Chapter Twenty-Eight
Surrender

The next week was a whirlwind of activity. The days blended together. Just a constant shuffle of gathering stores and distributing them out. Sakura met with Tenten a dozen times. Planning, organizing, arranging.

Just as Sakura had expected, Tenten's first raid had gone off without a hitch. One, large warehouse on the southwest had been taken out and burned to the ground. Sakura had sat on the edge of her bed and watched on the television as the fire trucks tried to contain the blaze. Her smile had been downright sinister as she watched the embers blow away in the wind.

When Tenten had called the next night, Sakura had only been too willing to offer her more weapons. And her own, personal assistance on the next raid. Just so Sakura could witness firsthand how easily Tenten's men could slip in and take control. Those that refused to surrender were taken down. And those that did...well, there was a reason Tenten was feared in the Underground. The pile of corpses was going to be difficult to hide.

With her chin propped up with her hand, Sakura watched Lee interrogate the only man they left alive. She sat backwards on a metal folding chair, listening as Lee's knuckles came down against the man's face again. He was already bleeding from his mouth and nose.

"Tell us where the other warehouses are," Lee said. It sounded more like a kind request rather than a harsh demand. Or at least it would have if his knuckles weren't painted red.

The man merely shook his head. Lee's fist met his face again.

"Don't worry. He'll get an answer eventually. He always does," Tenten said beside her.

Sakura glanced towards the brunette. She sat across the metal, circular table, her weapon beside the cash she was counting and a cigarette between her teeth.

"I'm not worried," Sakura said.

Her gaze turned down to her own hand, where the knuckles of her left hand were bruised and slightly scuffed. A small injury in comparison to the man that had tried to turn his weapon on her.

The sound of Lee's interrogation had Sakura looking up again. She watched him a moment longer before she spoke, "I'm impressed with your abilities. But I have been thinking."

"About?"

"About these raids. We need to move more carefully. This is the second warehouse we've hit in less than a week. If Akatsuki starts to see their territory taken over too fast, we might accidentally press them into an all-out war," Sakura explained.

Tenten cocked a brow. "Isn't that what you want though? To take out Akatsuki's resources so they can't strike back."

"Yes," she nodded her agreement. "But I don't want them to know that until I want them to."

Because the last thing she wanted was for Madara to feel threatened and to attack before they were ready. Or worse, disappear completely.

A thoughtful look crossed Tenten's face as she pulled the cigarette out of the mouth. She blew the smoke into the air, her eyes never leaving Sakura. "So, what do you want to do?"

Sakura's gaze fell towards Lee again. Only this time she looked past him to where Tenten's men were dismantling the corpses left in the wake of their raid. They were shoving the bloody parts into plastic bags. Sakura knew they would later fill them with rocks and dump them into the river where they would never be found again.

Sakura turned away after watching for only a moment. Because even after everything she had seen, the sight still made her lose her appetite. "I want you to leave some men here. Make this a shadow warehouse."

Tenten frowned. "Wouldn't Akatsuki know it isn't their men?"

"No," someone else answered before Sakura could.

Both women turned upon Ino's approach, her heels echoing across the concrete floor. She drew to a stop beside the table, a smart smile on her blood-red lips.

"No one checks on these warehouses other than to count the number of guns," Ino said. "As long as the numbers add up, they'll be fine."

Tenten stared at her. "And you are?"

"Ino," Sakura answered for her. "She works for me. She's my personal eyes and ears in the Underground. If you want any information on anything, she can get it for you."

The brunette eyed Ino a moment longer before she jerked her chin towards one of the men nearby. He jumped to attention immediately, picking up an extra chair before hurrying over to them. He unfolded it and dusted off the seat before offering it to Ino. The blonde smiled her thanks before she elegantly settled into it.

When Sakura turned back to Tenten, she could see the brunette was still studying Ino. A little curious, a little cautious. Because while Ino didn't look like much, neither did any of them. They were all young, strong women in a man's world. And they had to be smarter, sharper. More ruthless to get what they wanted.

When Tenten spoke, the look in her eyes was gone. Still not entirely trustful, but no longer full of judgement. "What have you heard on Akatsuki?" she asked Ino.

"They're scrambling after the first attack," she said, brushing her blonde hair over her shoulder. "That last warehouse was their main distribution center and with it out of commission, they're looking to move their incoming supplies to another facility."

"Do you think they can move them here?" Sakura asked.

Ino canted her head thoughtfully. "Maybe. If we can get the rumors spreading, we might be able to persuade them to move their store to this warehouse. But we'll have to move quick."

