She fell asleep in the car. The Hokage's assistant didn't ask questions or rouse her until she pulled up in front of Sakura's apartment building.

Shizune's creased brow belied her worry. "I'll come by to drive you to in tomorrow, Sakura. We were worried…" There was an unasked question.

Sakura managed a grateful smile. Hopefully it looked better than the wince that it felt like. "Shizune, thank you," she said, and she meant it. "I- I'll make my full report tomorrow."

Shizune nodded, hands kept on the steering wheel.

"It was… well I'm still not really sure what to make of any of it," Sakura scratched her head. "I was attacked, but I don't know who…"

Her friend gave her a warm smile. "Get some rest, Sakura. We'll talk to you in the morning."

Ten minutes and four ungrateful flights of stairs later, Sakura lay in bed, unwilling to move. She was not going to take a hot bath despite the high recommendation from one Uchiha Itachi. That was not going to happen. Her bed was too much of a big encompassing pillow. Sakura was convinced that nothing was better than sleep at this second.

Yet she stared at the ceiling, mind overwhelmed by these past events. That man who interrupted her watch and attacked her without warning… she had no idea who he was or what he wanted, except maybe to kill her. Lazy, she was so lazy, to let her guard down even on a C-rank solo city watch rotation. Lucky, her mind supplied. She was lucky, at least, to be alive.

She tried sleeping, but kept seeing red and white clouds and hearing soft murmurs from a wanted murderer.

"Perhaps next time, you may settle your tab." Her face burned with embarrassment. That was… unnecessarily dirty. Or maybe it was just her stupid mind. She slapped a hand against her face. Settle your tab. For god sakes. She was Defense Corps. And she had just accepted a personal favor, offered by the infamous criminal, Uchiha Itachi. Did she owe him? Better question: did he think she owed him?

What exactly did she owe him.

What was she supposed to tell Team 7? What would she tell Sasuke? 'I ran into your brother the other day. Yeah, the one that killed your parents and your cousin. Nice guy. He gave me a free massage!' Oh gods, what had she done?

Sakura trudged into the office the following morning, dragging her feet the entire walk from Shizune's car in the underground parking garage into the elevator bank. Shizune was cheerfully talking away about something. She was just filling the silence with soft and mundane chatter, and Sakura was grateful at her ability to know what to do. Psychologists, she smiled to herself.

She thanked Shizune and gave her a brief hug at the top of the elevator ride. The Defense Corp. headquarters was freshly swept. Her boots echoed on grey tile floors.

Naruto and Sasuke weren't there; they had a mission outside of the city.

Sakura let her steps take her around the outer perimeter of the headquarters. The external hallway looped around the south, southwest, and west corners of the fifteen story building. At floor ten looking southwest, she could see the outer wall of the city bordering Training Ground Three. It gleamed rust red in the morning light, stark against the lush field and forests.

Tsunade looked up the moment Sakura darkened her doorway. Her shishou liked to keep the lights off in her office most mornings, and today was no exception. Her custom tinted windows kept the hangover brightness of whites, blues, yellows, and reds of Konoha buildings at bay.

Sakura sank into a seat with no introduction and told Tsunade everything about the man who tried to kill her yesterday. The Defense Corp. Hokage studiously followed her story, asking questions about what the man had been wearing (nondescript browns, no affiliating marker).

"There's one other thing… I saw someone…"

She omitted the part about her encounter – it's not like anyone could prove it, anyway. Unless there were cameras. In the massage parlor? Unlikely. Criminals, Sakura. Inner Sakura happily supplied visions of her worst fear of being found out and pranced around anxiously inside her head. Sakura bit her tongue.

Tsunade quickly glanced through her office window to the adjacent room, counting the people nearby as if Uchiha Itachi himself was on his way to mount an attack on the Headquarters.

In hushed tones, she said, "that man… are you sure?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, Shishou, I am absolutely sure."

Tsunade sat back in her chair, looked out the window over Konoha city for a minute. "Five years ago, he was questioned in connection with three suspicious deaths. He was… helpful. It wasn't until after we let him go that we learned he confessed to his brother, and… gloated." She grimaced. "I cannot imagine the horror that he inflicted on your squad-mate that night."

Sasuke.

"Did he see you?"

"I-I don't think so. I was across the street, calling Shizune." She pinched herself under the table to keep a straight face.

"Good. That man is nothing short of a demon. The things that he has been involved with since then…"

Sakura thought of the amicable smile he had given her. Of how nice he was to her. "What do we know about him?"

"He is powerful, Sakura. Strong, cunning, maybe the most powerful killer in the city. He wasn't part of the Defense Corp., not directly – he was special ops, going on top-secret missions mostly outside of our borders."

"He was with us?"

"I wasn't around then, obviously, so I don't know everything. But yes. His whole family was. Then he went into hiding and no one heard from him for two years." She banged her fist on the table. "We didn't know! We had him, and we let him go." She grimaced. "He came back, obviously. Rumors, sightings, more bloodshed."

