Chapter 16 The Tests Begin

Hi, readers! Man, it feels good to be back. I'm EXTREMELY sorry for the very late update, my only excuse is that I was reading other FanFics and I was too lazy to write plus I had a nasty "Net Error Type 2" that didn't allow me to even see my stories, much less update them.

But then again, this chapter took me four days to write because every time I would start writing it I would get interrupted. And when I finally tried to update it, it turns out that there's that stupid error. Sigh…

But now the problem is fixed, and here's the story.

Please ENJOY AND REVIEW & I'M SORRY!

And don't get mad at me…

*RECAP*

"Right then. S'later!" Naruto turned away and headed for the door, but once he reached the frame he turned and smirked wickedly at Itachi. "Just because I accepted you as Sakura's boyfriend doesn't mean I'm gonna make things easier for you. You better be prepared, Itachi, 'cause Sasuke, me and some of the other guys are going to put you through some tests." He winked. "So you better be on guard."

Itachi sighed, more in amusement than annoyance as he took out his wallet and paid the waitress. As he walked out of the little restaurant he smirked. He had said it once before, and his sentiments hadn't changed. He knew that there would be some obstacles to face if he wanted to keep Sakura as his girlfriend, and he would make sure to not only overcome those obstacles, but also to completely obliterate them.

He would do anything for his cherry blossom. His smirk widened. Let the games begin. He was more than ready.

*END RECAP*

"So let me get this straight," Sakura said as her hand held her face, her elbow supporting the weight as it propped itself on the table between her and Itachi. They were in her house for a rest after a long day, Sakura having finished a nine-hour shift at the hospital and Itachi overseeing the training of new ANBU recruits. "Naruto honestly told you that he, Sasuke, and some of the other boys would test you? What for? They've already accepted you, they've accepted our relationship, they've accepted you've accepted me and I've accepted you!"

"Truly, Sakura, I do not know the reasons as to why they have decided to have me perform these tests, although I can guess," Itachi replied calmly, drinking the hot chocolate with whipped cream and mint sprinkles Sakura had made for him. Sakura lifted her head, just barely, to look at the famous Uchiha brother. She was stressing out about her idiotic friends, and she wasn't even the one that was going to be tested! Meanwhile, there sat Itachi in all his calm and collected glory, worrying about…well…pretty much nothing since he was just about perfect.

"Sakura, as flattered as I am for your thoughts I can assure you that the way you make me seem superior to you is truly unbecoming," Itachi cut into her thoughts as he chuckled. Sakura's head snapped back to look at him with wide, shocked eyes. Itachi smiled. "I can honestly say that it is the other way around. You are the perfect one here, not me. Not by a long shot."

"Since when can you read minds?" Sakura exclaimed as her cheeks were tainted pink. If he had just read her thoughts now, then how many other thoughts had fallen victim to Itachi's powers? Her blush darkened as she tried to recollect all the conscious thoughts she had had when she had been around him. If only she'd known, she'd been way more cautious and she wouldn't be dying of embarrassment right now.

Itachi chuckled in amusement as he lovingly gazed at the green-eyed kunoichi. Her face was so easy to read, it was entertaining watching the fleeting emotions dance across her face, how they changed from on to another in just fractions of a second. It was her inability to keep a poker face outside of missions that allowed him to guess her thoughts. After a minute or so more of watching her blush as she remembered past thoughts, he decided that she had had enough and let her in on the truth.

"Sakura, I cannot read minds," he said, reaching for one of the hands that hid her face from him. He pulled it away from her gently, meeting no resistance, and held it in his warm hand as he rubbed circles on the back of knuckles. "I, like any other normal person unless said person has a given ability from a Kekei Genkai, which are very few, cannot read minds, hear thoughts, or see the images that appear in you head." He kissed her hand. "And even if I could, I would not intrude in your privacy. I will listen to what you tell me, and believe only that. If I wish to know more, I'll ask you. If you don't want to tell me, I'll accept that."

Sakura sighed as she shook her head. "Then how did you guess I was thinking you were perfect?"

Itachi smiled at her, revealing perfect white teeth behind his thin lips. "Has anyone told you your face is an open book?"

