*Sakura Age 16, Itachi 21*
It was strange how the passage of time affected everything. Human beings, the most. It affected everything about a person. Their appearance, their thoughts, emotions, memories, even down to the simplest nuances of their personalities.
It's been two years since Itachi's run in with the Akatsuki on that ill-fated mission and his subsequent rescue by Team Kakashi. Two years in which he'd watched over his brother's team, partly by Tsunade's orders and partly by his own fears that that the organization might strike to either take Naruto for the Tailed Beast contained inside him, or Sakura for her singular abilities. Sure, Tsunade possessed the same abilities, but she was much older than Sakura and even though she'd never admit it, she was also getting weaker with age. She couldn't keep up with her apprentice now, nor would she be of any real interest to Akatsuki, except of course, for her knowledge. There were still a great many things all of them could learn from the two remaining Sannin.
The Akatsuki had made a nuisance of themselves since. Just under a year ago Itachi had been sent with Team Kakashi to rescue the Kazekage from them. That had been an interesting mission. Working with his brother's team wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination. All four of them were headstrong, stubborn and downright insufferable at times. They could try the patience of a saint.
The only one who was mostly pleasant of the bunch was Sakura. That was when she wasn't in a screaming match with Sasuke or beating up Naruto-kun. Itachi had no idea his little brother could be so loud. Not to mention foul-mouthed. When left unprovoked by her teammates' idiocy Sakura was amiable, though maybe not the best company, since she mostly talked with Kakashi. Or, one could say at Kakashi half the time, since the man couldn't be bothered to listen to everything she was saying.
Later, he'd find out that Kakashi did listen to everything, just didn't bother commenting. Not that Sakura seemed to mind. Probably used to the taciturn man, and comfortable in the knowledge that he did listen and would say something if he needed to.
Naruto-kun on the other hand didn't take their team leader's silence as graciously. He badgered and pestered and made an annoyance of himself until either Kakashi answered, which didn't happen often, or Sakura lost what little patience she had and clobbered him, which happened a lot. How the boy didn't learn from his mistakes, Itachi didn't understand.
Sasuke communicated with 'hns' and 'ahns' which wasn't much better than Naruto's relentless pestering. You did not answer your direct superior with a 'hnh' when given an order. This, he could tell, irked Sakura as well, if all the teeth grinding was any indication. Kakashi took it in stride. But then again, Kakashi took everything in stride. Itachi had never met a more unflappable individual than the Copy Ninja. If the man wasn't a reputed genius and well known and feared for his prowess on the battlefield, with or without the Sharingan, Itachi would have thought him a fool.
Traveling with the four of them was simply said exhausting. Naruto questioned every decision and order and usually only complied after Sakura beat him to a pulp. He didn't listen to Itachi, at all. In fact, none of them did. Sakura and Sasuke listened to Kakashi, followed orders, but didn't do anything he asked before asking Kakashi if they should. This irked Itachi a little bit. He and Kakashi were the same rank, mostly, the older man was retired from active ANBU duty, but an ANBU Captain stayed an ANBU Captain for life. The only difference in rank was that Kakashi was Captain in ANBU division Alpha which is higher ranked than division Beta where Itachi belonged, but the difference was slight and not acknowledged outside ANBU because it only affected the payroll. Essentially, they both wielded the same authority.
After noting that the team's seeming insubordination was staring to bother Itachi, Kakashi had found a quiet moment when Naruto was sent ahead to scout, and Sakura and Sasuke were too busy squabbling to pay any attention, to explain that Team Kakashi was special, and he shouldn't let their insolence bother him. Naruto didn't even listen to Tsunade, Kakashi had said with a sigh. Generally, they listened to him because the boys were scared of him, even if they'd never admit it, and Sakura just listened because she liked him.
"That girl is Tsunade with pink hair," Kakashi had said with a chuckle. "Don't let her age fool you. One brush of her hand and we'd be dead, any one of us, one punch, the same result. I spent years honing her taijutsu and genjutsu skills, I know what she's capable of. Tsunade taught her well, too well I think. She's so young and I sometimes think the power she's been given could be too much for her."
