Hi people. Well, to answer a question someone had: Sakura's shunshin is mentioned in this chapter, but not in a surprising way. I am not making a big deal out of it yet, but there will be a reason for it in later chapters. I hope this is enough for now.

This chapter will be covering six months, I am glossing over some details but the important parts will be relevant for the story's main line. Please remember the plot of this story is connected to how Team 7 is - even though this chapter will not involve them much.

Also, this chapter starts right where the other one left off.

Lastly, thank you to all who commented, subscribed, or favorited the story. It warms my heart and motivates me a great deal.

I hope you enjoy.

Word count: 6.417

Chapter 5

His demeanor told her that he was not talking about her becoming a jonin. "Because of the Akatsuki, Hokage-sama has issued a whole new Anbu team, they need a medic," the hand on her shoulder tightened and Sakura somehow knew he had spoken out against the idea.

"I'm just fourteen, I cannot fight like them or have the stamina, I'd be a liability," the news had shaken her out of her tears, "they'll train you before you go on any mission,". It seemed ludicrous to her, while she had grown exponentially in the last year, Anbu, if at all possible for her, should be years away.

"It's because of your age and medical ninjutsu, they can mold you. I wanted to be the one to tell you," and then she just stood there, staring down and into the water. Sakura took in her reflection, her long pink hair looking pale in the moonlight. She had grown it out since the chunin exam and almost always had it braided. It was much easier to work with.

Becoming a member of the Anbu was never something she had planned on, medic or not. Naruto and Sasuke had talked about it several times, but to Sakura, it had always just been that, talk. Kakashi had talked to her a little about what he had gone through when she started taking on his medical care. She knew he did not want this life for her.

She stayed like that, looking at her young face and Kakashi stayed with her, silently watching the sky until she was ready to go home.

…

Sakura had a formal meeting with the Hokage not many days after.

"I know you're not ready for it, but we have no choice," she had said and motioned for Sakura to take a seat on the couch in the corner of the office. Tsunade had set up a seating area for longer meetings some time ago. The blonde put two cups on the table and poured sake into both.

"Shishou, I-" "drink, if I do this to you, I need to consider you an adult," and Sakura took the cup, taking a small sip and grimacing at the taste. She had tasted sake before, but she had not grown accustomed to the taste and did not plan on doing so. She was still young and although she was considered an adult as a chunin, Sakura did not indulge.

When Tsunade finished her cup, she poured a new one and leaned back, "choosing you was a mess. I don't think any of us who made the decision is happy about it,". Sakura was fiddling with her hands, unsure of what to say. "Utilizing a team of Anbu to strike has been discussed for a long time and with Naruto going away, we want to deal as much damage to them as we can," Sakura listened, it was reasonable to follow this plan of action.

"Our intel says the Akatsuki work in pairs of two, I have chosen four of the best to take this on. When engaging the Akatsuki, we must be ready, we still don't have information on their members," the Hokage paused and looked at her student. "The four will split into two teams when making the encounter, but even though they are the best, they will need a medic," Sakura knew Tsunade had allowed Kakashi to tell her, but it was nice to sit and get the full thought process.

"It will take longer to train an Anbu operative in medical ninjutsu, and they will not learn it to the extent you have. It is easier to train you to work with them because you are young. Your habits as a kunoichi have not formed fully" The cup was filled with sake again and Sakura took another sip, not knowing what else to do to calm herself.

"Shishou, I am afraid I'll hinder them. Bringing down the Akatsuki is the top priority, but my stamina can't keep up with them. They would have to protect me and it would just bring them in danger," she wanted to talk herself out of the situation. A part of her knew that she should obey her Hokage and do what was needed for the village, but she also wanted to go on missions with her friends. With Naruto and Sasuke leaving soon, she could have worked with some of the others she knew from the academy.

"We discussed that. For the first six months, you'll train with them and medical ninjutsu. You will only go on short and simple missions with them to feel what it is like," again, the sad smile took over the features of the Hokage. "But in six months, if your captain deems you fit, you will go on missions to track down the Akatsuki. You won't be expected to fight, but they will teach you how to kill," this sent a shudder through the chunin. "I guess my medical knowledge will come in handy then," she whispered dejectedly, taking another sip of her cup. "Yeah, no more fighting to incapacitate, you go straight for the kill,".