"I can organize some men to work here," Tenten said.

Sakura nodded. "And I can start snooping near the other warehouses to make Akatsuki nervous. I'll just need their locations first."

Tenten looked past Sakura as she finished speaking, a smile slowly spreading around the cigarette in her mouth. "I think we just might be able to get that."

All three women looked towards Lee at that moment. He was leaning over the man he had been interrogating, a pleased smile on his face as the man whispered around the blood in his mouth. When he finished, Lee straightened and pulled his pistol out of his jacket, a single crack echoing through the floor.

"One warehouse down," Lee said. "Three more to go."

xx

That night Sakura was sitting at her counter with a slice of pizza in one hand and an icepack over the other when she got a call. It was Hashirama. She stared at his name on the caller ID as she finished chewing before she picked up. "Well, isn't this a treat. What can I do for you?"

"I hear Akatsuki took a hard hit in the South," he said without greeting.

Sakura couldn't help her small huff of amusement, but it quickly turned to a muted hiss when she replaced the cold pack back against her knuckles. "That was three days ago. You're just calling about that now?"

"I have been preoccupied with other matters that needed my immediate attention, but I wanted to check in," he told her. "That was a large raid. How are your stores holding?"

"They're comfortable."

"I need you more than comfortable when it comes to Madara."

"Well you are more than welcome to help my supplies," she said, unperturbed by Hashirama's hard tone.

"What do you need?"

Surprised, Sakura paused, her hand halfway back inside the pizza box. Then a smile began to form on her lips. "The usual amount, in cash. And two dozen more men. To start."

They spoke for another half hour before finally hanging up. Even after the call ended, Sakura continued to sit at the counter, a pleased but thoughtful smirk settled deep in the corners of her mouth. Things were going far smoother than she could have ever hoped, especially with Naruto dead. Between Tenten and Ino's help in the Underground and Hashirama now offering her more supplies, she almost had more weapons and money than she knew what to do with.

With so much power at her back, Madara's threat seemed almost small. Insignificant. She would just have to make sure it didn't all go to her head.

Pulling the ice pack off her hand, Sakura stood, about to make her way towards the liquor cabinet, when a knock suddenly sounded on the door.

Instantly on alert, she peered down the hall before she swiped her gun from the table and tiptoed towards the door. With her weapon at the ready, Sakura carefully slid the deadbolt out of place, only for her grip to loosen when she saw Itachi standing on the other side.

Sakura hadn't been expecting him, but she didn't turn him away. Merely left the door open as she headed back into the kitchen, depositing her gun back down on the table along the way.

"I didn't know we were meeting tonight," she said.

After closing the door, Itachi joined her in the kitchen, unperturbed. "Should I have called?"

Without looking back at him, Sakura retrieved a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses. She filled both up and passed one off to him as he joined her at the counter. He was dressed in jeans and a warm but fitting, leather jacket. Casual, yet still so handsome.

Sakura hadn't exactly been missing him but now that he was here in front of her, she found that she was glad he was. Biting back her smile, she shook her head.

The corner of Itachi's mouth pulled up, but he said nothing before he tossed back his own shot.

"I just met with Kisame," he told her as she refilled both their glasses. "He says Akatsuki is gathering a lot of supplies in Egypt. And they're planning to ship it all to the States. Apparently Pein has finally spread the word to the rest of the members that they plan to expand in New York."

"Any idea where?"

"Not yet. Especially now that their main warehouse in the South was attacked. I can only assume that was your doing," he said, shooting her a mild look. One she didn't understand until she realized she was smirking slightly.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about," she defended without heart. "I wasn't even there."

"But your guns were."

Sakura met his gaze for a long moment before she looked away to reach for her glass. "What's your point?"

"My point is you need to be more careful. The CIA recognized your weapons, which means that Madara will have as well," he told her, his tone one step below chastising.

"It doesn't matter if Madara knows it's me anymore. Hashirama is aware Madara has betrayed him. Which means that I don't have to pretend to be on the same side as Madara. Or Izuna, for that matter."

She trailed off as she recalled her last meeting with the younger Uchiha brother. It suddenly occurred to her that before they had simply been at odds. Butting heads just to antagonize the other with the hope that the other would slip up enough to be given permission to end the other. Now, they were blatantly on opposite sides. Which meant Sakura needed to be more alert, more watchful for the younger Uchiha brother.

Perhaps Itachi had a point.

Sipping her tequila, Sakura look at Itachi again as he refilled his own shot glass. "Does Kisame know where the ships are going to make port?"

