Chapter 3:

Mission Naruto

Hinata Hyuga has been my best friend since I was little. Hinata was a shy, quiet girl. Naruto had been smitten with her for as long as he'd known her. I knew that Naruto and Hinata wanted to get married but Danzo would never permit it, determined to use Naruto's marriage to his advantage, however that may be. She was a black-haired girl with light lilac, almost white eyes which went well with her pale-as-the-moon skin. She had recently let her hair grow out which framed her face very nicely and made her look regal. Hinata was practically born to be queen.

…

Deidara, who has become more of a friend to me from the past week, especially after finding that we had a similarly dark sense of humor, helped me sneak into Hinata's manor, a traditional estate with high walls, bright tile roofs and hallways open to the many gardens. Guards were everywhere in the Hyuga household and Hinata was hardly ever truly alone. So Deidara and I had to dress ourselves as servants. I wore a wig and a gray kimono with a purple obi, and I carried a tea tray to Hinata.

I tapped on her shoulder as she sat in her rock garden. She looked like the princess she should be, dressed in a kimono of midnight blue embroidered with lilies and an underdress of royal purple and an obi of lilac. At first she was startled but seeing that it was me she looked around and hurried me into a bare room with only tatami mats and screens painted with mountains and mythical creatures such as the nine-tailed fox and dragons.

"Where have you been? Lord Danzo has been searching everywhere for you and I wasn't sure if I should be worried about you or grateful that you escaped. What are you doing here?" She whispered, afraid of drawing her guard's attention. I explained to her what had happened to me and what I had decided. Hinata had known about all of the things that Danzo had done. She was one of the few people that I truly told everything I could tell absolutely everything to. But she was no child, she was a lady of the Hyuga clan. She wouldn't assist in a revolution without ensuring that her family would get something out of it.

"In exchange for your assistance I will ensure your marriage to Naruto," I told her.

Hinata blushed but straightened herself. "I'll need more than my own selfish desire to marry your brother. I'll have to insist that my brother Neji become head of Naruto's royal guard and as well as control of the armies during the war."

I knew Hinata would have to insist on special treatment for her family but nothing she asked for was too extreme. Neji was trusted by my mother and I knew him to be responsible. It was a choice my brother would have made regardless. I told her so and assured her that I would adhere to each of her demands. Hinata agreed to convince Naruto of what we both knew was the truth, and she agreed to sneak out with me.

…

Hinata accompanied Deidara, Pain, Konan, and I as we snuck into the royal palace, into Naruto's section of the palace. I didn't see any of the fighting but the three Akatsuki members knocked out at least thirteen guards on our way in. When we got to Naruto's bedroom I knocked on the door and as soon as the door was opening, I pushed Hinata forward. As soon as she saw Naruto she was going to faint anyway. Might as well have her land in Naruto's arms. Naruto looked shocked but caught her, he always did. The moment he saw her, my brother knew to make sure she didn't hit the ground.

I knew what was going on. I'd seen them together a thousand times. Naruto would carry her to his couch and she would come to in a moment, and Hinata would explain to Naruto what was really going on and what Danzo had intended to do to his country, then to his sister. Naruto would have trouble understanding, as he always did accepting that he had been wrong about something but never doubting that Hinata would only tell him the truth. My brother Naruto was a tall blonde man with bright blue eyes and was always too energetic for his own good. As soon as they got out of the room Naruto was ready to do whatever it took to help. Good old reliable big brother.

We escaped the way we came, Naruto insisting on bringing his favorite horse. "Hey, Sakura!" he called, riding his horse up and down the stairs, "look, this is how everyone should go upstairs. I think I shall call this system the escalator!" I shook my head and tried to remind him that we were trying to escape and we couldn't do that if he kept yelling.

…

Naruto completely welcomed revolution, like all things he did. Naruto was a strong leader and once he believed something, he put everything into it. He had been sneaking back and forth between Konoha's border towns making inspirational speeches against Danzo and his tyranny. The people responded to him, they saw him as a hero, and it helped that he travelled with Konan and her starvation relief. This gave the impression that he and his reign would bring about more relief. The mysterious man who assisted me that first day in town had quickly became my brother's general. Now I know that his name was Kakashi Hatake. He was a brilliant warrior and a kind mentor for my brother who was in need of guidance in matters of war, having never led an army without my father or my mother making every real decision for him.

Itachi took Naruto's lead and started gathering an army of his own, but even their numbers wouldn't be enough to defeat either the Uchiha nor Konoha army, let alone both, no matter how expertly trained by Kakashi, whom Naruto and I had teasingly started calling "sensei" the word for teacher. He even taught Naruto hand-to-hand combat and when I started preparing for my journey, he gave me a pink blade to use if push came to shove and even taught me how to use it in a fight.

…

Itachi was on his way to the western-most portion of Uchiha, so he escorted me to Suna. I was returning to where this war all began, this time not as a glorified hostage, but instead a leader. With his entire army following behind us, I felt like a real princess with real power for the first time in my life. I was Princess Sakura on a diplomatic mission, saving my country from an evil dictator. Just like the characters in the fiction novels I had once read in my endless amounts of free time, wishing I was like those heroes. Here I was, finally doing something with my life.

Not to mention the fact that Itachi and I had been spending more and more time together. Itachi was a real prince. He had completely changed from the first time we met when he was so irritating. Itachi could be infuriating when he wants to be, but he could also be charming. Itachi and I liked a lot of the same books and poetry. We would debate with me on meanings of different lines. While we were eating lunch together, Itachi watched the cherry blossoms fall and began to recite:

"The guests are gone from the pavilion high,

In the small garden flowers are whirling around.

Along the winding path the petals lie;

To greet the setting sun, they drift up from the ground.

Heartbroken, I cannot bear to sweep them away;

From my eyes, spring soon disappears.

I pine with passing, heart's desire lost for aye;

Nothing is left but a robe stained with tears."

I listened carefully smiling up at him, "Falling Flowers, by Li Shang-Yin."

"You know it?" he looked surprised.

I laughed, "Of course I know it, it's my favorite poem. It reminds me of all the nights as a child when a ball would end and I would sit there on the palace steps and recite that poem to myself." Itachi said nothing after that. He just reached out and embraced me. I once again realized that he was the most beautiful person I could possibly meet, especially with the sun leaking between the branches of the tree we were under. Itachi's hair gleamed and his eyes sparkled, for once not filled with sorrow and pain but rather with joy and peace.