…

Sakura appeared silently and suddenly enough to shock both of the young men, meaning she narrowly dodged a kunai coming her way when she materialized. "I hate it when you do that," the black-haired said with a grimace and she stuck her tongue out.

"Just because you can't do it, you don't have to try and kill me, idiot" her words made the third laugh, but when she looked at him, his eyes grew sad. In the cool night air, Sakura shuddered and drew her arms around herself. She was not supposed to tell them what she would be doing when they left.

"Sakura-chan, come and sit," the blonde clapped at the stone he was seated on. It had become their spot over the last year, the top of the Hokage mountain, hidden behind the spikey hair of the Yondaime. "I tried to convince Baachan again, but she said no," his words made her roll her eyes and very lightly slap him in the back of the head.

"Naruto, you and Sasuke will be just fine," she ruffled his hair affectionately, "we're not worrying about ourselves," the older spoke, not looking at them, instead his eyes were staring blankly out towards the city. "Hey, I can handle it. You'll be back in no time, right?" she tried to remain strong, but she knew her tone betrayed her feelings. The two of them knew her too well.

"I'll have figured out your trick by then," Sasuke said, a small smirk playing on his lips. Thankful for his change of subject, Sakura laughed and leaned back, supporting herself on her hands. The stone was cold against her bare skin, but it did not matter. "You can try, Shisui would be mortified," she knew Sasuke had already tried, he had tried many times.

Not long after their chunin exam, Sakura had started using her shunshin in spars and had done it with a puff of smoke. It took four times before she knew the boys had gotten used to it and then she had surprised them by just vanishing. It was the first time she ever won a spar against Sasuke.

"He really would," and with that, a comfortable silence settled between the three, all of them looking out over Konoha.

"I have something I wanted to ask you guys," Naruto broke the silence and started fidgeting nervously. "You see, being an Uzumaki I feel I need to learn fuinjutsu, but I wanted to know if we could all do it. Like a team thing, you know?" the sheer nervous honesty in him made Sakura smile sadly, she knew how much this team meant to him. It meant everything to her too.

"We would be able to pull off some super awesome combos if we got good at it," he continued and he took out a scroll. "I'll give Teme his when we get to Kumo, but Sakura-chan, I made this for you. It contains everything about the basics and technically, you would be the best of all three of us. A lot of it demands perfect chakra control and I…" he trailed off, "being a medic-nin means you can't use elemental ninjutsu, so I think this can help,".

Sakura stared at her best friend, wondering how long he had been planning this. She knew fuinjutsu was hard, the most difficult branch to study of the shinobi arts, but seeing Naruto ask her to share this with him and Sasuke, Sakura felt touched. He wanted them to have something that was just theirs. As a team.

"I promise I will do my best," she took the scroll with both hands, smiling as a tear escaped her eye. "Shit, don't cry, what did I do?!" Naruto was freaking out but a light slap in the back of his head from Sasuke made him stop, "shut up, she's just happy. And she's going to miss us,". Sakura would normally reprimand Sasuke for his way of speaking, but she knew what he was trying to say. He would miss her and it was easier to say it this way than admit it.

"We can definitely kick some ass together when Teme and I get back" His words were comforting and Sakura gave him a firm nod, "we certainly will,".

…

Watching the four men leave Konoha as the sun rose, Sakura stood by the gates until they were gone from view. Today the tears had not plagued her, she knew leaving was hard enough on her teammates and if she broke, they would feel obligated to stay. Sasuke had already offered several times, but Sakura knew Naruto needed at least one of them with him. Yes, Kakashi and Jiraiya were strong and would guard Naruto better than anyone, but he needed them. This would be the hardest thing her teammate had to do, and she would not let him do it without his best friend.

"Sakura-chan," she had been alone for several minutes when the large group of people who had said their goodbyes had departed. "I wondered when you'd show," she muttered, peering up at him. Nearly half a year after she became a chunin, Sakura had signed a new medical oath, getting a seal placed that would activate if she broke it. Healing Anbu operatives had taught her too much about their identities. It was also why the seal was so important, if she activated it at will, she would forget all the identities. Sakura had not liked the idea of a blood seal on her body, but she knew it was necessary.

