Underneath Her Skin 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

RxR

A Day For Dying

Sakura observed the scene it was quite dark and so many people looked alike. It was difficult to tell who was their target and who wasn't. A brief thought passed that they changed this party to a masquerade party because they knew about the assassination attempt.

Sakura's emerald orbs scan over every single person in the room not lingering for longer than 5 seconds. A couple of guys asked if she would like to dance to which she declined. She favored observing and watching instead of dancing.

A glass filled with champagne was thrown into her eyesight. She looked from the hand to the arm then finally landed on a face. "Hey, you looked lonely over here."

Sakura takes the glass of champagne from Naruto before completely ignoring his presence. Naruto was confused he thought that they kissed and made up (literally) obviously not.

"I'm really not supposed to be talking to you." Naruto sighed angrily as he remembered who Sakura showed up with.

"Why are you with Itachi?" Sakura glances at him from the side of her eye. "What jealous?" Sakura nonchalantly sips her champagne.

"I was just wondering...do you want to dance with me?"

"Nope."

"wha- why?"

"I just don't want to." Sakura finishes her drink and gives it back to Naruto before walking away to find a quieter place.

"Hey, Sakura have you found him yet?" Sakura could tell that it was Yahiko behind his mask from his hair color. She sadly shook her head

"Everyone looks the same." Yahiko hands her a drink that she just noticed in his hand. She briefly wondered if everyone was trying to get her drunk. Nonetheless, she takes the champagne and sips it much slower than the one she had earlier.

"Yeah, those bastards knew we were going to strike tonight." Sakura sighs the mission just got harder not to mention her "friends" were also there and probably on the way. She could be doing anything else but this. The only upside is the dressing up and she hated dressing up formally and maybe the food.

"Have you seen Itachi?" Yahiko shakes his head making her deflate entirely. It seemed that every time she was in a bad mood everyone took notice of it immediately.

"S-Sakura-san I wasn't aware that you came." Sakura saw slight twitch of the woman's smile. She saw at least 10 Hyuga's that looked like that. The woman takes off her mask and she was greeted with the sight of beautiful makeup covered face of Hinata Hyuga.

"Yeah well here I am."

Hinata smiles then excuse herself after wishing she enjoyed her time at the party. "Hm, she doesn't seem to like you."

"Thanks captain obvious. I can obviously see she wanted my ass thrown out ASAP." Yahiko rubs his chin as he watched the teen mingle.

"What's the history there?" Sakura sighs she knew and he probably already knew maybe the whole school and Akatsuki knew but she still wouldn't say.

"Don't know." Yahiko gave her a skeptical look that spoke volumes. He really didn't believe her. None the less he drops the subject completely.

The two stood in that same spot for about an hour looking around and chatting with each other while drinking champagne. He would often pull at his tie no matter how many times he wore a suit he would still pick at it. He was one for informal instead of formal. Formal felt like too much work and effort just to look great for a bunch of stuck up snobs.

"I thought I told you to mingle?" Itachi walks up behind them with a plain tired look.

"I am right now." Itachi sighs taking away her 8th glass of champagne he downs it himself. "Hey!"

"After talking for an hour to a bunch of stuck up 1st class people, I believe I need this more than you."

Sakura stares up at him as everything that has happened in her life flash before her eyes. "You sure about that?" Itachi meets Sakura stare as he reads the pain and struggle in her eyes.

"Look the guest of honor is here." Yahiko breaks them out of their trance and looks in the direction Yahiko was pointing. Sakura smirks and Itachi stares a small spark of red lighting his eyes. He turned on his kill switch as their target came into view beside the Head of the Hyuga family.

Sakura waited patiently for the two older men to split away from each other but once they did a guy who looked to be in his teens spoke with their target. Sakura knew exactly who the teen was and formed a plan in her head. "Well, boys I think it's time for me to mingle."

