Alright guys! Here's chappie 10! And when I checked the reviews I was shocked. (Honestly I forgot to check the review count on my story.) I can't believe I have 193 reviews! Do you guys really like this story? I'm so happy! So, to show my happinss I'm going to give you all a christmas present on the 25th and this goes for all of my stories! Thank you for almost 200 reviews!

Key:

"Talking"

'thoughts'

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, you already know that

By the way, for those of you who read this plz mention it when you review.

SLAM.

A clenched fist slammed into the wooden table, cracking it down the middle and making it collapse in the middle of the dimly lit room.

Konan leaned against the stone wall with her arms crossed and her eyes closed. She winced when she heard the sound of a fist slamming into the wall across from her.

Sakura stood before the table and Itachi stood next to her stoically, but protectively inched closer to her. Pein hovered over the table with livid eyes glaring at them harshly. His kei kei genkai spun wildly and flashed in anger.

"You let the Kyuubi get away?!!" he growled dangerously, ripping off her hitae-ate to look her in the eye.

Sakura gazed at him blankly. Itachi narrowed his eyes at Pein, the man was threatening her and the Uchiha felt the need to burn him into a crisp with his Amtearasu.

"The Kyuubi was in a weakened state and you didn't take him captive?!" Odd how his face resembled no emotion but you could clearly hear anger in his tone.

"Capturing the Kyuubi vessel was not why we were there. We only came to get information on the Yonbi (four tailed demon) nothing more or less." She answered monotonously

Pein's face hardened at the girl and with a snap of his wrist he hit her across the face with such a force that sent her flying backwards and hitting the stone wall behind her, making her cough up blood throwing her head back on impact. Itachi clenched his fists and bit his lip enough to draw blood. Konan's eyes snapped open.

"Pein!" She warned

He ignored her and stepped toward the girl. Itachi instantaneously reappeared next to her slumped form on the ground. Sakura didn't bother to get up from her sitting position against the wall and stared Pein in the eye as he hoisted her up by the neck mercilessly. Konan reappeared on the other side of the girl.

"You know you are to bring back any of the Jinchuuriki you come across, that goes without saying." He glared into her tainted green orbs.

He pulled Sakura closer to himself only to forcefully slam her back into the wall, making Konan bite her lip and Itachi grit his teeth. Sakura just kept her piercing gaze on his eyes boldly.

Pein scowled.

"Child." He smirked sardonically. "Why must you defy me time and time again? You know the punishment you get but still you rebel."

Sakura chuckled hoarsely due to his hold on her neck and spoke out scratchily.

"You expect me to listen to you? I do not get down on my knees and beckon to your every wish and command without something to say or do about it. So, while I'm here I will do as I please whether you like it or not." She smirked weakly.

Pein remained unfazed.

"If that is so then why won't you fight back or run away? Are you all talk and no action." He said countered.

Sakura scowled at the Akatsuki leader.

"You know I'm here for the power." She said curtly

Pein nodded and the next thing Sakura knew was she felt an overwhelming pain in her stomach, causing her to double over with slightly widened eyes, throwing up blood red liquid. The leader stepped away and his eyes flashed.

"You get that power from me, girl. Don't forget that the next time you see a Jinchuuriki." He stated firmly before throwing the hitae-ate to her aggressively then walking out of the room and slamming the door shut.

"Bastard." Sakura spat with blood trickling down the side of her mouth.

Not only did she feel pain but she felt more than 8/9 of her chakra drained and barely leaving her standing. Itachi glared at the door Pein passed through while Konan kneeled down next to Sakura.

"Are you alright, Kunoichi?" She asked

"Fine" She choked out, not regaining her breath yet.

Konan shook her head. Ever since the new girl came along with that defiant attitude she came to respect her as a kunoichi and over the time she'd been here she had grown attached to the Haruno. Now it's like they have a sisterly bond.

Konan parted her lips to say something but was cut off.

"You're being reckless" Itachi stated, interrupting, "You've been getting beatings from Pein and you're lucky he went easier on you this time."

Sakura ignored the pain and stood up slightly unbalanced. She shrugged Itachi off and left the meeting room intending to go back to her room with her hitae-ate.

"Wait - "

"I'll talk to her Konan." Itachi interrupted again and chased after the girl.

