Senko: Heyyaz, everyone! Sorry it took long to update, I've been lazy and busy with school xD it's 12:11 am right now -.-; I have to go sleep. Longest chapter ever! This chapter (including all notes and thanks and stuff) has over 6000 words x.X
Thanks to Cookies321, Skullcandy, o.O Kumiko O.o, Hikaru Adams, WinglessFallenAngel, sillymail, Hyousetsu, Gothic Saku-chan, ninjaxbunny (I LUFF YOOH xD cuz you're awesome), UchihaShizukoAkane, bubbleyum, deviltwit, mahalo4ursupport, Naru'Kuru, CosenAngel, HeartlessGhostie, itachi-sama a.k.a cathrun, 43InuAsha, Crimson90, sakura asakura, sakuragirl13579, Hatake Kai, fujifangirl101, Inukeifer LaberaiTashio, cherryblossom279, and Soelle for reviewing!
Disclaimer: Me no own. Duh.
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Chapter 8
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A month had passed since Sakura's unfortunate encounter with the Mangekyou Sharingan. When she had woke up at the hospital and questioned what had happened, Itachi straightforwardly stated what had happened. Of course, she didn't know about how to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan since Itachi hadn't mention it. Therefore, she had left everything as it was and decided to just move on.
So here she was, eating her ramen at Ichiraku. She sat to the left while Itachi was to her right. To Itachi's right was Ino and to Ino's right was Shikamaru.
Ino had seen the two walking down the streets of Konoha around noon, assumed correctly that Sakura was on her lunch break, and invited them to lunch with her and Shikamaru.
Sakura quietly ate her food as Ino's voice rang throughout the stand. Ino was busy talking to Shikamaru and she couldn't help but feel just a slight, small, very small, pang of jealousy in her heart. No, it wasn't that she was jealous Ino was talking to Shikamaru. In fact, she was simply jealous that Ino was talking.
Sakura, on the other hand, had a scroll open in front of her and she would read it as Ino talked. It wasn't something very secretive, though, just an innocent scroll teaching about the human body.
She glanced over to Itachi from the corner of her eyes. Itachi's head tilted to his left, supported by the palm of his hand. His right hand held the chopsticks in between his fingers, playing with the ramen. His onyx eyes stared down at the food.
He was silent, and that was what bothered her. She knew that he was like Sasuke; they simply weren't the type to talk. Yet sitting there in silence while Ino was enjoying herself, Sakura wished she could be able to talk with Itachi and laugh. But she knew he wasn't the kind to do that...she sighed.
She took another peek at him.
Her same thoughts about him from when she had sparred with him ran through her mind yet again. She couldn't help but admire his beauty. Although he was just sitting there, messing with his food in boredom, his mere appearance was still so appealing. The way his head gently rested against the palm of his hand, the way his bangs shifted slightly ever so perfectly to the right, the way his dark eyes still held that mesmerizing stare.
Since he was only twelve-years-old, the only word that came to her mind when she sought to describe him was 'cute.' However, as she stared at him, that child image of him began to fade and became replaced with his old seventeen-year-old self.
A small part of her wondered how much better it would be if his true self was there. He would be so much more grown up and handsome with a more mature body structure.
"Sakura?"
She blinked and realized she had been staring at him dreamily for a while.
"Are you okay?" he asked. His eyes stared straight at her, his head lifted just a bit from his hand and shifted to her direction to face her.
"Uh, n-no," Sakura replied, turning to her left as to shield away her blush.
'That was so embarrassing!' her inner self yelled. 'Imagine if he was his seventeen-year-old self! Oh, my gawd! He might kill us for staring at him!'
'...shut up!' she screamed back to herself.
When they had finished, they headed out of Ichiraku and the first sight that seemed to catch their attention was a loving couple walking in front of them. However, the man seemed to be around his early forties while his arm was wrapped around a very young girl, perhaps only twenty or not even twenty yet. Both Ino and Sakura's gazes followed them as they walked off.
"Wow," Ino commented. "I don't see much of that around. It's kind of odd to see it."
"Hm," Sakura responded. "Well, age shouldn't matter, right?"
"I know, I know," Ino said. "Well, you two have fun since Shikamaru and I have things to do."
