Smoke and Mirrors
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, all rights to Masashi Kishimoto, and I make no money from this story.
AN: Yay! An update. I know, I know. . . Don't yell at me please. It's only, what three days past when I said I would get this chapter posted? If some of you didn't know, I posted a note in my profile about the lateness of this update. So for future reference, if it's been more than three weeks or so since I last updated, go and check my profile cause I've most likely posted a note about it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter three! Anyways, again, sorry for the delay, but I hope you all enjoy the new chapter =).
Chapter Four: The Plan
Feet silently pounded against the trees, relentlessly pushing ahead. Itachi had run them to exhaustion, pushing all of their bodies to their limits; the sweat that dripped along their bodies left trails that zigzagged down their skin before falling to the ground. They all wordlessly felt the direness of the situation, and didn't complain about being pushed so hard. Sakura crunched down on her second soldier pill, wincing slightly as the indescribable taste spread over her tongue. She quickly swallowed it, willing the taste to leave her mouth as swiftly as possible. Kakashi also seemed to be suffering from the flavor as she saw him make a pained face—scrunching his nose as his mouth fell into a deep set frown. Sakura gave Kakashi a quick glance, sharing in his silent anguish; she never understood why they made soldier pills so atrocious. Sakura felt the energy surging inside of her body as her chakra levels once again increased to acceptable levels, and her stamina came back tenfold. She increased her speed once again, keeping in time with Itachi, as they rushed forward to Konoha.
Sakura had been deep in thought as they raced towards their home. What on earth could they want with her. . . Sure, maybe she had become slightly famous as a medic nin, though that seemed to be no reason to attempt to kidnap her. Sakura fumbled through her thoughts attempting to come up with some kind of explanation for the events that had transpired, but she came up empty. Part of her couldn't shake the feeling that she had to do something about this. She couldn't just sit by as her friends once again took the lead in trying to save her. She knew this wasn't the time nor the place for such thoughts, and she let it go as they were finally nearing Konoha.
They had been running at such a rapid pace for so long that Sakura's legs wobbled slightly as they slowed, finally reaching their destination. Still, no words were spoken between the team as they hastily walked to the Hokage's tower. They noiselessly jumped through the window into Tsunade's office; Sakura and Kakashi stretched out their sore muscles as Itachi went to inform Tsunade of the current situation.
Tsunade listened intently as Itachi explained the events both leading up to Sakura's capture and her subsequent liberation. Kakashi and Sakura stayed quiet as Itachi had no problem informing the Hokage of every small event and detail that transpired. Tsunade rested her head on her hands for a moment, seemingly in deep thought. A few moments later, she raised her head and prepared herself to address the team.
"I haven't been entirely honest with you, because I was certain that they wouldn't move so quickly. The group that you've informed me of is known as the Akatsuki. We have been secretly monitoring their movements for some time now, trying our best to figure out their motives. As of yet, we are still unaware as to what the groups plans are, and if they will be a harm to Konoha or not. Though, now with our new information it's safe to assume they could mean us harm in the long run. I do apologize for not informing you sooner, though we thought it was best to keep it a secret until we were sure they were dangerous." As Tsunade spoke the team could see the regret that made its way to her features. They could only imagine how guilty she felt for not informing them and putting Sakura at such a risk. The more Sakura watched the silent war that waged in both Tsunade's and her teammates eyes the more agitated she seemed to become. They had no reason to be so upset. . . She was fine for god's sake. . . There was no need for such a reaction. If the same thing had happened to Itachi or Kakashi she knew the reaction would be far different, and she couldn't help but feel incredibly irked.
"Everyone, please stop looking like that. . . It's driving me nuts. I'm fine as you can easily see. I'm here and I'm alive. I don't understand why you are all getting so upset over this. Shit like this happens all the time so would everyone please calm the fuck down. I'm so tired of those looks you're all giving me. . . It's just utterly ridiculous." Sakura finished her rant, breaking the dead silence of the room. She was absolutely fuming and she felt the sudden urge to punch something into oblivion. "If we're done here I'd like to get back to my apartment and shower," she stated, bringing herself back to a calm demeanor. Tsunade nodded in consent, allowing Sakura to leave the office as Itachi and Kakashi could finish the report and collect their information.