"You ready for tomorrow? I won't go easy on you" he had said something similar to her before when he trained her during the chunin exams. "I'll be there at six," she promised and made her hand form the sign that had grown so familiar to her and vanished.

She had kept her shunshin a secret for months after becoming chunin, wanting it to at least be fast enough to work in an easy fight. Sasuke had grunted and acted like a child for weeks afterward, especially because she had tricked him in a spar, but then finally, after trying to copy it many times, admitted he could not get his chakra to work the way hers did. He resolved to use leaves instead. Naruto had learned it not long after, finding smoke very practical, as the dispersal of a shadow clone was similar. It made it very annoying to spar with him when he combined the two things.

Sakura spent the day with Team ten and eight, eating and laughing with them about stories concerning Naruto and Sasuke. Nearly all of them were chunin now, only Ino, Kiba and Choji had met some bad luck during the exams. Hinata had surprised everyone with how hard she had trained after Naruto made chunin, winning the tournament in the next exam. Her beating a Kumo genin in the final had not only built up her confidence but her position in her clan.

"So, what are you going to do now, are you being reassigned?" Choji asked her, mouth stuffed with food. "I'll be training hard on my medical ninjutsu under Tsunade," she said, "I'll go on a few missions too". "It would be fun to have you on the team," Hinata said with a soft smile. Sakura had always liked the girl and she hoped Naruto would open his eyes. He had finally moved past his weird crush on her, perhaps he would notice the Hyuga when he came home.

Sakura went home early just as Shizune arrived with a scroll, "It's been fitted, I only ordered five because you're still growing,". Her thin fingers clutched the object, not shaking. "Senpai, can I do this?" she asked, knowing the older woman was always honest with her. "I have watched you grow into a kunoichi and I believe you can do this, no matter how much I am against it," and she gave her a kind smile "you'll surpass me in no time,".

…

Sakura looked at herself in the mirror, feeling strange. The mask she wore had been customed, and at the top, black fabric had been fastened so she could hide her hair. Staring through the eyes of the mask, she wondered if Tsunade had gotten the mask for her specifically. In her mirror, the white mask stared back at her, the fox shape and painted lines gave a chilling effect. Taking one last breath, she left the headquarters to go to the private Anbu training grounds.

It felt surreal to her, walking in the tight and light-armored uniform. She was not supposed to wear it, she had barely been a chunin and now she was walking into a clearing to meet some of the strongest shinobi Konoha had. Some part of her still thought it a mistake, but her Hokage and teacher had called her to serve. The only thing she excelled in was control and medical ninjutsu, which was what this team needed.

Tsunade had explained it to her and given her a cup of sake, despite her young age. In the last year, Sakura had become better than some of the senior medics. With her being so young and not set in habits, she was the best choice for a team to mold into their medic. Most Konoha medics only held the fighting rank of a chunin, only Shizune and two others held the rank of jonin. They did go on some Anbu missions, Tsunade had told her, but this team would need one on every mission.

Mentally cursing at how the Akatsuki was ruining the life of her closest friend and forcing her into this, Sakura reached the group.

Even facing Orochimaru in the Forest of Death had not intimidated her as this sight did. Four tall men in full uniforms and masks stood, waiting for her.

Shisui removed his mask and so did the three others, he was looking at her with guilt. "It feels wrong to do this," he said, "yeah, somehow the uniform makes her look younger," her eyes flitted to Genma, who was staring at her. Raido shook his head and lastly, her eyes fell on Itachi Uchiha, the only one of them not showing any emotion.

"Tsunade-sama has gone through everything with you?" The older Uchiha had crossed the grass to her, "Yes, Taicho," the title felt weird. She had just grown accustomed to speaking informally to him. "I have some rules for you, but we will go over them later," he slipped his mask back on and the three men followed his lead.

"Today you'll train with Genma and me, who is from now on Tora. Raido is Kuma and Itachi is Neko. I am Tatsu-Taicho. Under no circumstances when in uniform, will you address us in any other way," the seriousness of his words pressed on her like a heavy boulder. "Now, Kitsune, are you ready?" Sakura did not know how she managed it, but the words "yes, Taicho," came out.

