Chapter 10 – What Happened To You?

They were trying something new today. Well, maybe not entirely new, but new enough.

It was late at night, possibly extremely early morning. Everybody was either in their bedrooms or hunting. It had been a week since Sasuke woke up and since then, they had been bringing him as much blood as they could, trying to make him comfortable. Together, Itachi and Sakura had gone out hunting earlier on in the evening before taking a look through the town nearby. They had both needed a few things. New clothes, that sort of thing. She was so proud of herself for resisting the urge to hunt whilst surrounded by so many humans.

The walk had been pleasant, although Itachi couldn't say that he enjoyed shopping. Sakura enjoyed browsing, even if she wasn't going to purchase the item. He tried to tell her to pick whatever she wanted but she wouldn't have any of it and kept putting back the most expensive items after looking at them longingly. Were all females like that? He couldn't recall his mother ever doing such a thing – then again, she always had the money to buy whatever she wanted. So did that mean Sakura was uncomfortable with spending his money? He hoped not. He couldn't care less about it. Money was money.

In all honesty, he and his clan had more money than they needed after having centuries of storing it up. They didn't need to buy food or anything of the sort. Sure, his mother had a tendency to go overboard with shampoo and conditioner and other toiletries such as those, but it wasn't so bad he supposed.

And now, here they were. Sitting on the sofa in their bedroom and making out like they were teenagers.

Itachi had to keep reminding himself that Sakura was a teenager.

Tilting her face, he deepened the kiss, though took it slowly for her when he felt her tense as his hand fell to her waist. She didn't make a move to stop him or tell him to stop. Inside, she was torn between continuing or putting an end to their session. He stroked her side soothingly, his thumb tracing patterns on the small exposed piece of skin there.

It was when his hand moved, sliding over her skin and closer to her back, that he noticed something. She was scared, but it seemed his presence soothed her and made her more comfortable. Maybe the thought of somebody touching her back unnerved her? It wouldn't be surprising as his mother's description on how badly injured Sakura had been entered his mind. Her spine had been more or less snapped in half – stopping all movement below the waist.

He quickly shut those thoughts down, not wanting to think of what had happened to Sakura at a time like this.

To make her feel more in control, Itachi gently pulled her onto his lap before moving his arms to the back of the sofa, gripping it tightly as he felt her pressing down against him. Her presence was everywhere and she was like a drug that he couldn't get enough of. However, it was nothing he couldn't handle.

It didn't take Sakura long to realise what Itachi meant and a small smile graced her lips before she was kissing him again, her hands running through his hair.

Control. He was giving her more control. The sensual sigh that left her lips couldn't be stopped, nor could her deepening the kiss. It was obvious Itachi wished he could return her touches, for his grip on the back of the sofa tightened. For now, however, he was content with kissing her. It was taking a lot for Sakura to even go this far and they both knew it.

When they parted for air, she bit her lip at the hazy look in his eyes, knowing that hers would be no different.

She wanted to go further. She really did. But there was a nervous feeling in her stomach, one that felt like it was weighing her down and about to make her throw up. Could vampires throw up? Probably not, but it felt like she was about to. Taking a deep, calming breath, Sakura smiled down at him, stroking his cheek softly. How did she manage to find a guy like Itachi? A man who was so patient and kind, yet so protective and dangerous. He made her feel safe. No, he made her feel downright untouchable.

It was with that thought that she leaned forward once more and captured his lips. The kiss was no longer chaste. This time it was hungrier, taking Itachi completely by surprise, though it didn't take him long to return the kiss, his eyes sliding shut and body tensing when she moaned into his mouth, making hot lava pool in his stomach. Fingers combed through his hair, a tongue tried to win a battle of dominance against his, lips were demanding and moving hungrily with his, coaxing the same reaction out of him.

There was no chance in stopping his body's natural reaction and Itachi inwardly grimaced when Sakura pushed down against him, only to break away from the kiss with a gasp to stare at him in shock.

He knew what she would be seeing. Barely restrained hunger. A deep craving for her.

And it surprised him greatly when her hands went straight back into his hair and she carried on kissing him, her pace fevered and demanding. What surprised him further was when she rolled her hips against his. A low groan was swallowed by her kisses, just like her moan was swallowed by his.

