Chapter Nineteen
Duty and Honor
One could call it unethical to spy on your Hokage, but it truly hadn't been his intention. However, he did find the words that were being spoken….. quite interesting. The young man was not in the mood to wait as he had pressing information, but he had stumbled upon a priceless moment as his Hokage conversed… with herself.
"You have no right! She is my apprentice! She belongs here!" A voice spoke harshly, muted by the thick oak door.
"That's not going to work." An exact voice replied, irritation lacing her voice. "Things are too far gone for that. We have to regroup and-"
"My world is about to rip apart at the seams! Give me my apprentice or I will get her myself."
"We had reasons for doing this. Those reasons still stand. But, I have a suggestion that I think will please us both."
"I'm listening."
"Well,-" there was a remarked hesitation, and Itachi shifted closer to catch the conversation.
"What is it?" She asked suddenly, wondering why she had stopped.
"I have company. Come in, Uchiha."
Itachi, whom had never in his life been caught, stepped in as though he had not been shamelessly eavesdropping. He glanced around covertly, looking for the source of the second voice. He wondered if perhaps the second Hokage had somehow crossed over into this dimension, but there was only one chakra signature in the room. Itachi was sure of that much, as he would not have missed the sense of a second chakra. He stood stiffly and nodded in salute to the disgruntled woman before him.
"You seem to be looking for something," Tsunade said, her brow arched. Itachi didn't bother to hide that he indeed was looking for his Hokage's counterpart.
"In fact, I was. I believe I heard you talking to yourself."
Itachi smirked as Tsunade's eye twitched in irritation. His word choice had been very deliberate and provoked the much desired response. It was like telling Sasuke after he had spent hours in the bathroom gelling his hair that he looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. His younger brother was very protective of his doo.
"I should send you flying halfway across Konoha, boy. Such insolence!" the woman grunted, searching for a sake bottle, only to find none about. She sighed and glared at her chosen replacement.
"But you won't. I am your successor after all."
Tsunade frowned, puzzling Itachi. Normally, she would come back with some scathing retort but instead she trudged over to her desk and collapsed into it. She opened her drawer and finally found what she was looking for. The woman threw back a dredge of warm sake, closing her eyes against the sweetly tart flavor.
"What is going on?" Itachi demanded softly. The Hokage normally chose not to drink in his presence. In the past, he had made several comments about her unsightly habit that had resulted in her screeching at his forwardness and him snarking off more comments about her age. He was very good about getting under people's skin.
"What do you think is going on Itachi? I'm sure at this point you have some sort of guess. You wouldn't be one of my top ninja if you didn't, and I would be severely disappointed."
Everyone in the five great nations knew that for the exception of Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi was the top genius to ever emerge from Konoha. It took only moments for him to fit together the bit and pieces of information he'd gathered. He stared hard into the Hokage's eyes.
"You're behind the Sakura exchange."
"I am." Tsuande confirmed without a hint of remorse in her voice. Her eyes were steely as she caught the anger that stiffened his body. He said nothing, which was wise because he truly did not have enough proof to condemn her, and information was what he needed right now.
"Why?"
"I'll tell you why."
Itachi frowned as he heard the Hokage's voice while her lips had not moved. He knew she was no ventriloquist so he looked around the room closely to find the source of the eerily familiar voice. His gaze landed on a mirror where the Hokage had once been standing. Her reflection was still in the mirror, even though she was nowhere near it.
"What sort of jutsu is this?" Itachi asked as he approached the mirror slowly.
"One I stumbled onto quite accidentally. I would tell you the story but it's too long. Just know that it involves a bet, some sake, and a fire. You don't need to know anything more."
Itachi turned his head and glanced at his Hokage. Years of training kept his face blank but sometimes the woman surprised him. Their relationship during his time with her had been rocky at first. The woman had been pissed when told that she had no choice in her successor. He knew that she had already been grooming the Kyuubi into the next Hokage and that she had a strong fondness for the boy. He held no grudge against her for this, as he himself liked Naruto.
To put it simply, Tsunade hated Itachi. If he had been a lesser shinobi she would have killed him by now. However, his skill and abilities were unsurpassed, which was why he supposed that she had not protested as strongly against him.
Over time they had wormed their way into each other's affections. The bond wasn't tight because by general principle Uchiha Itachi didn't let that many people into his inner circle, but nevertheless Senju Tsunade was one of the few people he could honestly say knew him well and that he respected-even if she was an alcoholic in the making.
"Although it's against my better judgment to trust an Uchiha, are we going to tell him what's going on or what?"