…

Sakura had healed the injuries that her clothes did not cover, while she showered. Her body hurt more than it did when she trained with Tsunade. Shisui had been ruthless and nearly dislocated her shoulder when she tripped earlier. It weighed heavy on her that it felt so different to train with him in uniform, it made her miss his happy attitude from when he had helped her before.

As instructed, Sakura left two of her five uniforms in her locker, two were to be at her home and one was either on her or with her in a small scroll. It would only open with her blood, should she need the uniform and not be in Konoha. The fine porcelain mask was also in the scroll, and she wondered how long it would take for her to react to the new name. In a comforting way, the mask reminded her of Naruto.

When she was done and redressed in her usual black and green chunin outfit, Sakura used shunshin to get to the edge of the forest outside. Shisui and Itachi was already waiting for her.

"Mikoto made dinner for us," the older said, carrying three bentos and motioning for her to follow them into the woods. "We can't really take you out to eat, it would be too obvious," he handed her one of the bentos and sat down in the grass, Itachi copying him.

"Does she know?" Sakura asked and Itachi shook his head, "No, she would be displeased,". They ate in a somewhat comfortable silence for a few minutes, before Shisui started.

"Sakura, while you are on my team, my word is the law. I do not care what the actual law says or what the mission said. If I say jump, you jump. If I say kill, you kill." Her face gave away her emotions and she tried to hide them by looking down. "You won't be expected to attack, but you will face situations where you have to," he paused and Sakura still avoided looking at him, "for the next six months, you will not engage in any combat unless I say so. If one of us dies, we die. You will only act in defense of yourself, and if possible, fleeing is the order," she could feel the day weighing on her. His words only made it harder for her to contain all the emotions she had locked away. Naruto and Sasuke had left and Sakura felt more alone than she ever had.

"Shisui, stop," this made her look up, "Itachi, she has to know this!" the older said, his face strained with emotion. "Look at her," and after he had done so, Shisui cursed and walked off into the forest.

"He is unhappy," the obvious statement pulled at her, she wanted to give a sarcastic retort but kept her mouth shut. He got to his feet and held out a hand, pulling her to her feet when she took it. "I will walk you home," he gathered up their food and started walking. It took Sakura a second to snap back into reality and follow him.

"Do you miss them?" the question hit hard, and she nodded, "I do too,". Somehow, for him to admit this to her made Sakura feel more at ease.

…

Itachi

The day had been a strange one, he had never seen his cousin act the way he did now. Quite a distance from Konoha, Shisui had taken it upon himself to break everything and anything. Trees, rocks, and even an animal or two had died to his anger.

Itachi just watched and waited for him to calm down. "We were both younger than she is now," he said calmly, making red eyes turn on him. "She is a child!" while somewhat true, Itachi knew his cousin had let his emotions cloud his judgment. Since she had made chunin, his cousin trained her a few times and Itachi knew he had grown fond of her. Shisui had never had any siblings and ever since he lost his parents, the few bonds he had mattered greatly.

"Calm down," his voice was a little forceful this time, "we are on the verge of war, pretty soon they'll be taking the academy kids younger and younger" he stood and walked closer to his cousin. "It just feels wrong," and even though Itachi agreed, he could see the sense in it. "Tsunade-sama did not make this decision lightly. She cares for the girl-" "her name is Sakura," "-if she can manage it, Anbu will, for the first time since Tsunade, have a cleared medic,".

"What makes you think she won't break?" he finally asked, and Itachi met his eyes, "I am not sure,".

…

Itachi had watched her first day become a near disaster and on her second day, teaching her how to use a tanto was, to put it mildly, frustrating. Raido was far more patient with her than he, which was lucky. He left them after a few hours, needing a break to think.

While she was a suited and strong chunin, what they needed from her seemed impossible. And Genma was right, in the uniform, she looked far younger, and it tugged at his heart. This was a life he did not wish on anyone, and yet that girl had been pushed into it. When he tried to imagine Sasuke in her position, he felt fear. In this line of duty, death was all around them and he wondered if she could handle it.

