Author: Amaya
Editor: Aiko
Characters/Pairings: [Shisui x Sakura]; mentions of [Genma x Sakura] and other minor Sakura-centric pairings.
Categories: Romance, Drama, Action
Rating: Mature [See Warnings Below]
Warnings: This story contains strong language, depictions of violence and mature sexual content, including, but not limited to: breath play, superior/subordinate kinks, rough body play, power kinks and so on. You have been warned.

Full Summary: As the most elite of the elite shinobi to ever grace the village, Anbu operatives were easily some of the most frightening and striking characters one could come across. The way they protected the village while cloaked in shadows, appearing like some God-appointed deities when they were needed most and forgoing honor in exchange for anonymity—was as seductive as one could get. But to Sakura, the real allure lied in the deceptive red smiles painted on their masks, and in figuring out who was behind them. ["Don't start things you can't finish, Haruno."]

Kamen

Chapter || Eleven

"Are you even listening to me, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura turned to her best friend and teammate, feigning a confused expression as she did. She swallowed the flank of pork that was in her mouth with a noncommittal hum. "Hmm? I'm sorry, Naruto, did you say something?"

She observed the series of humorous facial expressions that came to light at her nonchalance, her teeth sinking into the corner of her lips in an attempt at fighting off her grin as Naruto cycled through various degrees of disbelief and frustration in the span of just a few seconds. Finally, he caught the poorly suppressed smile and his expression settled on one of exasperation. "Sakura-chan, that's not funny! This is a serious conversation!" He huffed, playfully shoving at her shoulder.

Chuckling at the vein that popped out of the blond's brow, Sakura leant onto the counter so she could prop her head against the palm of her hand. "Right, right. Sorry." She laughed, waving her free hand dismissively. "You guys ate at Ichiraku and then...?"

Naruto made another face at that. His right cheek puffed up slightly, as if he were a little frustrated, and he sighed dramatically, but Sakura knew it was all just for show. "We were walking through the market and at first it was kinda awkward because Hinata wasn't really saying anything, so I was worried she wasn't into me—" That earned a rather unladylike snort from the rosette, "—but then I put my arm around her shoulder and she just fit there perfectly, ya'know?"

If not for the complete and utter joy that radiated out of Naruto's pores, Sakura would have rolled her eyes. It had only a little over ten years and a bit of intervention from a chagrined Ino for him to finally notice the not-so-subtle glances and the cute little offerings Hinata gave him, so as ridiculous and overly saccharine as this telling of their very long-overdue first date was, Sakura was genuinely ecstatic for both of her friends. She honestly couldn't think of another couple who deserved each other more, than them.

So she allowed a sincere smile to fit on her face, then placed her hand on the small of Naruto's back. "That's so sweet Naruto. Then what'd you guys do?"

A faraway gleam illuminated his eyes then, accentuated by the rosy tincture to the apples of his tanned cheeks and the nibbling of his lower lip. "We just...stayed like that. We walked all over the village like two times, talking about the most random things and she was just so beautiful. I didn't want to take her home. I just wanted to spend more time with her, ya'know?"

His tone fell soft, warm with the memories of the night; his gaze brought down to settle on his cooling soup and his lips curved up gently as he recalled his date with the Hyuuga Heiress. He looked down at the steam spilling from his bowl so intently, as if it was playing out a fond memory just for him, or as if it were telling him all the secrets of the universe and then some. It was a look that Sakura recognized all too well. She saw it on Shikamaru's face whenever he was lost so deep in thought, he couldn't hear his name in a conversation, but could hear Temari's; and on Tenten's face whenever Neji walked into the room. Hell, she used to see that face reflecting from her mirror whenever she thought of Sasuke all those years ago.

"I'm really happy for you," Sakura softly cooed, squeezing his shoulder for emphasis. "You guys are good for each other."

Naruto's eyes flickered down to his half-finished bowl then to Sakura, their cerulean hue polished with what could only be described as uncertainty. "You think so?"

This time, she did roll her eyes. "Naruto, I can't imagine anyone but Hinata putting up with you the way she does." Her expression softened then. "You bring out the courage in her, pull her out of her shell. I can see it when ever we all hang out. We all can—Ino, Sasuke, even your parents. And I can see how happy you are just thinking about her even now. Don't ever doubt that you guys were made for each other, otherwise I'll kick your ass for being so stupid." Silence befell them for a moment after that, in which Naruto smiled softly and returned to his ramen, conveying his appreciation and happiness without words.