As Sakura treaded back to her apartment she couldn't stop her anger and annoyance from coming back once again. She had made it to ANBU dammit. . . why couldn't they see that she wasn't a child anymore. It was so angering to her as she thought she had been finally rid of the treatment she had always received from them. They always handled her like she was a breakable doll, like she was incapable of doing anything for herself. Even Tsunade, who seemed to sing her praises, always treated Sakura differently—treated her like she needed to be cared for. She was a ninja for god's sake, getting hurt is kind of in the job description. . . Why was everyone trying so hard to protect her when she didn't need protecting. Even Naruto and Sasuke were still guilty of it. Sakura felt like it was completely inescapable; why did everyone seem to act like they respected her for her skill and strength, but then turn around and treat her like a child? Sakura decided she had let this go on long enough, something needed to be done. . . Something drastic.
". . .and that's all we know so far about the Akatsuki. Again, I do so apologize for keeping this from you, but we really had no idea they would make a move like that so soon." Tsunade had finished relaying the information to Kakashi and Itachi, and they sat silently thinking of a proper move to make.
"Do you believe it's best that we investigate this further now Tsunade-sama?" Itachi asked, sighing as the thought of putting Sakura once again in danger made him anxious.
"I believe it's best that you two at least get a day or two of rest before I send you out on another long mission. I know Sakura will be upset over this, but we can't have her leaving the village when she is the one they are looking for. It will be better to keep her safe here, and you two will go on a scouting mission. You must find anything and everything you possibly can to give us a clue as to the Akatsuki's plans and motives. You will depart in two days time, so rest up. And please, break it to Sakura lightly. I imagine she'll be pounding down my door when she hears she won't be going on this mission. But please, try to let her know it's all for her safety and it must be done this way.
"Understood Tsunade-sama, we will inform Sakura as soon as possible and prepare for our departure in two days time," Itachi responded, giving her a slight bow of respect and jumping back out the window in which they had come.
"So who should tell her?" Kakashi asked, hoping to god that Itachi would take on the responsibility. As Kakashi had learned over the years, dealing with an angry Sakura was not something he enjoyed.
"Kakashi you're such a coward when it comes to our little cherry blossom aren't you?" Itachi asked, laughing slightly at Kakashi's obvious terror in telling Sakura things she did not want to hear. "Yes I will tell her don't worry." Kakashi nodded his head in thanks and ran off towards his apartment—some serious rest was dearly needed. Itachi sighed as he began his walk to Sakura's apartment. He knew he needed to get this over as soon as possible, though he dreaded the possible pain involved in telling Sakura something she didn't want to hear. He could only hope that he would make it out of her apartment alive.
Shikamaru had run the situation through every corner of his brain, and still, he was left with the same conclusion. They didn't know enough information to really do anything but return to Konoha and notify the Hokage. He knew that leaving a mission like this was not something they should be doing, but the more he thought it over the more he decided it was probably in their best interest. He finally weighed the risks enough to decide that returning to Konoha was their best decision, and they needed to act fast.
"Naruto, Sasuke, we're going to head back to Konoha now as I'm cutting this mission short. I've dissected this situation every way I possibly could, and I believe it's best if we inform the Hokage of the situation and return to Konoha," Shikamaru finished, rummaging through his pack to make sure he had everything he needed. Naruto opened his mouth to complain, but Sasuke quickly reached around and covered his mouth before Naruto caused a fight. He knew Naruto was probably a bit peeved that Shikamaru hadn't really listened to him in the first place when he thought it was actually serious; though, it was Shikamaru's decision in the long run and Naruto was just going to have to learn to deal with it.
"Alright Shikamaru, we'll head out whenever you're ready," Sasuke responded, picking up his things as well and preparing himself for the long trip ahead of them. Naruto slowly nodded his head in consent, trying to hold back his annoyance at the situation. No one ever listened to him and it was starting to get on his nerves. He had known from the very beginning that those men were trouble, and Shikamaru just seemed to be figuring that out now. It was very unlike Naruto to keep his mouth shut in a situation like this, but he could feel how torn up Shikamaru was about not listening to him sooner, so for Shikamaru's sake he let it go—well, and he figured avoiding a couple hits from Sasuke wasn't a bad plan either. Within ten minutes time the team had removed all traces of their presence and prepared to leave. It was a long run back to Konoha, but they knew they had to get back as quickly as possible.
