Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Silent Sacrifice Chapter 3: Flight from the Known

Sakura screamed. She could not take it anymore - the pain was just too unbearable. Her head felt like it was being squeezed and compressed until her brain was no longer functioning. Her body trembled furiously, and she was so cold…

"Sakura, please calm down," someone purred soothingly. "I know it hurts, but it will be over soon, I promise."

The pink-haired kunoichi whipped her head from side to side, and she reached up to clutch her head.

Desunei sat in the small rock island with Sakura (who lay curled upon herself on the floor), wincing as another shudder worked its way through the girl's body. "Itachi, hurry up, will you?" she growled at the man kneeling on the other side of the river. "Her body won't be able to take the strain of my chakra much longer. You need to seal it within her quickly."

Itachi finished the last few marks of the seals on his hands and leaped across the river, his palms forward. Desunei drew his gaze to the girl below her, thrashing wildly. Only the Tigress's paw on her forehead kept her from moving too far. "The seals are ready," Itachi said flatly. "What now?" He hated being the one who needed answers.

"Place your left hand on her forehead and the other on mine," Desunei explained. Sakura's mouth opened, her eyes squeezed shut, and she silently wailed.

Itachi knelt down and extended one hand to Sakura's face, the other coming to rest on the space above the Tigress's eyes. Her fur was soft and long, and Desunei's ears flicked back at the contact. "Now, as soon as I move my paw, you are to put your hand on her forehead. Do not hesitate, or the chakra I have stored within her will begin to come loose. After that…well, just try not to move, okay?"

Itachi glanced at her with his eyes slit suspiciously, his hair falling into his face. However, he didn't ask any questions, knowing that once this was over, his plan could finally begin to unravel.

"One, two…now!" Desunei pulled her paw away from Sakura's forehead and Itachi had his in its place in the blink of an eye. "Good," the Spirit breathed, and her eyes closed in concentration. "Remember, whatever you do, don't move your hands. It could prove fatal to Sakura."

Itachi noticed how the pink-haired kunoichi's body relaxed and her arms fell limp on either side of her head. A glowing green chakra started flowing around the Uchiha's hand, and Itachi recognized it at Sakura's. On his right hand, the same green chakra began forming, though this one was tinted in the middle with gold…just like the Tigress's eyes. The Spirit's chakra started to creep up Itachi's arm, and a stinging sensation shot through him. It was not exactly unpleasant, however…it did feel rather intrusive. Her chakra slid over his own just below the surface of his skin, not as subtle as water…but more pressing. It made him want to draw back from the feeling.

Well, now he knew why she had told him not to move.

The sensation grew in pressure as the Tigress's chakra crept up his neck, and now it was becoming something acute to pain. By the time it reached his left arm and entered Sakura's skin through the seal on his hand, he wished he hadn't agreed to this.

Another pulse shot through his arm, like an oncoming wave, and he winced inwardly at the foreign chakra so close to him. He so desperately wanted to fight it off, but the rational part of his mind - the more dominant part - told him that is was this, or Konoha would be destroyed.

So he narrowed his eyes and tried to ignore the fact that he could sense just how powerful Desunei was through her chakra alone - and that meant her chakra wasn't her only strength.

Uchiha Sasuke woke up to the sound of dripping water.

The corner of his mouth tilted downward, and he lifted his hand to brush a drop from his cheek. It seemed as if he would have to move his bed again, although by now practically the whole ceiling was leaking. He supposed it would be better just to demand Orochimaru to give him a different room. More specifically, one that was not carved out of stone and actually had windows.

Sasuke's hand froze in the act of running through his hair, and the Sharingan activated itself immediately.

Someone else was in the room.

Sasuke flashed upright in his bed, a kunai already poised in his hand, and was met with…a small cat sitting on his bed before him. Her head tilted to the side, and an amused sparkle swam in her green-gold eyes.

Sasuke gazed warily at it, and, sensing that it was, indeed, just a cat (not something out to kill him), he replaced his kunai under the pillow. The cat continued to stare at him, her ears tilted forward in curiosity.

The Uchiha sat with his hands limp in his lap, staring right back at it.

How could the thing have gotten into his room? The door was locked, and he was sure Orochimaru didn't have any pet cats. It must be a stray.