And she meant everything that she said. No one deserved Hinata more than Naruto, and no one deserved Naruto more than Hinata. Their personalities complimented each other nicely, reigning in one another's extremes and accentuating each other's weaker traits. As cliche as it was, they completed one another.

Taking the pause for what it was, Sakura returned to her meal as well and moved on from the subject. "So how's your training going?"

At the mentioning, Naruto rushed to slurp and swallow the mouthful of noodles that dangled from his lips. "Its going great! I can use Hiraishin to jump halfway across the village now! Dad says I should be able to make the jump all the way across it after a couple more sessions!"

"That's amazing!" She praised. "Imagine how that'll affect our teamwork once you master it."

"Right? With my Hiraishin and Teme's Shushin, we'll be the fastest team in Konoha!" Naruto enthusiastically thrusted his fist into the air and stood out of his seat, earning a wholehearted laugh from the medic. Then, as he sat back down, he threw a mischievous grin in her direction. "I wonder who'd win in a race."

Part of Sakura wanted to snort at the childish idea of the two zipping around the village, because of course the first thing that came to Naruto's mind at the mention of learning his father's famous teleportation technique, would be to challenge Sasuke to a race. Their childhood rivalry would never end, it seemed. The other part of her actually entertained the thought, drawing up a comical rendition of their would-be race in a way similar to Kakashi and Gai's many over-exaggerated contests, and she suddenly really wanted to see the outcome.

"Maybe we could do some drills at our next training session?" She suggested. "We need to figure out how to incorporate your techniques into our formations and battle strategies."

"Man you sounded just like Kakashi-sensei just then," Naruto teased, chuckling when she playfully pushed against his shoulder with her own.

"Well someone on the team has to use their brain," She retorted, her chin raised in faux indignance. "I mean, seriously—you know how Obito-senpai and Kakashi-sensei are essentially untouchable when they team up with Kamui? And how your dad and his team used kunai marked with his Hiraishin formula to clear whole battlefields? Think about what we could do with your techniques, how much easier it would be to take down enemies. We could cut battle times in half!"

Naruto, having polished off the rest of his bowl during Sakura's excited ramblings, rubbed at his comically protruding belly with a pleased sigh. "I forgot all about Obito-senpai and sensei's Kamui...do you think they'd wanna join in on the race?"

"What race?"

The two Jonin swiveled around in their seats to face their on-again-off-again teammate. Obito pushed aside the partition draped over the entrance and moved to stand beside Sakura, who scowled when he guided her hand to his mouth to steal the noodles suspended over her chopsticks. Reclaiming her commandeered chopsticks and jerking her head warningly at the older man, Sakura gruffly answered, "Naruto wants to see who's technique is faster: your Kamui, his Hiraishin or Sasuke's Shushin."

Obito snorted, his hand now guilelessly reaching for Sakura's glass of water next. "My Kamui, obviously," He replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Bakashi would be a close second, but he's nowhere near as fast as I am. Sasuke's Shushin is impressive and all but its nowhere near his cousin Shisui's level, and I doubt you can jump very far without using up a significant amount of chakra. There would be a delay period between teleports, while I can clear the whole village in one moment."

"But you also have a slower start," Sakura pointed out. "It takes you three seconds to fully submerge into your portal."

"One three second delay is better than two or three of them." Then Obito's lips mirrored the mischief in his lone eye. "You guys won't stand a chance against me."

Naruto guffawed at that, rudely pointing a finger at the older man while Sakura wrenched her drink out of the Uchiha's hand with an annoyed huff. "Oh yeah? Let's test that right now! Let's go, old man! You and me!"

Without breaking the lightning-inducing glaring contest that he and Sakura had somehow sparked, Obito grunted. "Sorry Gaki, no can do. You know I'm usually all for kicking your ass but Sakura-chan and I have got some training to do today." Then his nose scrunched up into a displeased grimace as he added, "And stop calling me old!"

