AN: Hello friends! So I'm super happy with how many people have already reviewed/favorited/followed this story. We're only two chapters in! I hope you like this chapter as it is the longest I've ever written.

Anyway please read and review and tell me all of your wonderful thoughts

The First Time

Chapter 2: Collective Hearts

"We were barely eighteen when we crossed collective hearts
It was cold, but it got warm when you barely crossed my eye."

There were some days when Itachi enjoyed being the head of the ANBU faction of Konoha shinobi. He's been told since he was very young that he was a natural born leader although he always had the distinct feeling that he was raised to be a leader. But his relatives were right, no matter their motivations, and his ranks of ANBU were kept top-notch under his leadership. However, in order to make sure he was able to keep going on missions, he appointed Neji Hyuuga as his second in command. They divided the paperwork and Konoha-related duties in order to be able to still act as active ANBU.

There were also some days when Itachi detested being head of the ANBU faction of the Konoha shinobi. Like today – the newest members of ANBU had just been inducted and now it was time for him and Neji to assign them to teams. They always mixed the teams when the new recruits passed their ANBU exams so that not one ANBU team would be comprised of all new members. But the task was tedious and the two captains have been reading through names, profiles, and mission reports for the past two days.

"Very well," Itachi muttered, grasping the piece of paper with a list of seventy names or so in his tired hand. Many of the names had arrows and color coded notes by the sides, indicating which team they should be on. "I'll take the younger Aburame and Muta-san can be transferred to Squad 3. They will need a tracker."

"That will work," Neji agreed. "Then you will have Shino as a tracker as well and Genma for offensive battles. Your team will be well balanced. Wait, who will be captain of Team 3 then? None of them are captains."

Itachi sighed, letting the paper fall onto the table. The two ANBU captains had been cooped in the Hyuuga's office at the ANBU building for twelve hours – since one o'clock in the afternoon. Itachi read through the list of names that comprised of the new Squad 3: Shisui Uchiha, Muta Aburame, and Hana Inuzuka. "Shisui. He's been ANBU for five years," was his reply. "He'll work hard."

Neji nodded his head. "He's a little bit of a loose-cannon but he'll excel as captain, especially with Hana on his team. She needs someone who can keep up with her," he replied, marking a star next to Shisui's name. His lips thinned as he contemplated his next question. "I have a request."

Itachi looked up at him. "Hm?"

"My genin teammates, Lee and Tenten, passed the exams. You'll see their names on the roster," Neji said, but he let the question hang in the air.

Itachi leafed through the names, and sure enough, found Rock Lee's and Tenten's names. "You wish for your old team back?" he asked. Neji simply inclined his head. "It will put you at a disadvantage with two new recruits."

"My team and I have been training together for nine years," was his reply.

"Very well," Itachi replied, marking Lee's and Tenten's names next to Neji's. "Only a few more names left…"

His thought was caught off by a sudden prick at the back of his neck, saying that someone was outside, scrambling up the wall towards the room they were in. Neji felt it as well, Itachi surmised, judging by the way his head shot up and he turned back towards the window. "Haruno Sakura," Itachi stated calmly, but his amusement was evident.

Neji sighed as he listened to the faltering footsteps of the kunoichi as she attempted to scale the wall to his third-floor office. "A drunken Haruno Sakura if her footsteps are any indication," Neji replied evenly, but there was a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Hm," Itachi replied as they watched the window. The kunoichi was only seventeen – a little young to indulge in such things. But he knew the team had been taking on more difficult missions lately – both physically and emotionally – and it was not uncommon for shinobi to soak their emotions in alcohol since there were few other options available for them. It's not as if they could speak of their missions to others, especially the difficult one. They had to rely on their own devices and their teammates in order to cope.

The window flew open only moments later and a grinning pink-haired kunoichi climbed through ungracefully. Stumbling over the ledge and falling into a nearby table, the kunoichi had to brace herself on a nearby chair in order to stop herself from tumbling over completely. When she righted herself, Itachi quickly noted her attire – or lack thereof. She was wearing a very short, skin tight, black mini skirt and a maroon blouse that had an open back, revealing the lean, toned muscles of her back and sides.

She turned her beaming smile up to Itachi and Neji. Wittily, she joked, "Come here often, Itachi-san?"

"Sakura-san," Itachi replied in his normal tone.

"You've been drinking," Neji stated blandly. "Again."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at the Hyuuga. "It's not my fault," she retorted unsteadily. "Blame your team. I was just sitting there, at the bar, with Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke, and then your team came up and challenged us to a-"

"You didn't," Neji replied evenly. Itachi wasn't sure what he was alluding to, but he was not about to stop the conversation. Seeing the Hyuuga disgruntled was rare, and slightly amusing. He was also not about to shorten his time with Sakura. Realizing where the direction of his thoughts, he shook them off immediately.