Sakura snobbishly walks away with her head up letting everyone know she's better than them. "Neji is that you?" The Hyuga turns towards her and blankly nod.

"And you are?" Sakura says politely towards the man who she already knew but pretended not to.

"A friend Neji? I'm Hizashi nice to meet you." He shakes her hand a small smile on his face.

"We don't know each other like that but I do see him as a friend." Neji watched her closely the way she smiled falsely was putting him on edge. They only spoke briefly and he didn't really consider her a close friend.

"Sakura can we speak over there." He points to a quieter place telling her with his eyes that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Sakura internally sighs but follows him nonetheless but not before flashing the Hyuga a smile.

"What are you doing?" He snapped. She wasn't sure what he was so angry about she was just mingling.

"Neji calm down I'm just talking. What the hell is your problem?" Neji takes a calming breath he sets his pride aside to say an apology.

"Sorry everyone has really been on edge." Sakura brushes it off and gives him a serious look.

"Hey I see Tenten as a friend so that means I automatically see you as a friend." Neji closes his eyes and turns away from her with crossed arms. She saw the small smirk he tried desperately to hide from her. For the sake of his pride she doesn't comment on it.

"And I guess the rumors about you aren't all true." Sakura immediately knew what he was talking about she found out that Ino was spreading rumors about her. Sakura laughs his comment off. She would have to get Ino back for those rumors later. She was unable to when they first started with a broken wrist and all but now she was back to full health.

"Yeah I'll have to do something about that by the way where's Tenten?" Neji posture grew tense a clear sign that you must avoid that subject at all cost.

"We're on a break."

"Guess everyone is taking a break." Sakura leans against the wall brooding along with Neji. She glanced out of the corner of her eye the Hyuga looking quite upset. To cheer him up she takes his wrist and pulls him to the dance floor.

Least to say Neji was shocked when she positioned one of his hand on her waist and the other intertwined with her own. Sakura rests her hand on his shoulder blade as he looked on in awe. "You going to dance or what?"

Neji clears his throat and nods quickly despite his best efforts she saw a tinge of pink on his cheeks. The two looked deep into each other's eyes and saw understanding and confidence. The two teen dance to the music, their feet in perfect sync, as the song progressed they both began to relax a little, and let a small smile form on their lips.

It was a good thing that Itachi taught her a lot of things other than violence and guns. She never thought that the lesson on dancing would come in handy. She had to admit though Hyuga had some tricks up his sleeves. He shocked her when he spun her and dipped her. She wasn't planning on getting swept off her feet that night. The song stops and she was lifted back up to standing position from their finale.

The two walk away from the dance floor to get a drink for their parched throats. "Hm didn't know you could move like that Hyuga." Neji laughs lightly handing her the drink they were waiting on.

"I'm part of the Hyuga family it's mandatory but I question where you learned to dance like that."

"Itachi." Neji nods accepting her answer. Everyone knew the famous Uchiha even though the Hyuga family hated the Uchiha family and vice versa Itachi is a well-respected man.

"That was some fine dancing Sakura-san." Sakura smiles her pride only swelling more and more.

"Just Sakura and thanks." Hizashi chuckles softly before directing his attention to his son a playful glint in his eyes.

"I like this one." Neji and Sakura were both shocked and blushing out of embarrassment.

"Uh we're just friends and he sort of have feelings for someone. A friend of mine." Hizashi didn't seem to be affected by anything she just told him.

"Ahh Tenten-san right? Where is she anyway." He and Sakura turn to Neji with questioning looks.

"I... I don't know." Hizashi and Sakura exchange worried glances luckily Hizashi knew the right thing to say.

"Why don't we get some food?" Neji sighs and nods, before Sakura could speak someone taps her on her shoulder.

She whips her head around and was face to face with her ex. "Naruto?"

"Hey can we talk?" Sakura sighs dramatically and bids the two Hyuga's a goodbye for now.

