Itachi smiled a very small smile. It faded with his next breath as he focused on Sakura. "It will be a multi-part job. The first phase will be releasing an article that you have discovered the cure for a rare degenerative eye disease." He tapped a finger against his knee. "The second part will be making a public announcement at a press conference that it is an eye disease unique to the Uchiha clan."

"Before we release the third announcement which will be a detailed explanation of the procedure, we should expect that Orochimaru will attempt to stop us. In the best case, he will strike a deal with us. In the worst case, he will send droves of assassins to prevent exposing the power of our eyes."

Sakura shook her head. "Revealing such sensitive data to the public will put you in danger. What if other research facilities come to the same conclusions as Orochimaru? What if they too begin chasing after you and Sasuke in hopes of immortality and other wild children's fantasies?" she demanded.

"It is necessary," he stated firmly. "Because it's the bait to lure him out. Once the public is aware of such an operation, we'll be positioned to expose Orochimaru's research labs. It will be a direct, frontal attack. At that time, I will also confess my own role as an unwilling test subject." Itachi had dropped his gaze. "But we will never breathe a word of Sasuke's role. It could cause insurmountable damage for everyone. Do you all understand?" Itachi peered around the room. "From here on out, my little brother will no longer exist."

Sakura's eyes flickered open, soft early morning light filtering through the shoji screens. Although it was faint, Sasuke's scent lingered in the folds of his futon and in the lines of his modest room. She rubbed her eyes gently, stifling a yawn as she sat up. Her gaze followed the softened edges of his bookshelf and the frayed bindings of many novels loved over the years. Sakura peered at the dust particles flitting about, illuminated only by dawn and reminding her of his forgotten life. There was only the absence of Sasuke now. With time and detergent, even the seemingly truest reminders of his presence would fade.

A humorless laugh bubbled up, catching in her throat. Sakura swallowed it painfully back. Now was not the time to take Itachi's words so literally. He only meant that Sasuke would no longer be directly involved in the limelight. If possible, they would ensure that his safe retrieval was a deeply guarded secret. She agreed with that approach—probably more than Naruto did. They couldn't afford to hurt Sasuke anymore, especially after what he must still be experiencing. Sakura didn't want to dwell on the possibilities. If she did, she would probably lose her mind.

Sleep seemed to have evaded her once again. Despite the early hour, she couldn't see herself getting anymore rest. Even her dreams had been plagued with the present. It was a lost cause to escape even for a few hours. Sakura resigned herself to preparing for the day.

As she went about her morning routine, she was surprised—but also not—to find Itachi and Kakashi awake and enjoying morning tea in the living room.

Itachi acknowledged her presence first, offering a silent nod and filling a cup of tea for her. Gratefully, Sakura joined them at the low table, sipping the warm drink slowly. "Good morning," she smiled a little, noting their equally exhausted expressions.

"I'm glad you're looking on the bright-side, Sakura," Kakashi mused. "It is a good morning."

She stifled a snort, shaking her head softly. "Nothing has happened in the past five minutes that could feasibly start an international war. I think that's a good sign."

"That may only be true until noon today," Itachi remarked, setting his tea cup down. "I have scheduled several news companies to release our article about the cure for the degenerative ocular disease. To be sure, a great fuss will be thrown up worldwide."

Sakura made a small sound of disapproval but said nothing else. It was all part of the plan and this was merely the first step. Many more things would be happening and if things went according to Itachi's will, they would be choking the life and work out of Orochimaru. What they had to be concerned about was his counterstrike. There was absolutely no possibility that he would take this attack sitting down.

"Do you think this will really force his hand?" Sakura mumbled softly, not realizing the words had left her until they were already out.

Itachi peered at her, gaze oddly gentle despite the permanent chill in those bloody pools. "I believe he will act in a surprising way. It's not worth our time and effort to try and guess what he will do. We will lay our cards out with the assurance that no one on our side can be killed in plain sight now. That is the best we can do."