"Not yet," he shook his head. "But he still has a lot of leads to follow. I think he'll know more in the next week or so."

She nodded, but said nothing more as she sipped her drink. She could feel Itachi's gaze on her, but she didn't look up until he asked, "What happened to your hand?"

She followed his stare down to her knuckles, where the flesh was still red and swollen. It was fortunate she hadn't broken the skin knocking that man's face in during the raid, but her fingers were still sore. Still, she couldn't help but smile a little as she recalled sitting in the aftermath with Tenten and Ino. The victory was still sweet in her mouth.

When Sakura looked up again, she found Itachi was still watching her. He must have seen something in her expression for his eyes widened minutely. "You found another Akatsuki warehouse. Where?"

Had he been any other person, Sakura wouldn't have answered, but somehow, she knew she could trust him. That any information she told him would be kept to himself. "A few miles from the last one."

"I didn't hear anything about a takedown."

"We decided to keep it quiet," she told him. "We didn't want to push Madara into moving before we're ready."

Itachi opened his mouth but nothing came out. He shook his head slowly as an odd look of wonder crossed his expression. "You really are good at this, aren't you? Buying and trading loyalties, working the Underground."

She couldn't help the smile that pulled in the corners of her mouth at his compliment and she hid it behind her shot glass. She took a long sip as she chased the heat from her cheeks before she eventually set it back down on the table, a thoughtful look suddenly coming over her expression.

"You never told me."

He shook his head, not understanding. "Told you what?"

"How you heard about me. Tsunade. Sakura," she clarified.

Itachi drained the rest of his own glass before he lowered it back down to the counter. Sakura filled them both again as he answered, "We heard there was someone new in the Underground. A new dealer. One Madara was meeting with."

"And you found me?"

Itachi nodded before he let out a soft laugh. "To be honest, we didn't think it was you until we saw you trade rifles with an associate of Izuna's. You're one of the best traders I've seen. You're incredibly good at blending in."

"The advantages of being pretty," Sakura said with forced amusement.

But Itachi didn't share it. He shook his head, an unusually serious look on his face. "The advantages of being smart," he corrected her.

There was something so sincere about his tone that made Sakura still. She raised her gaze to meet his but he only held her stare for a moment before his eyes fell to her lips. He said nothing before he lowered his tequila and closed the distance between them.

His kiss started slow. A mere ghost of his lips over hers as his hands smoothed down her sides until they rested on her hips. Then they slid lower until his palms were on the backs of her thighs. Her hands fell to his shoulders as he hoisted her up and settled her on the counter.

The height change forced Sakura to angle her head down to his for once, but she didn't complain. Merely tangled her fingers into his silky, black hair as she drew his mouth back up to hers again.

It didn't take Itachi long to slip his tongue between her lips, his fingers dipping under the hem of her shirt to run across the smooth skin of her stomach. A gasp escaped her when he tickled her, but it quickly turned into a moan when he reached up and twisted his fingers into her hair to tilt her face up so he could press hot, open-mouthed kisses to the column of her neck. Heat pooled low in her stomach as he touched, kissed and teased her.

Her shirt was the first thing to go, landing somewhere on the counter before his attention turned to the base of her throat, her collarbone, the swell of her breast just above her bra. When he finally let the clasp of her bra free, she gasped, trying and failing to muffle her sounds of pleasure when his mouth wrapped around one pebbled nipple.

With one hand on her hip and the other at her back between her shoulder blades, Sakura couldn't pull away even if she wanted to. She gave into his touch completely, her legs wrapping around his waist to draw him closer. Anything to help alleviate the ache growing between her thighs.

But it was the wrong angle, the wrong position and she bit back her whimper at the lack of friction.

"Itachi…" she said. She hated the way his name came out in a whine.

There was a smug smirk on his lips when he picked his head up to look at her but he merely kissed her again as his fingers went for the button of her jeans. He helped her slide out of them, and then her panties before his hands returned to her waist.

At first, she thought he might help her down so they could move elsewhere, but he simply slid her forward until she was balanced on the edge of the counter, unable to reach the ground. His support the only thing keeping her from falling forward.

There was a wicked look in his eyes. One she didn't understand until his hands slipped under her knees to pull her thighs further apart. Then he lowered himself onto one of the stools she kept tucked under the island counter and eased her legs down onto his shoulders.

Itachi's breath ghosted across the inside of her thigh before he nipped at the sensitive skin. Automatically she tried to jerk away, but he wouldn't let her as he soothed the spot with an open kiss and gentle, sweeping caress of his thumb. He took his time working his way higher and higher, building up her anticipation until she was trembling under his touch.