"They did," Sakura replied. Itachi raised an eyebrow to her, asking her what she meant. Sakura hiccupped and explained. "Whenever Team Gai and Team Kakashi get together for a drink, Naruto and Lee, as well as Gai and Kakashi, get into these little competitions…"

"And Lee and Tenten don't have the best tolerance for alcohol," Neji continued. "As a medic, Sakura is able to curb the effects, and due to the kyuubi, Naruto doesn't react to alcohol nearly as strong. No matter how much he drinks, Sasuke is always surly and quiet, and Kakashi holds his sake better than the Godaime Hokage. Therefore, they always win. So, Sakura, what was the bet, and what was the outcome?"

Sakura grinned, "I don't think I've ever heard you talk so much outside of giving orders for a mission, Neji-kun. Plus, you know this was your fault."

"Sakura," Neji warned. He didn't know how he felt being called 'Neji-kun' in front of his captain. Even drunk, Sakura should know better, but he supposed it had something to do with her familiarity with the elder Uchiha. Since she was on a team with Sasuke, she spent much of her time at the Uchiha compound. Most kunoichi her age were either fawning over Itachi, or too afraid of him to even be in his vicinity. She seemed to be the exception, showing no such behavior.

She pointed a wobbly finger at Neji, "You were supposed to meet me at the bar hours to save me from my team. Instead, I find you here."

"I have work to do, Sakura," Neji replied curtly. Sakura huffed, and Itachi suddenly felt that all-too-familiar twinge in his stomach whenever Sakura talked about other men or even insinuated that they were going to be on a date. Silently, he was thankful that his and Neji's work had taken so long therefore halting any plans Neji and Sakura may have had. Once again, he had to shake these feelings down. His possessiveness over the kunoichi was unnatural and it bordered on jealousy. "We aren't done making ANBU teams."

"Hm?" Sakura's head quirked, walking over to the desk where Neji and Itachi were stationed. As she leaned over Neji's shoulder, Itachi could make out every pore on her ivory skin and each muscle on her tuned back.

"Sakura, those are classified," Neji grunted, equally aware of Sakura's state of dress and her proximity. Itachi could see it in the way he shifted, glanced at her up and down, and then shifted his eyes immediately. A flush of irritation poured throughout Itachi's body, making him shake for a moment internally – how dare the Hyuuga ogle Sakura so blatantly. However, his face never showed it. Sakura merely waved him off as she studied the list.

"You're taking Shino?" she asked Itachi, glancing in his direction. Itachi merely inclined his head. "Oh, Neji-kun, you convinced him to let Tenten and Lee on your squad. They'll be so excited!" Neji coughed a bit at her brazen, and Itachi glanced at the Hyuuga. Clearly, the subject had been discussed prior to his request this evening. "I told you he would!" she continued.

Pinching the bridge of his nose in a wave of frustration, Neji asked Sakura smoothly, "Anyway, Sakura, why are you here besides halting the last of our work?"

Sakura looked up at him, confused for a moment. She seemed to be sobering up quickly, and through his Sharingan, Itachi could see that she was swirling chakra in her stomach in order to curb the alcohol. Suddenly, her jade eyes brightened and she squealed quietly. "That's right!" she exclaimed. "The bet! Kakashi and Gai got into one of their usual 'my-team-is-better-than-your-team' bicker match and now our spar tomorrow is full-contact."

Neji sighed. "It was supposed to just be a taijutsu spar, Sakura."

"I know so that's why I'm here. They wanted you to know so you would come prepared," she explained, now seemingly completely sober. "You should be prepared before you guys get your asses handed to you again."

Sakura was now leaning into Neji and the slightest twinge of pink crossed the bridge of his nose. Itachi noticed, felt annoyed, but then he focused on something the kunoichi had said. "Neji-san, has your ANBU team been beaten by a team that has only recently become jounin?"

The pink intensified slightly across his nose, but he turned to his captain with a serious face. "While individually my teammates and I are stronger, as a team, Team Kakashi is possibly the strongest shinobi team in Konoha," he explained. "As a group, they are nearly unstoppable. So yes, their team has beaten mine in spars almost seven times out of ten."

"Aa," Itachi stated, now curious. He had heard that his brother's team was strong, but he had never seen them in a battle or spar as a team. His encounters with his brother's team were usually passing ones when they fought each other on the Uchiha grounds.

"You act as if you were unaware," Neji commented.

"I was," was the monotonic reply.

"You've never seen them fight?" Neji asked. Itachi shook his head no. "You should come tomorrow, then."

"Perhaps."

"Itachi-san! You should come!" Sakura exclaimed as she jumped to twist fully to Itachi. If Itachi was anyone else, he would have jumped back at her exuberance, but he merely arched an eyebrow at her. "You'll get to see us in action! And you can help be a judge because it almost always comes down to a close call and Kakashi and Gai could hardly be deemed impartial judges."