"Alright, bye Ino-pig. Bye Shikamaru," Sakura gave the two a smile before heading off. Itachi simply gave them a nod.
"Don't you think they just look so cute together?" Ino squealed, tugging on Shikamaru's arm as she turned her head back slightly to see the backs of Sakura and Itachi walking away from them.
Shikamaru sighed. "You really shouldn't joke about things like this."
Ino frowned childlessly. "I wasn't joking! I really meant it."
"That really doesn't make this situation any better."
Ino gave no reply and just stayed silent for a moment. "But...well...you know, this is the first time Sakura's been so close to any guy after Sasuke left. I'm excited for her."
Shikamaru closed his eyes, lifted his head up and opened his eyes again to look at the clouds. "You should be more fearful for her than excited. It is wrong in every single way if they even begin to develop emotions. Even if they look cute now, I bet it wouldn't look so cute if Sasuke ever saw them together."
"Y-yeah..." Ino whispered, staring down at the ground.
"Okay!" an excited Sakura chirped, her hands clasping together. Her small bag of medical papers and scrolls dropped down to her side. "This time I shall defeat you!"
The young Uchiha simply closed his eyes for a moment, his lips forming a smirk at how amusing the pink-haired kunoichi sounded. In all of their training sessions, she had never beat him. Yet at the beginning of each one she would say that same sentence. "We'll see, Sakura."
Sakura quickly gathered the chakra into her fist. It seemed that this was her opening technique during each spar with Itachi. After the first few times they had fought, Sakura had come to conclude that Itachi almost never initiates the first move. He was the type to defend until she felt irritated at not being able to harm him. It was then that he would always make a move to surprise her.
The two fought back and forth in taijutsu with Itachi mostly dodging. Although Itachi was skilled in all three areas of jutsus, he stuck to taijutsu whenever he sparred with Sakura. The reason being was because he knew she had no bloodline abilities or special ninjustsus. He admired the fact that she had only her healing abilities, chakra control and intelligence to accompany her in battle and yet she would still prove to be a formidable opponent.
Itachi's focus on Sakura's attacks divided as he recalled a similar training session just a month ago.
Things had been to odd to him lately. First there was the encounter with Orochimaru, and then there was the Mangekyou Sharingan. Orochimaru's words still rang clearly in his head and ever since then, Itachi hadn't forgotten any word of his conversation with the Legendary Sannin member.
"Well, well. If it isn't Uchiha, Itachi. Kisame sure must be lonely with you gone."
Who was this Kisame person? That name sounded so familiar to him and he felt as thought he'd not only heard that name before, but that he'd said it before as well.
"Good thing you invented that jutsu to scan bodies, Kabuto."
Who's body did this Kabuto person scan? It must have been him since he was the only other person there with the two mysterious figures in that hallway. Then the next question he had was why they would be scanning his body. Could it be...that this Orochimaru person knew about the Mangekyou Sharingan beforehand and had Kabuto scan his eyes? Yes, that must be it!
"Sasuke-kun will be so disappointed to hear about this."
He knew that his younger brother was now with that person and he had been wondering what he would do about this. He wanted to go to Sasuke, but he couldn't simply walk out of Konohagakure to search for Sasuke. He would be deemed a missing-nin and...he knew that she, the person he was sparring with at the moment, wouldn't like it.
Then the next thing to bother him was the Mangekyou Sharingan. He had discovered that those powerful eyes could be obtained by taking the life of one's best friend. He hadn't killed Shisui, so why was it that he had those eyes? He couldn't just say he was fortunate enough to magically gain them. No, he knew that there would be no way to do that. Then what was it?
Could it be? Perhaps he could gain the Mangekyou Sharingan even if his best friend was murdered by someone else? Yes, that must be it also!
Somehow, things were making more sense to him now. He quickly went over everything in his head while continuing to evade Sakura's attacks. He knew he now had in his possession the Mangekyou Sharingan, and he was sure that his younger brother wouldn't be so heartless as to ever kill a best friend. Therefore, he must find Sasuke, help Sasuke take revenge and then they would come back to Konohagakure and live together again.