"I'm taking her to Ibiki tomorrow, she needs a full evaluation," Itachi turned, "Taicho, wait a week," he knew what his cousin hoped for. The older wanted her to be so on edge with the whole situation that Ibiki would conclude she was unfit.

"Neko, it is my decision" and normally, he would have stopped protesting there. "You are not helping her," he countered instead, hoping he could make Shisui see reason. "If she fails this early and pushed back in, it will work against her," he dodged the kunai that came his way.

"The Yamanaka girl is training medical ninjutsu too," and to this, Itachi sighed. "Taicho, they are the same age and Kitsune is far more proficient in medical ninjutsu and taijutsu. Would you force the Yamanaka girl into this just because you do not care for her the same?"

Shisui was silent, but Itachi knew he had gotten through to him. Having a Yamanaka on their team was also a waste of the girl's future potential, with two Uchiha on the team, they did not need more help with interrogation in the field.

"I'll take her before they mark her," and Itachi left his cousin in the clearing, knowing he wanted to be alone.

…

Two weeks later, Itachi watched from a corner in the room with Shisui as Sakura sat with Tsunade, the older marking her with the familiar tattoo. "Only I and Tatsu-Taicho can call you through this," the Kage explained to her student, "it will sting the first few times,".

Itachi was glad his cousin seemed to have come to terms with the situation. The girl seemed to be resolved with her lot in life and now they just needed to push her. And somehow, he knew she could do it, he could see it in her intense green eyes.

…

Three months had passed since he started training her and Itachi was finally seeing improvement to a satisfying degree. Her response was quick, and she remained alert even when they took breaks.

"Were you waiting for me?" her voice broke his train of thought and Itachi gave her a curt nod. "My mother misses you," she had been nagging him to reach out to Sakura. His mother had no way of knowing that he saw her every day, but he had finally decided that if she was a frequent visitor at the Uchiha compound, the more unlikely people were to think twice of her walking with them.

"I miss her too," the soft and honest reply made him stop their walk. He had walked her home several times, fearing he had overworked her, and she would not make it all the way. "If your family is not home, mother would be pleased if you came for dinner," and then they changed their course.

That evening, with Shisui and Sakura at the table, Itachi realized he had not heard her laugh in the months since she had joined them. But standing in the kitchen with his mother, a brilliant smile on her face, her laugh rung through the house.

"Itachi-kun was so surprised he jumped!" his mother was happily telling her of the time Sasuke had brought a cat home and then hid it, only for Itachi to almost step on it. Sasuke had been four then, and it was strange to realize that it was ten, almost eleven, years ago.

"So, any big birthday plans, Sakura-chan?" Itachi looked at his cousin, eyebrow raised. He knew she was fourteen, but from the sound of it, she would be fifteen soon. "I will spend the day with Ino and Hinata," and he tuned them out, not feeling a need to know what her exact plans were.

"Should we get her anything?" Shisui asked, looking thoughtful. While he had been strongly opposed to Sakura joining their team in the beginning, it now looked like he was glad to have her. Although, personally, Itachi believed he coddled her too much.

"Perhaps," was all he said, frowning at the idea of giving any girl a present.

…

Almost two more months passed before Itachi went to pick up the gift. He had been ashamed to admit it, but he had an idea that would fit if it were to come from them as teammates. When he was captain of his team, he always gave his team members a personal gift. It was tradition and now working under his cousin again, the tradition still lived.

Raido had replaced him on Shisui's team when he got his own, making the dynamic a little strange now. However, they would not be a team forever, right now their Anbu team was the only one of its kind in the village. A tactical assault unit to track down Akatsuki members and discard them. If the Sannin Jiraiya was right, they would be working in teams of two. It allowed them to act two against one with medical backup.

Reaching the familiar training ground, Itachi passed the box to Shisui, who slid the lid off and nodded. His mask was covering his face, but Itachi knew his idea had been a good one.

And when they ended the teamwork training for the day, Shisui gave her the elegant box. "This is a personal tanto with a chakra blade and special hilt. It is meant to withstand being in your hand when you use your strength," Itachi knew she could never use it as an Anbu, but she was training diligently with her given weapon. Having one for personal use meant she could use it on any mission and keep her skill fresh.