The voice floated again from the mirror, drawing his attention once more. "Are you Sakura's Hokage?"
"I am boy, and believe me when I say that if you harm her in any way, I will gladly tear you limb from limb, heal you, tear you apart again and then leave you to rot in the mess I have made of that body your family seems to worship so much."
Itachi smirked. She was a bold woman, and that was something that wouldn't change no matter what dimension she was in.
Tsunade sighed. "I will tell him what's going on. Itachi, have a seat." Itachi didn't move. He stood quietly, allowing the women before him to see a stubborn streak that none but the Uchiha could claim. Embarrassed, Tsunade barked, "You will sit the hell down or I'll have ANBU remove you for insubordination!"
Itachi remained standing for a while longer, just to test her. He then sat gracefully, as if it had been his idea all along. Tsunade stared at his expectant form and sighed once more. She raised her hand and ran her fingers through her hair.
"You will not be the next Hokage."
Itachi froze. Of all the things he expected to come out of her mouth that was the last thing that came to mind. He had worked so hard for this village to maintain peaceful relations for everyone and she was telling him now it was all for nothing. Everything that he had worked for would be undone on a mere whim? He said nothing, though, deciding to let her say her peace before he replied to her words. "I am aware of the deal that you made with the council concerning the Uchiha rebellion. However, the council does not trust the Uchiha clan. Not even you, Itachi." Itachi's eyes narrowed into slits. This did not come as news to him. They were a rather untrusting lot. They didn't even trust the Hokage that sat before them-and they had picked her. "They'd prefer Naruto to being Hokage than you. They say that at least he is trustworthy."
"Are you implying that I am not?"
Tsunade paused, certain that for a second she heard a thread of hostility in Itachi's voice, but surely not. Uchiha Itachi never lost his cool. It wasn't his way.
"Of course not. Believe it or not I trust you, Itachi. You have proven to me that you are capable and wise enough to lead when I am finished, and while I prefer Naruto, I know you would make an exceptional Rokudaime."
"What does this have to do with anything?"
"I talked them out of keeping you from being the Hokage, but there was a price that came with it."
"What price?" Itachi asked cautiously.
"They wanted you to marry someone that they trusted. Someone whom they felt would put loyalty before love. Someone who would watch you thoroughly and warn them if ever you decided to turn against the village."
"Haruno." Itachi stated dully. Realizing that his whole relationship with Saku had been a farce concocted by the council was a hard pill to swallow, but as always he pushed back the anger and resentment, forcing himself to focus on his leader's words.
"Yes. I noticed a while back that you were intrigued by my apprentice. Do you think it was by chance that I couldn't find the marriage scroll on the day of Iruka's wedding?"
To this Itachi said nothing. "I admit that I had a part in manipulating Sakura in your direction. I am not sorry for it. It was a logical decision to me-a good one. Things between Sakura and your brother did not work out. I assumed she wanted someone a bit more…mature. Why not you? You're passably good looking. You come from a good family, although a bit crazy. Again I say why not?"
"Your interference is not appreciated."
"Maybe not, but you of all people should understand where I'm coming from. I made decisions to save the Uchiha clan-"
"Why didn't you talk to me about this farce?"
"It wasn't a farce Itachi. Saku knew nothing of this. She truly cared, no, cares about you. I just didn't realize that her heart lay with someone else. Had I known I never would have pushed the issue."
"So why switch them?"
"Well you, of course, now realize my situation. My alter, well she-"
"I can speak for myself." Tsunade's reflection interrupted, her voice strong and hard.
"Then perhaps you will tell me your reasons for putting us all in this situation." Itachi said, turning his head and looking over his shoulder at the mirror.
"Well, it started with a bet, some sake and-"
"A fire." Itachi finished hard pressed not to roll his eyes.
"No, actually it was a flood." Itachi looked at his Hokage who smiled at him smugly. "Anyway, my main concern is for my apprentice. The fact of the matter is that she was unhappy. She never showed it but anyone who knew her saw it clear as day except for Uchiha Sasuke. She fought for years to bring him home and when she finally did he made her miserable."
"Sakura cares for Sasuke."
"Yes, she does. More than she should. It's not like he actually deserves her affection. Sasuke is never happy. He wallows in misery and all he does is drag Naruto and Sakura down with him. They bend over backwards for him like his happiness is all that matters and in the process they neglect themselves. I wanted her to be happy."
"So you decided to take things into your own hands? Putting both our worlds at risk?" The disapproval was evident in every fiber of him. Tsunade had never seen Itachi display such emotion. Perhaps she should have kept this information to herself, but it was too late to look back. She would forge ahead and hope things worked out for the best.