Sakura studied the scroll carefully next to her is her hitae-ate. She lay on her bed on her stomach and her eyes tiredly re-read the scroll over and over so she wouldn't miss any details, after all when healing one minor flaw can ruin the process. Along with Pein giving her harsh training and missions he also gave her complex scrolls of many varieties, from forbidden jutsu to healing and ninjutsu.

Her body was in no condition to train and even if she wanted to she couldn't without regaining her chakra after a minimum of 6 hours. Every time Pein gave her a 'punishment' for rebelling against his commands she would have her chakra drained somehow and then have to wait to restore it.

Sakura didn't care though. This gave her more time to study new jutsu and meditate.

Slam.

"You know, if you broke that door you would have to fix." Sakura said nonchalantly as she didn't even look at her guest.

"Don't joke with me, Haruno." A stoic voice growled.

Footsteps approached her and then stopped before her.

"Why do you have to retaliate to everything Pein orders you to do?"

"Itachi, I've answered that in the meeting room with Pein." She said lazily and continued to scan the scroll

"Haruno, if you would listen then maybe he wouldn't have to – "

"I wouldn't careless if he beat me until I was at the edge of death. I have no reason to stay in the world of the living."

This made Itachi furious. She doesn't have a reason to stay she says?

"What about your home? Your friends? Your family?" He asked angrily and oddly out of character

"I left my home. Betrayed my friends. My family is gone. What else is there?" She asked emotionlessly, bangs hiding her eyes as she didn't look at him but at the scroll.

This girl has such control over him that he can't keep his emotions hidden behind a stoic façade. What is it about this girl that changes him? Why does she make him feel like… he's needed.

It made him feel as if there's more to living the way of the ninja then just power and strength.

It made him want to use this power to protect those important to him, precious to him.

"What about Konan, Deidara, Tobi, Zetsu, Hidan, Kakuzu, what about me? What about us?" Itachi asked, his eyes hard to conceal hurt. "Don't we mean anything to you? Aren't we enough?"

Sakura froze.

Konan, Deidara, Tobi, Zetsu, Hidan, Kakuzu, Itachi.

After all of this time here in Akatsuki she grew close to them. They were there for her the day she fearlessly stood up to Pein. In return she's there for them. Once she got to know them she realized they aren't the vicious nin she saw them as but they're normal people underneath. Overall she unknowingly formed a bond with them.

She just never realized it until now.

She close her eyes and sighed in content.

"Arigatou, Uchiha." She said keeping her eyes on her scroll and with a small smile.

Itachi frowned. Something was wrong.

"Sakura." He said saying her name.

Sakura looked up with hard emerald eyes knowing he's serious.

"Forget about what Pein said. You shouldn't his bullshit get to you. He'll say anything to break you." Itachi stated in a hard tone. "If you break then you won't fight him anymore. You'll do as he pleases and that's exactly what he wants."

Her eyes hardened at Itachi. She chucked the scroll she had in her hands to the side and stood up so she was nose to nose with Itachi.

"Pein showed me the truth. My friends were just holding me back. My friends destroyed me beyond repair. My friends know nothing about me," Sakura said curtly with cold eyes.

Itachi winced and stepped back.

"…What did he tell you, Sakura…?" Itachi asked, using her first name

She closed her eyes before opening before, with incredible speed, performing several handseals and sending Itachi into an unexpected genjutsu.

Itachi watched as his surroundings formed the meeting room in the Akatsuki base. He scowled at Sakura's antics and was about to effortlessly dispel the jutsu when he abruptly halted his actions at the sound of the door opening.

He turned to look behind him and could see the fiery old Sakura walk into the room with strong posture and a confident fearless aura around her. He watched her walk up to the shadowed table and take a seat.

"What do you want, Pein?" She asked with an annoyed tone I was in the middle of learning a couple of jutsu from those scrolls of yours."

From the shadowed side of the table grey eyes revealed itself with an unreadable glint in them.

"It'd be best if you held that tongue of yours, medic. You're not in Konoha anymore." Pein responded patiently.

Itachi stepped closer to get a better look at the conversation. He watched Sakura narrow her eyes in suspicion.

"What do you want to see me about?" She asked

"Now that you've left your village you understand that you can't go back." The Akatsuki leader drawled as he walked out of the shadows and appeared before her,

"Why not?" She growled

"Why would you return to your village?"