Her face was so excited that Itachi just couldn't say no to her. He couldn't even think of disappointing her. So, Itachi inclined his head at her. "What time?"

X

Despite the fact that it was already 10 a.m., it was still cold, telling everyone that winter would soon be upon them. Team Gai arrived first – Lee and Tenten looking no worse for wear from their previous night out. Then Sasuke and Naruto arrived, Itachi following silently behind him. His younger brother had been surprised when Itachi had announced that he would watch the match, but he had just shrugged and led them to Naruto's apartment to retrieve him.

"Ah, where's that Kakashi?!" Gai exclaimed as the group came together, his head whipping back and forth, as if Kakashi would appear any second. "Undoubtedly late as always."

"Calm down," a voice said, and in a puff of smoke, the copy-nin appeared, a disgruntled looking Sakura in tow. She had been grasping the copy-nin's wrist, but released it the instant she found her feet underneath her. "I had a very persistent alarm clock who wouldn't allow me to be late."

The silver-haired-nin sounded annoyed but amused as well. Sakura just shook her head but a smirk splayed across her face – giving off the impression that being 'persistent' really meant taking a beating until the copy-nin was up and dressed. Itachi studied the kunoichi closely. She was wearing her black body suit that hugged every curve of her body with a green ninja dress that went to her mid-thigh. Strapped to a bandage that covered half of her thigh was her kunai holster, and her ninja belt wrapped around her waist loosely so it was lop-sided across her hips, with her tanto sticking out of it slackly from the back. Before anyone could notice where his gaze was, Itachi shifted his eyes away in order to look disinterested.

Kakashi seemed to notice Itachi's presence first. "Uchiha."

"Hatake."

"I brought him here to be a judge because you two lie!" Sakura explained jubilantly, pointing a playfully accusing finger to Kakashi and Gai.

"Sakura, I would never lie." Kakashi…lied. Sakura huffed, and Sasuke rolled his eyes visibly. Naruto just pointed a finger and laughed at the blatant untruth of Kakashi's statement.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Neji inclined, already foreseeing the bicker match that would surely erupt between Team Seven if they were to continue. Undoubtedly, Tenten would interject her own opinion and then Lee would jump in. Gai would try to end the quarrel but only assist in making it worse.

The others nodded as they took their positions on the training ground. Sakura pulled on her black gloves, Sasuke activated his Sharingan, all while Naruto stretched his limbs to be more pliable. Itachi, Kakashi, and Gai all sat on a nearby bench as they watched the teams square off in the center of the field. Itachi activated his Sharingan in order to see the fight for what it really was. "Full contact?" he asked quietly.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "Yep, no rules. We only intervene if it looks like one of them is about to die."

Gai laughed loudly. "We've only had to intervene once or twice. Usually Sakura-chan puts a stop to the fight. It's the medic in her," he explained. Itachi inclined his head in understanding and turned his attention back to the fight that was about to start. Gai turned as well, and yelled, "Begin!"

Instantly, Tenten flew into the air, unleashing a rain of senbon onto Team Seven. Sakura seemed to be prepared for this, as her fist hit the ground and a wall of earth shot up, protecting her entire team. However, Lee was already flying at them from behind in order to attack. Sasuke turned and landed a kick on his chest before Lee could effectively bind Naruto in a grip that would surely end Naruto's participation in the fight instantly. The green-clad taijutsu specialist fell back, but recovered quickly and was headed towards Naruto again. This time, Naruto was prepared for him, and he engaged the other shinobi in a fight.

Sasuke was about to join the fight when Neji appeared in front of him suddenly. The Hyuuga had a smirk on his face and his arms were crossed over his body as he waited for Sasuke's next move. It was surprising when Sasuke smirked and flung himself over the wall in order to engage Tenten in battle. This left a gleaming Sakura to face Neji. Moving his legs and arms into position, Neji prepared to strike. Sakura's palms began to glow green as her chakra scalpel formed. Neji would try to stop her from forming it completely as he lunged at her, quickly closing the distance between them.

"Team Gai is trying to separate Team Kakashi," Itachi stated blandly. It was obvious from the way Lee had just thrown Naruto into the nearby forest and how Tenten was dodging Sasuke's techniques in order to push them backward.

Kakashi chuckled. "It's the only hope Team Gai has," he replied with amusement fully apparent in his voice. "On an individual level, Team Gai has my team beat, with the exception being the sensei's (Gai scoffed), of course. However, as a group, Team Seven has combination techniques and chemistry that no others have been able to stop. If the ANBU exams were tested as teams, they would have passed years ago."