She groaned and covered her face again. Yes, she had heard that. Countless times, in fact; this one more time will only be lost among the many others. Why couldn't she control her facial expressions a little more? Oh right, she never really trained for it, being the free-spirited, simple-minded, emotional girl she had been when she was training to become a ninja. If she didn't develop those crucial skills when she could so she would be able to apply them for the rest of her life, then she was lost. Which technically she was right now.

Itachi pulled her other hand away from her face again and cradled her two small hands in his scarred larger ones. "Sakura, you may think that having such free facial expressions is embarrassing, but it's part of your charm."

"It's charming to have the whole world know what you're feeling?"

"If you put it that way, no. But the charm I'm talking about is your own unique charm that no one else possesses. Think of it this way: how many other ninjas, shinobi or kunoichi, do you know that show what they feel?"

"Not many," she admitted, biting her lip. But then she thought of a counter argument. "That's because a lot who do are killed in missions since the enemy can guess what they're going to do."

"Not as many as you think," Itachi replied right away. "In fact, you may be surprised to know that a lot of the most successful shinobi show a lot of emotion. There are two ends of the spectrum, you see. In one end we have the shinobi that is completely devoid of emotion, such as ROOT members like Sai. They are effective because they can keep a straight face and think clearly through situations that would bring any other ninja, however skilled or experienced, to their knees. Their enemies get desperate because they can get no reaction from them, be it pain, anguish, anger, sorrow, whatever. And desperation causes people to make mistakes.

"Then there's the other end of the spectrum; the shinobi who show every emotion they have even when they're unconscious. That's you, Sakura. You overwhelm the enemy with the avalanche of feelings that you display. Not to mention that not only do you feel things very strongly, you show them just as such. Your face can be very threatening, Sakura, very threatening indeed. Not because it's changing from one second to the next, but because it is unusual for someone, especially a ninja, to be so open. Your feelings are so strong and so evident that you can penetrate any emotional barrier an enemy has set up and throw them off their game - because they can feel your emotions and as is human nature, their feelings react back. They do not expect that."

Sakura was silent. Itachi made a very good and very valid point; she couldn't argue with that. And she felt breathless; flattered beyond measure that Itachi had stated that what she believed to be a liability was actually her greatest weapon. "What about those in the centre of the spectrum?" she asked, more out of curiosity than anything. Itachi smiled gently at her.

"It is those at the centre of the spectrum that are most of the every-day ninja," he answered as he looked at their intertwined hands lovingly; studying the contrast between his darker, rough hands and her pale, thin ones. "They are what you would call 'normal.' Depending on their skill and devotion, they can be some of the best shinobi, the worst or just average. It is because they have control of their emotions when they need to that they can go on missions and do them efficiently. However, because they are not used to masking their emotions perfectly or past a certain amount of time, their control can slip letting loose their pent-up emotions which build up the longer they are ignored. That can take over their reasoning and that's when things can turn bad."

"Like Naruto," Sakura said thoughtfully. "He's not dead-center in the spectrum, he shows a lot of emotion, but since he tries to control his emotions so hard they explode the minute he gets distracted. And then his feelings are too strong to be ignored and they make him do irrational stuff." She laughed. "Not that he thinks his actions through before doing them very often, anyway."

Itachi chuckled. "That's right. But like I said, depending on the shinobi he or she may become the best or the worst depending on their devotion to becoming what they want. Naruto has worked harder than most people for a long time. His reward will appear very soon."

"You think Naruto will become Hokage?" Sakura's eyes twinkled as she spoke. Naruto was her best friend and she always knew that he would reach his dream. Hearing Itachi, one of the best ninjas in all five countries and her boyfriend say that he believed the same was fantastic.

"It's very probable," Itachi answered. "If it wasn't because he's very impulsive and doesn't always see the big picture, I'd say the job is as good as his."

"He can learn," Sakura smiled as she stood and walked around the table to hug Itachi, who easily welcomed her embrace with a small smile. "Actually, he's already learning. Besides, he has a few years to go before he can become eligible for the job. He'll be the best Hokage Konoha has ever seen!"

"I don't doubt it," Itachi chuckled as he petted her hair, causing Sakura to close her eyes in satisfaction. "First lets wait until he stops his childish habits, or at least until he can leave them for better suited occasions."