Sasuke had just decided to kill the thing…when it spoke.

"You look just like him, you know?" the cat whispered.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. If it could talk, then it must be a summoning…he had to get rid of it quickly.

"Oh, don't worry, child, I'm not here to harm you," the cat continued, her tail flicking from side to side on his bed. "I was just rather…curious about you."

The Uchiha remained silent, though his hand itched toward the kusanagi blade at his waist. He had come to learn that no one was to be trusted, and this animal was no exception. "What are you?" he asked flatly.

The cat lifted to her paws and crept towards him, her copper pelt rippling in the low light. She didn't seem to be listening to him, but rather sat down a mere foot away and breathed, "I swear, if it weren't for the age difference, hair style, and maybe a slight facial structure contrast, you and Itachi could be twins."

Sasuke's whole body tensed at that, and he snapped, "Do not even try to compare me to him."

The cat shook her head, blinking slowly. "I knew Sakura's memories - or your brother's, for that matter - would not prove to be false, but I just had to see for myself."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes further. "What are you talking about?" he growled.

The cat peered up at him inquisitively. "I am sorry if I'm confusing you, child. I had not meant to wake you…but seeing as you are Itachi's brother, you are bound to be a highly aware and skilled ninja" - the cat paused, and her upper lip pulled back to reveal pointed fangs - "even if you abandoned your village and threw away any chance of redemption."

Sasuke froze, but the cat could feel fury seeping out from under the stoic demeanor he constantly wore. His mouth thinned into a slender line, the three tomoe spun freely in his Sharingan eyes, and his eyelids lowered. "What makes you think," he whispered calmly, "that you have any right to judge my actions?"

The cat before him hissed and raised a paw, as if to swipe it across his cheek. Then her ears - which had come to be flat against her skull - returned upright, and she lowered her paw. "The only reason I did not draw blood right there," she growled, her voice deepening and growing more abrasive, "was because you would only respond in an act to kill me. I had wished that any conversation I had with you would be rational and composed, but seeing who you are, that seems to be impossible." The cat licked her paw and drew it across her ears, sighing. "Itachi certainly is easier to be around than you are, although I would never have thought anyone could surpass him in annoying me."

"Why do you speak of him," Sasuke said, his teeth clenched, "as if you know him?"

The cat tilted her head to the side once again. "I do know him, as a matter of fact." She purposefully let the sentence hanging, just so he would have to speak to get more information.

"…how?" The word was ground out.

"You know, for being rude to me earlier, I don't think I'm going to answer you," the cat stated, her nose high in the air.

"Where is he?" Sasuke could feel the anger boiling up inside of him, just waiting to be released. The first few black designs of the curse mark made themselves apparent on his skin.

The cat's eyes narrowed. "You have some major issues," she informed him. "I hope you realize that."

Sasuke snapped. In less than a second he pinned the cat against a wall, around her throat, forcing her jaw upward so that his kusanagi sword pressed threateningly on her neck. Her multi-colored orbs widened, and her ears twitched. "Tell me where Itachi is," Sasuke ordered, his voice frighteningly flat and emotionless, "or you will die."

Something akin to sadness entered the cat's eyes; she breathed out wearily, and then met his unwavering red gaze. "How far have you fallen," she murmured, "to become like this?" The cat's voice, to Sasuke's ears, became sluggish and distant. Her form in front of him began to blur, and in an act of suspicion, he pressed his blade against her neck even harder. "I just hope" - the words grew faint to his ears, even as he became aware of a darkness in his peripheral vision - "that when the time comes" - the last thing he saw before he was consumed in black was a pair of watchful, green-gold eyes - "you" - he was fading, her voice the only tie to reality - "will" - a flash of yellow passed before him - "be" - silence reigned for a heartbeat before the voice - her voice - whispered softly, "saved."

'How do you feel?' Desunei asked. Sakura rolled onto her side and felt at the burning sensation now located on her forehead.

Well, she decided, I've certainly had worse than this. It was odd how Desunei was now able to communicate with her through her mind, and she was able to respond in the same way. The seal hurts, though, and so do my cheeks.

Sakura felt rather than saw the Tigress nod from where she rested in her mind. 'As to be expected, child. With my presence, your skin now bears my marks.'