Sakura couldn't contain her cry even if she tried when his mouth finally found her center. She fell back, the countertop cold against her flush skin, but she didn't notice. She merely reached down to twist her fingers into his hair, pulling him impossibly closer as he tasted her. His tongue lapping at her, sucking and kissing and tasting her until she was squirming beneath him.

With her legs still over his shoulders, she could barely raise her hips to meet him. She pressed her heels into his back, dug her fingers into his scalp, but Itachi moved at his own pace. She was so close, but it wasn't enough. She needed more. And he knew it.

"Tell me what you want," Itachi said, pulling away just far enough to press sweet kisses to the inside of her thigh.

A low groan escaped her as she tried to bring his mouth back to her, but his grip was unyielding.

"Sakura…"

It took all of her willpower not to whimper. "Don't stop. Oh Gods, please don't stop."

He tsked with disapproval. "That's what you need. I am asking you what you want."

"Fuck," she cried as he slid two fingers deep into her core. Just a slow, smooth pump that stroked her fire but did little else. Sakura snapped. "You! God damnit. Please, I want you!"

With a satisfied smirk, Itachi lowered his mouth back down. This time, he touched her exactly how she wanted, building her higher and higher until she finally came. Her back arched off the counter and her thighs tightened around his shoulders as his name tumbled from her mouth. Itachi didn't stop until he had pulled every second of her orgasm out of her.

With heaving breaths, Sakura fell back, boneless and shuddering. Carefully he lowered her legs from his shoulders before he stood. She jerked slightly when he pressed a kiss to her stomach and she opened her eyes to find him smirking. A little arrogant, a little proud.

Sakura frowned. "What?"

"Nothing," he shook his head. "You are always so distant. It is just nice to hear you say you want me."

It took all of her energy to glare and his expression softened into something sweeter. He helped her sit up, her legs still on either side of his clothed hips, before he kissed her slowly. She could taste herself on his lips but she didn't complain as she slipped her tongue into his mouth.

When she finally pulled back, her expression was downright devilish. "I can show you exactly how much I want you," she whispered in his ear.

Itachi perked up immediately. He helped her down off the counter onto shaky legs before she pulled him down the hall by the front of his shirt, undoing another button each time she stumbled. He laughed at her but he leaned down to meet her kiss every time she angled her face towards his.

And it occurred to her then as she leaned against the door frame to the bedroom, his hands cupping her face and his mouth sealed to hers, that she had never felt this way in her life. She felt genuinely happy. Exposed. And it had nothing to do with their manner of dress. Like he had opened up her chest and was looking directly at her heart and holding it as tenderly as fragile glass.

Inhaling a shaking breath, Sakura grabbed the open sides of Itachi's shirt and tugged him the rest of the way into the bedroom. As soon as his shirt was gone, her movements became more hurried. Almost frantic. Like if he didn't get inside her, she would burst.

Yanking his pants down, Sakura gave Itachi a single, hard shove. He stumbled back onto the bed and she climbed on top of him before he could recover. With one hand on his chest to support her weight, she leaned forward to kiss him, the other reaching back to grasp his heavy length. A low rumble of approval sounded in his chest at her touch, but it was faint in comparison to the groan that escaped him when she finally sank down onto him.

With their faces less than an inch apart she could make out every flicker, every flash of emotion that crossed his face. Arousal, desire, blooming pleasure and something else that made her own body fill with a warmth that had nothing to do with their physical contact. It made her core contract around him reflexively.

Itachi raised his hand to cup her face as their breath mingled, his hooded gaze meeting hers. "If you don't move, I'm going to make you."

This time, it was Sakura's turn to laugh. With a sultry smile, she sat back, causing him to sink inside her deeper and him to groan again. Then she started a smooth, even pace, riding them both to completion.

And even afterwards, she laid on top of him, his softened length still inside her with his fingers trailing down her spine until he began to grow hard again. She allowed Itachi to take over the second time, his hips meeting hers in long, deep thrusts as his hands found hers. Fingers tangling together on either side of her head.

And as Sakura cried out his name again, she pretended that it was only the pleasure she could feel coursing through her body. Making her feel higher than she had ever been before.

to be continued…

This is my favorite smut scene I've ever written. Without a doubt.

Thanks for your patience. I was flying back and forth last week and got caught up in the business of life. My goal is to keep updating on Fridays but we're moving the boat again within the next few days (aiming for about 900 miles in the next 3 months) so I'm not sure what my motivation/availability to write will be.

Thanks for your continued support! Feel free to message me here or on tumblr!