"Training?" Naruto repeated, although his affronted tone had transitioned into something more like a whine. He turned to fix a displeased frown at the rosette, complete with slouched shoulders and a pout. "You always train with Sakura-chan. Teme and I have asked you like, a thousand times and you always say you're too busy!"

At that, Sakura straightened in her seat with a feline-like smirk curving her lips and her chin inclined smugly, while Obito disheveled the blonde's mess of hair with one hand. She wouldn't deny the fact that Obito did seem to favor her over the other men on the squad, nor did she really mind it. She was the only one who addressed him with any semblance of respect back in the day, and he was the only male on the team who didn't treat her like a fragile butterfly, so as infuriating the man could be at times, it just meant he saw her as an equal in some form or another. Besides, Kakashi had always had a soft spot for Sasuke while Naruto and Yamato had their own peculiar relationship; and Sai somehow seemed to have developed a surprising attachment to Rin, so it was only fair that she had her own big brother figure to steal all the attention of.

She called him "senpai" once, and they were hitched ever since.

"Yeah, well what can I say? Sakura-chan's always been my favorite," He taunted, reaching around said rosette to snatch a dumpling from her plate. Noticing the theft, Sakura lashed out at him, only for her fist to phase through his shoulder, much to her irritation.

"Stop taking my food!" She bristled, cursing his intangibility for what had to have been the millionth time in her life.

Obito chuckled at her as he bit into the gyoza, taunting her with an overly pleased hum. "Anyway," He continued once he swallowed the last of the dumpling. "Master your old man's technique first and maybe I'll humor you with a race."

"You're just scared I'm gonna win," Naruto mumbled, his impossibly blue eyes twinkling with intent. "But I get it. I'd be scared too, if I was facing off against the future Hokage."

Obito snorted at the taunt, and to Naruto's chagrin, so did Sakura.

"That's big talk for a runt who can barely make it halfway across the village! Plus I'm pretty sure there's a height limit to being Hokage. You've got to be at least this tall." The Uchiha gestured just above his own nose with a wide smirk that only grew when Naruto jumped to his feet, proving that he was a few inches below that point and making their rose haired teammate snicker behind her hand. Point proven, Obito clapped a hand against Naruto's shoulder in a show of good-nature while shooting Sakura with an impish wink. Noticing, Sakura hurried to take one last bite of her noodles and slipped out of her seat. Once she had slyly gathered her belongings, Obito sighed, "Anyway, we better get going. We've got a lot to cover, and you're kind of cramping my style. We'll have our race some other time. Say hello to your old man for me."

"Bye Naruto! Thanks for lunch!" Sakura grinned, her arms wrapping loosely around Naruto's neck shoulders in a sloppy rendition of a hug. She quickly dipped out of the small restaurant after her senpai, giggling as Naruto sputtered animatedly about the bill she left behind. She would have felt bad for sticking him with the tab, but she did leave more than half of her ramen for him to take over in exchange, so she quickly brushed aside her guilt and chased after the Uchiha with a skip in her step. Falling in step beside him, Sakura nudged Obito with her shoulder. "Thanks for training with me, Senpai! I know you're busy with work and all so I really appreciate it," She thanked, for what had to have been the fifth time since he agreed.

Tugging at the collar of his jacket in mock preening, Obito huffed, "Yeah, just don't go telling everyone. They'll start to think I'm going soft."

Sakura rolled her eyes at that. "I'd never ruin your reputation by letting everyone know that you, Konoha's Infamous Crybaby Uchiha Obito, are a big ol' softie." She squawked softly when Obito nudged at her a little rougher than she anticipated, nearly making her trip over herself in the process. "Jerk!"

"Hey, you better respect your next Hokage! I'll have the authority to send you on nothing but D-ranks for a year!" He sneered, then pulled her against his side affectionately, the knuckles of his free hand mussing her coral locks.

Kamen

"Are you even listening to me, Shisui?"

At the slightly exasperated sound of his name, Shisui let out a soft grunt in acknowledgment, but didn't immediately look up from the blade in his hands. He lifted the tanto to eye-level and turned it around in his hands, peering down the edge of the sword's out-curve and carefully tracing his thumb along its surface. He pressed gently, hardly applying any pressure at all, and was satisfied when he felt the blade slice into his skin. Mindful of the freshly sharpened blade, he carefully sunk the tanto back into it's sheath then reached for the katana beside his foot.