…what do you mean?

Desunei "grinned" (again, Sakura felt rather than saw the action). 'Look at your reflection and see for yourself.'

So Sakura finally cracked her eyes open and hoisted her body upward, swaying a little. She shook her head to clear the blurriness behind her eyes, and then glanced around at the cave she was in.

Itachi stood against a wall on the other side of the river, his red orbs locked upon her form. His gaze traveled upward and studied her face, his eyes narrowing slightly. Sakura warily looked back at the Uchiha, and their eyes met.

His lips parted in surprise, and she averted her gaze, biting the inside of her mouth. Shock filled her when she felt something cut deep into her cheek.

Ever so slowly, Sakura opened her mouth and ran a finger across her teeth. Across the river, Itachi took a step back, Sharingan orbs growing wider still. It was the most reaction she had seen in him yet.

Then Sakura smiled: she had fangs.

'Eventually, you will learn to retract them,' Desunei explained. 'But for now, it is quite entertaining to see the great Uchiha Itachi so unsettled.' Her voice was full of humor.

Finally, Sakura leaned over the river…and found startling green eyes shot through with gold staring back at her. Her reflection's eyes widened. My eye color changed?

'Another side effect,' the Tigress said. 'Fortunately the color will fade as the day progresses.'

Sakura blinked, and her gaze was drawn to the new designs all over her skin. Long gold lines - the same gold as in her eyes - weaved all down her arms and legs, curving gracefully and weaving with one another like vines, until they reached her neck, the pointed edges coming to circle around her jaw line. They shined with a metallic, eerie light.

Sakura also noted that in the outside corner of each of her eyes, two slightly curved, wide, golden lines made their way down her face. The outside lines were shorter than the inner lines; they faintly resembled claw marks.

Her breath caught in her throat. The designs were so exotic, so beautiful and unique, that she felt unworthy to be a host to them.

'Yes, they are quite something, aren't they?' Desunei commented softly. 'They are the results of my chakra still racing around inside of you - once it settles down, the marks will retract into the seal on your forehead. Only the designs on your face will remain.'

Sakura brushed her hand across the Tigress's seal on her forehead; the same color as the streaks on her skin, it looked like a tilted square - not elongated like a diamond - with arched spikes coming out of the four vertical lines.

So simple, yet it held an endless amount of power within her.

Sakura placed herself upright on the rock and willed chakra into her hand. Mesmerized, she observed its new golden tint as it flared and danced in her palm. Your chakra is so exquisite, Desunei, she thought admiringly.

'Child, whatever is mine is yours too, now. Yes, and I agree that your chakra is quite magnificent.'

My chakra… Sakura smiled, and because she took so much delight in the fact that now she would be able to actually make a difference, she began laughing.

Itachi only continued to watch his new apprentice; he felt the power radiating off her, the pure and controlled strength she now harbored. Her fangs glinted from the chakra flickering on the designs residing on her skin, and her now-multicolored eyes shimmered with exhilaration. It was all the Uchiha could do not to picture ears on top of her head.

He stepped forward and announced, "We need to get going."

Sakura halted her light chuckles and gave him a curious look that Itachi thought looked far too much like Desunei's.

The Fujin na Tora Seishin host sighed. "Yes, Itachi-sama." Her voice did not seem hindered by her newly obtained fangs.

The Uchiha paused from where he had begun to walk, and glanced back at the pink-haired kunoichi. Behind him (he hadn't even noticed her jump lightly across the river), she twisted her hands this way and that, entranced by the chakra that had formed there. She didn't even seem to notice the honorific suffix she had unconsciously tacked onto his name.

Itachi's lips twisted into a small frown, and then he continued down the winding, black tunnel. Warmth encompassed the passage, and the only light given was the flaring green-gold of Sakura's chakra.

Back in the open, the sun had risen fully and now glared from above, pouring down unwanted heat. Kisame - who had nearly fallen asleep resting against the cliff face - blinked a few times and then straightened upon Itachi and Sakura's appearance from the tunnel.

"I assume the sealing went well?" he asked, eyes scanning over the new cut on Itachi's cheek and Sakura's golden marks.