Sakura's hand shook ever so slightly as it slipped away from his hair, falling to his shoulder to give her something to hold onto as she continued to roll her hips and seeing what she was doing, Itachi slowly began meeting her thrusts with his. She tensed and stopped all movement, breathing quick and shallow and making her feel dizzy.

Tears filled her eyes.

What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she make herself go any further? Itachi would never hurt her! So why?

Of course, Sakura knew the reason why. She had been raped. It was not all that surprising that she was uncomfortable with doing sexual activities, but…

But this was Itachi!

Feeling her shake once with a silent sob and feeling her frustration with herself through their bond, Itachi immediately put a stop to his movements.

"Sakura…"

"Don't stop." She shook her head, trying to calm down but it was no use and she was growing more angry with herself by the minute. "I–Itachi, I don't want to be like this!"

His eyes saddened, all traces of hunger and arousal leaving him at the sight of her pain. "I know. We don't have to continue today, Sakura. Not until you are ready."

She nodded shakily, grateful when she felt his arms wrapping around her and holding her gently, comfortingly.

"Why is he so childish?" Sakura grumbled, glancing over in the direction the blond had just gone in.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "If you think he's bad now, you should have seen him when he was human. I nearly ripped his throat out several times just to make him shut up." She looked at him in shock, making him scowl. "What? Did Itachi fail to mention that he introduced us when Naruto was still human?"

Shaking her head, Sakura smiled. "No. I just can't believe he could be more annoying than he is already!" Sasuke smirked. "But seriously, is that just who he is or…?"

He sighed, leaning back against the headboard of his bed. "Itachi believes that it is because he was changed so young – practically a child. Naruto wasn't even sixteen years old when he was changed." Just as it looked like she was about to say something, Sasuke cut her off. "I know I was changed when I was sixteen, so there shouldn't be much of a difference, but I was much more mature than Naruto can ever be. Whilst I was watching over Itachi, making sure that his illness didn't take a turn for the worst, Naruto was throwing tantrums and pulling pranks."

In other words, Sasuke had grown up too quickly. Sakura had noticed that in Itachi's memories – Sasuke was way more sensible and mature than any other teenager his age.

"But wouldn't that have faded away by now?" Sakura asked with her confusion obvious. "I mean, it's been at least a hundred years since then, right? If Obito–san's dates are correct, of course."

"Yeah." He nodded. "We all thought that it would have – which leads to Itachi's conclusion. Naruto was too young when he was transformed and is stuck in his fifteen year old mind and body. It seems the younger the child is when changed, the more childlike they will be. Say it was a toddler who was turned. It is already difficult to teach them new things as most of the time, they refuse to listen. If they were changed at that age, they would forever be stuck in the body and mind of a toddler. It doesn't matter how much time would pass. They would forever be a toddler who can't learn anything."

Sakura was stunned to say the least and a part of her was a little disgusted at the thought of vampires changing toddlers into vampires, too. "It does sound possible," she murmured, thinking of how childish and excitable Naruto was. "He kind of reminds me of some of the boys from school."

"That means nothing to him – Naruto never went to school. Sure, he was taught many things by Kakashi and even Itachi, but he never knew what it was like to go to school. The elders of Konoha kept him locked away in an enclosure like he was an animal. Apparently, it was to keep him safe, but…"

"But if that was the case, he would have never been turned," Sakura finished for him when he trailed off. Sasuke gritted his teeth and nodded. "Why would they lock him away? Was he being prepared to become the next Hokage or something?"

"We don't know. It doesn't seem like they were, because Naruto knew nothing about becoming Hokage. He didn't even know what a Hokage was before Itachi explained it to him. Since then, Naruto had a ridiculous dream of becoming the Hokage, one that was hard for him to let go of when he was turned." At her confused look, he sighed. "Naruto can't become Hokage if he's a vampire. It would capture too much attention and he would be targeted by many hunters. And how would the people of Konoha react when they notice their Hokage doesn't age? When they notice that he's more or less immortal?" He leaned back against his headboard once more and forced himself to relax. "There are too many risks in him becoming Hokage and as hard as it was for him to let go of the dream, he did so." Sasuke sensed her sadness for Naruto and rolled his eyes. "He isn't the first to do so."

Her eyes widened dramatically. "You wanted to–"

This actually got him to smirk, making him appear much younger and more approachable. He genuinely found her reaction amusing. "Not at all. I meant Gaara. He wanted to become Kazekage before he was turned. He was being prepared to become Kazekage."