Itachi understood that only too well. Too much power at too young an age could very easily ruin a person's life. When Izumi had died and his eyes had changed, become stronger, more dangerous, Itachi hadn't been aware yet of what a burden that kind of power could be. He'd been lucky, he had Shisui, who also had obtained the Mangekyou Sharingan at an early age, after his father's death. Shisui had guided him, advised him, protected him as best as he could. Itachi had no doubt that if it hadn't been for Shisui the Clan would have found more ways to exploit his powers.
It was easy to understand why his brother's team was formed the way it was. Each of them, starting with Kakashi himself had so much to offer that if they were left without someone to look out for them the village elders would exploit them mercilessly. Thus, Kakashi was given Naruto, as Naruto who'd always been alone would probably latch onto anyone who showed even a modicum of affection and would be extremely protective. Naruto in turn was given Sasuke, as the two had been friends since very young and Sasuke had often exhibited protective tendencies towards his best and only friend. And all three males were given a small, pretty girl to presumably hold them all together, but in truth she'd been put in the middle to be protected because Tsunade loved her apprentice like her own daughter and had demanded that the girl always have someone to take her back. And who better than the Copy Ninja, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and a prodigious Uchiha?
All in all, the team worked well, Itachi was aware of that. There had been a few ups and downs in the beginning before they all got used to each other, but now they seemed fused seamlessly together. All the fighting aside, when it came down to it, they protected each other and had each other's backs always.
He'd done some research on them as well, after the run-in with Akatsuki two years prior. Their abilities were no secret, but he'd been intrigued how such a diverse team managed to work so well together. He still didn't have a definite answer but could tell that it was largely based on trust. They all knew what the others could do and where they needed help. Sasuke and Naruto almost always worked together. Individually their abilities were extraordinary, together, the two were awe-inspiring. There was no single weakness apparent when the two joined forces. They instinctively knew what the other would do and worked together flawlessly, so in tune with each other that when they fought it was hard to tell where one started and the other ended.
Sakura and Kakashi stuck together, too. Sakura staying back, taking the defensive stance while Kakashi dove in. This worked miraculously well, and the two seemed to be able to communicate from afar with just looks and nods. Itachi had spied on a training session or two, seen the team go two against two. As good as Sasuke and Naruto were, Kakashi and Sakura always managed to wipe the floor with them. The boys always made the same mistake. Ignored Sakura in favor of taking out Kakashi, who in their eyes was the bigger threat, first. This was a glaring tactical error. Kakashi was faster, more experienced and more knowledgeable, but Sakura hit harder. It was possible to stay standing after taking a hit from Kakashi, but Sakura would always one-hit-KO.
They should focus on Sakura, who had less stamina, even if she was better defensively than Kakashi. She could evade more hits than the Copy Ninja but could also tank less than him. Of course, if one disregarded her healing abilities. But those sapped chakra, and again, Kakashi had the bigger reserves. Unless, of course, she activated the Byakugo no In, which she wouldn't do outside a life and death situation.
By focusing on Kakashi, the boys left themselves largely open to be taken out quickly by Sakura. They had no defenses against her, nobody really did, unless they were much, much faster and could evade a surprise attack. Itachi doubted anyone would be able to completely avoid those fists at last second. Even Shisui would have to take a hit but could probably avoid it being fatal. It still would be crippling, though.
Only one person had ever managed to incapacitate Sakura before she could obliterate them completely. And that was Hyuuga Neji. He was faster, could see through her every attack, but sustained damage from even evasion. The sheer force of her hits created massive pressure, even if the hit didn't land. A glancing blow could break bones. Neji hat taken several hits, and only managed to win after he'd closed some key chakra points. Not being able to channel chakra to her fists had slowed Sakura down enough that even with a broken arm, Neji's attack had taken her out.
One other person could also take Sakura's hits, if not for very long. The Kazekage's sand shield had held for exactly three of her punches. The fourth had broken thorough the impenetrable armor and had Sakura not stopped a mere hair away from her fist meeting his nose…. Suna and Konoha wouldn't be allies anymore. The pressure of the punch had sent Gaara flying, though, and broken his nose. Luckily, he'd been more impressed than anything else.
Itachi could devise a couple od strategies on how the team could take on each other. Now, anyone else taking on the team as a whole… Even he was stumped there. Individually, all four could give just about anyone a run for their money, put together they were a force of nature. Itachi had witnessed first-hand just how effective they were.