The kunoichi's eyes flicked over to Kisame and then to Itachi, who was staring at her with that unwavering intensity in his gaze. She offered him a small smile, but the Uchiha just blinked and turned away from her. "Everything went as planned," Itachi stated in his usual monotone. "For now, we will continue to the village and see what happens." That said, he turned and began making his way through the tall boulders ahead.

"Itachi-sama?" Sakura paused, brows furrowed when she realized what she had just called him, but then she looked up and continued, "Please, let me heal you."

The Uchiha gracefully raised an eyebrow, and, after a moment's hesitation, silently sat on a rock. Sakura grinned and knelt down before him, taking his ankle - which she had sliced through with her chakra scalpel the night before - into her lap. She pressed her glowing, newly-colored chakra to the internal wound, and began to heal it.

Only a portion of muscle tendon had actually been damaged, but it was a deep enough cut that it took Sakura longer than usual to weave back together (her Inner Self was punching the air at the fact that she had placed such a wound on an Akatsuki member). Once she was done with that, she moved to Itachi's face.

"What happened here?" Sakura questioned as her hand hovered over the gash on his cheek.

Itachi's eyes had gradually drifted closed so that only mere slits were visible, and his shoulders had relaxed. Languidly, his dark eyelashes moved from where they rested on his cheeks and he peered up at the medic with veiled, obsidian eyes.

His Sharingan, for the first time Sakura had seen, was not active.

She studied his black orbs as the cut continued healing. They were murky and dimmed, almost as if they were dark stones that hadn't been polished in years.

"Desunei was angry," he breathed quietly, and his eyes fluttered shut.

Sakura chuckled a little at that.

Then her focus returned to the task beforehand, and, curious, she probed at the organs which gave Itachi sight with her chakra…and almost gasped at what she found.

Blindness loomed over the Uchiha like a plague.

Sakura felt her mouth open in astonishment and looked up to see Itachi pulling away from her. She was saddened to notice that his eyes had taken on the crimson of the Sharingan once again, and his poise had stiffened with wariness.

His moment of ease vanished, just like that.

Without a pause, Itachi whirled on his heels and disappeared into the sparse expanse of trees ahead. Kisame glanced at the pink-haired kunoichi before following him.

Desunei, surprisingly enough, had nothing to say.

Sakura's mouth hardened along with her gaze, and she continued after them.

Sasuke cracked his eyes open - when had they closed? - to find himself in a world of white.

There did not seem to be any light source, yet every blank space was illuminated and sparkling. There weren't any clouds, not a single plant in sight. Snow, however, fell from above in torrents, swirling around and whipping past Sasuke's cheeks. The wind that carried the flakes was strangely warm, although it stung icily when the snow touched his skin.

Sasuke cocked his head to the side, listening. It's silent, he thought, clutching the hilt of his kusanagi sword. His eyes scanned the area before him, searching for anything substantial besides himself. At the rate the wind is blowing, I should at least be able to hear it going by. He flicked his finger against the hilt of his blade. There should have been a noise then, too.

It was eerie, really, watching the flurry of snow, seeing it be tossed around and feeling the wind slice past his ears, yet Sasuke was only met with silence.

Where am I? The thought came slowly, thoughtfully, and Sasuke was surprised at how it sounded in his mind.

Finally, he heard something other than his inner ramblings.

Ting.

Sasuke whipped around toward the source, his kusanagi blade half-unsheathed already, waiting.

Ting.

This time, three shadowed figures accompanied the ringing noise, trudging at a quick pace through the snow, heads bent against the oncoming wind. They were walking toward him.

Ting.

Sasuke's ever-observant eyes - even though the figures were more than fifty feet away and the blizzard made them hard to see - picked out a hat on the person in the middle; a certain bell dangled on a string from it.

Ting.

As the three came closer, he tried to see the two outer people behind the black hoods of the cloaks they wore. Each of them were undistinguishable.

Ting.

They were only ten feet away when they came to a stop. The two outside figures reached up, and, slowly, pushed back their hoods.

…ting.

Naruto and Sakura stared at each other across from the middle figure, their eyes communicating in a way that Sasuke could not understand. After a pregnant pause, they each looked straight forward - their gazes skimming over Sasuke as if he weren't there - and began walking again. Clear blue and pale jade never wavered, the determination shining fiercely, accented even more by the grim lines of their mouths and their erect postures.