Kazekage was the leader of Suna. Sakura's eyes widened. She knew the Sabaku clan was from the desert! It was so obvious, yet she felt like she would be overstepping the boundaries by asking such a thing. Itachi was secretive about his age and he hadn't let on that he was originally from Konoha until two months after she was changed – and they had been somewhat together at that time!

But Gaara as Kazekage?

"He would have been a great Kazekage," she murmured after a moment, picturing it. Over the past few months, he had given many signs that he would have been a great leader, but Sakura had thought that was because he was leader of his clan. Had he actually been preparing to become Kazekage when he was changed? Gaara once told her that the people of his village hated him. To become Kazekage would have made them see that he wasn't a monster. Yes, he was a little rough around the edges, but Gaara was not a monster. "I wonder what happened to the Sabaku clan?"

So far, she knew why the Uchiha clan was changed and she knew why Naruto, Obito, Rin and Kakashi were changed. However, the Sabaku clan was still a mystery to her. Temari had once told her that they were actually related, that they were blood–relatives before being turned. Brothers and sister. She also knew, from Kankuro, that it had been Gaara who changed his brother and sister. But why? And who changed Gaara?

"Ask them," he grunted. "Though, not a lot of people appreciate being asked such questions."

"Why?"

"Would you appreciate it?" Sasuke asked her sharply and she noticed that he was in pain. Obviously his arm was burning again. "Think of the reason why you were changed, why you had to be turned into a vampire. Maybe something equally as horrific as that happened to them. Maybe Gaara is a victim of abuse and was changed right at the last moment. Maybe a few months down the line, he changed Temari and Kankuro."

Sakura stood up and made a few hand seals before her hands were hovering over his arm, glowing green as they did. It was now up to his elbow, which meant he was healing well. In two, maybe three months, he would be healed completely. "I suppose you're right," she agreed with a sigh. "It would be wrong to ask."

But damn she was curious.

"It would." He nodded once in thanks when she was done healing him.

"You're curious."

Sakura paused in her reading, frowning up at the figure stood in the doorway. "Excuse me?"

It was the early hours of the morning and Itachi was currently with Sasuke whilst the 'couples', as she dubbed them, were all in their bedrooms. The only ones outside of their bedrooms were herself, Naruto, Kakashi, Shisui and the Sabaku clan.

"About why we were turned."

Her eyes widened on Gaara. "Sasuke told you? I–I'm sorry, if I'm overstepping boundaries or something, feel free to–"

Temari smirked. "Relax. It's not some gruesome horror story for me and Kankuro. We simply wanted to be with our brother."

That had her shoulders feeling a little lighter, Sakura had to admit, but the saddened look in Naruto's eyes, the way he was staying quiet and not looking at anyone, told her that it was not the same story for Gaara. How close were Naruto and Gaara? Sakura hadn't really noticed it before, in all honesty. Were they friends? Best friends? Like brothers? Sakura's eyes moved back up to Gaara's, trying to tell him without words how sorry she was for bringing it up. However, it seemed like he didn't care.

"Sasuke never said anything," he muttered, folding his arms over his chest. "I overheard, since the door was left open and I was returning from a hunt."

Damned Naruto keeping the door open! She'd strangle him when she next got the chance. "I'm–"

"Stop apologising." Gaara sighed. "I don't mind telling people about my past – it's not exactly a secret to those who are here."

"Wait, so everybody except me knows?"

"Obito and Rin don't," Kakashi commented lightly.

But everyone else did. Including Sasuke. Why hadn't he just told her? Then again, Sasuke's words from earlier that day replayed in her mind, reminding her that not everybody appreciated their stories being shared. However, wasn't that what Gaara was doing right now? Sharing his story with her? Oh Sakura was so confused and she didn't like it one bit!

Waiting until her eyes were on him once more, Gaara continued. "There is a reason why my appearance is so startling."

"It's not." She shook her head quickly, closing her book and facing him more fully as Sakura sat up on her knees and used her elbows to lean over the arm of the sofa. "You're intimidating when you stand in the dark like that, but your appearance isn't startling." Yes, Sakura had mentally commented on the fact that Gaara looked like he could do with a good night of sleep, but other than that, he was rather attractive in his own way. Smirking, she added, "In my school, quite a lot of the girls went for the rugged bad boys with messy hair."