Naruto pulls her right back to the dance floor much to her displeasure. "You have 5 minutes." They dance together in silence. He tried to get her attention but failed since she would look anywhere but at him.

"You dance with Neji but not with me unless I pull you?" Sakura continued to look at the other couples that looked happy as they dance. She just wished that she could be as happy as they were. A slower song plays and the couples she was watching got closer to each other chest to chest.

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts when Naruto pulled her closer to his warmth and danced with her. "I guess I can be contempt with holding you close for now." Naruto whispers into her ear.

Sakura enjoys the dance for now but once the song was over she quickly pulled away. "Sorry but I have something to do." Sakura walks away leaving the stunned blonde standing there. She actually did have something to do and that involved killing a certain Hyuga no matter what. She found Hizashi and Neji eating some sort of appetizer. She takes a deep breath to regain her air of confidence and happiness. She walks up to them with a small smile which they returned with their own uh smirk.

"Sorry about that guys."

"It's no problem. Care for a salmon tartare?" Hizashi holds out the little finger food towards her.

"Uh no thanks." She wasn't a big fan of rich people finger foods she just found it unsettling preferring fattening foods instead. Sakura feels her phone vibrate from its hidden location her bra. She was aware of the risk of doing that but she rarely did it anyway.

"Excuse me again." Sakura takes the phone out and walks away to a more secluded place, for instance, the bathroom.

"This better be good Itachi."

"It is we're setting up a perfect spot where we can kill him just keep him busy and when the time is right lead him to the garden." Now that she got a chance to know the man he wasn't evil or corrupt just a good and responsible person. He was unfortunately a person tied into the mess of his own family.

"But people will know that I was possibly the one who killed him if they find him dead in the garden where I lead him to." Itachi grunts the other line was silent for what seemed like a while.

"Just think of something I have to go." Before she could sputter an answer he hung up. She was given the job to lead or get Hizashi to the garden. Times like that one she really hates the Akatsuki with a passion. She gave herself a pep talk while thinking of a plan to practically get away with murder.

"Hey you seem worried." Sakura turns with a false smile and was surprised to see one of her "friends" Shikamaru. Her false smile deflates knowing the Nara was smart enough to see through it.

"Just business." Shikamaru had this bored look in his eye with an underlying suspicion.

"So why are you suddenly close with the "lower" Hyuga family." By lower Shikamaru meant that there were two houses the Soke (main house) and the Bunke (branch house).

"Forced to mingle," Sakura says nonchalantly.

"Troublesome." Sakura smirks and punches him in the arm. It became a habit of punching the lazy teen in the arm he didn't mind all that much it was her way of showing affection.

"So what's the real reason you decided to come chat with me?" Shikamaru closes his eyes while rubbing his sore arm that the ridiculously strong girl hit.

He opens one of his eyes and gives her his own small smirk. "I was curious."

"Not a good enough excuse pineapple head." She childishly sticks out her tongue at him. It was a relief that she was back to her normal self. It was always unsettling seeing her out of character since they have grown closer over the month.

"Well I guess someone as smart as you would figure that out." Sakura eyes widen she saw the amusement clear on his face. "You might have everyone else fooled but I know you're smarter than you're letting on."

Sakura shock dwindles and she starts chuckling lightly. "I can't get anything pass you." Sakura smiles and walks away while waving goodbye to him. Her smile leaves her face and she was now serious. 'I just hope that you don't get in the Akatsuki way or else-'

The party went off without a problem it was about 9 o'clock and she has yet to get a signal and yet to figure out a plan on how to lead the man to the garden. A couple of ideas came to her mind but nothing that she wanted to risk trying. "Hey, Sakura you look a bit lonely over here." Speak of the devil by himself Hizashi sat at her table.

"Hey, I've been thinking what's the Hyuga garden like?" Hizashi sat down on a free chair and thought for a bit.

"Let's see it's full of different flowers like the Hydrangea, Saffron Crocus, and Lisianthus." She had literally no idea what those flowers were but they sounded um pretty?