Time seemed to slow as they came by him, halting on either side - Naruto to his left, Sakura on his right. Then, without a word or look, Naruto turned and headed away from Sasuke diagonally. Sakura, at the same time as the next chime from the bell, continued in an opposite direction from the blonde.

Ting.

Sasuke stood, his eyes hooded, his thoughts lost with them.

Tingggg.

The middle figure had reached up to grab his hat, pinching the edge between his thumb and forefinger. Sasuke froze as he saw the black nail polish on the figure's nails and dark hair swaying in the wind, peeking out from beneath the hat.

Ting.

The bell chimed one last time, and then the hat was pulled down and away from the figure's face, hanging limply in his hand at his side.

Itachi.

For some reason, Sasuke didn't feel the raw fury spark within him as he usually did whenever he thought of his brother (which was everyday). He felt hollow, empty, as if he were incapable of experiencing any emotions. His gaze was blank as he stared at Itachi.

Itachi's eyes were cool and clouded, almost weary. Sasuke vaguely noticed that the Sharingan was not active, and identical pairs of opaque orbs met.

Itachi shifted his gaze to the left of Sasuke, where Naruto had disappeared to, then to the right, where Sakura had gone. He finally came to look at Sasuke emptily, eyes boring into his little brother's.

Another silence-filled second passed, and then Itachi began walking the path Sakura had taken not moments before. Sasuke paused before following him.

As they walked, Sasuke a mere ten feet behind Itachi, the wind picked up and sent both of their clothes rippling, flying out behind them. Itachi's hair - pulled back and tied at the nape of his neck - fluttered, and his cloak billowed out as the air caught underneath it.

Ting.

Itachi dropped his hat and came to a halt, arms hanging limply at his sides. Sasuke peered over his brother's shoulder to see a pink head of hair above the black cloak his old teammate was wearing. Sakura stood in front of a white door that didn't seem to be attached to a building or anything of the sort. It was just a door, upright and alone in the snow.

Sakura stepped forward and turned the handle, walking through the empty space and closing it behind her.

Sasuke searched for any sign of pink on the other side of the door to no avail - it was as if she had vanished. His mouth tilted down in a slight frown, and his eyebrows furrowed. Where had she gone?

His confusion - however vague - left him as Itachi, too, stepped through the door and shut it. Almost mechanically, he followed.

He glanced back at the white world before closing the door and turning to what lay before him.

Now the world was black. Only the people present were seen, as if their own personal light made them visible. Sasuke slid his eyes over to Itachi on his right, but his brother was focused on the scene before him.

Sasuke, curious as to what could hold the older Uchiha's attention so absolutely, shifted his eyes forward. His eyebrows raised slightly in surprise.

Sakura now stood in the middle of the black, her profile visible to him. She gazed intently ahead, and Sasuke moved to see a version of his twelve-year-old self across from her. The younger Sasuke had a slight frown on his face as he stared back at the pink-haired kunoichi.

Then Sakura took a step towards the young Sasuke.

The youngest Uchiha was met with a vision as she took that step - the image of his old teammate weeping so many years ago, begging him to take her with him in his quest for power, flashed in his mind.

"I'll even help you with your revenge," she cried, her voice laden with tears. "I don't know what I could do…but, I promise I'll try my best to do something! So please, stay with me…or t-take me with you if you can't stay here."

Sasuke turned around with a smirk on his lips. "…you really are annoying."

Sasuke jerked out of the vision, and he frowned a little more.

In the black world, Sakura was now one step closer to the younger version of him. Her eyes, from what he could see, were churning oceans of despair and regret, self-directed anger and newly found strength achieved through determination. Sadness was a dominant emotion, but it could be overlooked with the straight line of her back and set shoulders. She looked older, ready to take on anything that came in the way of her goal…and Sasuke could easily tell that that goal was himself.

Sakura took another step forward, and Sasuke - once again - lost himself in a vision.

Twelve-year-old Sakura walked into the Hokage's office, her form stiff and her eyebrows poised in a purposeful line.

"I have a request, Hokage-sama," she said.