Two years ago, only himself and Kakashi had not been outclassed by the three Akatsuki members they were against. They had next to no information on the enemy, knew nothing about their abilities, had had no time to come up with a decent strategy. Like Sakura had put it so aptly, they were fighting blind.
Deidara, definitely hell of a lot faster than the other two, long-range fighter as opposed to Kisame and Sasori, who were both close to mid-range, had proven to be a lot harder to handle then expected. He'd escaped Naruto and Sasuke easily enough, completely avoided Kakashi who was busy fending off Kisame and Sasori and would have taken out Itachi and Sakura had Sakura been any other medic.
He had one glaring weakness, though. Genjutsu. Itachi had found out by sheer luck when he'd attacked the missing nin with his Sharingan. Deidara had been almost completely helpless, trapped in the illusion. Itachi almost manipulated him into blowing himself up. Had Naruto not sent one of Sasori's dolls flying and if it hadn't crashed into Deidara, effectively freeing him from the genjutsu, they would have a worry less. Alas, Deidara had snapped out, let out a colorful string of curses when he'd realized what had almost happened and had gotten out of reach on one of his birds. Had Sasori and Kisame not been on the verge of losing to rest of Team Kakashi, he probably would have tried to attack again. Instead, he'd swooped in, gotten Sasori and Kisame out and off they were.
Sakura had been less than happy about it, cursing Naruto all the way home.
And now Sasori and Deidara had attacked Suna and abducted the Kazekage. Itachi had a feeling they would be a hell of a lot harder to handle this time around.
So, he'd been right.
They'd gotten stuck in Suna while Sakura saved the Kazekage's brother from a fatal poisoning, but once they started on Gaara's trail, things had gotten difficult. First, they got waylaid by Kisame, Kakashi stayed back, promising to catch up once he dealt with the shark-nin. Sakura opposed this decision violently, saying she was staying with their team leader and she wasn't taking a no for an answer. No matter what anyone said, Sasuke even going so far to guilt-trip her, "What if Gaara is hurt and you're not there? You wouldn't forgive yourself if you let him die just like that."
Sakura had just sneered that she could live with it. She couldn't, though, they all knew it. It had taken Naruto and Sasuke dragging her away, kicking and screaming and promising retribution, in very creative and painful ways. Itachi cringed just thinking about some of the things she promised to do to her stupid, idiotic, out-of-their minds, fucking sons-of bitches, teammates. She had quite the temper… And quite the colorful vocabulary.
If the pallor on either boy's faces meant anything, she fully intended to keep her promises. Itachi made a note to talk to Tsunade about maybe giving Sakura a position on Ibiki's interrogation and torture team. But probably not a good idea. If scared too much, people were viable to saying and promising just about anything to get out of the situation. They wouldn't know if they'd obtained truthful information or if their prisoners had been scared silly and just told them what they wanted to hear.
When they'd finally made it to the cave where Gaara was held prisoner, Sakura had somewhat calmed down and they were greeted by Team Gai, who'd taken a different route, but had also been stopped midway. Gai and Lee had stayed behind to deal with the distraction, while Neji and Tenten had pressed on.
The entrance to the cave was secured by a huge boulder that very few people would be able to budge. Luckily, Tenten had winked, Sakura was one of the very few people who could budge it.
The pink haired girl had smirked and taken a running leap before letting her deadly little fist collide with the dead center of the boulder. Predictably, it shattered into a million pieces under the force of her punch and freed the entryway.
What awaited them inside was not something Itachi liked to think about. He abhorred violence and senseless killing, but the gross disrespect shown to the deceased Kazekage had turned his stomach and made it burn with a rage he'd not felt since Izumi's death. He wanted to wipe the smug smirk off Deidara's face, wanted to slowly and painfully kill him. Personally, Gaara meant next to nothing to Itachi. He was the Kazekage, the leader of their closest allies, he was an excellent ninja and a good man. Itachi had never actually spoken to the younger man. But there was nothing that excused the kind of callousness shown to him. At the very least he deserved to be decently treated after he'd been cruelly killed in cold blood.
