and gadgets and whatnots to make the living more comfortable and he wondered for a moment, how much she was giving up for a life in the past. Was it worth it? He knew that he was more than capable of providing for her — then again, she never needed it in the past. She was an independent woman, a masterful healer, and a loyal friend. And yet, now that their relationship blossomed into something much deeper, he wanted to remain by her side, never straying too far from her.

He never thought he would be able to see Sakura's world with his own eyes — he simply followed the sound of her voice, wanting to reach her, not caring about the consequences. To him, finding her was all he could think of. And when his eyes fell upon hers, nothing else mattered. The Uchiha fire that fanned through his entire being erupted once she was back in his arms. The touch of her skin against his, the taste of her lips, and the feel of her once they were one. The mere memory of their passionate reunion sent his blood rushing to his nether region. He never thought he would be capable to love so fiercely.

His Sakura, he smiled at the thought as he glanced at the rosette, taking in her soft features once again. How did they end up here? He was a skilled warrior, only thinking he'd meet his end at the battlefield, never wanting to create permanent bonds with a woman, not willing to risk making her a widow not finding himself capable enough to make her happy. And yet, here he was, completely taken by the pink-haired woman, willing to risk it all. He deduced that she was most definitely a thief — for stealing away the most guarded part of him.

And now, here they were sitting together in this large motorized contraption Sakura called a bus, heading outside of the city and towards the familiar hues of green. He was sitting by the window, his gaze taking in the sights that quickly breezed by them while Sakura tapped her fingers away on the small device in her hands next to him. She paused her movements, only to lean closer to Itachi to whisper.

"We're not far from Hisogawa. We should be there in twenty minutes."

He simply nodded and he turned his focus out the window once more. He knew this country. They were heading northeast from Niwamachi. He used to race with Shisui and Aoi through these forests when they were mere children. The thought of his home caused dread to settle in the pit of his stomach. His family was in danger, he needed to return to them, to prevent any further loss and to uncover the hidden enemy that started it all. He closed his eyes for a moment, to ease the budding storm within.

Earlier in the day.

Sakura was sitting behind him on the couch while he was seated on the soft carpet below. She was gently combing through his long black tresses while he flicked through the pages of the Konoha history book. Her soothing touch calmed him as she set down the comb and she used her fingertips to sweep the hair into a low ponytail.

"Is this all you were able to find about my time?" he asked as he read the section on the Uchiha Conflict.

"Yes, and I found that little excerpt by the Uchiha clan family tree about your supposed death at the Senju estate," she paused for a moment, gently leaning over him, embracing him from behind before she continued, "I tried to find the old scrolls but they're not easily accessible to people as they are seen as artefacts. They're held in this special building called a museum. They house historical items that have a significant meaning. It's meant to preserve them."

Itachi gently took her hand in his and brought it to lips, leaving a soft imprint upon her knuckles. Sakura smiled at the small gesture and she gently pulled away as he focused back to the text. He glanced over the legend of the missing Senju, before he flicked a few more pages ahead when he stopped, "hmm, interesting."

"What?"

Itachi's eyes remained on the text as he spoke, "Well, there's no mention of the Yamanaka clan past the introduction. That would suggest that they cease to exist much earlier than thought. And also, this point here, about Hyūga and Shimura is interesting."

He paused for a moment, standing up only to sit down onto the couch next to the rosette. He turned to face her as he continued to explain.

"The Hyūga are a noble clan like the Uchiha and the Senju. Our clans were considered to be the three noble clans of the land of fire even before joining Adachi's Niwamachi. However, the Shimura clan is fairly new. There is old Danzō, the clan leader and his wife Koharu and their two children. I met the daughter once; she was to be a match for Sasuke but her refused. What I find interesting is that there is almost no mention of the Shimura clan in this book or the fact that the compound in the city that they occupied once belonged to the Uchiha."

"Really?"

"Yes, I was born in that compound," Itachi confirmed and then he glanced over to the opened textbook resting on the coffee table, "So, out of all of the clans only three survived to this era?"

Sakura shook her head, "Well, there's only one Senju left really and she's the head of the hospital I work at. I studied under her for the last six years. She's a woman in her mid-sixties."

"That would mean that the Senju and the Uchiha manage to eradicate one another along with Namikaze, Nara, and Yamanaka, leaving only Hyūga and the Shimura clan intact," Itachi counted out the clans with his fingers as he was thinking out loud.

Then his hands formed into a fist as anger started to bubble within him. Gone was his precious self-control. They were all puppets. Someone hidden in the shadows has been slowly removing clan by clan from Niwamachi. Sakura looked at him, seeing the sudden change in him, putting the two and two together. How was it that the Hyūga and the Shimura were the only ones to survive the last three hundred years?