Tsunade glanced up in curiosity. "What is it?"

Next time, Naruto, she thought - Sasuke heard her mind as if it were his own - we will bring Sasuke-kun back together. I will become stronger for you both.

"I would like to be your apprentice!"

The vision - they were not visions, Sasuke realized, but memories - ended, and as he observed in the black world, the pink-haired kunoichi now had a medical pack around her waist, and her green orbs were filled with wisdom.

Another step she took.

Present-day Sakura faced Uchiha Itachi with Naruto, Kakashi and Chiyo at her side, ready for anything he threw at them. He was in their way of reaching Sasuke, and so he needed to be eliminated.

She was glad that, in the end, he had been defeated, even if it was just another man's body changed to look like him and given the elder Uchiha's chakra.

Once the vision ended, Sasuke's mouth thinned at the fact that Itachi had come close to his old team, even as he noted that now Sakura was getting even closer to his younger self, and her eyes held a silent fury towards Itachi.

She placed her foot ahead of her.

Sakura and Chiyo faced the Akatsuki member Sasori in a large cave, ready for battle.

Sakura's eyes narrowed, and she growled, "You know about Orochimaru."

The new vision flashed forward some, and before Sasuke could react, he found himself witnessing Sakura as she screamed at the Akatsuki member.

"I will beat you half to death and make you tell me about Orochimaru!" she yelled, rage evident in her eyes. "Now matter how much you resist or how much it takes, I will make you talk!"

Sasuke felt shock course through him. What is she doing? he thought. She'll get herself killed for that. There is no way Sakura can stand up to an Akatsuki member.

The scene skipped forward again, and he was thoroughly proved wrong.

Sakura yanked on the cord protruding from Sasori's stomach, and once he was within range, she yelled "Shannnaarrroooo!" before her fist connected with his body and he shattered into many various pieces.

Another time skip.

Chiyo sat panting from the aftereffects of Sasori's poison. The old puppet master saw Sakura's relieved expression at their victory - and was about to smile as well - before the pink-haired kunoichi's face took on an expression of complete horror.

The retired Sand ninja twisted slowly to see her grandson's blade about to plunge through her old body.

By the time she saw this, though, Sakura had jumped between them.

Sasuke's eyes flew open wide, even wider than they had been before.

The blade protruded grotesquely from his old teammate's back, coated a heavy red with her blood.

The Uchiha felt every ounce of her pain as if it were his own, not of his own free will.

The Akatsuki member's expression was one of shock, but he smirked when the girl noticed Chiyo's poisoned, weak body and hurriedly told the old puppet master to take the antidote. "Even with an injury like yours, you still worry about others?" he taunted in his light, smooth voice. With that, he pushed his blade further into the girl's body.

And Sakura glared, and began to heal herself internally, even as the weapon shot sparks of pain through her and the poison started to spread.

The vision skipped once more.

The young medic stood with her green orbs filled with relief and satisfaction at the information she had obtained from the fallen Akatsuki member.

I'm one step closer to Sasuke-kun, she thought, and smiled wickedly.

In the black world, Sakura was gushing blood from the wound on her left side, in the front and back. She did not seem to mind, though, as her eyes were still focused on the younger version of Sasuke. Those eyes gleamed with newfound awareness, experience, and self-confidence.

Now the younger version of Sasuke had an eager expression in his obsidian orbs, as if he wanted Sakura to come to him. The rest of his face, however, remained stoic.

Sasuke's thoughts had come to a halt long ago. Now he simply watched, felt, and waited.

Sakura's blood-covered feet - the crimson liquid had trickled slowly down from her wound - moved once again.

Tears pooled in her eyes and fell down her cheeks in an endless amount as she looked at what Naruto had become - coated in the Kyuubi's chakra with four tails behind him.

Before even Yamato could stop her, Sakura sprinted to her teammate - because the blonde was in that monster somewhere - crying, "Enough already, Naruto! I'll rescue Sasuke-kun so - so you won't have to! Please, stop."

The beast turned toward her, and, in the blink of an eye, one of its tails descended on her arm.

In the black, Sasuke saw three horizontal slashes on her left arm. Each was bleeding heavily, pouring blood down her skin and turning her fingers red. Sakura's eyes - Sasuke had learned that something new would appear in them after each memory - were sad with the fact that Naruto had had to face so many demons alone. Then again, the pale jade grew dusky with a promise to help him in the future.