"You can look at it that way. However, I have other concerns that are just as important. I uncovered an assassination attempt on Sakura just in time to save her."
"What are you talking about? Sakura never mentioned any attempt on her life."
"And she wouldn't because she knows nothing of it. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are under the impression that the council is about to be disbanded when Naruto becomes the Hokage. Such is not the case. Those bastards aren't going to relinquish their position even when they're rotting in their graves. How do you think Sasuke would react if he knew this?"
Itachi's eyes narrowed. It would be a nightmare that he couldn't possibly imagine.
"And Naruto and Sakura at this point would support him in everything he does. Especially since they now know what happened to the Uchiha Clan."
"What would be the purpose of killing Sakura?"
"Do you know what her death would do to Naruto? To Sasuke? The Uchiha is already close to being insane. Things are much different in our world. Your alter's actions in this world damaged our Sasuke in ways that I pray your Sasuke will never face. Sakura's murder would give him the push he needed, while as for Naruto… Well, they just want an excuse to lock him down because of the Kyuubi. Sakura's death would do just that."
"And what of Hatake?"
"Who do you think uncovered the plot in the first place? He brought it to my attention and from there I took things into my hands."
"So, in essence, what you're truly saying is that she really can't go back to your world."
"Sakura's place is here. We will protect our own."
"How do you propose to do such a thing? And what was the purpose of switching the women if there was an assassination attempt on one?"
"That's simple. Your Sakura is the stronger of the two. According to your Hokage she was trained not only by her but by you as well. A combination like that is damn near unbeatable."
"So she was your bait."
"I would not use such a term. It implies that she was helpless. My understanding is that the girl is far from being such. I had every intention of eventually explaining the situation to her but she was so devastated by the loss of you-" Itachi frowned, puzzled at her statement. An odd pang lanced through his heart at the words. "That I thought it would be best to wait a while until she got settled. At any rate, we figured that she would probably be happier here with our Kakashi but we…miscalculated. "
"How so?"
"We never expected her to want her own Kakashi back. Her desire threw a monkey wrench in our plans."
"And so?"
"And so here we are with two Sakuras in your world and none in mine. My world is crashing down around me and a solution needs to be found."
"Do you have a solution?" Itachi inquired of his Hokage.
"Actually, yes I do."
:::
:::
A short while later:
"Absolutely not."
"It's the best solution for both our worlds. You know it as well as I." Tsunade said.
"No."
"What reason could you possibly have for not doing this? Tell me, Itachi."
"It is too much to ask."
"You have devoted your whole life to this village. Isn't your desire to care for it's people and to protect it?"
"I will not."
"Look Uchiha-"
"I will not!" Tsunade stared at Itachi, stunned. It was the first time she had ever heard him raise his voice to anyone. He was always calm and controlled. The duo stared at each other quietly until Itachi turned and left the office. A soft click sounded, letting her know that he was gone.
"We will all die because of him."
Tsunade glanced at the mirror. "He will do what is right. Whenever he's backed into a corner he always comes out fighting. He will not fail us."
"I think your faith in him is misplaced. My Itachi killed his clan. They are essentially the same."
"They are no more the same than you and I are. He will come through."
"I want to talk to my apprentice. I have more faith in her than your Itachi."
To that Tsunade had no reply.
:::
:::
He was waiting for her outside the hospital, leaning in the entryway. For a split second he looked dangerous-so dangerous that she was once again reminded of the Itachi in her world. She was tempted for a brief second to run but he looked so delicious with his arms folded across his chest and a few strands of hair escaping his usual pony tail. He wore the black high collar Uchiha shirt with matching black pants. She had no idea as to how to approach him, yet her feet started moving of their own volition and stopped before him. It had been awhile since they had last spoken, and Sakura's body was having a field day with her hormones. She was sweaty and hot all at once, and as she neared him she slid her palms down the sides of her pants, hoping to dry them in case he wanted to hold hands—not that she was expecting that or anything!
He stared down at her and she could see a myriad of conflicting emotions running through his eyes. That itself was unusual. The only thing she normally saw when he looked at her was lust. She opened her mouth to question him about it, but he spoke first. His voice rushed over her like a cooling waterfall, filling her with a sweet joy and peace. She did not hear what he was saying as she basked in the dark chocolate that was his voice. It was a few seconds later when his words did penetrate her brain. He was not speaking in words of love, as he was an Uchiha, after all.
"You're living with Hatake." He said it in such a way that made it seem like they were shacking up or something. It immediately raised her hackles. The good will she felt after finally seeing him went up in a puff of smoke.