"Grown attached to me, have you? Don't want me to leave?" Sakura sneered

"Of course not, Sakura-chan." He said with a creepy smile "After all. You don't need them."

"Wrong." She grinded out. "Of course I need them. They're my – "

"Friends?" He finished for her. "What no family? That's all you have?"

Her eyes hardened.

"What more do I need? And you know damn well that my family is dead."

"And what does your friends have to offer you? All they seem to do for you is give you pain."

Sakura shook her head and stood abruptly, causing her to knock the chair to the ground.

"My friends give me happiness and support! They – "

"Protect you? Care for you?" Pein chuckled "Do you really need to be protected, Kunoichi? Are you not able to care for yourself, look after yourself, support yourself, and protect yourself? Are you so weak you need others to look after you all the time?"

Sakura grew rigid and her bangs covered her eyes.

"…"

"What happiness, Haruno? The momentary feeling of content? What happens later on? They hurt you." Pein said sardonically

Sakura looked up to protest, but as soon as she looked into his eyes past memories played like a movie in her mind. The days Naruto happily took her out for ramen. The 2 and a half years Naruto was gone with Jiraiya leaving her when she needed him most. Because Sasuke left and because her family was assassinated, leaving her all alone and having to cope by herself. When Naruto came back. The times he ignored her to be with Hinata and when they were gonna hang out he blew her off for another date with his girlfriend. The day Sasuke came back. His constant put downs and harsh criticisms, not to mention how he constantly told her she could never understand how it feels to be so alone.

Back when they were genin Kakashi praised her for her chakra control. How Kakashi always paid attention to Naruto and Sasuke, never bothering to train her. When Kakashi spoke highly of her genjutsu and intelligence at the age of 13. The times she had to train on her own and then finally chose to ask for training with the godaime.

Making friends with Ino again. Only to be brushed aside later on when Ino started going out with Shikamaru. Hooking Hinata and Naruto up thus becoming friends with the Hyuuga. Only for Hinata to be so constantly held up by Naruto that the Hyuuga girl seemed to almost forget about who set them up. Hooking up Neji and Ten-Ten helped her become friends with the weapon mistress. Only to have to solve their problems in their relationship and be verbally abused by both, Sakura takes everything without saying anything back.

Sakura looked down, gritting her teeth. For every good thing that happened, there was always something two times worse that would happen to her. Her friends seemed to her hurt more then they were there for her.

"Shut up. You don't know me – "

"Know you?" Pein interrupted again. "And what do your friends know about you? Have they ever noticed that they've never seen your parents in years? Didn't they ever ask you if you're okay when you're distantly silent? Did they ever comfort you? Did they even know you had a brother?"

"How do you know all of this?" She asked quietly

"I always know everything my new recruits. It seems that you're friends however, know nothing about you. They say you could never understand them, but they have no clue that you've actually had it much harder than them. They don't understand you."

Sakura's bangs shadowed her eyes. Itachi looked at her with barely soft eyes.

"Now" Pein said almost cruelly. "What does Konoha have left to offer you? Obviously not power because that is the reason you left."

"I left to gain power to protect those precious to me." Sakura said monotonously "But I see now… I have no one left to protect." She finished, looking up with empty eyes.

Itachi's eyes snapped open, already thrown out of the genjutsu. Sakura was picking up her scroll from the floor.

"That's what he told you?" Itachi asked

She nodded wordlessly.

"None of it is true, Sakura." Itachi said, using her first name again.

She shook her head, pausing for minute then looking back up at him.

"All of it is true."

"Sa – "

"Itachi" She said curtly. "It doesn't even matter, because the people back in Konoha are the past. You and all of the other Akatsuki besides Pein are my friends now. You are all my future." She said with a slight smile.

Itachi felt his stomach drop hen she said friends for some reason unknown to him. However when he heard her last sentence he felt like he could smile again. So he gave her a small smile.

Smiling showed emotion and emotions are show weakness.

But he'd it for her. Only for her.

There you have it! You guys wanted one sided ItaSaku and so here it is. Oh, and Sakura thinks of Itachi as her brother nothing more. Itachi though has feelings for her, but doesn't realize it. And sorry if I made Itachi too OOC but he acts diffrent when it comes to Sakura.

Sorry I didn't add Naruto and the other either but this was basically what's going on in Akatsuki. In the next chapter I'll show what's going on in Konoha.

So plz review!