"Itachi... you don't think..."

"I think somebody has been playing a very dangerous game for a long time," Itachi voiced out.

Back to the present.

They disembarked from the metal contraption at the outskirts of Hisogawa village. Itachi waited patiently as Sakura tucked her cellular device into the leather bag that hung off her shoulder. He was wearing his clothes, feeling more comfortable in them than the modern clothing Sakura offered to purchase for him. Besides, they were not going to dally in this era much longer. They would enjoy this visit with Sakura's mother, then head back to pack up whatever they needed, and then they would head back to his era. The shrine was the key — he only hoped that it would let them pass once more. He needed to return. His family's future depended on it.

"I know you're angry Itachi," Sakura said, breaking their silence as they started to walk towards the village.

"I'm sorry Sakura. I'm just still putting it all together," Itachi replied.

"I understand. It won't be a long visit."

Itachi glanced over to her and shook his head.

"It's alright love. Take your time," he said.

Sakura smiled as she took his hand, interlacing their fingers as they walked down the path. He was not about to question the sudden hand-holding gesture when he himself was hoping for some sort of physical contact between them. He squeezed her hand in return, letting her know that it was alright, and the pair continued on.

"There's something else that has been on my mind," Itachi said suddenly.

Sakura glanced over at him and asked, "what is it?"

"If you come back with me, you know what that means for us," Itachi started as they walked off the sideroad that led towards the Sugihara farm.

"Yes, I understand. This is not just some passing fancy," Sakura replied.

Itachi came to a stop and he turned to face her. He needed to make sure she understood what would happen between had they returned together to the past. His world was much different than hers, and even though she witnessed some of it first-hand, when it came to romance, she was unaware of what would happen.

"I will introduce you as my intended. You will become my wife. You will become an Uchiha. I ask you now, are you ready for that?" Itachi asked calmly.

"Are you? As far as I remember, you were the one who did not wish to marry," Sakura replied, crossing her arms across her chest.

He knew that she was not taking him seriously. This was still something fairly new between and to jump into marriage — that was a big leap.

"I believe I told you once before. If I ever married willingly, it would be out of love," Itachi countered.

"Itachi, let's just take it one day at a time," Sakura said.

"In my era we won't have that luxury. You and I, we won't be able to be this close to one another, unless we are married. And I refuse for you to be slandered. You know my era is not kind to women," Itachi explained, trying to get her to see his reasons.

"You wish to protect me," she replied.

"Of course, I do. So, I ask again, are you willing to bind yourself to me in such a manner? As my wife?" Itachi asked once more, as he lifted his hand towards her hair, gently tucking the stray soft pink tresses behind her ear.

His hand then settled on her cheek, gently cupping it as his thumb caressed her soft skin. Sakura leaned into his touch and smiled as she gave him an answer.

"Yes, I am. It should feel to me like we're rushing but I don't feel that way. I love you and like you said, your era is different, and this is common, getting married even before the couples know each other and I … I am okay with it. I just don't want to disappear from you again. I can't go through that uncertainty again."

Itachi then pulled the young rosette into his arms, feeling a wave of relief wash over him at her acceptance. He pressed a soft kiss onto her right temple and then he leaned down to her ear nearly whispering sweet words.

"Our hearts are tied Sakura. We will always find our way to each other."

Sakura bit her lip nervously as she buzzed the doorbell and they waited patiently for her mother to come to the door. This was the first time she was bringing a man to introduce to her parent. How would she introduce him? As her boyfriend? Her fiancée? Her intended? How would her mother even react to such a news bomb? "Hello, mother, remember how weeks ago I was in the hospital? Well, it's a really fun story. You see I traveled three hundred years into the past and long story short I fell in love with this tall dark handsome warrior." She shook her head and took a deep breath as the front door opened.

The blonde woman was stunned to see her daughter. She was wearing a mint green apron around her waist and in her hands, she was holding a pair of brown gardening gloves. Clearly Mebuki was hands deep in work and not expecting company. However, at the sight of her only daughter, she smiled wide, happy to have her home.

"Sakura? Why didn't you call I would have sent Kakashi to pick you up," Mebuki said and then she pulled the pinkette into her arms for a hug.

Sakura happily returned the embrace and then pulled away saying, "mama, it's okay I wanted to take the bus ride."

"Who's this?" Mebuki inquired as she looked over the tall handsome man standing beside her daughter.