"Yeah, I'm listening," He finally affirmed after a moment, flint orbs flickering up to his cousin. "When are you leaving?"

Itachi plucked another piece of mochi from his skewer with his lips, taking his time to savor the flavor as its filling erupted with his bite before responding. "At dawn, tomorrow."

Shisui regarded Itachi equivocally, considering him for a long while before re-sheathing his katana and rising to his feet. "Spar?" He proffered a hand. Itachi accepted the hand without even a breath of delay, and with Shisui's assistance, rose to his feet as well.

While it wasn't exactly tradition, it was sort of an unspoken rule—or perhaps superstition was the correct term?—that the two would spar before either of them left for any solo assignments. Nothing serious, no jutsu, no weapons, just languid movements that could have passed for half-assed across the Uchiha training field that were meant to strengthen their guards. Just as they had done for the past, what, seventeen years? Neither were sure why they chose that as their sendoff ritual, but neither were willing to break their streak, so they always went along with it.

Although, Shisui secretly believed it was because it was the only way Itachi knew how to convey certain sentiments. He loved his uncle to death, really, and Fugaku-ojisama did eventually amend that ship, but their clan head had fucked up with Itachi down the line. They were just lucky he and Itachi had grown so close when they did, otherwise who knew what would have became of his precious cousin? He nearly shivered at the disastrous what if's.

The two quickly gathered the weapons that Shisui had busied himself with, as well as the bento box Mikoto-obachan had prepared for them, then lazily made their way to the Uchiha's private training grounds with light banter to warm them up. When they arrived at the training field, they weren't all that surprised to see a few clan members making use of it's space. It was a lovely day, after all, so the duo carefully maneuvered through the various sparring sessions, pausing every now and then to greet the familiar faces of their relatives, until they reached their usual space near the back of the field. It was far enough away from the rest of the field for them to have total privacy, with enough trees for them to work with and far enough away from the creek to avoid the younger Uchiha practicing their Katon, but close enough for them to waddle in if they needed a break.

"How long will you be away?" Shisui asked as he began easing into his usual stretches.

Itachi, who was beginning to roll out his shoulders, replied, "A month at most. However, I doubt it will take that long. Two weeks is more realistic."

Still, that was a long time for a solo mission. Anything more than a week was, technically, as anything longer than that meant more danger—meant missions with a low expectancy rate. And Itachi had just returned from a two week long mission with their Anbu squad a few days ago. It didn't sit right with Shisui, but he held his tongue. Itachi may have been stretching himself thin but he could handle it, so Shisui knew better than to worry.

"I'll watch over Sasuke," Shisui promised, just as he always did.

Itachi's smile was barely noticeable, as always, but conveyed his appreciation nonetheless. "Thank you."

"He's going to be a pain," Shisui sighed dejectedly, already tired at the prospect of an irate Uchiha. He pulled his left arm across his torso for a count. "He turns into quite the little shit whenever you're gone for too long, you know." A sound reminiscent of a snort escaped Itachi's lips at that, but he didn't reply. Shisui switched arms. "I'm serious, Itachi! He's a devil. Isn't he too old to be so moody?"

With his legs shoulder length apart, Itachi bent over to stretch his calves, hiding the smile that threatened his lips. "I don't mind him having the chance to be young. Look at where growing up too quickly led us."

"I suppose you're right."

Shisui shrugged his shoulders one final time while raising his fists, Itachi mirroring him a moment later. The elder of the two struck first, lashing out with a right-side jab that Itachi knocked aside, then pitched his left fist forward. When Itachi wove in and out of his combination, Shisui swung his extended arm back with the intention of striking his jaw with the pinky-side of his hand, but Itachi used both arms to guard against the attack, then aimed a kick at Shisui's thigh.

Shisui stumbled back a few steps, but remained standing. He paused to regard his cousin, wordlessly praising him for landing the first strike of the match, before adjusting his offensive stance into a defensive one. Taking the cue as it was, Itachi rushed forward; Shisui ducked his high jab, popping up in time to catch another whilst simultaneously driving his knuckles into Itachi's side and following up with a deck to the face.

Shisui furrowed his brows and backed off. "You're good?"