It surprised her when Gaara chuckled at her statement, stepping out of the shadows and taking a few steps forward, sitting opposite her and beside Naruto, who was grinning brightly at her. She moved as he did, sitting down fully once more. In the blond's eyes, it took a lot to make Gaara feel comfortable enough to laugh at something like that. Even Temari and Kankuro knew that, as they smirked down at their weapons as they polished them. Kakashi was continuing to read his book, although vaguely listening in, whilst Shisui merely watched them all interact.

The look on his face was amused and Sakura was pleasantly surprised to find that Gaara could actually show emotion, that he wasn't as stone cold as she had believed. "A bad boy." He smirked. That was a new one. Then, he shook his head, amusement slipping away. "I have made many mistakes in my past, and was once on a dark path of hatred. The people of my village despised me because of my ability to control sand."

Sakura sat forward slightly, listening intently. "The dark path you were talking about that night…?"

He nodded once. "The same one I tried to keep you from falling on. It took me a while to get off that path and it didn't just happen overnight. It took over fifty years, sixty–nine if you're counting from my birth, before I finally came across someone who made me believe different."

At Naruto's expression, Sakura shook her head. "Please don't tell me…"

The grin brightened. "Yeah, it was me!"

Kakashi chuckled, turning a page. "You'd be surprised with what Naruto can do, Sakura. He can 'convert' pretty much anyone he sets his sights on. Take a look at Sasuke as well as Gaara–kun. Many others who have met Naruto have all agreed that he has a gift that draws people to him."

"So… Why were you changed?"

Ever so slightly, Gaara's expression darkened and Kankuro lowered his puppet, watching his younger brother as the redhead spoke. "The people of my past… I have explained to you already the reason why they hated me." Sakura nodded slowly, frowning. "They believed it was witchcraft, that I was a demon. Many names were thrown at me. Demon, monster, murderer… I'd heard them all by the time I was just eight years old."

Sakura's heart broke for him. It really did.

"It wasn't until I turned eight that they began to come after me. The villagers began to talk, began to put pressure on the Kazekage, my father. They pushed him and they pushed him, backing him into a corner with their accusations and their hate for me." Gaara's voice and features were utterly blank once more, the fire illuminating them and somehow making him appear warmer, despite the current topic and emotionless mask. No, not warmer. Gaara seemed more open at that moment in time. "The first assassin who came for me was sent on the anniversary of the day I was born, the day our mother died." Sakura bit her lip. "The second came months after the first and had a much better strategy, but again, he was no match for my sand.

"By the time the seventh assassin was sent after me, I was growing sick and tired of fighting against the sand to try and save them, I was tired of the pain I was causing, but also experiencing. I was sick of having to look over my shoulder, fearing when the next attack would come. I just wanted to feel accepted." It surprised the other two Sabaku siblings when tears filled Sakura's eyes at his words. Nobody had ever been so moved by them before. "Every day that went by, however, the hope of being accepted dwindled until there was nothing but hatred left inside me. Hatred, back then, was better than other emotions. It forced me to focus on nothing but surviving."

Gaara took a deep breath, momentarily stunned by the look in Sakura's eyes. She looked so heartbroken for him, even though she barely even knew him! It was not pity she was looking at him with, nor was it sympathy. Her heart was breaking for him and he couldn't understand why. "The reason I was changed, is because of poison. I made a mistake and paid the price for it. Usually, I trusted nobody but Temari to provide me with food and even then, I made sure to test it for poison. However, I was exhausted and wasn't thinking clearly. Nights without sleep, going on mission after mission to try and keep me out of the village, did that."

Another sigh. "I heard Sasuke telling you that I was being prepared to become Kazekage, which is partly true, although that wasn't until after I was changed. That night… It was a few nights after I made the official decision to become Kazekage, to take over for our father, who had passed away not long before." A pause and during that pause, the fire crackled and popped, embers spitting out from it. And even though out of the corner of her eye, Sakura could see how pretty the sight was, she couldn't tear her eyes away from Gaara's. It felt wrong to do so when he was being so open with her. "The villagers refused to have me as their Kazekage, they continued to reject me, and a final show of that rejection was to poison my food and attack when I was worn out. The elders were in on it, forcing me to go on mission after mission without sleep so that when I returned, even with my amount of chakra, I was completely exhausted. I was weak and my sand was powerless to poison. They took advantage of that.