His first step would be to train his new eyes and once he mastered them, he would seek out Orochimaru and find Sasuke. He was sure the Hokage should agree when he decide to pursue the ex-Akatsuki member and-
"Ah!"
His thoughts came to an abrupt halt and he quickly fell backwards, his back roughly colliding against the dirty ground. Gently, he used the support of his elbows to slightly lift him off the ground. Seeing Sakura's medical papers and scrolls sprawled over the ground beneath his feet, he assumed she must have tripped over it and dragged him down. How clumsy and so...not shinobi material.
"Owwies..." Sakura groaned, trying to lift herself up.
She let out a small gasp when she realized that her hands was placed against Itachi's chest and they gently clutched his shirt. She slowly raised her head to meet his nonchalant expression.
Green eyes locked with dark ones.
Itachi's onyx orbs bore into Sakura's glimmering emerald ones. Her bubblegum hair shimmered in the sun and her eyes stared innocently into his. Her mouth was slightly parted in surprise, her fingers unconsciously grabbing his shirt in her palms and her petite body laid between his legs. He couldn't help but inwardly smile to himself at their position and at how she was unknowingly continually gazing at him.
Somehow, even though he knew he was younger than her he felt as though he was older than her. For some reason, he felt he'd gone through more and had more experience than her. He found it so ironic that she seemed so young to him. If only he was older than her, then...
...then maybe she would like him.
He would master the Mangekyou Sharingan. He would go after Orochimaru. He would find Sasuke. He would help Sasuke take revenge. Then they would return to the Leaf and live at the Uchiha estate. Then it would be perfect if...if he could spend the rest of his life finally being a true older brother to Sasuke and...
He watched as Sakura blinked, her eyelids hiding her jade eyes for a second before revealing them to him again.
...and have her like him. She was generous, intelligent and powerful, perfectly fit to help him restore the clan. But more than that, he felt a foreign feeling rise in him whenever he was with her. Perhaps he actually liked her? Perhaps.
But he knew that couldn't happen. He remembered clearly her words she said that one February day. "Like I said, I won't go on a date with someone I don't like. Also, he's younger than me; I don't date guys who are younger than me."
Then again she had mentioned after lunch that age shouldn't matter, right?
"Ah, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" Sakura ranted, having noticed that had been lying on top of him and staring at him for perhaps a few eternities now. She blushed in embarrassment and quickly placed her hands around the ground beginning to lift herself up.
She let out a gasp when she felt his hands gently slam against her back, pushing her against him. Her face found itself buried in his chest. Her blushed deepened as she realized what he'd done. She'd never been so close to a guy in this way. "Uh, er...uh, I-Itachi-kun? Uh..."
He stared ahead at nothing. "Sakura...do you really not date guys younger than you?"
"Huh? Uhm...er, I..." she didn't know what to say.
A voice inside of her head began to scream. 'OMG OMG OMG! IS HE SAYING WHAT I THINK HE'S SAYING?!'
'NO! He can't be! Stop thinking too much, you're going to corrupt me!' Sakura inwardly yelled back.
'Then why else would he say it?!'
'Hello?! Have you forgotten he killed his whole clan, practically lives to torment Sasuke-kun and kill others, is an S-class criminal, is a missing-nin and an Akatsuki member?! There's no way he would be saying this because he likes me!'
"Sakura?"
"Huh? Oh, uhm...I..." she was at loss of words again.
"You did say you don't date younger boys. Yet..." he looked down to meet her gaze, "at the same time you say age shouldn't matter."
A blush quickly crept on her face and she looked away to her side to avoid having him see her like that. "Uhm, I, well...why do you care anyway?"
"Curiosity," he said indifferently. "If I was the same age as you, do you think you would have ever developed any sort of feelings more than friendship for me?"
Sakura was in disbelief that she was actually in a conversation with the Uchiha boy about a topic like this. "No, I mean..."
"Mean what?"
Sakura sighed. "It's not that I would never develop that sort of feeling for you because of your age. It's...it's something else." She knew she was forbidden to have any sort of emotion of that kind for him.
"Then what is it?"
"It's...well...I don't know to say it."
"Is it because you love Sasuke?"