Itachi could understand the rage Naruto exhibited after seeing Deidara sitting on his dead friend's chest. Not only Naruto, but Sasuke and Sakura as well. His brother was more controlled then his teammates though and kept a watchful eye on Naruto. Sasuke was the only one who could calm Naruto if the Jinchuuriki lost control of the beast inside.
Sakura was vibrating with anger though and Itachi wasn't surprised that she jumped into action the same moment Naruto did. The two teammates were forces of nature as they rushed towards the two Akatsuki.
Deidara, as ever, was faster, evaded Naruto's attack, and managed to not only get out of the cave but to take Gaara's body along. Naruto, of course gave chase, Sasuke and Tenten running after him. Neji had joined Sakura's assault on Sasori, but Itachi could see that the two didn't work well together. Their methods differed too much, their strengths didn't compliment each other's and made their weaknesses all the more apparent.
After getting almost impaled by a sword Neji had deflected, Sakura lost her temper and Itachi had to jump in and restrain her before she attacked him.
"Hyuuga-san," he'd told the younger man calmly. "I think it would be better if you joined Naruto-kun's party. Sakura-san and I can handle this… individual."
Sakura had made no comment, just shrugged out of his hold and refocused her attention on Sasori who was staring back at her like he was studying her. His focus was unnerving, even to Itachi.
When Neji had begrudgingly left the cave, the Akatsuki member had chuckled. "What a temper you have," he'd commented, almost good-naturedly. "I'll give you a place of honor among my collection. You'll make quite the addition."
"You are NOT turning me into a doll, you freak of nature," Sakura had shouted in understandable outrage and charged the puppet-master again.
This time, Itachi joined in her assault.
Sasori was slippery, hiding behind an army of puppets, and for a while it seemed that for every doll they destroyed, he produced ten more. However, slowly but steadily they cut through the numbers. Sakura was smart. She didn't let her anger get the best of her, she studied the battlefield with aware, sharp eyes, and processed everything with a speed that astonished Itachi. She was much smarter than he'd initially thought. In some instances, it seemed that she assessed the situation faster than his Sharingan did.
None of her none of her moves was out of place, she didn't use more strength or chakra than necessary to dispatch a puppet, and her evasiveness was so practiced, so graceful, that it was almost beautiful watching her dance among the puppets, destroying one after the other. Most ninja would find her movements beautiful; he knew. It was only his aversion to fighting itself that kept his appreciation short.
When she managed to crack Sasori's carapace and forced him to reveal his real body, he knew that the fight had turned in their favor. He tried with everything that he was to block out the knowledge that the puppet-master had turned his own body into a doll, damning himself to spend his life in a pubescent body.
He'd said as much to Sakura, who'd thrown him a look that conveyed her own disgust, and had muttered something among the lines of, "Luckily, he won't have to endure it for much longer."
Working flawlessly in tandem they managed to get rid of all the dolls. The cave was a mass of destroyed puppets, if one didn't look closely enough, it looked like a mess of body parts. It was enough to make Itachi gag a little.
Sakura was poisoned. Sasori had driven his katana in her abdomen while Itachi had been too busy to help her. She'd healed the wound, injected herself with the antidote she'd brewed for Kankurou, but he could tell that it had taken a lot out of her. Why she didn't use her seal, he didn't know, didn't get a chance to ask. But she held on, kept her mind clear and her focus sharp on Sasori.
Then she'd flickered out of sight, appearing on front of Sasori and grabbing hold of the wrist holding the katana. Itachi started towards her, but her quiet words stopped him.
"It's over, Sasori."
The puppet-master didn't fight when her free hand had shot out and plunged into his chest. Itachi watched with horrified fascination as she jerked her hand out. With Sasori's heart clenched in it. It was over.
They couldn't save Gaara. But they'd avenged him, and maybe, just maybe that would be enough.
AN: Due to popular demand I decided I'm gonna finish this story, after all. It had been meant as a one-shot, but that's not gonna work. So, I'm gonna split it up. Ages 16 and 21 are now separate from 12 and 17 and 14 and 19. I think two more chapters should do it ages 18 and 23 and 20 and 25, or three, if I add an epilogue where I show them as old or something.
Anyone willing to beta this? Pretty please?
Reviews are appreciated, framed and put on walls.