"I didn't notice the poison until later that night, until everything was blurred and I couldn't focus on anything but the sluggish, painful beating of my own heart. Thinking it was probably an illness I had contracted from my missions, I ignored it and believed it would be flushed out of my system sooner or later – I couldn't even trust the medics so I refused to go to them." Gaara looked down at his hands, frowning ever so slightly. "But then as the days went on, the pain increased and it was becoming harder and harder to wake up in the mornings – if I even managed to get any sleep. I was hallucinating, growing extremely pale and began to look more and more like I do now – like a corpse."

Temari and Kankuro both looked at one another, the same pained look in their eyes as they remembered how helpless they had been, how Gaara had refused their help for fear they may finish him off. "When it finally registered in my mind that I had been poisoned, it was already too late, but Kankuro and Temari… They refused to give up on me, even though I was hardly pleasant to be around."

The older brother gave a small smirk. "Understatement. At one point, I think you threatened to rip my hands off and shove them down my throat if I tried to touch you."

By his side, Temari shook her head and sighed. "If you'd listened to Gaara the first time, he wouldn't have threatened you."

Gaara ignored them. "They contacted a man, one they knew would help us. I was hardly even coherent by that time and was constantly drifting in and out of consciousness. So when a strange man entered my quarters and bit me, you can probably guess what happened."

"Your sand automatically protected you."

He nodded once. "Due to him being what he was, however, he didn't die. He was merely dismembered. It was because of that, though, that my transformation wasn't complete."

Sakura frowned in confusion. "You're not one hundred percent vampire?"

"I am."

Seeing her confusion growing, Shisui spoke up. "Remember when you woke up, Sakura–chan, and you noticed that all injuries and scars you once had, were gone?" Slowly, she nodded. "That is the final stage of the transformation: perfection. Every vampire you have come across, has been attractive, hasn't it?" Sakura bit her lip and looked away, making him smirk. "Don't worry. Itachi won't mind if you answer the question."

"Well, yeah… I guess."

"Even me?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Except for you."

"I–" he cut himself off, repeating her words, before falling back into the sofa and pouting. "You're so mean to me, Sakura–chan."

Ignoring him, Sakura looked back to Gaara. "That's what you meant about your appearance being 'startling'," she commented, to which he nodded. Sakura scratched the back of her neck and laughed sheepishly, deciding to try and lighten the mood. "I guess that's why it took so long for me to wake up, then!"

"The extent of your injuries was why it took so long," Shisui told her. "I–"

"I believe she was joking." Kakashi sighed, though his single eye creased slightly with amusement. It slipped away a moment later as he lowered his book, raising an eyebrow at Sakura. "The extent of your injuries?"

Silence met him, the rest of them remembering what Sasuke had almost yelled at Naruto and would have, had Mikoto not interrupted him. Just as Naruto was about to tell him to leave it, however, Sakura gave a small smile. "Well, I guess since we're sharing stories…" All eyes snapped to hers, making her rather self–conscious as she scratched her arm restlessly. "Um…"

Placing down her fan, Temari's blonde eyebrows knitted together. "You don't have to–"

She waved her hand dismissively and shook her head. "I'll spare you all the gory details, though, if you don't mind." They either shrugged or stared at her. "Well… I was supposed to be working a night shift at the hospital," Sakura told them, frowning to herself as she recalled the memories. "And I can remember it being quite late into the night, as they didn't need me until… Eleven, I think? Anyway. I just got off the last bus that came from around my area when I noticed that the man who'd been staring at me on the bus, had gotten off, too. Naturally, I was wary and unsure, so I started walking faster."

Her hands fidgeted restlessly with her shorts, an indication of her unease. "He did, too. Around that area, there aren't many street lights as it's not the nicest place to be around and people tend to avoid it. My dad usually calls me a cab and takes me to work when I have night shifts due to the trouble in that particular neighbourhood, but things had been calming down lately and I didn't want to be babied anymore. I never got a good look at the guy's face – not at first, anyway. The lighting was bad and he was always just over twenty feet behind me. Never any closer.

"That walk from the bus stop to the hospital takes around ten minutes, but it felt like it was lasting a lifetime and no matter how fast I walked, I never got any closer. At one point I pulled my phone out and pretended to call someone and I noticed that, when I did, he disappeared. I nearly cried because I felt so relieved!"