Sakura stepped into her shower, the cold tile that touched her feet sent a chill throughout her entire body. She reached her hand out to grasp the shower handle, turning the water as hot as it could go. She punched her fists against the hard tile of the wall, leaving indentations where her fists had landed. Normally, Sakura hated destroying her own property, but right now it was either this or taking off the heads of her teammates—she decided destroying her shower wall was preferable. She let the hot water stream down her face, so hot that it almost felt like it was scalding her skin; though, Sakura always preferred her showers this way as she was not one for cold showers no matter the circumstance. As the hot water washed down her body so did part of Sakura's anger. She finally felt as if she could breathe again, as if her anger wasn't completely overtaking her body.
Sakura wasn't one to hide her faults, and her anger was definitely a fault of hers. She couldn't seem to help how riled up she always got, and she hated how it affected her so much. This is why she cherished these moments of silence where she could collect her thoughts and calm her anger. She knew making a decision based solely on anger was a bad idea, so thus she was calming down before she became set in her choice. She always knew that if she came to the same conclusions when she was calm as she had when she was angry, it normally turned out to be a good decision in the long run.
Sakura finally finished rinsing the conditioner out of her hair and stepped out of the shower. She wrapped her hair up in her towel so it could dry some, and she lay down on her bed. She wrapped herself up in her blankets and snuggled into her bed, attempting to get as comfortable as possible. 'It must be done this way,' she thought. She could think of no other way to handle the situation. 'You can do it on your own. . . You can show them.' Once that thought had popped into her head it was useless trying out any other scenario. Sakura had never in her life thought of doing something so reckless, so against orders, so against her character. Though, that fact right there was probably why they still viewed her as a child, as someone quite incapable of caring for themselves. They would never see her as an equal until something drastic was done. She was going to force them to listen to her, and force them to accept that she was finally capable of handling any situation. Now all that was left to do was wait until tonight, and let her plan fall into place.
Sakura felt herself losing consciousness as sleep began to overtake her. She gripped her comforter tighter as her towel slipped off of her head. She pushed the offending item to the floor and snuggled back into bed. Sakura needed her rest if her plan was going to proceed tonight, though of course, things never seem to work out well for her. And as always, one person always seemed to be the cause of her unrest and annoyance. Itachi. She heard him enter her room but continued to keep her eyes shut, attempting to avoid dealing with him. However, Itachi was not one so easily fooled, and new instantly that she was, in fact, awake.
"How can I help you asshole," Sakura groaned out, wanting nothing more than to get some well deserved rest. Though Itachi obviously seemed to have other plans.
"I came to inform you of the Hokage's decision about our next mission. It seems she has decided. . . For fuck's sake Sakura could you at least open your eyes and give me your attention as I speak to you?" Itachi snapped, quite frustrated as she continued to lie in bed with her eyes closed, paying him no mind. Itachi normally kept his cool quite well, but Sakura was able to easily destroy the calm exterior that he had worked so hard to maintain. Sakura grumbled but opened her eyes slightly, glaring at him through slits of her eyelids.
"My eyes are open your highness, please continue," she quipped, not at all in the mood to deal with anyone, least of all Itachi. Itachi chose to ignore her smart remark and continued on with his explanation.
"As I was saying. . . the Hokage has decided that it would be best if you stayed in the village for awhile. I know you aren't going to like this, but it's for your safety. The Hokage is sending Kakashi and I out on a scouting mission to discover anything we can about the Akatsuki, and while I'm sure you believe that you need to be on this mission as well, it's the Hokage's order that you stay here." Itachi finished, shocked that he had managed to say that much without an outburst from Sakura; though, now that he had finished he imagined the outburst was on its way.
Sakura shut her eyes once again, as she was actually expecting Itachi to say something along those lines. She knew all those idiots would make her stay in the village. She laughed silently to herself, knowing Itachi's eyes were going to bug out of his head when she had no reaction to his statement. She loved messing with him almost as much as he loved messing with her.
"I understand Itachi. . . you can let Tsunade-sama know that I accept her decision and I will attempt to keep my complaints to myself," she stated calmly. As she spoke she could see Itachi's eyes widening in shock—never in his life had he seen Sakura react so calmly to a situation before, and to be perfectly honest, it scared him slightly.
"Very well Sakura. . . I must say I'm quite shocked that you handled the situation so well, but it's nice to see you finally understand that your protection is of very high importance to us. And as your captain, I can't very well have you walking into enemy hands." Itachi spoke with care, trying his best to not say something that would unnecessarily anger her when she had handled the situation so nicely.