She blinked. Was that how he also thought of her? Everyone had said she still loved Sasuke and that that was the reason why she wouldn't date other guys. She herself didn't know what it was. "No, it's something other than that. I..." she paused. "It's because I can't love you in that way."
"Why is that?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
She felt his grip on her back slightly tighten and push her against his chest even closer. "I just can't. Maybe...maybe if life was different I would. And why would you bring up such a topic?" She let out a small laughter to lighten up the atmosphere. "Could it be?" She gasped jokingly. "That you like me?"
Itachi gently pushed her off of him and got up on his feet, trotting off. "It was curiosity."
Sakura slowly rose to stand, her eyes watching the Uchiha depart farther and her mind questioning if he was truthful in saying it was all out of curiosity.
Orochimaru's footsteps echoed loudly throughout the dark corridors. Kabuto followed behind him as always as the two walked along the lone hallways of his hideout. It had been a while since he had encountered the older-younger Uchiha; he didn't know whether to address Itachi as the older or younger one at this point.
At first, he had been so entertained with the events; he anticipated heading back to his hideout and telling Sasuke all about it. Well, on his journey back he and Kabuto had been discussing the topic and he had come to realize that letting Sasuke know about the situation so soon, although it would amuse him so very much, might end up not in his favor.
He knew that Sasuke was a talented young boy and Sasuke had grown even stronger with his tutelage. However, as talented Sasuke was, there was no denying that Itachi is a genius and there is a huge difference between simply possessing talent and being an actual mastermind. Therefore, he waited for the correct moment to occur. When that moment would appear, he did not know.
The two came to a stop in front of a room with its door open. The small amount of light that lit the halls entered the room just enough to reveal a dark figure, his Uchiha symbol visible on the back collar of his shirt.
Having sensed the Sannin member and Sound nin, Sasuke rose from his bed to sit. His faced remained hidden in the shadows, his Sharingan gleaming. "Finally, Orochimaru. You haven't trained me in a week."
Orochimaru stepped into the dim room, chuckling. "Now, now, Sasuke-kun, remember that I do have a life and things to do other than train you."
Sasuke 'tch-ed.' "Well, I'm bored and pissed that I'm not getting stronger. Or..."
The snake-like man blinked at the Uchiha, wondering what he would say. "Or?"
Sasuke smirked. "Or is it that you've got nothing else to teach me and I have no more use for you?"
Orochimaru's gold eyes narrowed at the truth of that statement. He knew Sasuke had grown tremendously and maybe, just maybe, Sasuke might even be able to tie with him in a battle. Of course, he wouldn't ever tell this to Sasuke. He knew once he was useless to Sasuke, Sasuke would leave and he'd have great difficulties trying to obtain Sasuke again. For now, he needed Sasuke.
He let out disturbing chuckle. "Such disrespect. And here, I was hoping to tell you some things I've discovered about that older brother of yours."
He immediately gained the full attention of the chidori user. "What is it?"
"Hm? Oh, nevermind. For now, I think we should just go on with our training session. After all, you made such a big fuss out of it."
Sasuke grunted in frustration and slid off the bed to stand and face Orochimaru. "Dammit! Tell me, Orochimaru!"
"Oh? Of course, of course. But what was that you said about me being of no more use to you?"
"Alright, alright, whatever. I take it back, now just tell me."
Orochimaru laughed, all too amused with the situation. He turned to look at Kabuto. "Tell him, Kabuto."
Kabuto nodded. "It appears that Itachi is now a twelve-year-old residing at Konohagakure and has resumed his position as a Leaf shinobi. From a body scanning jutsu that I created, I've come to conclude that someone has drugged him with some sort of high level and powerful potion that has turned him back into a child. If you would like to avenge your family, now would be the perfect time to do so."
There was a silence as Sasuke reviewed what Kabuto had just said. "That can't be true."
"Believe what you will, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru snickered, exiting the room.
Sasuke remained him his position, standing in the middle of the room and now staring at nothing on the ground. He couldn't believe such a thing would happen. Itachi? The Itachi? He hated his brother but he still had to admit that his brother was very strong.
His footsteps started off slowly as he walked out of his room but as soon as he was outside he broke out into a dash. As he rounded a corner, he stopped abruptly seeing Orochimaru and Kabuto there.
