Oh man was writing this story a blast! I hope you guys enjoy the final chapter! Stay tuned for the sequel!
The waiting room in the hospital was silent and awkward. Sauske sat in one of the chairs with both hands intertwined at the fingers, rested under his chin. Kakashi was leaned against the wall lazily with reading a book, while Ino was harassing the desk worker for updates on Sakura's condition. Neji and Shikimaru sat silently in chairs occasionally glancing over at Sasori and Deidera who were sitting in chairs directly across the room from them. Itachi sat stiffly in a single chair in the corner of the waiting room with his eyes closed, as if he were meditating. Naruto was constantly pacing back and forth across the waiting room.
"Naruto, sit down your pacing is annoying." Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"I can't just sit there calm like the rest of you while Sakura is in there fighting for her life!" he growled back.
"Lower your voice dobe we are in a hospital." Sasuke snorted.
"Stop it you two, you're acting like children. Now is not the time to argue." Kakashi said without looking up from his book.
"Sensai everyone is just sitting here like Sakura isn't in a life or death situation! How am I-" Kakashi interrupted him.
"Naruto, I understand you are afraid right now. However, worrying yourself sick isn't going to change the outcome of what happens here today. Sakura is strong, she will pull through." He reassured him.
Looking over to Itachi, Naruto's fear turned into anger.
"This is all your fault, you are the reason Sakura had to sacrifice everything! All because you wanted her to heal your stupid eyes! Was her life worth it?! And your kid, is your kids life worth being able to use that stupid sharigan of yours?!" Naruto had a malice in his voice no one had ever heard before.
"Naruto…" Kakashi warned.
Everyone's attention suddenly was on Itachi waiting for his response.
Itachi slowly opened his eyes, fixing his crimson gaze upon Naruto.
"That is none of your concern." Was all he said.
"You heartless asshole!" Naruto's chakra began to visibly glow red as Naruto took a step towards Itachi.
Kakashi sighed ready to intervene but Sasuke beat him to it, immediately stepping in between his elder brother and Naruto.
"Shut up and stop talking for once." Sasuke stood with his arms crossed.
"You're defending that psycho?!" he screamed.
"What I'm doing his trying to stop you from making a mistake that Sakura would never forgive you for dobe. If you pick a fight with Itachi and destroy half the hospital Sakura is going to be majorly pissed. Especially if she ends up giving birth to her daughter today. Do you want to start a full on fight with an Akatskui member with Sakura's child a few doors down?" Sasuke raised a brow, wondering if he actually got through to his idiot of a friend.
Naruto stood, chakra still flaring as tears began to well in his eyes.
"You….all of you…you're talking as if she's going to make it. Tsunade said the baby would survive but never mentioned anything about Sakura. If Tsunade can't save her then no one can!" his voice began to waiver. It's all because of your crazy brother!" Naruto lunged for Itachi once more.
"Naruto!" Sasuke grabbed him by each arm gripping down tightly. After restraining him that way for a few moments he yanked Naruto by both his arms and embraced him into a hug.
Whispering so that only Naruto could hear what he was saying, Sasuke spoke softly into his ear.
"There are many things Itachi has done that I have yet to forgive him for. There are things I have done that many people, including you have yet to forgive me for, yet you never gave up on bringing me back here. I was so fixed on revenge for my clan, enraged at Itachi for taking away my family and those I loved; so much so that I was blind to the family I had standing before me. I foolishly was willing to throw my life away to Orochimaru so that I could kill my brother. If I would have done that I would have never known what Itachi told me back at Orochimaru's hideout. There are many secrets and unanswered questions. What I am getting at is try and look underneath the underneath as sensai once told us. On the surface Itachi may seem cold and uncaring but I knew the Itachi before the massacre, he was not always this way. Take a second look at him sitting there behind me, he's fearing for Sakura and the child's life just as we are, you may not see it but I do. For Sakura's sake, get a hold of yourself." Releasing him from his embrace Sasuke turned and looked to glance at Itachi before taking a seat.
Naruto stood still, eyes wide, still processing everything Sasuke had just said to him. The red glow of his chakra slowly diminished and Naruto took a good look at Itachi.
He had closed his eyes once more and sat as if he were concentrating. Focusing harder to take a closer look Naruto picked up on Itachi's chakra signature. It was strong as expected but it was all over the place as if he was in extreme distress.
That's what Sasuke meant by look underneath the underneath. He's totally losing it on the inside right now. He does care for her then.
Naruto silently turned away and took a seat next to Sasuke.
The room went back to being silent and awkward.
Suddenly the sound of a baby crying broke through the silence.
Everyone's heads snapped up and all the attention once again turned to Itachi.
His eyes were open and for a split second Naruto could have sworn he saw a flicker of fear in them.
Shizune came bursting into the waiting room with two ANBU members at her side.
"Itachi, please come with me." She said breathlessly.
Itachi
"Itachi please come with me." The medical ninja addressed me.
I was still sitting there frozen at the sound of the cries coming from down the hall. If I were a lesser man I would have started crying myself but that would never happen. I wasn't ready for this, I still had not processed that Sakura was pregnant and had kept it from me all these months. Now the fact that I was a father was waiting just through those doors and down the hall.
Get yourself together, you are Itachi uchiha you fear nothing.
I stood and was escorted by the ANBU through the doors and down the hall. The medical ninja stopped outside of the door where the crying was coming from.
"It was Sakura's final request while she was still conscious that only you would be allowed to hold her first." She said to me.
