AN: So I find this chapter boring, to my horror, so I'm sorry. However, I also find it necessary. It's going to set up the next few chapters very well, I think. Hopefully, since tomorrow is my day off, I'll update again very soon. I just finished The Protectors, so this is now my main focus. However, the sequel to the Protectors, The Blue-jays, will be up very soon.

Thank you to those who have reviewed. To my great shock many of you are now threatening to guess the entire story before I write it. It shows my lack of originality, but I hope to fix that. I'm thinking of different stuff I can do with it to make it different. One thing will be inner-Sakura. Yes, she will be making a comeback.

Please review. Even if you ruin my fun, I love them!

Revisions 6/29/13

Nothing but the Truth

Chapter 5: Lively Debate

"The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum..."

― Noam Chomsky, The Common Good

"A mission?" Sakura asked. Perhaps she was still groggy from her deep slumber, and the fact that four members of the Akatsuki had just barged into her room in the middle of the night was confusing her greatly. Why would they want her to help on a mission? She was a hostage, and only here to serve one purpose: heal the blinding eyes of Uchiha Itachi. Right? Or was something else going on here beyond what she knew? Her eyes thinned suspiciously at the group of four men in front of her.

"Yes," Itachi replied. Sakura waited for more information from the Uchiha, but he just stared at her silently. Then, she realized that he wasn't staring at her eyes. Sakura huffed again, losing her patience with the men quickly, and fixed the most glowering stare she could at them.

Itachi tilted his head at her ever so slightly. He could see her face reddening at the attention she was getting – especially since she was only in her undergarments.

"I thought capturing the jinchuriki was your mission?" Sakura asked quietly.

"That is our primary mission. However, we complete side missions in order to fund the organization," Itachi replied, trying not to give too much away. She was an outsider, after all.

He couldn't seem to stop looking at the kunoichi everywhere besides her face. He found the slender curve of her cleavage that her arms created when she crossed them enticing. He could appreciate the toned nature of her flat stomach, but was able to make out the arc that creased just above her hips showing her natural hour-glass shape. He mentally shook himself – it wasn't very appropriate to be thinking about a hostage like that, especially since he would probably have to kill her at some point.

Unless, Pain's stupid plan did pan out. If Sakura did end up joining the Akatsuki, what would happen then? Perhaps he then could show the kunoichi his appreciation for her body. It would be easier than having to find a few willing females in every town they came across. Once again, he rid himself of the idea – the girl was clearly loyal, completely and totally, to Konoha. It showed in the very reason why she was here. She'd given herself up to protect Kakashi, which was why she was here in the first place.

Sakura seemed to notice his attention; then again, she was also noticing the attentions of the other men in the room as well. "Will you guys quit staring?!"

Itachi almost felt embarrassed, but instead of continuing his perusal, he looked in her eyes. Eyes that were very frustrated and he felt a smirk cross his lips from her frustration. Deidara was embarrassed, though, as he was the most blatant party here. He had practically been drooling over the female.

"Sakura-san is very pretty," Tobi commented. Deidara smacked him in the shoulder for his insolence. What little was left of Sakura's patience was now gone and her entire face turned an angry shade of red.

"Will you guys leave so I can put on clothes?" she hissed. "Then we'll discuss this further?"

"Yes," Kisame said gruffly. He'd been the only one who hadn't even thought of the kunoichi that way when they'd enter the room. Although no one could really tell if Tobi was staring, but by his earlier comment of how pretty she way, he very well could have been. He turned and began shoving everyone out of the room, except for Itachi, who left of his own will.

Sakura dressed quickly, trying to get the discomfiture that was present in her face to go away. Once she'd pulled on Itachi's jounin clothes, which she'd kept for pajamas (when it wasn't too hot), she yanked the door open. The group of men was standing outside of her door, waiting for her. "Kitchen," she bit out as she shoved passed them.

Once they were all seated at the table, she took a deep breath in and out. "Now, what do you want?"

"I believe we've already told you," Itachi remarked.

Sakura's eyes thinned as she glared at the Uchiha, "You're the one asking for something here, so it's best you let someone else do the talking. I still don't like you!"

"Aa," he replied, his eyebrows rising. She flinched and seriously considered whipping the salt shaker that was in the middle of the table at his head.

"Sakura-san," Kisame intoned, "We are being sent on a mission that requires a kunoichi. A few months ago, we retrieved a young female from a group of gang members that had kidnapped the girl. They planned to sell her to a drug and sex trafficking ring."

Sakura snorted, "You guys played the heroes?"

"We play whoever our employer wants us to play, yeah," Deidara said. He took over the explanation, "Anyway, now the father of that girl wants the captor dead. He's heavily guarded but we know he likes two things, yeah, booze and women."

"Oh," Sakura replied quietly. She was a little surprised.

Kisame continued, "Yes. The employer asked for us specifically since we accomplished his task last time. However, we are short a kunoichi to infiltrate his home. The target is throwing a party in two days' time, and we are asking you to go in as the undercover kunoichi. Last time we had a mission like this…"

"What?" she asked, now genuinely curious once Kisame had trailed off. Quickly, she became aware of the furious blush spreading across Deidara's face. That long blonde hair and thin frame of his body was almost feminine, wasn't it? She choked out a laugh and pointed at the explosion-nin, "You had to disguise yourself as a girl, didn't you!?"