"Hm," Itachi replied solemnly. He noticed that Team Gai's strategy in separating Team Kakashi was working. However, it was working too easily. Neji had effectively pushed Sakura back into a corner between a large boulder and a tree. Naruto had escaped the forest, but was still on the border of the tree line while he dodged Lee's attacks, and Sasuke was now trying to get in a close-range fight with Tenten, so the team member's positions formed a triangle of sorts.

His theory was proven soon enough. Sakura jumped back from Neji to give her space as she began forming hand signs, and he instantly noticed that Naruto and Sasuke were doing the same. "Ah, they are planning on testing all of their new techniques today, I see," Kakashi muttered.

"Explain," Itachi stated plainly. It wasn't an order or a question, just a gentle prodding so that copy-nin would further elaborate on his meaning.

"One of the things that makes Team Seven so different is the fact that they are able to modify techniques from others they have seen in order to create new techniques," Kakashi replied quietly, "It really only works with them because of the unique combination of skills. Sasuke possesses the Sharingan and therefore has the ability to completely memorize a technique. Sakura is analytical and ingenious. She is able to modify the technique to fit their needs. Naruto has chakra stores larger than anybody else so he is able to practice each modification that Sakura makes over and over again – thus creating a jutsu that suits their needs in a record amount of time. This particular one was only in the concept stages two days ago. I believe it is adapted from an Uchiha skill."

"Interesting," Itachi muttered as he continued to watch the fight unfold.

The group's hand signs were over in mere moments and they held their palms to the sky, focusing on a center point. Instantly, a surge and line of lightning emitted from their palms individually. It met in the center of the field about twenty feet above the ground, forming a large ball of electrical waves. In less than a second, the lightning was now separating, and apparently heading straight back towards Team Seven. That's when Itachi saw it – it wasn't heading for Team Seven, but their opponents.

Neji saw it just in time and flew out of the way as Sakura did the same. The lightning blast crashed into the boulder that she had been standing on just moments before, shattering it to pieces as rock and debris crumbled onto the battlefield. Tenten and Lee weren't as lucky as the blast of lightning hit them both. Tenten was clearly most affected as she had three large metal weapons in her arms that conducted the lightning right to her. Lee was able to pull himself up quickly, and hopped over to where Neji was quickly retrieving Tenten.

"Since Sakura is more inclined to use wind jutsu, she has trouble with lightning, but Sasuke has a particular disposition towards fire and lightning. So they combined their lightning blasts in order to equally damage Team Gai as opposed to Sakura hitting Neji with a weak and inefficient blast or using too much of her chakra in order to land an effective hit. It also uses up less chakra for her since she has Sasuke's and Naruto's blast as a buffer to help her," Kakashi explained evenly. "It also is a counter to when they find themselves separated in battle. They can still fight together this way."

"I see," Itachi replied, completely riveted with the battle. Momentarily, not that he would ever admit it, he felt pride for his brother swell within him. When Sasuke had first been assigned to Team Kakashi, he had been disappointed with his teammates. He saw both Naruto and Sakura as weak. Now, they were working as a cohesive unit that was clearly a force on the battlefield. Obviously, his teammates had taken him to a level that he would have never reached with another team. They pushed him to be so much more than he even realized due to their opposing skill sets and areas of expertise. Itachi was forced to push back his inner musings towards the battle as it was now continuing.

The jutsu had obviously taken its toll on Sasuke's team, which wasn't horribly surprising since the jutsu was apparently only two days old. Mastery of such a technique would take time in order to make it more efficient. Sasuke was panting from exertion, and Sakura swayed slightly when she bolted to where Naruto was standing. Her previous battle with the Hyuuga had been brief but intense, and he had managed to hit her a few times in the torso with his gentle fist technique. Using his Sharingan, Itachi could make out where she had forced chakra through the barriers that the Hyuuga had made. Due to her exhaustion, it hadn't been easy to overcome. The only one who didn't look fazed was Naruto since minor amounts of his chakra were used.

The groups were now towards the south end of the clearing, only a few feet away from a line of trees. Team Seven was the first to strike. Sakura began by making hand signs quickly and she parted her lips. With a gust of chakra-infused breath and a wave of her hands, a large gust of wind flew towards Team Gai. Team Gai didn't seemed too phased, but Sasuke was now making his own hand signs and added fire to the wind technique, making the flames whip wildly and quickly towards the others. Naruto had been simultaneously making his own hand signs, and with a puff of smoke he disappeared. Itachi strained, trying to see what was happening.