Opposite her, Naruto watched her sadly as Sakura paused and bit her lip, her hands trembling as the continued to fidget. All others were utterly silent, barely even breathing as they listened to her, hearing the raw fear and pain in her voice. "But then… Then I turned the final corner and…"

Moving from her place on the floor, Temari sat beside Sakura, putting a stop to her fidgeting by grabbing her hand comfortingly, lest she wished to tear her shorts. "And?"

"And he didn't disappear. He was herding me like I was an animal ready to be slaughtered," she whispered, eyebrows mashing together as she stared down at her legs. "Just before that corner, before he disappeared, there's three different ways to the hospital and one of them is much shorter than the rest. All you have to do is cut through and walk down an alley." Temari's hand gave hers a gentle squeeze. "I wasn't even thinking when I took it. I just wanted to get to safety."

Taking a deep breath, Sakura closed her eyes, remembering every feeling, every single one of them. "And then I'm suddenly seeing that guy again. He turned that final corner and started walking towards me, and trying not to seem scared, I made my way to walk by him. In my head, I kept repeating everything I knew about fighting, about self–defence…" Sakura shook her head, opening her eyes and staring down at the rug beneath her feet. "It's so much different actually facing a situation such as that, though. My mind simply stopped working.

"Like I said, I tried to walk past him." She swallowed hard. "I kept my head down and eyes away from him, but just as I was side by side with him, I was being grabbed and dragged further down into the alleyway, where two others were waiting." Sakura appreciated the silent comfort Temari radiated, like an older sister would. "…Itachi found me not long after they'd left. He saved me. He… He could have left me there, could have ignored me, but… He saved me." Sakura finally looked up at them and gave a small smile, shrugging softly. "I'll never be able to repay him for that, or for everything else he's done for me."

Shisui returned her small smile. "Itachi doesn't expect you to. I've known him all of his life and…" He shook his head, chuckling quietly. "And I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you, Sakura. He's never let anyone in the way he has you."

"Even though I don't know him as well as Shisui–san does, I have also noticed a difference in Itachi–san," Kakashi agreed.

It made her heart warm and her stomach flip and, seeing that look, Temari smirked and shook her head. "I always knew you were a hopeless romantic."

"Really? How?"

"It's in your eyes," Kankuro commented.

"And your body language," Gaara added quietly.

"Oh and the fact that you get all mushy and love–"

Sakura threw a cushion at Naruto, hitting him square in the face and silencing him.

"I heard you told the others about that night."

Ducking under a low down branch, Sakura glanced up at Itachi as he walked by her side, also doing the same thing. "I did," she replied quietly. "What Gaara told me…"

"Even though he told you the story to his past, it does not mean you owe him anything."

"No, it wasn't that I felt like I owed him something," Sakura told him with a small smile. "I felt… comfortable. Talking to him, I mean. Gaara understands the feeling of fear, he knows the fear of being rejected and hated and looked at with disgust." She shook her head. "I didn't go into detail – I couldn't. Whilst I do feel comfortable with him, I don't feel as comfortable as I do with you. I–"

Itachi suddenly stopped, his arm blocking Sakura from going forward and making her frown in confusion. However, just as she opened her mouth and was about to ask what he was doing, she saw his Sharingan activating, saw something in him snap when his entire body stiffened.

And then, Itachi was pulling Sakura closer to him until she was partly behind him. "Stay behind me, Sakura."

"What's going on?" she demanded.

Instead of answering her, Itachi kept his hard eyes on the biggest trees that were to their far left, his Sharingan following some sort of movement considering the fact that Itachi's eyes shifted slightly to the right. She saw nothing. She heard nothing.

"Come out," he ordered calmly, voice blank and never raising to more than an indoor voice.

How could he be so calm when…

Sakura felt her body stiffen as three people left the trees, as she felt a spike of anger and hatred in Itachi's emotions.

When…

"I see you sensed us."

"You were attempting to sneak up on us," Itachi murmured smoothly. "Do you have a death wish, Orochimaru?"

When Orochimaru was currently standing before them?

A/N – Just so you all know, there's a reason why Sakura's so much more emotional than the rest of them!

Okay, I updated earlier than usual because I got a review from a guest account (think it was blue55), saying that they're 'done' with this story if I don't make the female characters more powerful. Quite annoying, really.