An idea quickly forms in her head she had to be subtle with her next few words. "Do you know the gardens like the back of your hand?"

Hizashi nods finding the garden to be the one place he can escape his chaotic life. "It's like my happy place."

She immediately felt guilt build up inside her that an innocent man was going to die. She has the chance to tell him right then and there. She could fail the mission purposely but that would only lead to punishment on her end. "Hey could you show me around the garden?" She was unbelievably a selfish and cold hearted person.

His face lightens up significantly, "of course, I would Neji didn't really have any interest in the flowers and sometimes I would walk with my eldest niece around the garden."

Sakura lowered her head her mood deflating that she was going to be the reason why Neji isn't going to have a father anymore. "I'll meet you out there I have to go powder my nose." He nods and goes to the back exit where the flowers laid.

She looks around suspiciously and walks in the opposite direction Hizashi went. She was only going to the bathroom to make sure no one ties Hizashi death to her and to call Itachi.

She opened the door to the bathroom it was pretty large for a bathroom. She locks the door behind her and speed dial a number she knew by heart. "Hello?"

"Set the plan into action he should be out there by now." Sakura looks around her looking for someplace to escape the bathroom.

"And what about you?"

"Don't worry Ita-kun I have my ways." Her eyes land on the window with one finale exchange of words she turns off her phone. She just hoped her and the dress would fit and thought the window.

She made a decision to unlock the door so no problems will come later. In case, someone saw her go to the bathroom and somehow tie the murder of Hizashi.

Sakura lifted herself and puts her head out of the window she uses her hands to pull the rest of her through the window. She heard a knock on the door and knew she had to get out of the window quickly. Using all of her strength the dress was finally through and she fell on the ground. The door not even a second later opens. "I could have sworn someone was in here."

Sakura knew that annoying voice it was Fu. 'How the hell was she even allowed into this party?'

"Guess not." Fu sighs knowing she was going to have to call and report in to her boss. He's going to be disappointed in her but no time to cry now.

"Boss-sama I lose her although I do have a leading suspicion where she could have gone." Fu saw the open window and grinned evilly. They were going to stop the Akatsuki one member at a time.

"Pursue." Those were her boss last words before she quickly left out of the bathroom to do just that.

Sakura shoots up from her crouched position and runs towards the garden. Fu's words kept running through her head. She called the person on the phone boss did that mean she's in a gang. It's pretty obvious that Fu was looking for her so she needed to hurry up and get to Itachi and Yahiko.

She arrives in the garden to immediately find Hizashi just standing around waiting for her. "Hey sorry about the wait let's go." They talked and chatted but Hizashi notices that she wasn't completely there. She seemed lost in her thoughts having him often snap out of her trance. Not to mention when she wasn't lost in thought she was constantly looking over her shoulder.

"Sakura you seem distracted is everything ok?" She doesn't reply just continues to walk and look down at the ground. Finally, they reach the middle of the garden and come to a complete stop. She felt her eyes watering and used one of her free hands to the wipe her eyes. Despite the tears, she still managed to put on a large grin for Hizashi sake.

"Sakura?" She continues to grin up at him to ease his worrying but it only made him more concerned.

"Even though I just met you I formed a bond with you I had fun with you and Neji and I hope you had fun with me. Can I ask you a favor?" Hizashi nods quickly determined to find out what was going on with the pinkette.

"Well it's more like a promise," she chuckles softly before continuing once she realized Hizashi wasn't going to say anything. "Promise me-" Sakura walks closer to the man who she just met but already felt close to and got a chance to get to know.

"That you'll-" she gets closer and closer until she was finally close enough that she could smell the salmon appetizer on his breath. Green eyes met white eyes that if you looked closer was a faint lavender. Her hands wandered to her thigh until it found just what she wanted.