"There are shuriken hidden in the fire!" Tenten called. The team separated, jumping out of the way of the blast. Itachi saw them – the silver glinting of the shuriken was unmistakable as they flew past them, heading for the trees. He then noticed that the shuriken were coated in chakra, green chakra, as if to protect them…

"You'll have to do better than that," Neji called, but the rest of his gloating was cut off by bursts of smoke behind them. Whipping back, all of the metal shuriken that had been hiding in the fire were now changing into twenty Naruto clones, who were throwing a barrage of shuriken and kunai at Team Gai. Tenten was able to block most of them, and Neji dodged them all. However, Lee took several kunai to the arms, legs, and torso. As he attempted to stand, Lee stumbled forward and collapsed in a heap.

"Lee, you're out!" Gai called from the bench. He was then darting towards the group and picking up his student's lifeless body and returning to the bench. "I'm going to take him to the hospital. I'll be back soon, Kakashi, so no cheating while I'm gone!" With that, Gai was running towards Konoha.

"There was a paralyzing agent in the weapons," Kakashi stated.

"Hm," Itachi agreed.

The two remaining members of Team Gai were now squaring off with Team Kakashi. While Sasuke's team had more people, Itachi could see that they were just as haggard as their opposition. The jutsu they were using was taking up much of their chakra and Sakura was still struggling to move chakra in her own body due to Neji's earlier attacks. The battle seemed to be evenly matched for the final moments.

Surprisingly, Tenten took on Naruto and Sasuke, leaving Neji to battle Sakura once again. This time, Itachi surmised, the kunoichi would not be able to beat the ANBU captain. Neji moved to her quickly and fluidly as his fists attacked. Sakura was doing all she could to block as her chakra scalpels formed once again. However, he was faster and more agile this time around.

Sakura dodged what would be a debilitating hit from the Hyuuga, forcing Neji forward. Sakura saw her opportunity and forced him down with a chakra infused elbow to the back. As he fell, he twisted around and grabbed an unsuspecting Sakura's wrist, bringing her down with him. As they fell, Neji shifted their positions so he was now straddling the Sakura when they hit the ground. His hands hit her quickly in the shoulders and forced her arms above her head. Instinctively, Itachi's body stiffened at the compromising position and irritation coursed through him. it was a fairly common position male shinobi used to subdue kunoichi, but Itachi didn't like that the Hyuuga was using the compromising position on this particular kunoichi.

"Give up," Neji commanded.

"No," she hissed back, struggling underneath him as she attempted to force chakra into her arms. Her attempts were futile as Neji's attacks had completely blocked off the chakra flow to her arms, disabling her most deadly weapon.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, forming hand signs. Sasuke took a moment to distract Tenten so that Naruto could mount an attack on Neji. However, Tenten wasn't going to allow that and she blocked the blond ninja.

Neji forced a kunai to Sakura's throat, who cringed away from the offending weapon. "Sakura," he warned. "Give up."

"Never!" she spat back. Lashing out with her leg, she attempted to strike Neji in his back with her knee but because of his position the effort was unsuccessful. "Get off me!"

In turn, Neji pressed the kunai tighter to her gullet, allowing a drop of blood to pour from her throat. Sakura went still for a moment, but her face was furrowed in determination. Neji saw it at the last moment as she used the last of her strength to force chakra into her arms and yanked her arms up so she grabbed both of Neji's holding them in place behind her head. "Naruto!" Sakura called.

On cue, a burst of rubble erupted from the ground just above Sakura head. Naruto was pulling himself out of the ground, a burst of wind in his hand that indicated he had formed the rasengan. Neji attempted to jerk back but Sakura's chakra-laden hands were keeping him in place. Itachi turned his attention back to Sasuke's and 'Naruto's' fight with Tenten, now realizing that the Uzumaki had switched himself out with a clone. Tenten hit the clone with a kunai, dispelling it quickly. Neji had thrown himself down and pressed himself fully onto Sakura to avoid the rasengan, and Sakura grunted in surprise (Itachi forced himself not to outwardly jerk in frustration at their position). It was all she could take, though, and the chakra dissipated from her arms.

With no other options, Neji's hand went to the back of Sakura's neck to settle on a pressure point that would cause her to go unconscious if he pressed it. She looked irate and Naruto was nowhere nearby to help as Tenten had quickly left Sasuke engage the real Naruto in battle, but finally sputtered, "I'm done."

Neji smirked and pulled off of her instantly as Sakura heaved up and stomped over to where Gai (who had already returned from depositing Lee at the hospital), Kakashi, and Itachi were sitting. With a huff, she crossed her legs and sat down, folding her arms in front of her chest. "You did well, Sakura," Kakashi commented. She didn't turn to face him but merely sighed angrily.

Itachi stared at her for a moment, noting that she was completely exhausted, but turned back to the battle that was now quickly ending. Sasuke had pressed a pressure point on the back of Tenten's neck which caused her to slump into an unconscious heap on the ground. Truthfully, the kunoichi would not have lasted much longer had she continued to fight. Now, Sasuke and Naruto were going after a fatigued looking Neji. A rasengan was thrown directly at the Hyuuga's chest, but he was able to catch the arm. But Sasuke was behind him and wrapped a kunai around his neck. Neji looked back, annoyance crossing his features.