"Aa." Itachi tossed his neck to alleviate the pain that bloomed against his cheek, then raised his fists once again. "I won't let another slip by."

Kamen

Shisui pressed his back against the truck of the oak tree he hid behind, peeking along its side cautiously. After a moment, he allowed his lids to lower and let his head lean back against the trunk. He focused on the sounds of the woods, studying its natural soundtrack—the drilling of a pygmy woodpecker, the cooing of chickadees—memorizing each individual sound until he finally found something that didn't quite fit.

It seemed Itachi wasn't ready to come out to confront him just yet, but Shisui didn't mind the short breather. They had been at it for at least an hour now, having somehow shifted from open space into relatively shallow woodland not too long after they began, which wasn't too surprising, considering their spars almost always seemed to end up here. He waited another minute before abandoning his perch, dropping a few feet down onto another branch, then traveled deeper into the fold of trees. He used his Shushin to forge a trail towards the east, but went north. It wasn't very likely to deter his cousin for long, if at all, but it was worth a shot.

He allowed his mind to wander as he flittered from branch to branch, basking in the light caress of the wind on his cheeks, enjoying the brief moment of peace. It had been a while since he just ran without a reason or enemy shinobi at his heels. He almost forgot how therapeutic it could be.

A flash of pink blurred in his peripherals, making Shisui's eyes double back in surprise. He deftly shifted midair, fishing out a handful of wire-laced shuriken and pitched them at an upcoming branch. The shuriken wrapped around the branch a few times before finding purchase, allowing Shisui to use the wire to swing around the trunk of the tree, until the cleats of his sandals finally dug into its surface, then suspended from it. He scanned what he could of the forest below with brows knitted in concentration, before he finally used the wire to repel down to some lower branches. Balancing on his branch, Shisui carefully perched as close to the end as possible and pushed aside a cluster of leaves to get a better look at the ground.

Several feet below him, his cousin Obito was sitting crouched over the Hokage's apprentice, who was sprawled onto her back with one leg bent so her knee was to her chest. Her shirt was stripped off, leaving her in a black sports bra and her usual combat skirt-short combo while Obito had discarded his shirt as well—something he very rarely ever did, as it showed off all the scars along his torso. If not for the fact that Shisui could hear Obito explaining the base of his position to the panting rosette, he would have assumed he had stumbled into something far more intimate.

Just as he came to ascertain with the rosette's relationship with his aunt and uncle, he hadn't realized the two shinobi before him were that close. He knew Obito held some approximation of attachment for the members of Kakashi-senpai's abnormal team, and that Team Seven was an atypically close bunch even for today's standards, but to the extent of which, he hadn't ever really thought of.

Although they weren't very close, Shisui was well aware of Obito's story. He was seven years old, fresh out of the academy and already rushing to the front lines when Obito was sent to Kannabi Bridge and had his unfortunate accident. He remembered hearing his Okaachan talking about it with a few of his aunts, and had visited him in the hospital a handful of times. A lot of Uchiha were furious that he had gifted his Sharingan to the silver haired Hatake, so it was easy for their clanmates to shun him despite his great sacrifice. It took many years for Obito to recover from his injuries, and when he did, he mostly withdrew from active duty, taking up work at the Police Force, and remained a polite, arms-length away from the rest of the clan. Not that Shisui blamed him.

It wasn't until the Fifth Hokage took reign that Obito officially returned to active duty, and even that was sparingly. And once word spread amongst the Uchiha that he was being considered next in line for office, he was suddenly the heart of the clan. He welcomed the attention and partook in clan events again, and it was clear to the world Obito loved his clan, but it was also clear he was very hesitant around them. There was a wall between him and their clanmates, even with him and Itachi—a wall that out of all the Uchiha, only Sasuke seemed to have completely bypassed.

Considering this, Obito undoubtedly held Sakura in high regard and trusted her a great deal if he was willing to shed that metaphorical armor of his. It made him wonder now, fully and without any other distractions, just how much Sakura meant to his clan. Sasuke obviously adored his teammate in a way only Sasuke could, if the stories Shisui had heard of the young man fighting off ex boyfriends and overzealous admirers held a veneer of truth to them. As kind as Mikoto-obachan was, she had a ruthless side to her that honestly didn't take shit from anyone when it came to her family; while Fugaku-ojisan's attitude towards others didn't need an explanation. Yet the relationship she had with them was strong enough for them to allow her to "beat Sasuke up" when he acted out. And now, it seemed her lure had extended to Obito.