The sheath was black and only in the tip, was a white engraved Sakura blossom. She gave them all a deep bow, thanking them before leaving to change out of her uniform.

…

Sakura

She sat in the empty house, knowing she should be leaving to train, but her body would not move. She had sat on the floor by the couch since the night before. Now she was truly alone.

With a strained expression and heavy heart, Tsunade had called her to her office last night. The team guarding the border to Kiri had been killed by defecting shinobi. The civil war was nearing its end and many teams had already been called home. However, the team her parents had been on had been one of the ones to stay.

Not two days ago, she had spoken with Shizune about how she should keep the tattoo hidden from her parents and now there was no need for that. For six months she had done nothing but train and observe on simple missions, but the last four missions had been different. Shisui had ordered her to kill on each one of them and it had not been easy. Taking life in a quick and unforgiving manner was different than fighting and then killing. She wondered if the shinobi who had taken her parents even considered if they had a child. It made her consider whether the people she had killed had families that were grieving.

"Leave," she ordered when a familiar shadow entered her peripheral vision. "You are ten minutes late," without thinking, she stood, throwing a kunai laced with chakra at him. "I said leave!" the anger of being cornered in her own home acted like a gateway to the much deeper emotions she had been keeping at bay. With tears in her eyes, she flung more weapons at the Uchiha. He dodged them all, making them soar through the house and break both the walls and several other things. She wanted to be alone, the thoughts in her head made it hard to talk and Sakura felt an intense need to keep her emotions secret.

In a swift motion, he had taken off his mask and crossed the floor to grip her hands, stopping her from breaking more things. "What has happened?" his face was intense, and Sakura laughed at the absurd face, knowing he was worried that something had happened to his brother. "I said leave," and then he did.

Sakura slumped back onto the floor, the tears impossible to control. She needed Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi to come home. She needed to feel safe and be with the only family she had left. How could she have been so naïve to think death would not take any of the people she loved.

An hour passed before he was back, this time in his civilian outfit and his cousin in tow. Her tears had dried up not long before, but she was tired and him coming back made the anger in her come back.

"Just-" Sakura had started in a loud voice, only for a hand to be clamped over it. "Pack some things for a couple of nights," Shisui ordered her, and she had grown so accustomed to following his every word that it somehow snapped her back from her sorrow. Without a word, she walked to her room, Itachi following her. "Do I need to inform anyone?" he asked and just shook her head. She would tell Ino herself at some point.

"Where are we going?" she asked, her bag over her shoulder. "Mother has a room for you," she was startled by this, not sure if she wanted to stay at the Uchiha family home. However, before she could protest, Shisui forced her out and into the streets of Konoha.

Only an hour later, Sakura was sitting in a beautiful room, with a bed made for her and a desk available. It was hard to fully register how she had gotten there, one minute she was home, and the next, she was in this room.

A soft knock sounded at the door, and it slid to the side, "Sakura, come with me," it was her captain, her friend, and the closest thing she had to someone to confide in. Wordlessly, she followed him outside and through the gardens, reaching the large private training area reserved for the Uchiha.

"Come at me," he said, throwing her a bag of weapons. "W-what?" she asked, "get it all out, come at me as hard as you can" his voice was so reassuring that the order felt strange. Sakura stared down at the weapons, bending to pick up a kunai. As if she was a genin again, her throw was slow and imprecise, missing him by several centimeters.

"Not like that, I said come at me!" and this time, her aim and throw were better, forcing him to block the projectile. A surge of adrenaline went to her head and Sakura flew across the field with her shunshin, shattering the large boulder he had been standing by. Every throw and punch she threw was dodged or blocked, even when she turned from a backflip into a kick, where she knew he would reappear.

For an hour, she kept going, using anything near her as a weapon and whenever she could get close, her fists and feet were covered in chakra. Until there was no more chakra, and the adrenaline was leaving her body.

Her being was trembling as she felt her balance fault her in exhaustion. Warm arms came around her, holding her up from falling. "Let it out," and she cried. Sakura had no idea how long she cried or how she was seated on her ground, held by the man who sometimes reminded her of Naruto. At some point, her body gave up on her, her lack of sleep and chakra exhaustion knocking her out.

...