"Yeah, yeah Itachi. . . run off to Tsunade and tell her how well behaved I'm being and let me get some damn sleep. I'm quite exhausted so I would appreciate you leaving and letting me rest now," Sakura spoke in a quick tone, attempting to usher Itachi out of her house so she could get some sleep. Itachi nodded his head in consent.
"Alright princess, rest well. Don't worry about a thing. . . we will make sure no one harms you. I will see you soon," Itachi bowed slightly as he left her room, again attempting to appease Sakura the best he could. To say he was shocked by how she took the news was probably an understatement. Sakura never handled anything as well as she had handled that. Though maybe, just maybe, she was finally growing up a little. Itachi tried not to question it too much, as he imagined he would never again witness such a calm reaction.
As Itachi took his leave, Sakura's eyes once again drifted shut and a small smile graced her features. She couldn't believe he fell for such an act. She knew it was probably risky acting so calm, but she had to admit it worked perfectly. Now all that was left to do was wait it out, and she couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces when they all found out. 'If only you knew Itachi. . . if only you knew,' she thought, before drifting off in a deep, dreamless sleep.
"Hey asshole! You fucking tripped me!" Naruto yelled out as he fell from the trees and landed on the hard ground. He sat up quickly, attempting to rub away the pain that had collected in his ass.
"I didn't trip you dobe, you're just clumsy. Now get your ass back up here so we can keep going," Sasuke responded, waiting on a tree branch. Shikamaru was a few branches ahead of them waiting impatiently.
"I'm not clumsy you jerk, you just tripped me and you're blaming it on me. I'm better than you at everything you know! And that includes running through the trees. . . and it doesn't count that you tripped me. That's cheating," Naruto spoke up, seemingly intending to cause a fight. Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his temples lightly. Everything was a competition between those two. They were just running. How those two had somehow made a competition out of it was beyond him. Though part of him suspected most of these 'competitions' were somehow orchestrated by Naruto, and Sasuke just went along with it.
"Calm down dobe we don't have time for this right now. We have to get back to Konoha quickly. Stop causing such a ruckus and let's go," Sasuke reprimanded. Naruto grumbled, not liking the tone Sasuke took. In all honesty, Naruto was just trying to lighten the mood. It had been so silent and dull that he felt they all needed a break from the silence. And in typical Naruto fashion, causing a fight with Sasuke was what he was best at.
"Fine Sasuke, you take all my fun away," Naruto complained, standing up and jumping back into the tree top next to Sasuke.
"Are we done now?" Shikamaru asked, tapping his foot slightly in his impatience.
"Yup, let's go," Naruto spoke, moving like he was going to start running again. Though last minute, he pushed Sasuke out of the tree. "You're it Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, running away at lightning speed. Sasuke looked bewildered as he sat on the ground, but quickly caught on to Naruto's little game.
"You asked for it Naruto," Sasuke responded, quickly getting back up and following after Naruto. Shikamaru knew nothing he said was going to stop the little game these two had, and he was glad they would at least be moving quickly. He let those two run on ahead and he followed behind them, hoping that Naruto had enough sense to at least run in the proper direction. He increased his speed slightly so as to keep them in his sight. He never knew what to expect being partnered with Naruto and Sasuke, and he was actually having a bit of fun watching their antics, though he'd never admit it. He appreciated the 'mood-lightening affect' that Naruto seemed to have on everyone. He smirked a little as he continued on after them. 'Yeah,' he thought, 'this team won't be too bad.'
Sakura awoke hours later, the glare of the setting sun streamed through her window, casting a light glow. She placed her arms over her head, interlacing her fingers and stretching out her tense back. Sakura yawned slightly, but finally managed to roll herself out of bed. She knew she had to get a move on even though staying in bed was quite tempting. She trudged to the kitchen to make a new pot of coffee, as coffee was going to be quite essential in staying awake tonight. As the hot, steamy goodness began pouring into the pot she walked back to her room to change and pack a few things.