Sakura completely ignored the blood that was falling from her fingertips - glinting crimson before disappearing in the blackness - and advanced to the dark form of the twelve-year-old Sasuke.

She was frozen as she stared up at who used to be her friend and teammate.

In the crater he created, she saw him, and she thought it was funny how through all that had happened, all the hurt and grief and anger he had inflicted upon her with his absence, she still loved him.

Sasuke blinked slowly and when his eyes opened again, they were hard. The corner of his mouth tilted into a frown. As the vision continued, he watched himself through her mind.

Sakura took in every detail of him; noticing his new attire - which, to her disgust, greatly resembled Orochimaru's - and how his beautiful raven hair had grown longer in the past years. His cheekbones had become more prominent, and his whole face seemed to have matured.

The most shocking thing, though, were his eyes.

They were still the same black - unsurprisingly - yet now they lacked the gleam that had used to accompany them. Back in their genin days, Sasuke showed emotion. It might not be the kind she wanted to see - like a pleased smile or a caring face - but it was there nevertheless. In brief spurts of anger, resolution, and just plain annoyance at his two teammates, there was a certain sparkle that reminded Sakura that he was human, just like she was.

Now she looked into his hooded eyes…and only found emptiness.

She knew, deep in her heart, that now was not time he would come back to Konoha - if that time even ever came.

After that one step, Sakura was crying.

Her shoulders did not shake, she made no sound (not that in a soundless world Sasuke would be able to hear it anyway), and her eyes did not close in despair, but the tears kept on falling. If anything, the pale jade shined with steadiness and her stance became stiffer, yet she cried.

It was as if after that day, she pulled a protective cloak around herself and forced her brave face to the surface, making it stay there.

As Sakura moved fixedly to take another step, she stumbled - it proved that her emotional shield was not as strong as it seemed.

She pitched forward, the blood from her wounds flying, and descended to the ground without even trying to break the fall, like she didn't even care what happened to herself anymore.

…and then Itachi caught Sakura in his arms.

Sasuke noted with dampened shock that his brother, indeed, was no longer at his side.

He observed Itachi give the medic a soft smirk, and she readily smiled back, pale jade resonating contentment. The elder Uchiha steadied Sakura, making sure she was okay - eyes darkening at the blood that covered her body - and then…he offered her his hand.

Sasuke's jaw clenched when Sakura placed her hand in his, smiling wholeheartedly still.

Together they continued toward the younger version of Sasuke, who was glaring at Itachi even as the curse mark began to spread across his skin.

No memories came.

Itachi paused a mere two feet away from the young Sasuke (whose Sharingan could have fried a lesser man, yet the elder Uchiha brushed it off), and Sakura gazed at him, obviously wondering why he had stopped.

Sasuke watched intently.

Itachi glanced at her, then at the young Sasuke, and dropped her hand, shaking his head slowly.

Sakura's eyes filled with tears again, but she gave Itachi a weak, wavering smile, as if saying that she understood.

Itachi then turned to the young Sasuke, who now looked confused at what was going on. The elder Uchiha's gaze was forlorn as he reached two fingers forward…and poked Sasuke in the space above his eyes.

Gradually, Itachi faded into the black with a contented smile on his face.

Sasuke gripped the handle of his kusanagi blade, the only sign of his confusion and need for reassurance.

Younger Sasuke, however, had tears slipping from his eyes. His gaze was locked on where Itachi had stood not two seconds ago, and the curse seal was rapidly spreading further, strengthened by his grief.

Then Sakura enveloped him in her arms, her cheek coming to rest on top of his head. Young Sasuke's obsidian orbs widened before his eyelids drooped down, his mouth tipped up in the softest of smiles, and the curse seal retracted. Finally, he closed his eyes and cried silently into her shoulder.

Sasuke turned away from the sight.

"Sasuke-kun."

He wearily glanced around for whoever had called his name. He felt dead inside, and for some reason he wished Itachi would come back.

"Sasuke-kun, it's time to wake up now," the voice - which was steadily growing louder - said.