A part of her wanted to argue that that was far from the best that they could do, however she pushed it down. Exhaustion was winning out and she didn't want to lash out with emotions—not when all of them were struggling. Itachi, especially, had been who-knew-where for months on end while on the run. "Understood." Sakura finished her tea and stood. "I'm going to wake Naruto up."

They both nodded as she departed.

"Although you said all of that, you've probably been thinking about Orochimaru's reaction this whole time," Kakashi remarked mildly, eyes drifting to Itachi.

The police director smiled humorlessly. "She is a very emotional young woman. I hoped to put her somewhat at ease, but I am aware such a thing is impossible now."

"Sakura has grown up quite a bit," he responded lightly, "I expected her to shout at you."

Itachi chuckled at that. "I hope her spirit can wake my little brother up. He's much too somber for his own good."

Kakashi hummed his agreement. I hope the future can be that bright.

XXX

The announcement took the world by storm.

It raised alarm among scientists and doctors and peaked general public curiosity. More than anything though, it was the face of Haruno Sakura in all the news articles that had people going wild. How had such a young girl discovered something like a new eye disease? How had she stumbled upon it? Who did she work for? What were the details of this disease?

In a matter of hours, Tsunade's hospital email servers had been overloaded with inquiries. They were all vying for a chance to speak with her apprentice. It made it even harder because Sakura was nowhere to be found. She had reported in once earlier that morning to warn Tsunade about the incoming media frenzy and also to tell her that she would be into work the night shift.

What in god's name was happening?

Tsunade was somewhat aware of the Uchiha Sasuke situation, but the details were a highly restricted secret. Either way, she had no desire to be involved in something that dangerous. She didn't have a death wish. It was bad enough that Sakura was in the thick of it. And now, apparently, things were being kicked into overdrive. That's the only reason Tsunade could find for Sakura going public about her ocular research.

What she wondered about was just who Sakura was trying to lure out with such news. The reports had conveniently left out details of the people affected by the disease. Would it be revealed in a later report? Why the build up?

"Tsunade-sama?" The door creaked open and Shizune peered inside.

"Hmm."

"You have a visitor."

"I've had visitors all day," she complained, glaring at her assistant. "Be more specific. If it's another reporter, tell them I'm out to lunch."

Shizune shook her head quickly. "It's…Orochimaru-sama's assistant, Kabuto." Her brows drew together in consternation. "He's quite adamant about meeting with you as soon as possible."

The tone and expression made it clear that refusing was not an option. Grimacing, Tsunade nodded once stiffly.

A moment later, Shizune returned with Kabuto in tow. With one last glance at her boss, she shut the door. Tsunade gave the strange young man a once over. "What do you want? I'm busy." She turned her gaze back down to the stack of documents on her desk.

"Forgive my sudden appearance here, Tsunade-sama," he smiled politely, but the strain around the corners of his mouth were a dead giveaway. He's anxious. "I'm here on behalf of Orochimaru-sama. If you'll excuse my bluntness, he would like to know about this ocular disease that Haruno-san discovered. Were you a part of her research?"

Tsunade's head rose slowly, glare cold. "And? Why did he send a little runt like you instead of coming himself? If this is so important for him to know, he should ask in person."

"He's quite busy with his own research at the moment," he laughed awkwardly, "I'm sure you can understand that feeling of being too caught up in your work to leave the lab."

"So? How does he have the spare brain power to inquire about my apprentice's pet project?" Tsunade leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. She watched the young man closely, noting the increasing tension in the line of his shoulders and the pulse of the vein in his neck. "I don't make a habit of ratting out my people. I hope Orochimaru remembers that for the future."

Kabuto just smiled wider, the chill in his expression now blatant. "Does that mean you do know something, Tsunade-sama?"

"I probably know less than you do," she returned the smile. "Isn't that right?"

The silence lasted for a beat too long. Kabuto lowered his head in a curt bow. "Thank you for your time. Please let Haruno-san know that I'd like to speak with her whenever she has time."

Tsunade followed his movements toward the door, only answering him as he crossed the threshold, "Send us an email. There's a queue of people interested in my apprentice." The door slammed shut loudly and she cackled in her chair.