Sakura wasn't wearing anything special, just her regular ANBU garb. She grabbed a small bag that could be easily carried; a light and unobtrusive bag that wouldn't weigh her down any, but could still fit her belongings. She threw a few changes of clothing into the bag, mostly including her ANBU clothing; though, she also added one pair of civilian clothing as she wasn't quite sure what to expect. Once she was fully satisfied with her choice in clothing, she grabbed a few toiletries. Luckily enough she had some small travel sized containers of shampoo and conditioner that wouldn't weight her down too much. After throwing in her toothbrush and hairbrush alongside the shampoo and conditioner, she decided she had packed everything she needed. With one final zip she secured the backpack and threw it on her bed, where it would sit until she was ready to go. As she began walking out of her room to relish in the sweet taste of coffee, she remembered that she had forgotten to pack her razor, which she quickly grabbed and added to the increasing pile of her belongings. If there was one thing Sakura hated, it was that itchy feeling she got on her legs when she waited too long to shave. No matter where she went or what she was doing she didn't want to forget something so imperative.
Finally, Sakura was able to leave her room and pour herself a nice hot cup of coffee. She decided to take her cup and jump up onto the roof to drink it while she watched the sun set. As she moved with ease to the roof, she sat down and began once again thinking over her decision. She knew it had to be done if she was ever going to get any respect from, not only her teammates, but from the Hokage. Sakura sighed, taking a small sip of the steaming drink. She was no fool, she knew what she was attempting was not only dangerous, but partly suicidal. Though Sakura couldn't help but think, nothing ventured nothing gained, the statement that seemed to keep repeating itself in her head over and over. She was strong, damn strong, and she was smart. Sakura knew she could handle this mission she had assigned herself, and she knew, somehow someway, that she would come out on top.
Her mind wandered to her closest friends, Naruto and Sasuke. She couldn't stifle the laugh that fell through her lips as she thought of her brothers. Boy were they going to be pissed when they came home. Though, part of her knew they would understand; Naruto of all people would understand why she wanted to do this, why she had to do this. Naruto and Sasuke seemed to understand Sakura the best, as they had known her the longest, and part of her was counting on them convincing Tsunade not to do anything brash. She knew her shishou was not one to always use her head, especially when it came to people she loved so dearly.
As her thoughts left Naruto and Sasuke and fell onto Tsunade, she couldn't help but once again give a short laugh. Sure, Naruto and Sasuke were going to be pissed as hell, but she could only imagine the havoc her shishou would wreak. She hoped that after a nice long yelling session, and possibly some damage to Konoha, that Tsunade would calm down and see the bigger picture, see that what Sakura was doing was necessary. Sure, it could be handled in a different way, but Sakura had to do this, and if they cared for her they would understand that. She imagined that out of everyone, Kakashi would probably take it the best. He loved her as much as the rest, though she believed that Kakashi would be the first to truly understand her reasoning, and to accept it. Well, she could only hope.
She tried to keep thinking of her friends, though that pesky little asshole was somehow worming his way into her thoughts. She tried her best to shoo him out of her head and let him bother someone else, but in the end he prevailed. Itachi. Just his name seemed to piss her off nowadays. He was just so completely infuriating. She couldn't stand his stupidly irritating smirk, his too cool and calm demeanor, his ability to excel at everything he did, and that horrible way he always called her princess instead of speaking her name. Absolutely everything about him irked her more than she could probably ever express; though, she couldn't help but want so badly for him to once, just once, appreciate her strength. . . appreciate her ability. For him to finally see that she's not a child anymore, to accept that she was more than capable of, not only caring for herself, but caring for those around her. She shook her head free of the thoughts that continued to flow through her mind. She had to let that go now. . . what she was doing now was so much more than just impressing her team. Sakura was going to be fighting for her life, and this was no time to be sulking. She had to leave these kinds of emotions here in Konoha, and act like the ANBU operative that she was.
The sun had finally set and the darkened night began taking over. Sakura looked up to the sky and noticed it was a new moon, the darkest time of the year in the night sky. She missed the beauty of the moon guiding her, but she also appreciated the added darkness that the lack of the moon gave her. Unknowingly, Sakura had chosen the best time of the month to leave. She slipped back into her room and grabbed her pack, throwing it over her shoulders, and placed her coffee cup in the kitchen. She stood at the threshold of her tiny apartment, glancing back over her shoulder, and giving her home one last small smile. She had to admit she was going to miss the comforts of being home, but she was going to have to suck it up and kick some ass. With that being her last thought, she closed her door, and ran out into the darkness.
With such darkness as her cover, Sakura was sure that no one would see her leaving. Though, as always, what Sakura hopes and what actually happens are two very different things. She had almost reached the limit of the village, when that infuriating voice called out to her.