"I surrender."

Naruto smiled and threw a fist in the air. Sasuke merely smirked. Itachi turned to Sakura, who was pulling herself off of the ground. Naruto was running towards them while Sasuke and Neji (who was carrying Tenten) followed at a more subdued pace. "Let's go get ramen to celebrate!" Naruto called. Grabbing Sakura's and Kakashi's hand, he began to pull them in the direction of Ichiraku.

As they were being pulled away, Sakura turned back to smile at the group. "See you later, Neji-kun, Gai-sensei, Itachi-san!"

Neji and Itachi both inclined their heads simultaneously and Sakura gave them a lop-sided smile. Sasuke stopped next to his brother. Itachi looked at him solemnly. "You should be proud of yourself and your team. You impressed me."

The sentence was so short and simple, and Sasuke didn't respond outwardly, but Itachi saw the instant glint of happiness and gratification in his eyes. Sasuke tilted his head in acknowledgement and followed his teammates towards town.

X

Three weeks later

There was a small, constant layer of frost on the ground that indicated winter was now in fully upon Konoha. Itachi walked slowly from his home, wearing a large, thick jacket. He found taking walks this time of year peaceful as he mused what he would get his family for Christmas. He still had a few weeks left, but being a perfectionist, he always tried to plan ahead. Sasuke was sitting in the front of the house on the porch clad in a thick blue sweater and cloak, hands crossed over his chest.

Itachi stopped next to him. Looking up to meet his eye, Sasuke muttered, "Naruto's coming."

"Hm?" Itachi questioned, raising an eyebrow. He did not sense the Uzumaki's chakra signature nearby.

"I guess you could say it's like a sixth sense," Sasuke replied warily, and turned back to face the front gate. Itachi had no time to question this, as they soon opened and an exuberant blond ninja dashed into the compound. However, his face was laced with worry and Itachi saw Sasuke stiffen automatically. Deciding to leave them to talk privately, Itachi turned and made his way towards the woods that surrounded the Uchiha compound. The woods would be more private and peaceful.

As he walked, he heard the blond shout, "We have to find Sakura-chan! Tsunade-baa-sama just found me and she said something was wrong-"

His voice quieted as Itachi walked into the bare, leafless woods. He forced himself to ignore the blond ninja's words. It would not due for Itachi to listen in on a conversation about Sakura when he was fighting to keep the kunoichi from his mind in the first place. There were plenty of pine trees, though, that left a crisp nature scent in the forest. He allowed his mind to wander to the upcoming Christmas season.

Sasuke would get a new set of weapons. Knowing that his brother needed to replace his old set that would barely stay sharp for more than a few rounds of sparring, Itachi found this would be most appropriate. He had noticed his mother complaining how she needed new mixing bowls and a new spice set, and decided he would go get her those. His father was never an easy man to buy for. Usually, his mother would purchase something for him and just tack Itachi and Sasuke's names on it; therefore, he needn't worry about him.

Buying for Shisui was easy, though. The new Icha Icha book box set had just come out and his elder cousin had taken quite a liking to the set (he blamed Shisui's brief stint on Hatake Kakashi's ANBU team when he was younger for this particular perversion). He had purchased his new ANBU teammates vouchers for food, drink, and lodging in other countries. Sometimes ryou didn't work in foreign shinobi countries and ninja found themselves camping, hunting, and fishing for their basic needs during missions. The vouchers were good in any of the major countries, though, and were often very expensive.

His thoughts were abruptly halted. One mile into his stroll, Itachi heard a muffled grunt several yards to his left. Quietly, he made his way to the source of the noise. As he got closer he heard another choking sound coming from a very large, bare oak tree.

Moving around it, he found a crumpled looking Sakura Haruno leaning against the trunk on a branch several meters in the air. She didn't know he was there, or at least she didn't acknowledge his presence. Clad in her medic scrubs only, Itachi noticed a profuse amount of blood smeared on her shirt and pants. However, he couldn't get a look at her to see if she was injured because she was curled into the fetal position – head collapsed in her knees as she shook. Another choked groan escaped her and she shook again. Itachi realized the girl was crying. Heart lurching at the sight, he looked down to see a small twig next to his foot. Pressing his foot down, he allowed the twig to snap, announcing his presence.

Sakura's head shot up and she immediately looked at Itachi with red-rimmed, wet, jade eyes. She was still shaking, either from emotional trauma, the cold, or a combination of both. Itachi noted she was not wearing any sort of jacket and the temperature was much too cold to only be wearing thin medic scrubs. "I-I-it-itachi-san?" she murmured and hiccupped as another wave of tears rushed down her flushed face.