And himself.

Absently, Shisui wondered if Itachi regarded the kunoichi just as fondly.

Seeing as how Itachi hadn't confronted him yet, Shisui assumed he was either catching his breath as well, or coming up with some sort of strategy to catch him off guard, so he settled a little more comfortably in his perch. He watched with idle fascination as Sakura reversed her and Obito's positions, straddling him, before climbing to her feet and helping him up. Obito said something to her, but Shisui didn't care enough to actively read his lips, and then he gestured for Sakura to raise her fists. She danced on her heels, rocking back and forth for a moment, then drove her right fist down into his solar plexus. Before her knuckles reached him, Obito twisted his upper body away from her, while jerking both hands up, revealing the kusari-fundo he had hidden in his fist, and wrapped the chain around her wrist. He yanked upwards on the chain, pivoting on his heels so Sakura's front pressed against his back with her hand trapped over his shoulder, then bowed forward, throwing the medic over him and to the ground.

Seeing the kusari-fundo sparked a different type of amusement within Shisui's stomach. Obito was renown for his use of the somewhat outdated weapon, having used it in tandem with his Kamui to take down whole units of Kirigakure swordsmen on his own. Having very little to no skill in Kenjutsu and being a Taijutsu specialist meant he had a disadvantage against a sword, and the old school weapon remedied that pretty easily. It allowed him to catch sword blades without injury, tangle them up and tear them away from their owner's, and was just as useful in traditional hand-to-hand combat.

Recalling Sakura's already intimidating yet graceful fighting style, her incredible ability to demolish mountains, and that cocky, kittenish smirk she wore in the midst of battle—she was already a formidable opponent, that adding the five-foot long chain almost seemed unfair. But honestly, as seductive as her physical prowess was, the fact that she had acknowledged one of her major weaknesses and actively sought out a way to correct it, was probably even more attractive.

He would've never imagined getting hard over something so—hell, he couldn't even think of the correct term. Academic?

It seemed when it came to Haruno Sakura, he was discovering more and more things about not only her, but himself as well.

Author's Note

I know there isn't any Anbu!Shisui or any ShiSaku interaction in this chapter, and I'm sorry for that. I originally intended on something completely different involving him for this chapter, but last minute decided to save it for the next chapter. So you get some cute Team Seven and Uchiha stuff this chapter. Next chapter, we get back into the intense, sexually charged romance that is Anbu!Shisui x Sakura. And trust me, those next few chapters are ones you won't want to miss, because things are finally coming to fruition. You can expect something major to happen in the next two chapters. Like, big, big. And since the next chapter is already almost completely typed out, it should be a quicker upload date! So yeah!

Also, ever since Kakashi and Obito's big fight, I couldn't help but feel like Obito and Sakura's taijutsu forms are sort of similar. Especially when Obito did that one move where he hooked his leg around Kakashi's neck and threw him to the ground. That just seemed like such a Sakura move, so I decided that it would've made sense that the two of them would get along and train together. Plus, I think Obito is pretty awesome and he needs love. Big brother Obito is my favorite.

And Sassy Itachi returns! I swear, the whole Uchiha Clan is just a clan full of beautiful, sassy men, and I'm all for it. I think I just love writing Uchihas actually, now that I think about it...

Anyway, as you may have noticed (or not), I posted the first chapter of my Tobirama x Sakura x Madara time travel fic! So I think you should check it out. It's my very first fic involving both Tobirama and Madara as main characters, so I'm super stoked to get some feedback on it. It's called Okinotayuu, and focuses on a memory-broken Sakura, who is thrown back into the Warring States Era; she knows that she has an important mission to complete, but doesn't know what it is. So please check it out!

And lastly, in case you didn't know this, I do post updates almost daily on my Facebook fan page! So if you'd like to see the madness that comes with my insomnia-induced thought process, wanna see some cool pictures, submit fan art, or even just chat, you can do that by searching for Amaya and Aiko no Akatsuki on Facebook. I like messaging my readers and helping others with their stories, and I tend to reach out for help there! So go like my page! Love you guys!