"And where do you think you're going at such a late hour princess?" And there it was. . . the one thing Sakura had hoped more than anything she wouldn't have to deal with that night. Sakura skidded to a halt, throwing the nastiest glance she possibly could at Itachi; though in afterthought she realized he probably couldn't see it because of the darkness. She cursed her luck.
"Itachi. . . I'm quite busy at the moment so I would appreciate you fucking off," Sakura snarled, not in the least bit in the mood to deal with his antics.
"Now now love, no need to be so harsh. I'm simply asking a question. Anyone would be curious as to where their teammate was going so late at night, especially when she's supposed to be staying in the village. Or have you forgotten the criminal group that's out looking for you?" Itachi questioned, his voice hinting on the stern side.
"Itachi listen, I really don't have time to listen to your bullshit right now. In case you hadn't noticed I'm on my way to do something that has nothing to do with you. So please, do us all a favor, and mind your own damn business," Sakura replied, attempting once again to turn to leave. Itachi grabbed a hold on her arm and pulled her close to his chest. He turned his face down to hers to stare directly into her eyes, a moment Sakura deemed much to intimate.
"Sakura," he spoke her name quietly, almost carefully. "I know what you think you're doing is going to pan out perfectly in your favor, but you have to realize that your safety in our priority right now. And how on earth do you expect us to protect you when you're going running off straight into their waiting arms," he finished, the worry in his voice quickly made it to Sakura's ears, and she could feel the anger welling up inside her. She should have been surprised that he had figured her plan out so quickly, but Itachi was a genius, and she really shouldn't have expected any less.
"Itachi you're so fucking dense. Why do none of you get it!" she shouted, pushing herself out of his arms and standing in a defensive position. "That's the fucking point you idiot! I don't want you guys to keep me safe. I can keep myself safe. . . I don't need your help nor your protection. Can't you see how tired I am of you all treating me like this. . . treating me like a baby that needs to be coddled. I got to ANBU just the same as Naruto and Sasuke. So why do you all insist on treating me like I'm a five year old child!" Sakura was utterly fuming by this point. All the anger that she had yet to express to him was finally coming out, and she couldn't seem to stop it.
"I'm your teammate Itachi, not a baby that needs to be held. I'm just as capable as everyone else, and until I do something serious, none of you are going to see it. You have to understand how hard it is for me to watch you and Kakashi so easily accept that Naruto and Sasuke are fine on their own; yet, with me, you feel like you have to hold my hand the whole way, and I'm so tired of it. I'm going now, whether you like it or not. I don't care what you tell Tsunade, or what you have to say about it, but this is my mission and you will not fuck this up for me. I'm sure you know quite well that if everyone comes after me I imagine they'd kill me in no time flat, so if you want me to stay alive and come home, I suggest you keep your distance and let me do what I have to do." Sakura finished her long rant, and took a deep breath, not realizing that she had spoken so quickly that she had forgotten to breathe. She gave Itachi one last glance and turned to leave, only to have him grab her wrist once again and pull her close.
Sakura immediately felt that they were standing entirely too close, and this was a way too intimate moment with him, and to be perfectly honest. . . it completely terrified her. Sakura stood there looking up at Itachi as he looked down at her, feeling completely uncomfortable. She needed to escape this situation and fast.
"Itachi. . . I. . ." Sakura attempted to say before a pair of lips covered hers without warning. Her eyes shot open as Itachi's lips pressed more firmly against her own. She didn't know what to do or how to react. Itachi. . . was kissing her. Her mind was in a complete haze. It took a moment for Sakura to realize how nice it actually felt, having Itachi hold her like this, kiss her like this. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, and she couldn't help but feel safe as he held her close. She felt his lips move slightly, kissing her at a different angle; though, all the while he kept it entirely simple. As Sakura finally closed her eyes and accepted that Itachi was, in fact, kissing her it began to feel quite nice—just the pressure of his lips on hers. Itachi finally pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, and took in a quick breath as the lack of oxygen was getting to him.
"Please Sakura. . . please be safe," he said, pressing another quick kiss to her lips, and moving on to press a kiss to her forehead. Sakura was unable to do anything but nod her head, as his kiss had, quite literally, taken her breath away. She turned to leave, throwing a final glance over her shoulder, and finally running in an unknown direction.