"Agreed!"

"Well, I must go now," Itachi said as he stood up from the table, taking the last sip from his hot chocolate. As he moved, Sakura didn't let go of him, which was fine with him. "I promised one of my new recruits I'd give her a hand with her genjutsu." He wrapped an arm around Sakura and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I would like to pick you up tomorrow after your shift at the hospital. My brother invited us to lunch."

"Okey-dokey then," Sakura smiled up to him. "Bye-bye Itachi. I'll see you tomorrow." She let go of his torso to place her hands on his shoulders and lift herself on her tippy toes making him bend down slightly to kiss his cheek, earning her a smile. He returned the favor.

"Good-bye, Blossom."

Itachi petted her hair one last time before heading to the door where he grabbed his jacket from the coat hanger and slipped on his shoes. He waved at his giggling girlfriend as a last parting move, and then walked out the door. It was sunny out, so Itachi decided to not put on his jacket. Instead, he draped it over his forearm and carried it that way as he headed home.

It was not ten minutes after he departed the kunoichi's home that he decided to stop so the chakra he had felt outside her home and followed him to confront him. Sure enough, a shinobi with a long sleeved, high collared pale pastel greenish-grey jacket, dark spiky hair and sunglasses appeared before him.

"Shino Aburame," Itachi nodded in greeting at the insect ninja. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing, Uchiha-san," Shino answered, his lips covered by the collar of his jacket. "I just came to inform you that you passed my test."

"Test?" Itachi repeated, not understanding when he had undergone the mysterious boy's test.

"Yes," confirmed Shino. "My test was to see how you comforted Sakura-san. It is not unknown that she sometimes feels that she shows too much emotion, which she does. Although we have all tried to tell her that it is that same ability that makes her attractive and easy to be friends with, she tends to go back to her original thoughts in a matter of time." He took a step closer to the Uchiha prodigy. "You, Uchiha-san, not only comforted her about it, but truthfully explained to her that it was not a liability, but her greatest gift. And weapon."

"You were eavesdropping on us?" Itachi inquired, his voice neutral. He wasn't exactly angry at the teen, but he wasn't exactly thrilled either.

"No," Shino answered. "I had some of my insects infiltrate Sakura-san's house to hear your conversation. I waited outside while they gathered the information necessary to see if you passed my test." He shrugged. "My insects only conveyed to me the part where you comforted Sakura about her openness. I heard nothing more."

"I see," Itachi said, letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. His voice was no longer cool and was back to normal, although to someone who didn't know him there wouldn't have been much of a difference.

"I must express my admiration to how you handled the situation, Uchiha-san," Shino continued after a minute. "Your metaphor of the spectrum was impressive, and very true. I also was surprised by how matter-of-fact everything sounded, and how true it all was. As you know, Sakura likes concrete facts and that's what you gave her."

Itachi inclined his head in acknowledgement of the praise. "I only spoke the truth, Aburame-san."

Shino smiled behind his jacket, just a ghost of a smile. Unknown to the Uchiha, his test had been more than to see if he could show Sakura her natural strength. It was also to see how fast he could think on his feet with words, and how many of those words were nothing but the truth. As Itachi had spoken nothing but the truth not only Sakura needed to hear but the truth he really believed was real, the Uchiha had passed his test.

"I apologize I tested you without your knowing," he said, "but as a ninjas, we and you must always be inconspicuous with what we do…and know."

Itachi nodded. He did understand. What would be the point of giving him a test of this kind if he was prepared for it? They had to test him when he was unaware of who was performing the test and what the test was. He had to prove that everything he did with Sakura was sincere.

Shino excused himself again before disappearing in a whirl of leaves, leaving Itachi alone with his thoughts. The 'we' Shino had mentioned was him and the other boys, the Test Masters. And he was the 'you,' the Test Challenger.

One test down, but how many were left? Itachi didn't doubt that some of the other boys had teamed up, but then again that was just a possibility. They could just as well perform their tests solo. Then again, he didn't even know how many people were testing him.

He smiled. He loved a challenge. Even if he wasn't doing this for Sakura, he would enjoy the creativity of each shinobi and passing their tests. But right now it was all for Sakura. "For Sakura."

For his love.