"Forgive me." Sakura stabs him in the stomach. As the blood pools out of the wound it trails on her hand she felt deep regret and sorrow. Her eyes never left his own special eyes as he tried to understand what was going on.

"S-Sak-Sakura." He coughed up blood onto her very own face and could only imagine the image of her right then in there in his head. She stopped crying when she stuck the knife into his stomach. His tuxedo was getting stained with blood. She twisted the knife in his stomach and before he could scream out in pain she used her other hand to shut him up. She dropped her hand once she saw that he calmed down and wanted to say something to her perhaps his last words.

It was ironic that she was stabbing him in the back metaphorically and for real. "Ne-Neji te-tell hi-him-" once again he coughs up blood on her emotionless mask.

"H-he must, he must li-liv-live o-on ch-chang-change the f-fam-family." The pain in his eyes that once burned like fired was slowly fading away to an icy numbness. Sakura pulled the knife out swiftly and let him fall on the ground slowly but surely dying.

Hizashi stared up at the starry night as black filled the edge of his vision. His own heartbeat was the only sound that reached his ears, not even the sound of the pinkette cries reached his ears. 'The pinkette...'

'Thank you, Sakura for freeing me from the pain and torture of being part of the Bunke. I hope you can understand that I forgive you. You're just a little girl trapped and confused in a big world surrounded by violence and betrayal. In the end, I know you'll pick the right side. If Neji ever does find out that you killed me, please work together instead of killing each other.' How long he laid there bleeding out was unknown to him but he knew that he didn't have much time left. All of his pain and suffering over the years was finally over the torture and never being able to do anything about the main house was over. His heart slowed down only beating one beat at a time. He would be able to see his precious wife once again. One last smile came to his face as he thought of his son. He closes his eyes giving into the darkness as his heart beat just one more time and it was over.

Itachi and Yahiko arrive on the scene not expecting the sight in front of them. Her sobs were stifled at first as she tried hard to hide her grief, but the longer she stared at his unmoving body she was overcome by the wave of her emotions and broke down entirely. Her defenses came crumbling down with each salty tear that fell from her eyes. Although she wasn't hurt physically there was still invisible scars.

Itachi rests a comforting hand on her shoulder to show her she wasn't alone in the world. It wasn't supposed to be her to kill him it was supposed to be him and Yahiko.

Sakura looks up at the closest person in her life he could see in her eyes that she was just one blow away from breaking to pieces if she hasn't already. They could hear voices and knew that they had to leave as quickly as possible.

"Itachi take Sakura and go I'll clean this mess up as fast as possible." Itachi nods and picks up the trembling girl in his arms and ran through the bushes of flowers.

Yahiko made sure that if the police observe the body for fingerprints they wouldn't find any. He would rather take the blame for the man's death then let Sakura go to jail. She was like a little sister to every single member of the Akatsuki and they would protect her with their life. He quickly covers over their footprints so they won't get tracked

Yahiko puts black gloves on and in blood writes the reason for Hizashi dying in the first place.

PAY UP OR YOU'RE NEXT

He pockets Sakura's knife and admired his writing with one last glance he ran off in the direction Itachi went.

End

A/N: There's going to be a lot of character death and every blow is going to kill Sakura slowly. I made Sakura get to know both Neji and Hizashi so that killing Hizashi would affect her more. The difference between the death of Zabuza/Haku and Hizashi is probably the fact that Sakura was letting out all of her pain that accumulated over the month.

Now I sort of feel bad for causing Sakura to break down like that but as Hizashi sort of promised he forgives her. I was going to have him say it aloud but let's be honest you're coughing up blood that's a lot of things to say on the verge of dying. While I was typing that scene I was listening to "Say Something" that's why it's so angsty.

On a lighter note, I loved the Shikamaru and Sakura friendship moment it makes me happy every time.

Anyway, review and check out emodinos757 new story which I also help write called Naruto: Infection.

Review that story and review this one. Hope you like the new chapter.