In reality, all Sakura knew was that hopefully if she ran around enough they would find her. Part of her actually hoped they people who tried to kidnap her would be close by, just waiting for their chance to capture her again. While this thought should have scared her, it only thrilled her more that she was on her way to actually doing something on her own. Sakura's thoughts drifted back to the kiss Itachi had given her. What on earth had prompted him to do such a thing. . . she couldn't begin to understand what was going on in the idiots mind. She hated to admit how right it felt having him kiss her like that. No, she wouldn't think about that right now as she had more pressing matters to deal with at this moment. Now where on earth were those Akatsuki members. . . They had better find her quickly.
The sun was just beginning to rise as Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Naruto had finally made their way back to Konoha. It had been a long journey and they were all beyond exhaustion, though they knew reporting to Tsunade had to be their first order of business. And then sleep, they decided—most definitely sleep. As they jumped through the Hokage's window, they could all immediately feel Tsunade's somber mood. They looked at Tsunade to see her head resting in her hands, her bangs obscuring her face from their sight.
"Hey granny, we're back. Are you all right you look pretty upset. What's going on?" Naruto asked bluntly, as he was not one for subtleties.
"Sakura's gone," she spoke silently, lifting her head slightly to look them in the eyes. They could see traces of tears on Tsunade's face. The three teammates immediately thought the worst, and needed some clarification.
"What do you mean she's gone Hokage-sama?" Shikamaru asked, stepping forward.
"We're all such idiots," she spoke, her voice gaining strength. "Sakura left the village to chase after the Akatsuki on her own. . . I imagine you know of them and that's why you've come back from the mission early. Sakura left to handle them on her own because we were all so blind. We didn't realize how angry Sakura was with all of us for treating her like she needed to be protected. I believe I understand that now. . . I understand why she left. We all have to be strong for her, and patiently wait for any information she can give us." When Tsunade finished, they could see the strength that had come back to her face. It was rare that Tsunade showed such weakness in the presence of others, though they could understand what had gotten her so shaken.
"What do you mean granny. . . we have to go after her right now! We have to help her!" Naruto spoke out, an uncomfortable look gracing his features. It made him anxious that Sakura was out on her own on a mission where she could possibly not come home.
"No Naruto, Tsunade-sama is correct. We have to let Sakura do this on her own. Don't worry so much dobe she'll be fine. We all know that she's strong, and here is her chance to prove that strength to all of us. I know that she will return alive, we just have to be patient," Sasuke spoke, reinforcing Tsunade's words. She was grateful that Sasuke had spoke up, as it seemed Sasuke was one of the only people Naruto ever really listened to. Naruto looked like he was going to fight with Sasuke, but finally seemed to come to the realization that they were all right. Sakura needed this chance. . . they had all pushed her to do this.
"Alright granny, I understand. You can catch me up on this Akatsuki business later, but right now I need to shower and sleep," Naruto stated, turning to leave. Sasuke reached to stop him, but Tsunade nodded her head, indicating that it was alright if they left and returned later.
"I will stay and give the report," Shikamaru stated, going to stand in front of Tsunade's desk. "You two can head back and rest, as only one person really needs to be here to give a report. I will update you two later tonight." Naruto and Sasuke nodded their head in thanks and took their leave. Shikamaru relayed everything he knew to Tsunade, and she in turn updated him on all of their current information. As this exchange took place Naruto and Sasuke were walking back, in silence, to their apartments. Regret weighed heavily on both of their minds. If only they had given Sakura the respect she deserved, if only they had known she would do something so drastic. Though, now was not the time to dwell on the situation, now was the time to be strong for Sakura, and have hope that she would pull through this suicidal mission. Naruto and Sasuke turned to one another and smiled, both thinking the same thing. Sakura was gonna kick some ass.
Sakura had awoken around the time that everyone had returned to the village, and she awoke to a very disturbing sound. She heard the distinct sound of crunching leaves not far off to her right. She quickly reached for her pack and pulled out two kunai, ready to defend herself. She was going to shoot to kill if anyone from Konoha had stumbled upon her, as she thought she had made her point quite clear. Itachi was definitely going to regret it if he followed her.
"God, shut up, yeah. You talk incessantly and I'm going to blow you up soon if you don't shut the fuck up. I don't care if leader says I have to partner with you, I promise I'll make it look like an accident," an unknown voice stated seriously. Sakura knew she should hide, but the purpose of this mission was to get caught, so she knew she'd have to wait it out. She wasn't even sure if these were the people looking for her, but she'd find out soon.