"Sasuke-kun, Orochimaru-sama needs you now -"

Sasuke's Sharingan eyes flashed open.

Slice.

Kabuto backed away from him, fingering the new cut on his cheek with his lips pressed together tightly. His hand came away crimson.

Sasuke stood before the medic, breathing heavily. His eyes were wide, his lips barely parted, and the hand holding his kunai shook visibly. It was almost as if he were staring right past Kabuto, so unfocused his gaze was.

Eventually, the Uchiha straightened from his defensive stance and glared at the silver-haired man, who in turn shrank away further. "Leave," Sasuke ordered. His voice left no room for argument.

Kabuto pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his hand trembling slightly. "Orochimaru-sama needs you," he tried to explain, but was cut off.

"If you value your life, then leave now," Sasuke repeated, and the Sharingan whirred.

Kabuto quickly took the chance and escaped out the door, slamming it behind him.

Once the medic had gone, Sasuke dropped his kunai and backed against a wall, staring at the cold, grey ceiling above.

The cat was gone - after he'd sliced Kabuto with his kunai, it was the first thing he had checked for. He had a feeling that if he had found it anywhere near him, by now the whole entire base would be in shambles from the electric charge of his Chidori.

She must have put him under a genjutsu, Sasuke finally decided after a few moments of thought. If he ever saw that mangy feline again, it would be dead before its other eight lives could even begin to protest.

With that, Sasuke pushed off the wall and made his way to Orochimaru - to power and the life he had chosen.

He never knew that if he had followed Naruto through his trek to the young Sasuke, in the end, they would each be covered in blood, sporting wounds given by the other…shaking hands, with Naruto grinning in relief and Sasuke adorning a delicate smile, each looking at the teenage boy across from him whom he considered a brother.

Sakura stared at her opponent with fire in her eyes. Adrenaline rushed through her veins at the prospect of a fight, and her mouth curved up into a slightly chaotic smile.

'Are you ready for this?' Desunei asked, grinning also in Sakura's mind. Faintly, the Spirit noticed the small form of her clone - it was invisible to anyone but her, unless she wanted it to be seen - make its way toward her and mold itself with her chakra. The Tigress's ears flicked back at the information it had gained on Uchiha Sasuke...and his reaction to the little show she had set up for him.

As a reply to Desunei's question, Sakura cracked her knuckles.

Itachi, Kisame, and Sakura had skirted Iwagakure and reached their destination before the day ended - now they were all staying in a nice motel (of which Itachi happened to know the owner), and were letting themselves rest from the grueling traveling the past two days had brought (well, in Sakura's case, she had been unconscious the first night, and when traveling that day she'd felt like she could go on forever).

Itachi, after a short pause, had instructed Sakura to come out in the tree-lacking forest - though its barrenness could be overlooked at the sight of the vibrant sunset - with him, saying he wanted to test her skills and see what she had to improve on.

And now here they were.

"From this day forward," Itachi said from across the clearing, his voice flat without any hint of emotion, red eyes glinting in the dying flame that was the sun, "your training will commence."

Sakura took that as a reason to start, and slammed her fist into the ground.

A/N (important message below!): 7,631 words. That is how long that chapter was. I hope you're happy. DX Just kidding! This chapter was actually a lot of fun to write, so I really shouldn't complain, though I feel like I need to. So...long... *dies*

Well, aside from that, I hope you liked the Sasuke bit! (It ended up being longer than I had planned, but it significantly - kind of - hints at what will happen in the future, and I get carried away so easily...) I felt like the story was dragging a little, so who other to spice it up with other than Sasuke?

And I also promise that there will be more of Naruto and his group in the next chapter, and the plot will actually get moving some...so yeah, I guess that's it...WAIT!

ONE MORE URGENT THING:

In the future, Sakura will figure out which elemental chakra she has, and I want you guys to choose what it will be - Water or Earth? I was having trouble deciding myself, and I also have a number of jutsu for each that she could learn. So say what you think and vote, please (in your reviews, not on my profile)! Majority wins, and after two days since this chapter is posted I will count them up.

Thank you so much for your support, and please review! Your opinions and thoughts drive me on. Really. Truly. I wouldn't be writing right now without you guys. :D See you next time (in about two weeks).