"Sakura-san," Itachi replied and inclined his head.

"What're you doing here?" she asked through a shaky voice.

"This is the Uchiha compound," he replied evenly although he was entirely unsure how to handle the situation. He had very rarely seen anyone cry in his presence before and it unnerved him, especially coming from the usually vibrant Sakura Haruno. He felt no amount of enjoyment looking at the pure pain in her expression as she gazed uncertainly at him.

"Oh, right," she all but whispered back.

"Come down here," he ordered smoothly, but with no venom or harshness.

"Uhm…" she started, "No it's okay. I'm just going to-"

"Sakura-san," he warned. She cringed, but did as she was told. Her movements were graceful yet hesitant as she unfolded herself and jumped so she landed a few feet in front of him. Itachi swept his gaze up and down on her figure, noting that there were several large stains of blood on the front of her uniform.

Noticing what he was looking at, Sakura choked out with another half-sob, "Not mine." Judging by the pain in her voice Itachi felt she almost wished it was her blood. "I…" she continued uncertainly, "I don't wish to speak about it."

"Very well," he replied silkily. Noticing she was still shaking and her nose was turning even redder from the cold, he pulled his jacket off in one swift movement and placed it gently around her shoulders. He was already wearing a thick sweater, so the jacket was not truly needed. But he didn't want to give his mother another reason to worry, as she surely would if he left the house without it. She looked at him, shocked. "Your teammates are looking for you."

"Oh…" her eyes widened in comprehension. "Shishou must have told them to find me. She usually sends someone when I…in these situations…"

Itachi was not sure what happened, but the girl was blatantly avoiding talking about whatever upset her so much. So he inclined his head and stated, "I'll walk you back to the compound. I can sense Sasuke and Naruto there."

The girl nodded and followed slowly behind him. Their walk was short and was held in a companionable silence. As they approached the compound, Itachi could make out the outline of Sasuke and Naruto at front of the house. Naruto was waving his hands around wildly and Sasuke was turning away from him, annoyed. That's when onyx eyes looked up to see Itachi and Sakura emerge from the forest.

Naruto must have seen as well because as Sakura and Itachi approached, he yelled, "SAKURA-CHAN WE'VE BEEN SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!" The boy leapt past Sasuke and Itachi (nearly knocking them both over, and he would have had they not been shinobi) and grasped Sakura in a large bear hug. During their walk, the girl had stopped crying, but in Naruto's large arms, Itachi could see her shoulders shaking as her hands went around Naruto's waist and up to grasp his shoulders in a desperate hug. "You want to go get ramen for dinner, Sakura-chan?" Naruto whispered uncharacteristically tender in her ear.

His loving tone made the twinge of annoyance cross through Itachi, but he was now very used to ignoring it. Plus, he had no right to be annoyed in this situation. They were her teammates and it was their job to console her. Perhaps he was just irritated that he could not be the one to do so. Immediately, he forced his thoughts back because they were suddenly going to a very dangerous place – thoughts of Sakura and his unnatural emotional connection to the girl. Sakura nodded her head in Naruto's chest and now Sasuke was making his way past Itachi. Grabbing her hand, Sasuke muttered, "Let's go then."

Sakura and Naruto whirled around, but suddenly Sakura stopped. She began to take of the jacket Itachi gave her, but then noticed all the blood that was splattered across her uniform. Looking up at Itachi, he held up his hand before she could speak, "Just give it to Sasuke at the end of the night."

Her face exuded pure gratitude for a moment as she zipped the jacket up so it covered the stains of blood. Turning around, Naruto grasped one of Sakura's hands. Tentatively, Itachi noticed Sasuke pulling his hand out of one of his pockets and taking the other. Sakura's shoulders noticeably slackened and seemed to be a bit perkier then they were before as Team Seven walked together out of the compound.

About two hours later, Itachi was sitting in the kitchen with Fugaku and Mikoto. His mother was doing the dishes while he and his father 'discussed' clan business. In reality, Fugaku spoke and Itachi 'hn'd and 'aa'd every few minutes to indicate he was listening. Then his sensed pricked, indicating that Sasuke had returned and had brought his teammates with him.

Opening the door to the kitchen, Sasuke still had his head turned towards Naruto and Sakura who were outside. "Go get her some clothes, dobe," he ordered. "And let her shower first." He then turned to his family who were all staring at him curiously. Grimly, he stated, "Sakura and Naruto are staying here tonight. She lost a patient on the table today and she doesn't want to be alone."

"Oh the poor thing!" Mikoto cried as she ran to the fridge. Pulling out dango, she placed it in the microwave to heat it up. "Of course they can stay!"