I'm sure I've said this in quite a few of my stories now, but I refuse to make Sakura freakishly overpowered. That's not who she is. Mikoto's power was never discussed or mentioned or ever gone into detail about (same with Rin), so I'm trying my best here. I was going off the fact that, considering neither of them were revived during the war arc, they weren't worth it. Just take a look at who was revived! Everyone who was revived was powerful and held purpose, those two didn't. I'm not saying they're weak, but I'm not saying they're strong either. Kushina probably would've been revived if it weren't for the fact she'd been sealed away (at least I think she was, when Minato sealed part of her into Naruto).

I just wanted to keep everyone in character.

As for Sakura, like I've mentioned in the actual story, she's still young and still new to the world. So much shit has gone down that they don't have time to teach her much. However, Itachi and Shisui have mentioned somewhere that she's a quick learner, despite it being difficult for her to pick up the elements. Just like in the anime/manga! I refuse to make any character overpowered. I'm trying to keep them as powerful as they are in the actual manga.

Yes, I'll admit that Fugaku and Shisui's powers are quite, well, powerful, but what do you expect? Fugaku had to be head of the Uchiha clan for a reason and Shisui was known as a genius. People cowered at just the sound of his name! They backed out of battles when they figured out who they were up against!

Sakura sure as hell does have the intention of improving. If she didn't, why would she seek Tsunade out? Why would she train with not only Itachi, but also Shisui, Mikoto, Sasuke and the Sabaku clan as well as Naruto? She wants to become stronger. Being a medic is Sakura's dream, just like being Hokage is Naruto's.

It has nothing to do with Kishimoto apparently being a 'sexist pig' and 'reducing' every woman to being useless and a medic! I don't even know how you can say that, considering the fact that Temari isn't a medic–nin and is strong in her own right. Tenten isn't. The Mizukage isn't. Hinata, whilst she knows first aid, isn't a medical ninja (or at least I can't remember her using medical ninjutsu). By the way, Temari uses the element of wind. Mei (Mizukage) can use water, fire, earth and lightning. It's said that Sakura can use earth, water, yin and yang release, but I only just figured that out by looking on that Naruto Wikipedia site.

Do your research before insulting not only me, but also Kishimoto like that. He's spent so long on Naruto and whilst he wasn't the best at developing female characters, he's admitted to that!

A medic's purpose is to save people, to protect them and keep them alive and healthy. How can you even think that they've 'been reduced' to that? Without medics, the shinobi world would be fucked. It's as simple as that. Even the Raikage realised he had to rely on medics to save his teammate.

I'm not saying that Sakura doesn't have what it takes to excel in everything. I'm simply saying that, right now, what with everything and everyone being all over the place and the fact that they're in hiding, she hardly has the time or space to be training, does she? Especially not with Orochimaru lurking around!

Do you honestly believe Uchiha Mikoto would be able to hold her own against somebody like Orochimaru? Somebody who gave both Tsunade and Jiraiya a hard time? And that's with his freaking arms being useless! Orochimaru, even though I don't like him, is badass and downright evil.

That's what I don't get in fanfictions where Mikoto is still alive. Everyone makes her overpowered. Yes, as matriarch, she had to be powerful. However, Orochimaru was pretty much in a league of his own. I'm sure I mentioned somewhere that even Shisui and Itachi were wary of Orochimaru's mind tricks, the exact same ones that screwed Sasuke up. That is why he didn't want his mother fighting Orochimaru. Not because he doesn't believe in her, but because he doesn't want her to be harmed in the same way he was. He doesn't want her to be 'tainted' or 'unscrewed'.

Mikoto does use the elements, she uses two just like Fugaku. I'm not going into detail with that, because if you'd read the last few chapters properly, you would've figured that out for yourself. She isn't that great with her sharingan and elements because she married into the Uchiha clan, whereas the males are all 'pure bloods'. That is why it took her so much longer to activate her sharingan. She's a member of the Uchiha clan through marriage, but because of being an Uchiha when changed and because of having strong children, somehow Mikoto found a way to activate the sharingan. Sounds like bullshit, I know, but the Uchiha clan has always been known as sneaky and finding a way around things. It's hard to explain what I'm trying to say!

If you really believe I'm being insulting to the female gender, like you believe Kishimoto was, then maybe it'll be 'a big nope from me' too.

Sorry about that everyone else! It was a guest account so I couldn't reply in private messaging. At least you all got another chapter out of it! :-)

Edited on: 02/09/2016