"Final request?" I asked. I panicked at the thought of Sakura dying and leaving me to raise our daughter alone. I didn't know the first thing about being a father.
The medical ninja opened the door.
"I'm sorry that sounded really bad, I should have worded that better. Tsunade put her in an induced coma so she would heal faster and rest. If we wouldn't have Sakura would have tried to rush her recovery to take care of the baby. She made it through surgery fine, she is stable for now." The medical ninja pointed to a sleeping Sakura.
I glared at her intensely for such a poor choice of words and walked over to Sakura's bedside.
She lay there, long pink hair draped over her face and body. Her skin was pale and I noticed Tsunade and her medical staff had washed the blood from her face. She looked peaceful and beautiful and even in her unconscious state she had a smile upon her lips. Her strength and determination to protect those around her amazed me. I cared for her and I couldn't deny that, nor did I bother to anymore. Could I express my feelings to the degree she did that night?
"Itachi, I love you…"
I did not know.
I knew that she had given me in life, much more than I originally bargained for and she caused feelings I thought I had gotten rid of long ago to surface. Most importantly Sakura had given me the chance to have a family again. She does not know what happened that night and the truth behind the massacre yet, she was able to love me despite that. It is because of her that I can tell Sasuke the truth. I will forever be grateful to her for that. Sakura had made me question so many things about myself and left me unsure about just about everything I thought I was certain about. The one thing she made loud and clear for me, was that I cared for her intensely and that wasn't going to change.
Leaning over her, I whispered into her ear "you truly are trouble, but this time you are worth it."
"Itachi?" the medical ninja called my name.
I turned around to see her holding a small child.
"Would you like to meet your daughter?" she smiled down at the child as she approached me.
I stood there not realizing I was staring at the medical ninja instead of holding my arms out to take the child.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked.
"What if I do something wrong?"
She let out a loud laugh, startling the child causing her to cry.
I frowned at her.
"I'm sorry I just wasn't expecting you to say that. It's cute that you're nervous." She giggled.
"Cute?" I snorted.
Composing herself she smiled, "it's okay, you're going to do fine. Sakura-chan wouldn't have requested you to hold her first if she didn't trust that you could. Now here, meet your daughter." She motioned for me to take her.
Reaching out my arms she set the crying child gently into them.
Instinctively I coddled her in the nook of my arm and pressed her against my chest.
Looking to the medical ninja I asked "Could you remove my cloak?"
Smiling she did so and walked towards the door.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"I must go get the next blood bag for Sakura's transfusion, her blood levels are stable but still too low. You will do just fine without me." She reassured me, laughing at me as she walked out the door.
Frowning at the fact that I sounded so weak and unsure, I hadn't noticed right away the child had stopped crying.
I gazed down at her and a feeling that I thought was lost many years ago surfaced. I had not felt this way since the first time I held Sasuke 18 years ago as an infant.
The sensation of love overwhelmed me.
Looking down upon her I observed the fact that she looked just like me. Ivory skin, same nose, same ears. Her hair was black just like mine except for once small section. On the left side, she had a small strip of pink hair from root to tip, as if someone had given her a single highlight. It was oddly enough beautiful and it made her unique like her mother.
She slowly opened her eyes, revealing onyx. Only a few moments old, she smiled at me. I could not help but give her a small grin back. I could tell she had a personality identical to Sakura, no Uchiha I had ever seen had smiled at anyone they just met. That was a trait unique to Sakura.
I was so into my daughter I hadn't even noticed the medical ninja walked back into the room.
"What will you name her?" she asked.
My attention immediately went back to the pink strip in her hair. It wasn't as bright as her mothers, a shade or so darker and it remained me of the Tsubaki flowers that bloomed in the leaf during the spring and summer seasons. Returning from a mission one day in the dead of winter I came across a single Tsubaki plant that was growing through the snowy soil, at the time I thought it was odd considering the season. I went home and told my mother of what I saw, knowing she would have an explanation due to her love of gardening. She told me the Tsubaki flower had the ability to grow and survive in even the harshest conditions, and was able to withstand temperatures down to 5 degrees. Just as the Tsubaki flower this small child had been able to withstand the harshest conditions of life before even being born into this world. In honor of her mother who fought so hard to bring her into this world and keep her safe I would name her after the Tsubaki flower for her strength just as her mother was named after the Sakura flower.
"Subaki, her name will be Subaki" I walked over the Sakura's bedside with my child in my arms.
Sitting down on the edge of her bed, I gazed upon her and Subaki.
Never in my entire existence would I have imagined that this would be the result when crimson met jade.
Madara
"What shall we do now? Plans went exactly as you expected them to." Zetzu asked.
Madara smiled extremely pleased with himself.
"It was a long shot but the years of planning and waiting have finally paid off. Just as I expected Itachi fell in love with the Haruno girl and impregnated her."
"I still can't believe you pulled it off. You truly are a genius Madara." Zetzu praised.
"We must let the Uchiha prodigy grow. Itachi will without a doubt train her well, very early. Once the child is a few years old my plan will proceed. Until then we will tie together the other lose ends and seek out the other tailed beasts."
Madara smiled deviously.
"The power of the Sage of the Six paths is practically falling right into my lap."
THE END.
What did you guys think?! I hope you enjoyed it! Please stay tuned for the next Installment called "The Will of Fire". Favorite me as an author and you will get the automatic update of when I post the chapter for the new story. Thank you so much for the likes, reviews and follows it means so much. I can't wait to kick of the sequel which I will be doing some time in the next week. Thanks again for reading you guys are awesome! : )