"Yes, I am." Sakura said, trying with little success to curb her attitude.
"It would be in your best interests if you moved." Sakura was a bit befuddled. He seemed to be in an unusual mood. It seemed like he was a ticking time bomb. If she said the wrong thing he would explode. What was going on?
Sakura calmly wiped out any trace of the hostility that she was currently feeling, which was a feat in itself because she was positively livid. "No."
"You will just make things harder with my clan if you are living with him."
"You need to tell your clan about me-about the fact that there are two of us. That should clear up a lot of issues." She hissed, wanting him to know that she didn't think of them as an item, just that she was an individual and not an extension of another woman.
"No. It will only make new ones."
Sakura sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "What does it matter? It's not like we're together anyway." She moved to step around him but he simply whirled around and placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her out of the hospital and away from the numerous whispers.
Itachi looked down at the woman with her chin upturned and saucy attitude and realized that she was upset and maybe a bit angry.
"You are upset."
"I'm not upset." Yet her actions belied her words when she rolled her eyes and stormed away from him. Itachi followed her with a light smirk on his lips. "Tell me why you are upset." He had an idea why and it was that idea that took away the edge of his anger about her current living arrangements.
Sakura paused and looked over her shoulder at him. "I am not upset."
"Do not insult my intelligence." Itachi snorted with a scoff of indignation.
"I could make all sorts of retorts to that but I won't because I'm a nice person." They reached the outside of Kakashi's apartment a little too quickly for Sakura's tastes, so that was when Sakura whirled around to face Itachi. Her hands were on her hips and her cheeks were flushed with anger. "Where have you been?"
Itachi kept his face neutral. It was just as he had expected. She had missed him. She thought of him when he wasn't around. "Keeping my promise."
"To whom?"
"To you."
Sakura froze. That wasn't the reply she expected to hear. In fact, she didn't know what she expected to hear, but for some reason her heart was fluttering wildly-even though she didn't know what promise he made to her. "What promise?"
"I told you that I'd help you figure out a way to stay here." Sakura thought she saw something flicker in his eyes. Some sort of unease or discomfort but the she was unable to focus on that thought because another quickly followed suit.
Sakura said, "That's right! Did Saku and Kakashi catch up to you? Did they tell you about the earthquake?"
"They did."
"And did you talk to shishou? What did she say?"
"I haven't spoken to her about this as of yet. She was in a meeting earlier. I will tell her about this later."
"How later? This is really important, Itachi." Sakura looked up at him worriedly.
"Later tonight, but we may already have a solution."
"A solution? Have you guys figured something out?"
"…Haruno did. She said she'd go back in your place."
"What?" Itachi raised a brow at her quizzically. "She can't do that! She has to work things out with Kaka-sensei!"
"…"
"Oh, don't give me that I-could–care-less-look. Do you know how hard she's taking this? I mean just hours ago that idiot was all over Kurenai like a cheap suit and Saku saw that. I mean why would he do that when he so obviously loves her? Are men born stupid or do they just become idiots once hormones take over?" Itachi didn't deign to answer that question but instead mulled over the piece of information that Sakura had just provided. Hatake and Kurenai? How…interesting. "Are you even listening to me?"
Itachi's brow raised once more as Sakura began tapping her foot in irritation. "Their relationship or lack thereof has nothing to do with me-or you for that matter."
"Do you honestly believe that?"
Itachi sighed. "It's not our business. I don't make it a habit of getting involved in other people's affairs."
"I can't let her just walk away like this."
"Why?"
"You know what, Itachi? I know you have issues with Saku and Kaka-sensei, but if I believe what you're saying and that you truly want to be with me then you wouldn't begrudge them their happiness."
"If they have their happiness then what about ours?"
"I thought you of all people understood what it meant to put someone else's happiness above yours."
"You're talking about the woman who left me for another man."
"In essence, didn't you leave her for another woman first? Or do your claims of wanting me actually mean nothing?"
Itachi was silent for maybe a second too long and Sakura began to doubt. She doubted that Itachi truly wanted her. But she wouldn't speak on it. Not yet. She was focused right now on her counterpart. She was worried about her. That came first.
"What does this have to do with anything?" Itachi asked the woman before him.
"You're being deliberately obtuse. We owe this to them. We can't let her leave without making her peace with Kaka-sensei."
"What makes you think she wants anything to do with him now?"
"You know what…maybe she doesn't…but if she truly loves him, she'll at least want his forgiveness for-"
"What do you expect me to do?"