"I knew you could distinguish between a truth and a lie," Orochimaru said.
"I'm going to confirm if it is true. There is no point in killing Itachi in his pathetic state like this."
"Very well, but I can't simply let you roam around freely like that. Kabuto, see to it that Sasuke-kun has company strong enough to drag him back in case he should decide to run off."
"If I was the same age as you, do you think you would have ever developed any sort of feelings more than friendship for me?"
Sakura's eyes peered through the glass window and out onto the yard below where a few children were playing tag. She was at the ninja academy, having been invited to teach the students about the job of medic-nins and how to become a medic-nin. After all, there was a shortage in medic-nins.
It had been a week since her training session with Itachi in which his words left confusion within her. Ever since then, they hadn't sparred because he had been busy with missions and she was teaching at the academy. When he had free time, he would accompany her to the academy or the hospital. One thing that irked her was how he was living as though the conversation never occurred. He didn't seem at all to be bothered and this led her to be frustrated with herself because she felt she was giving this too much thought.
She sighed. Yes, that must be it. She was thinking too much and he had said he was only curious.
Watching the children play so happily, she wished that the two Uchiha boys she knew would have had that sort of past, joyful and peaceful.
"I just can't. Maybe...maybe if life was different I would." Both his line from before and her line from now continually rang in her head no matter how hard she tried to shove away the thoughts.
Why had she said that?
She didn't know what had possessed her to say such a thing and when she had realized she said that, she felt so disgusted with herself. How could she say such a thing?
Itachi was a traitor, a missing-nin, an Akatsuki member...he had caused so much pain to Sasuke.
She hated him for it. Even if he was twelve years old right now, even if he had no memories of having massacred his clan, even if he wanted to help Sasuke, even if he was innocent right now...the truth was something she couldn't forget.
"Sakura?"
Sakura's gaze shifted from the window to look at the door of the classroom. Iruka stood there. "Yes, Iruka-sensei?"
"Oh, I was just surprised to see you here. Class has been over for a while now, so I didn't expect to see you here," he said. "And don't call me sensei, we're the same rank now."
Sakura smiled, walking away from the window and making her way to the door to leave. "I was just about to leave, and it doesn't matter what rank we are. To me, you'll always be a sensei."
Sakura strolled through the streets of Konoha, making her way back home. Itachi was on another mission, and since it was only nearing sunset she decided to take the long way home and walk slowly. She passed by many shops, often stopping to see what was being sold. She didn't normally take time off to go shopping since she was usually busy.
She stopped at the park, watching as parents were picking up their children. A sad smile graced her face as she remembered her own past and how she was always picked on. It seemed to her as though the entire Team Seven had a harsh past, almost as if all the members of Team Seven were destined to meet and be a team.
Her eyes shifted to the trees that surrounded the park and she knew that going beyond those trees would lead her to a training ground. There were many training grounds scattered throughout Konoha. She didn't know what it was, but her feet controlled her steps and she soon found herself strolling through the trees. It was if an unknown force pulled her there.
When the path of trees ceased, she appeared at on open field. As her eyes surveyed the area, memories returned to her and she remembered that it was on this very field that she and Ino would sit making flower arrangements as an assignment for class when they were young. Those were the sad days that hadn't yet gotten worse with time.
"Sakura?"
Sakura whirled around to see Itachi's figure leaning against a tree. She smiled. "I didn't expect to see you here. When did you get back?"
"Just now," his eyes scanned the vicinity.
She walked up to him, her eyes making note of the small amount of dirt on his hand and a scratch on his face. It was rare to see him with any injuries. As she approached him and stood before him, she noted that he used to be the same height as her just a couple weeks ago but was now taller. Odd. Well, perhaps he was undergoing some sort of rapid growth spurt. Perhaps.
"You're growing so fast, Itachi-kun," she tugged on his shirt to motion for him to sit down. "Let me heal you. I can't believe you're hurt this time. Tough opponent?"
"I suppose. I would like it if the clients knew at least the basics of protecting themselves instead of relying on the ninjas to fight and defend at the same time," he stated, sitting down beside her.