"We'll be sleeping in the living room so we can watch a movie," Sasuke noted as his mother thrust a tray with dango and milk into his hands. Itachi thought about the kunoichi for a moment. She was probably inconsolable at this point. The most accomplished medic in Konoha would surely be devastated from losing a comrade or anyone for that matter under her care. Sakura was also extra emotional by shinobi standards, so it most likely hit her harder than less partial ninja.

"Sakura-chan can stay as long as she needs, right, Fugaku?" Mikoto spoke hurriedly. Fugaku merely 'hm'd in response. Itachi doubted he was listening. "Go get comfortable, Sasuke. And let me know if you need anything. And make sure to be extra nice to Sakura-chan."

"Hm," Sasuke replied evenly and walked out of the room. Itachi just watched him go for a moment and the longing to go to Sakura to console her was overwhelming. Quickly dismissing the feeling, he turned back down to the report in Fugaku's hand. Perhaps he would find her tomorrow…

The two Uchiha men had stayed in the kitchen discussing Uchiha business until well after dark. It was almost midnight, and Mikoto had retired to bed several hours ago. Fugaku continued to blame Itachi – if only he were home more than they wouldn't have to go over such matters in one sitting. Itachi ignored it. Now, though, he walked through the house towards his room. He had a mission starting tomorrow evening that would take at least a week or two, meaning he would have to rise early in order to get his Christmas shopping done.

He walked past the living room and noticed that Sasuke and Naruto were both asleep on the floor. There was an area in between them with a pillow and blanket that was conspicuously empty. Looking up at the couch, he saw Sakura sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest as she stared at the television screen in front of her. Instead of her blood-soaked scrubs, she was now wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and large black pants that were two-sizes too big on her. Sasuke's old clothes, he noted. They would definitely be too small on Sasuke now, at least.

Sakura noticed Itachi and waved to him. Itachi nodded at her, intending to go upstairs, but he realized she was now jumping over her teammates to join him. Silently, he pulled back from the door to allow her to exit; noting that the Uchiha fan was decorated on the back of her shirt, he instantly thought of how much he like Sakura sporting his family moniker.

"Would you like to have tea with me before you go to sleep?" she whispered, jerking Itachi from his thoughts of her as an Uchiha wife... Her eyes were less red and her face had turned back to her normal complexion, but Itachi could see the grief in her expressive emerald eyes.

Instead of answering, he turned back to the kitchen. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw a bemused Sakura, so he waved his head slightly so she would follow. Sakura sat at the table, twiddling her thumbs, while Itachi poured them tea. He sat across from her and just regarded her wordlessly.

She drank her tea silently, not taking her eyes from the cup. Itachi could tell she wished to say something, but she was hesitating. "You do not need to speak of it if you wish," he stated, trying to sound impartial. "But if you want to…"

Sakura gave him a genuine smile, but there was sadness deep within it. "He was only eight," she began. Itachi could tell she was already fighting tears. "He was working on his roof with his father when the morning frost made him slip. He fell two stories, hit a sharp edge that caused a large incision on his stomach, gutting him, and then fell directly on his head."

"It was not instantly fatal?" he asked.

Sakura shook her head tentatively. "Almost," she began. "He was barely alive when we got him. He was too far gone…but…I still had to try…"

"I see," Itachi replied.

"I guess I'm tired of failing. I'm tired of feeling like the weak one," she muttered, but Itachi could tell it was more for her than for him because her face flushed suddenly. "Sorry…I didn't mean to say that out loud."

"Hm," he replied. Thinking for a moment, that she was very likely speaking of her position on his brother's team as well as her proficiency as a medic, he replied, "You are far from a failure. You are also far from weak. If not for you, your teammates would not have survived this long. If not for you, Team Seven would no longer exist. There would also surely be many ninja in Konoha who would undoubtedly be dead if not for you…including myself. Do not doubt your abilities and your importance. Accidents happen, Sakura-san. You can't save everyone."

Sakura's eyes almost bulged out of her head, but she chuckled. Itachi tilted his head, confused as how what he said could be considered funny. "I've never heard you talk so much at once," she joked and a genuine smile crossed her face. Itachi felt his body internally shake with pride that he had been the one to put the smile there. "But thank you…Itachi…" she replied warily. "I needed to hear that."

Itachi inwardly jerked at her lack of '-san' at the end of his name as male-satisfaction spilled throughout his entire body. Finally, he mused, real progress. "Everything I said was true," he replied truthfully. She nodded and finished her tea, and Itachi could tell she was exhausted. "Come," he commanded lightly. "You should rest."

Leaving her in the living room where she climbed between Sasuke and Naruto, wrapping her arms around Naruto's and leaning her head on his shoulder, Itachi felt slightly light and heady from the personal interaction with Sakura. He could get used to this feeling.

AN: There you go! This was actually the longest chapter I have written for fanfiction to date. I hope you liked it and please review! You should all be expecting a chapter for Nothing but the Truth next!