"I don't know! Nothing really. I just…I know what's it's like to have your heart broken. I know what it feels like to have the love of your life turn their back on you. She deserves a chance to-"
Itachi placed his hands on her shoulders drawing her undivided attention. "I have spent my whole life taking care of and protecting others. Is it wrong for me to be selfish just once? To put aside duty and honor-" Itachi stopped. He closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them Sakura saw some sort of change. They were no longer talking about the same thing. He was staring at her intently, as if she had the answer to all the questions in the world and it made her nervous. She didn't have that type of knowledge and the fact that he was looking at her for such knowledge was unsettling. Instinctively, she knew something was going on that he wasn't telling her about. Something potentially big and she wanted to help him. She wanted to be there for him.
"What's going on?"
He immediately took a step back away from her. It was obvious what he was doing. She had experienced it so many times with Sasuke that she recognized the signs. He was withdrawing from her mentally as well as physically. "Nothing. Have a good evening." He made a move to leave but Sakura's hand darted out, grabbing hold of his shirt. She stared at the ground while her mind whirled with confusion that women were known to feel when her place in the life of the man that she cared about has not been confirmed.
Itachi looked down at her restraining hand and then back at her. "Who am I to you?" Sakura asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. He had been acting strangely since he had met her at the hospital and now he was trying to walk away. She had a feeling that he was trying to walk away for good.
"Your question is not clear."
"It's very clear. You're choosing not to understand it. Who am I to you?"
At first she thought he wasn't going to respond but he did and the answer she received was not what she thought to hear, nor what she wanted to hear.
"I don't know."
Sakura's hand dropped to her side in shock. He sighed softly, turned swiftly and walked away. Sakura watched him go, noting that not once did he look back in her direction. He kept walking away from her. A bitter smile formed upon her lips. She guessed it was her destiny to have Uchiha men walk away from her. Sasuke had done it, and now Itachi was doing it. There must be something wrong with her.
:::
:::
"What's wrong with you?"
Itachi cracked open an eye to see his little brother standing over him. "Your presence is not required here."
Sasuke looked down at his brother. This was Itachi's spot. The one where he went to think silently when something was weighing him down.
"You know, I'm not a little kid anymore, Itachi. Maybe I could help you if you'd act like a normal person and open up once in a while."
A smirk flickered across the elder Uchiha's lips but was gone as quickly as it came. Sasuke sat down on the ground next to his brother. It was with a disinterested look that Sasuke noted that the tree cushioning his brother's back was the oldest one in the entire Uchiha district. It had been here since the beginning of the clan. The silence stretched into eternity and Sasuke waited silently hoping that just once his brother would do what he had always done for him.
Let him be there.
"I am not going to pursue Haruno Sakura."
Sasuke blinked.
"That was completely random. Why not? I thought you wanted her-"
"I do."
"Then why the hell would you walk away from what you want? That's not like you."
"I was received some news earlier today."
"Did the clan-"
"This has nothing to do with the clan. Or maybe it has everything to do with the clan. Regardless it's irrelevant. Certain issues have come to light that if she is made aware of then she will be less than pleased with me pursuing her. She will feel used. I will not allow that."
"Have you even considered talking to her?"
"There is nothing to discuss."
"So, you're just going to walk away from her? Break her heart?"
"…"
"Did she ever tell you about her relationship with her Sasuke?"
"They were eventually going to marry."
"It's a bit more complicated than that, Itachi. Damn it, you stubborn ass! I told you, you need to get to know her. You can't go making decisions for her without talking to her first. She is not Saku. She is not me. She is not the clan."
"You forget your place little brother." The words were like an icy warning. Sasuke only growled and forged ahead.
"And it's about damn time that I did! So you're a fucking genius. That doesn't mean geniuses don't make mistakes. You're going to throw away potentially the best thing that ever happened to you-why? Because of 'certain issues'? Fuck those issues. For once-for once do what's best for you."
"You're too emotional Sasuke. You can't let sentiment rule your life."
Sasuke stared hard at his brother. Sometimes the bastard could be as dumb as Naruto. "Are you even listening to me?"
"I always listen to you, Sasuke."
"No, you always hear me Itachi. You don't necessarily listen."
Sasuke stood up. "If you won't listen then I'll go talk to Sakura. Maybe she can talk some sense in to you."
"Do not interfere with my affairs."
"Do you know how many times I could have said the same thing to you?"
"But you never did because you know my decisions are always for the best."
"I never said anything because you're my brother and you wanted to protect me. I understood that. Now I'm going to do the same thing." Sasuke said softly. Finally, he could return the favor his brother had been gifting him with since he was a baby. He stood and walked resolutely away.
A/N 2: Many thanks to BlueArticWolf for looking over this for me.