Sakura let the green chakra flow from herself into him and in a short matter of time his cut was healed. "Yeah."
The two sat in silence, watching the gentle breeze swayed the grass this way and that. The sun had begun to set now and the sky was washed with bright yellow-orange-red shades. Sakura smiled at the scene. "You know, Ino-pig and I used to make flower arrangements here."
Itachi didn't say anything for a moment and Sakura was shocked when he replied. "Sasuke and I used to train nearby."
"Sasuke is so lucky to have you as a brother. I can see how he graduated with top scores now," she said, but right after saying it she immediately regretted it as she remembered that Itachi had slaughtered his clan and thus caused Sasuke to train even harder in order to avenge the clan.
"Not really," Itachi said, continuing to shock Sakura. She had expected silence or 'hn' like how Sasuke always did. "I only trained with him a few times, most of the times he watched."
Sakura leaned back against the tree. "Don't you think it would great if Sasuke were still here? Then maybe you could add in to the team. Then every morning we can go wait for Kakashi-sensei and then he'd be late like always. Oh! And then Naruto and I would scream at him and I assume you and Sasuke would probably sit somewhere or lean against something, annoyed with him being late. And then we can go on missions and you and Sasuke would probably be beating up all the bad guys and Naruto would be so angry that you two always take the spotlight! Hmm..."
Itachi watched her, wondering what else she would say. Her thoughts were amusing.
"And then with both you and Sasuke-kun, I bet Team Seven must be so feared. We'd be having two super strong shinobis on our team! And both from the Uchiha clan as well. If it was only you, Sasuke-kun, and Kakashi-sensei, you guys can be, like, a super Sharingan team! You'd probably become the most powerful and feared group in Konoha!"
Sakura's gentle laughter filled the atmosphere as she let her imagination run wild. She knew such a thing would never happen, but it never hurts to imagine.
"Is that how you view me?"
Sakura glanced at him, her eyes questioning him. "What do you mean?"
Itachi's onyx eyes stared far into the horizon at the setting sun. There was a long period of nothing except the rustling of the trees due to the wind's breeze. "They would make me train from dawn until dusk and repeat the steps everyday."
Sakura bit her lower bit in regret of ever saying anything. It wasn't every day when anyone would be able to peek in to the thoughts and feelings of the Uchiha prodigy. Should she apologize? Stop the conversation? Laugh? Cry? Without knowing what to do, she kept silent.
"And the eyes of everyone else held only envy, hatred, or fear. I dislike the fact the entire clan was killed but..."
He paused.
"But there is something inside me that is glad they are gone. I feel envious that it wasn't me who had the privilege of killing them."
Her eyes saddened as she knew the truth was that it indeed was him who killed them.
"Is that why you would never feeling an emotion such as love for me? Since you fear me because I am practically a monster and I have the ability to make you suffer to the point you'd wish for death?"
She wanted to correct him, to tell him that he wasn't a monster and she could indeed love him. However, she couldn't lie. Everything he said was true. "Itachi-kun...do you...like me?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
"In case you do, I think that if anything you hold only admiration for me and you're thinking too much about this. Even if we liked each other, we can never be together."
"Why can't we be together, if I did like you?"
She whirled around to face him with frustration. "Because you are the one who ki-"
Her sentence was came to an abrupt halt as she felt his soft lips gently brush over hers. She was shocked but at the same time relieved that he, without knowing it, had stopped her from revealing to him who he actually was. He immediately pulled away, his gaze casted away to the side staring at nothing. Her jade eyes stared at him.
"Did you just...?" she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. "I...you...did you...just-"
"SAKURA-CHAN!"
Sakura turned around to face the source of the voice and saw a familiar hyperactive ninja sprinting her way. She lifted herself up from the tree, placing a smile on her face. "Naruto!"
Naruto stopped before her, breathing heavily. "I was looking all over for you, Sakura-chan! I didn't think you'd be here of all places."
"Oh. Eheh...sorry. How long are you here for?"
"Probably a few days. Ero-sennin and I happened to pass by and decided to visit. After this, though, the stupid perverted hermit said we're going to be journeying farther and probably won't be back until a year later," Naruto pouted. "Dang pervert."