Sakura smiled as she glanced at Itachi, and then — as if it was the easiest thing she ever had to say — she said," Mama, this is Uchiha Itachi. He's my love."

Mebuki's eyes widened — as if the term love had a different meaning between the women — and then she nodded. Itachi then bowed respectfully towards Mebuki and as he straightened once more, he said," it's very nice to meet you Sugihara-san."

"Nice to meet you too Uchiha-san. Please do come in," Mebuki opened her home to him.

They ventured farther into the lovely home, making their way down the narrow hallway and towards the living room. From the kitchen suddenly a silver-haired man emerged holding a large wrench in his hand.

"Hey Mebuki, do you have a slightly smaller wrench?" then his eyes fell towards the visitors," oh hey Sakura-chan, oh and you brought a guest. Nice to meet you. I'm Hatake Kakashi, good friend of the Haruno family and Sakura's former sensei," Kakashi introduced himself as he extended his hand to shake with the man.

Itachi looked at the hand but then offered him his in an equal shake," Nice to meet you. I'm Uchiha Itachi."

"Itachi is my boyfriend. Be nice to him," Sakura quickly added as the silver-haired man was looking him over.

"How come you haven't mentioned him before? You're full of secrets Sakura-chan tsk tsk," Kakashi teased, but when Sakura's face contorted in annoyance, the silver-haired man added quickly, "Well I have work to do. I promised Mebuki I'd fix that leak in the greenhouse. I'll talk to you guys later."

Sakura waved to him and then she pulled Itachi towards the living room happily. Mebuki let them walk past her, her eyes falling onto the red uchiwa fan that decorated Itachi's back. For her, it seemed like the world came to a stop. She took a deep breath, her eyes staring at the uchiwa fan until Itachi settled down onto the couch. Then she followed, taking a seat on the armchair across from the couch.

"That haori of yours… I have seen something similar before," Mebuki commented.

"Mama, you probably saw the same haori in my apartment," Sakura offered an explanation as she sat down next to Itachi on the couch.

Mebuki shook her head," No it's not that."

Then she had taken a deep breath, taking her time before she continued.

"We were supposed to tell you together when you turned eighteen but when Kizashi died I decided not to. I was scared that if I did, I would lose you too. But it seems fate thinks different," Mebuki said as she pointed to the uchiwa fan resting on Itachi's back.

"Mama, what do you mean?"

"I have to show you something. Stay here," Mebuki said, and she moved away from the couch and disappeared down the hall.

Sakura glanced over at Itachi, unsure what to expect or what was even happening at the moment. Her mother was acting strange — well stranger than usual. It did not take long for the blonde-haired woman to return. In her arms she carried what seemed like a folded navy-blue fabric. When she came closer, the details became clearer — it was a regal-looking haori.

"Impossible," Itachi said breathlessly as his eyes fell onto the folded haori.

He reached for it, spreading it out to see all the intricate details of it. It was the familiar hue of dark blue, decorated with heavy swirls of gold along the shoulders and the sleeves. He flipped to the haori's backside, revealing a large golden uchiwa fan. His fingers touched the symbol of his clan.

"Mama, where did you get this?" Sakura broke the silence.

"You see, your father and I we prayed for so long to be blessed with a child, but we couldn't conceive. We tried everything from modern medicine to my herbal concoctions, but nothing worked. Then as if by a miracle, about twenty years ago, Kizashi was the trauma surgeon on duty in the ER at the hospital, when a little girl was brought in. This little girl was about two years old. They found her in the old Kanon shrine unconscious, wrapped up tightly in this haori. You see the girl's clothing was torn and bloodied. She had suffered an injury to her head right here," Mebuki pointed to her the right side of her own forehead and then she continued, "eventually the little girl recovered and she was able to find a good home. Honey, that little girl is you," Mebuki concluded and she reached over to touch her daughter's hand.

Sakura retracted her hand from her mother's reach, overwhelmed with the revelation. Her cheeks were stained with fresh tears and her breathing rapidly increased as she attempted to digest what she just learned. She turned to look at Itachi, who listened to the whole story intently and was in just as much an awe as she. But seeing her distressed state, he gently wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into his chest. Sakura immediately wrapped her arms around him as she started to sob against his haori. Mebuki decided to give them a moment, seeing that her daughter sought comfort from someone else.

"I'll go make us some tea," Mebuki said quietly, and she stood making her way towards the kitchen as Sakura clung onto the raven-haired man next to her.

"…found me… at… the shrine…" Sakura managed to utter amidst her tears.

"It's alright," he soothed.

She lifted her head from his chest to look him in the eyes.