Itachi

He had watched the fight and stayed silent as the kunoichi cried herself to sleep, holding on to Shisui for dear life. "Fuck her punch hurts," the older said in a whisper, getting to his feet with their comrade in his arms. "She hit you?" this was a surprise to him. "I think she recognized a pattern in how I use my shunshin." And then as if she would be comfortable with it, he gave her to him. She felt very small and fragile in her unconscious state, her long pink braid coming undone.

Itachi looked up from the girl in his arms to watch his cousin lift his shirt up and true enough, a large purple bruise was already forming on his chest. "I think she cracked my ribs," and Itachi turned to walk back towards his home, Shisui following close behind. "It's harder to block and evade when I can't counterattack," he excused as they reached the gardens, Itachi ignored him. While walking with her, he was unsure whether his or her heartbeat had changed, but they were beating in sync.

On the large porch, his father sat, waiting for them. "How much did she destroy?" and Shisui lifted a hand in an apology, "Sorry uncle, I'll pay for it,". But the patriarch ignored the statement, having seen something Itachi was unaware of. When Sakura had recklessly spun into Shisui's block, his kunai had cut down her sleeve. In the moonlight, the Anbu tattoo stood out against her pale skin.

"What have you done?" and Itachi ignored him, entering the house with the girl. His cousin could explain what was needed.

In the newly made bed, Itachi put her down, taking off her boots and covering her with the duvet. "Did it help?" his mother was in the doorway, and he was thankful she had not seen the tattoo. "I believe it did," he answered. It was often done by the Uchiha, and Itachi had seen his father do it to his cousin when both his parents died in the third shinobi war. Shisui had been nine and burned the entirety of the gardens near the training grounds. The life of a shinobi was often unforgiving and pushing the emotions to the surface through combat had proven effective several times.

"She's so young, it must be hard with Naruto-kun and Sasuke being away," the two of them walked downstairs and into the kitchen, both Uchiha men already waiting for them. "She will see them soon," Shisui said, having heard Mikoto's words.

"She is to lead a small team to Kumo and back again," Itachi had not known this, and he wondered why she would be going on a mission with like that. "Itachi and I will be shadowing the team, it will be perfectly safe," and now he remembered that Shisui had gotten their mission details that morning.

"When are you leaving? I have been unable to send the boys anything while they are away," and then as Shisui ghosted over the details of their mission, he stopped listening, the rhythm of his heartbeat distracting him.

…

"Sakura will be the captain of this mission and until you are back in Konoha, you follow her orders," Itachi watched from the hidden panel in the Hokage office as the team of five was briefed on their trip to Kumo. While relations still strained, Tsunade was sending Neji Hyuga as a show of good faith. They would not be able to use his eyes, even if they took them.

The Hyuga, Nara and Inuzuka men all looked at the medic like she had done something wrong, while the Yamanaka girl was gaping. But no one complained at the order and within a couple of hours, the team met a the gates.

While not a popular choice, Shisui had agreed that sending Sakura with only a team of chunin would act as a beacon, should any Akatsuki members lie in wait near Kumo. Right now, three Jinchuriki, perhaps four, were gathered in one country. With her pink hair and status as Naruto's teammate, she would make a good hostage for anyone who wanted the blonde.

And for five days, the Anbu trailed the chunin, only one problem arising. The Hyuga had been keeping watch other the camp one night and had looked at Sakura, and Itachi knew what the Hyuga saw on her shoulder. He had visibly flinched.

"Fuck," Genma muttered beside him, "he won't say anything," Shisui said calmly. It was a known fact the Hyuga could spot the tattoo, but should any of them speak of it, they would be punished severely. The porcelain masks they wore could not be seen through, so he would never connect Sakura to her masked identity.

…

It was hard on him to watch Sakura embrace his brother and the blonde Jinchuriki. He had missed his brother and to see him but unable to make contact, was truly agonizing. However, watching as the girl changed from just a few days with her teammates calmed him. He could recognize the girl from Team Seven again.

...

So this was chapter 5, next one will bring back some Team 7 love and the Akatsuki will finally make their appearance. I hope to hear your thoughts on this chapter and if you have any ideas for the future of this story, I will be happy to read them.