"You're one too," Sakura sighed.
Naruto laughed. "Yeah, I guess. Anyway, Tsunade-baachan told me that she had some really important news to tell us. Highly confidential and superly-super-uber-duper-mega-ultra-hyper important."
Sakura turned to see Itachi had already gotten up from the ground and stood behind her. "Ah, Itachi-kun, I guess I'll see you later then."
Itachi 'hn-ed' and walked away. Sakura inwardly sighed in relief, thankful that Naruto had come and she could spend some time away from Itachi. The walk to the Hokage's Tower was peaceful and enjoyable, or so Sakura found it. Naruto was still his idiotic self, but perhaps she enjoyed it because she found it to be a good break from Itachi.
"Say, Sakura-chan, you and Itachi are awfully close," Naruto said as the two walked up the stairs of the Hokage's Tower.
Sakura blushed. "N-No! We are not like that! No! We're comrades and friends! Yes, that's it!"
"Eh?" Naruto blinked. "What are you rambling about? I was just saying that I think since you two are so close, maybe your good spirit will rub off on him and he'll turn good."
"Huh? Uh...oh," Sakura muttered, embarrassed for having jumped to conclusions.
"What did you mean with all that stuff you said, huh?" Naruto snickered. "Could it be? You and...?"
Before Naruto could go any further, Sakura was glad they had arrived at the top of the stairs and she instantly dashed to the Hokage's door, bursted into the room. "Tsunade-shishou!"
Tsunade looked up from her pile of paperwork and sighed. "Sakura, you really need to learn to knock. If you just burst in here like that, I might think we're under attacked or that you're attacking me."
Sakura laughed nervously. "Sorry..."
Naruto took his time and entered the room. "Sakura-chan? Sheez, don't run off. You're starting to make me think I'm maturing and that's a really scary thought."
Tsunade stamped a paper and shoved it away before speaking. "Well, now that the two of you are here..."
"Hurry, hurry, what is it? Are we getting super cool A-class missions?" Naruto interrupted.
"If you don't want to know what it is then you can just interrupt me now and forget it," she glared at the blonde rasengan user. "As I was saying, it appears that there is someone spotted around the Fire Country. He could pose as a threat to us."
"So, are you sending us to go after him?" Sakura asked. "I'm only a chuunin and Naruto's status is still a genin, we can't possibly stop someone who is dangerous to the Leaf yet."
"I'm not asking you to go after him," Tsunade corrected. "I only want you two to be alert. Don't, I repeat DON'T, go after him. However, I just want you to know it so that when Naruto leaves he can look out for this guy and when you, Sakura, are assigned on missions you can also be aware of him."
"Well, if he's so dangerous then I'll kill him when I see him!" Naruto beamed confidently. "And I'll make sure he can't even lift a finger to perform any jutsus! You just tell me his name and I'll kick his ass so bad!"
"His name is..." Tsunade's eyes traveled back and forth between the blonde Kyuubi vessel and her pink-haired apprentice. The ticking of the clock rang throughout the silence.
"Uchiha, Sasuke."
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Senko: If everything goes according to plan, then I'm estimating another six chapters or so and this story should be finished! Also, below is a little preview of the next chapter because I started to write the chapter and decided to give you awesome readers a preview XD
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"Come on, Itachi-kun! It'll be fun!" Sakura chirped, taking hold of the Uchiha's hand and dragging him off. She dashed towards the theater that Ino had told her to meet the group at, hoping that she could show Itachi that the movies were a fun place to be at. She had been so shocked to discover that he had only seen one video in his entire life; a video at the ninja academy showing off random basic techniques and fights.
She knew Itachi was a villain, an antagonist, but just for this moment while he was still innocent, she would care for him as she cared for any of her friends. She would show him the childhood he didn't have.
"Just around this corner!" she beamed, making a right turn.
Stop.
Her smile that hung on her face slowly faded until her lips were barely parted. The excitement and joy that had earlier dominated her emerald eyes was immediately washed away as she blinked. She stopped dead in her tracks and Itachi only looked straight ahead to see the figure of a boy looking awfully similar to himself.
"Sasuke-kun..." he heard Sakura's voice whisper.