"What do you mean?"

"Akatsuki," she said dryly.

"The anarchist organization?"

"Somehow he became affiliated with them… whether he sought them out or they recruited him, I don't know." She sighed. "We cannot let his sighting go unnoticed. We will bring him in. The murders were…gruesome."

She nodded. The downfall of the Uchiha. Once Konoha's proudest founding family, now reduced only to two members. Sakura shuddered at the thought of arresting the kind masseuse. He had to know that anything that happened to him would be her doing. The thought sent a weight into her stomach.

Tsunade looked over her shoulder and straightened up, then sighed. "Here he comes. Our meeting is over."

Sakura tilted her head, looking confused and slightly frantic. "Who..?" She turned to footsteps pounding on the tile floors. "Naruto!"

He launched himself into her open arms. God, she needed a hug! She buried her face in his shoulder. Naruto always smelled so good – like home, and peace. "Naruto, I'm so glad you're back! How was your mission?"

"What the hell happened? " He asked, completely ignoring her question in favor of his own. He was like that – he had to know she was ok. "We just got back into town. You were attacked?"

"They got away." Sasuke walked up behind the embracing pair.

From over her shoudler Naruto went "huh? How do you know?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You sprinted up here so fast you didn't even see me stopping to talk with Shizune."

"Dobe…!"

Sakura smiled warmly at her teammates. "I'm fine, guys. Really." She glanced at Tsunade, who nodded. "We still don't know who came after me, but," she shifted into a teaching voice, "he was very skilled – yet he wore no mark. And his clothing was very basic – purposfully basic, actually. So we can assume that it's likely he is part of a shinobi organization, but wanted to hide which one."

"Che, sneaky bastard. No honor, then."

She nodded. "No honor. I have some scrapes and sprains, and I'm really stiff and sore in a few places, but nothing major." Sasuke looked at her and she avoided eye contact. "Mostly I hid." This seemed to satisfy the Uchiha. She smiled warmly. He really did have her back – both him and Naruto.

After she and her inseparable boys went out for a mid-morning coffee at their favorite nearby shop, the next two days passed in a blur of paperwork and desk duty – who knew there were so many forms to fill out when you were attacked by an unknown operative? She half suspected Tsunade knew she was someone's target and wanted to keep an eye on her, just in case.

When Tsunade signaled to Sakura on Thursday that "It" was happening tomorrow, Sakura's heart sank into her stomach. No, this was a good thing, she reasoned. All intelligence pointed to this being a Good thing. Uchiha Itachi was a dangerous man and he needed to be brought to justice. But for some reason it still felt bad.

Uchiha Itachi was tidying the front desk area of the massage parlor on Friday afternoon with his back to the door when the door chimed. He paused in his moving a stack of papers and sighed, already knowing what was coming.

"Uchiha Itachi…!" A deep voice called out. "You are under arrest for the murders of Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Shisui, and Uchiha Mikoto. Turn around with your hands on your head!" Why did the man name his mother last? Itachi wondered. His mother should be first. She was the most important.

Uchiha Sasuke leaned next to the door to the Konoha Defense Corp. break room on Thursday evening. Naruto was late. He expected this from Kakashi, but even Kakashi should not be able to keep Naruto this long. He eyed the clock. He didn't even think Naruto showered most of the time, so why was he taking so long to clean up? He only fell into the mud pit once, after all – Sasuke pushed him in the other time – he smirked. That was satisfying. Naruto's face as he wind-milled his arms in a futile attempt to right himself. The stricken look of pure betrayal. Heh. His stomach rumbled in hunger.

A woman in unmistakable blacks and greys suddenly came into his view. She stopped a respectable distance and turned her head towards him pointedly. Root people gave him the creeps, if he was being honest. Their emotionless faces gave off an air of arrogance and disinterest.

Sasuke straightened. "What do you want, Root," he sneered.

"Where is Haruno Sakura." The woman tipped her head. "Call her in. Now."

"She lost her cell phone." Sasuke kicked off the wall to raise himself to his full height and crossed his arms. "You can wait to talk to her when she comes in tomorrow."

"We recovered her cell phone." Everything about her face was grave and disapproving. "We found it next to the body of the soldier she killed three days ago."

Sakura was so nervous knowing about Itachi's arrest today that she dropped her keys on the way to unlock her door. Her apartment was eerily silent. In the dark, a shape moved from inside her kitchen.

She gasped in surprise and stepped back, taking a guarded stance.

"Sakura, it's me."

"Shishou! What are you—"

"You're in danger, Sakura."

Her eyes widened. Had they found out that she was friendly to Itachi?

Tsunade went on without pausing. "Sakura, Root filed a report. They're claiming you murdered a field operative. His body was recovered in the industrial sector… next to your cell phone."