"I'm… I'm… I'm a Senju!" Sakura cried out.

Itachi gently brought his hands to her face, wiping away the fallen tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. Sakura's eyes fixated on his and she spoke with almost a whisper," do you hate me now?"

"Don't be foolish," Itachi replied, his hands still cupping her face.

"You must hate me. I'm the reason your family has suffered so much," Sakura said as more tears slid down towards his thumbs.

"You were but a pawn in someone else's sick and twisted game. If it weren't you then it would have been something else to stir the pot between the clans. I do not blame you. You were only two years old Sakura. I don't care that you are a Senju. I love you, and I will never let you go. I promise you," he said and then his lips were upon hers, as if to cement the promise he just gave her.

Sakura returned the soft kiss and then once they pulled away from one another she exhaled deeply. As Sakura calmed down, slowly coming to terms with her mother's secret and her own actual identity, Itachi turned back towards the regal haori.

"This haori belonged to my uncle," Itachi said suddenly as he picked up the haori from the coffee table.

"Izuna?" Sakura asked.

"No, this haori belongs to the head of the Uchiha clan. It was Madara's," Itachi explained.

"What? That doesn't make any sense. Wasn't Izuna blamed for …my disappearance?"

"Yes, but this changes things. We will look into it once we go back. For now, we'll take it back where it belongs," Itachi said as he folded up the haori.

Sakura nodded and she stood," I ... I am going to talk with my mother. She meant well."

"I understand. It's alright, take your time. We'll figure out the rest later," Itachi nodded," I'll take a look around the farm and give you a moment to yourselves."

Sakura made her way out of the house and towards her mother's garden. The older woman was crouched down to the earth, meticulously trimming herbs and placing them into the wicker basket next to her. Mebuki glanced up to see her pink-haired daughter approach her, so she slowly stood up to face her daughter. Would she reject her? Did she hate her for keeping such a large secret for so long? Has she lost her only child forever? When the rosette reached the blonde woman, she readied to say something only for Mebuki to speak first.

"You called him your love."

"I did," Sakura nodded.

Mebuki smiled at that and then said, "Just like I used to call Kizashi. You have my blessing if you still want it. That Itachi, he seems like a good man."

"He is. He really is," Sakura agreed and then she started," Mama I..."

"I'm sorry I have kept that from you for so long," Mebuki interrupted.

"It's okay, I understand, and I forgive you," Sakura said with ease.

Then the rosette wrapped her arms around the woman she called mother, not caring about the dirt on Mebuki's appearance. Mebuki wrapped her arms just as tight around her, feeling thankful that she was no longer weighed down by the heavy family secret and that her daughter still accepted her.

"No matter where the wind will take you, you are my daughter and I will always love you," Mebuki said as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I love you too. You will always be my mother. Always."

In the middle of the night.

"Tell me what to expect once we return," Sakura asked as she tightened the straps on her heavy backpack as they walked out of her apartment and headed down the stairs.

"I told you about my father. He is slowly losing himself. The elders think him to be mad. Sasuke is different, much more hot-headed than you remember. Satsuki has taken it upon herself to take care of your house until you returned while helping Kazuo and Hikari run the infirmary. What worries me is the impending meeting with the Adachi council. It will be an unpredictable situation," Itachi said as they made their way onto the street.

"I'll be there with you," Sakura replied.

Itachi shook his head, "No, I will not risk your safety."

"I will be there with you. If we are to be together, you have to treat me as an equal," Sakura argued.

"Sakura, I cannot lose you," Itachi said softly.

"You won't," Sakura reaffirmed, and the pair entered the shrine's grounds.

Both of them carried a heavy backpack filled with all sorts of things ranging from books, personal products, medical supplies and more. Sakura managed to pack most of the medical supplies she had lying around the house, plus the extra amount she purchased at the local pharmacy on the way back from her mother's farm.

They walked up the steps up to the shrine and they both collected the incense at the door and stepped forth towards Kanon's altar. They each lit the incense and buried its end into the sand.

"Thank you for saving my life and bringing me here to be raised and loved by such wonderful people. Thank you for reuniting me with the love of my life. I ask of you this last thing. Let us go home, we are ready to face our destiny together," Sakura offered.

A swell of the autumn wind enveloped them, as if it began to push them out of the shrine and towards the torrii-laid path. Sakura immediately grabbed a tight hold of Itachi's hand, and he returned the squeeze, not willing to part with her. As they stood at the edge of the shrine, they watched as the fallen leaves danced with the wind, guiding them towards the gates. Together, they descended down the steps of the shrine and made their way towards home.