"No no Deidara-senpai! Tobi is a good boy he promises he'll be good. Tobi just loves to talk, Tobi can't help it! And you always listen so nicely senpai," the other voice responded, much more childlike in its nature. Before the first voice had a chance to respond, they had stumbled upon Sakura.
"Well well look at what we've got here," the first voice spoke. Sakura observed the two men that had finally reached her. They both wore black cloaks with red clouds covering them. The first one who spoke had long blonde hair which was pulled up into a ponytail. One long bang covered his left eye, giving him an air of mysteriousness. The second one who spoke wore a bright orange spiral mask with only one hole for his eye. He had dark black spiky hair that lay haphazardly upon his head. As they approached her, the one with the orange mask was bouncing slightly from side to side as the blonde haired man stood still, seemingly quite annoyed with his partners behaviors.
"For fucks sake Tobi, sit still dammit," Deidara spoke harshly, not in the mood to put up with his shit; though, he was never really in the mood to put up with Tobi's shit.
"Look it's the pink haired thing! We finally found her yay! Leader-san will be so happy!" Tobi spoke, seemingly quite overjoyed at the prospect of finding her.
"Whoa now asshole, I'm not a thing. . . I'm a person," Sakura spoke up for the first time, not appreciating being called a 'thing'.
"Hmm, you seem to be a feisty little thing sweetheart," Deidara spoke, though before he could say anything else, a fist was flying at his face.
"For the love of god don't you dare call me sweetheart. These nickname things are not going to work out well if we're going to be traveling together, so I suggest you keep your nicknames to yourself," she said angrily. Having Itachi call her princess was enough to drive her nuts, and she was not about to let some stranger call her sweetheart.
"Chill out there babe, I mean uh. . . Sakura," Deidara replied, seeing the look of confusion on her face when he had called her by name. "Leader has told us a lot about you, we are meant to bring you to him."
"That's why I'm here genius. I left my village to come be a part of whatever the hell you have going on with your 'Leader' person," Sakura replied, sounding confident. She was proud at how easily the lies came to her.
"Well, I guess that makes our job a hell of a lot easier then. Come with us pinky," he spoke, Sakura sending an intense glare his way. "Yeah, yeah Sakura. I meant Sakura. Such a temper you have," he quipped. Sakura rolled her eyes, another idiot she was going to have to deal with. Yay for her.
"Hello Sakura! Tobi is very glad to meet you, and Tobi promises to call you Sakura and not pinky since you hate it so much. Tobi doesn't like getting hit," Tobi spoke, and lowered his head as if he were sad. She couldn't see his expression, though she could hear it in his voice, and she wasn't quite sure how to handle this one.
"Um, it's nice to meet you too?" she asked, with a slight questioning tone. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting when she met the men who were attempting to kidnap her, but this was definitely not it.
"Well Sakura," Deidara spoke, putting an emphasis on her name. "Before we head out I'm gonna need you to hand over your weapons. . . Can't have you attacking us in our sleep now can we?" Deidara asked, reaching his hand out to receive the two kunai that had been in her hands. "And the weapons in your pack," he added. Sakura grumbled slightly as not having her weapons made her uncomfortable, but she really expected nothing less from a group of missing nin. She unwillingly leafed through her pack pulling out weapons as she went. She also unstrapped a few hidden kunai from her body. After she had finally finished gathering all her weapons she dumped them into Deidara's waiting hand. He seemed satisfied as he stored all her weapons in his own pack. He gave her one more look before giving her a quick smile.
"Nice try sweetheart, but I'm going to need that kunai you've strapped on the inside of your right shoe," he said with a smirk. 'Dammit, he saw right through it,' she thought, pulling her last hidden kunai and throwing it blade first at his face. He caught it with ease and laughed slightly. "You can't get anything past me so don't even try, yeah."
"Alright, so where are we headed then oh fearless leader," Sakura asked, curious as to where their hideout would be. She figured it was far away considering there was no other way a group of missing nin could remain missing.
"That, sweetheart, is for us to know and you to find out," he spoke, obviously ignoring her blatant request to quit with the pet names. She figured she would get him for it another time, as right now her top priority was getting to the hideout, and somehow making their leader accept her. She knew that this going to be one hell of a mission, and she couldn't wait.
AN: And there you have it. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and I will try my best to get chapter five out asap. And as always, your reviews are appreciated and loved! Until next time. . . Ja ne!