"You just shut up before I make you go boom!" Deidara yelled, pointing a finger back at the girl. Her eyes just brightened as she giggled, genuinely giggled, at the thought of Deidara in a dress. Then, her laugh intensified at the immaturity of Deidara's statement 'make you go boom.' After snorting once or twice, she stopped.

Then, she began to think about it. Her first response was to help. It didn't seem all that dangerous – she had been on worse (like tracking and fighting the Akatsuki) – and the idea being back in the field seemed like fun. Also, she'd be helping in taking down what sounded like a really sleazy guy. It's been weeks since she'd been on a mission and months since she'd been on a semi-seduction mission such as this.

On the other hand, she couldn't, could she? That would be helping a group of S-class criminals' financial gain. That would be traitorous to her village. The guilt that was weighing on her for agreeing to help Itachi was already hard enough to deal with. The thought helping them more? That was too much. When she returned to Konoha – if she returned (seeing that her death by an Akatsuki was pretty eminent at this point) – she would have to tell them that she went on this mission. Trouble was already waiting for her when she got back, and she didn't need more.

Itachi seemed to anticipate this, so before she could respond, he asked monotonously, "Would you like to know who the target is before you give an answer?"

Sakura nodded, and Itachi pulled out a small black book from his pocket that held the Konoha symbol on the front. In small white letters, her name was spelled out the cover. It was her bingo book. He'd gone through her stuff. Brows furrowing automatically, she glared at the Uchiha, who only allowed an amused smirk to cross his lips very briefly.

"You took my bingo book?" she hissed. "You went through my stuff?"

"Of course," he replied obviously. He opened the book to a certain page, briefly stopping on his own to give a short glance at his picture. Handing the book to Sakura, she gasped.

"We're going after Noboru Tanaka?" she wheezed out. "He's no normal sex and drug trafficker; he is the sex and drug trafficker. He is notorious for having a group of A and S-class criminals guard him, and from what I've seen, he's no slouch with a katana either."

"From what you've seen?" Itachi asked, genuinely interested. Although he wished he hadn't asked for Sakura's face turned very dark at a memory that had soaked into her mind.

"I killed his boss before he got the job as head gangster," she said quietly, face paling slightly. "It was an infiltration and espionage mission that went wrong."

Everyone went very quiet at the implication – it was an infiltration mission from her. That meant that she'd had to disguise herself as something. Itachi felt angry – Konoha had done it again. Gone and made a kunoichi prostitute herself for the sake of information. They'd always been good at finding the absolute worst missions to send their shinobi on. However, Itachi knew first hand, that was the life of a shinobi. That's what they signed up for when they completed the academy and continued to weave their way through the ranks.

However, Sakura was the same age as her brother. That meant she was only 18, maybe 19, but he doubted it. Itachi also knew that Tanaka's boss had been killed over two years ago. That meant that she had been 16 at the oldest when she went on an espionage mission. Konoha would not do that. They'd never – especially Tsunade – send a 16 year old out for that mission. As the thoughts filled him, he realized they weren't likely to send any kunoichi on a mission to be a prostitute in that kind of ring.

Sakura seemed to notice the palpable tension, and she regained color instantly with a blush when she'd realized what the men thought. "I went in as a drug dealer from Wave Country," she clarified, but she added quietly, "It was what I saw there that was so terrible. Girls were everywhere – skinny, drugged, and miserable. Breaking them out and killing Tanaka's boss was one of the best missions I think I was every on."

"All the more reason for you to help us, kid," Kisame said, lightening the mood a bit. The tension that had filled the room when Sakura had given them incomplete information was quickly wiped out.

However, Sakura still wasn't sure. By killing the A-class sex and drug trafficker, she would be technically doing a duty to Konoha. He was listed as 'Kill on Sight' in the bingo book. Additionally, she would be in a room full of S and A-class criminals. Perhaps she could gather intelligence on them or even take some of them out if she went.

Biting her lip nervously and sighing, she crossed her arms over her chest slowly. This was truly a conundrum. She looked at the expectant faces of the men in front of her. "What's in it for me?" she asked then.

This seemed to surprise them a bit. Itachi raised one brow at her, questioning what she meant. "Remember the day I offered to heal your eyes, Itachi-san? What did I say when you told me I'd be giving you information on Naruto?"

"Aa," he said when what she meant came to mind. "A one to one deal?"

"Yes," Sakura replied. Itachi's lips tugged into a subtle smile. He had been expecting this.

"Come with me," he ordered, and stood from his chair. Sakura obeyed, and followed him to the last door of the hallway. He opened it to reveal an eerily dark staircase. Sakura felt Deidara and the others close behind her as they walked slowly down the staircase, Itachi leading the way.

After flicking the lights on, Sakura took in what was down that creepy staircase, and she gasped. It was a very, very large underground room that was set up as a training ground. It was easily the size of the entire house they were staying at. The walls were a hard, white concrete and the floor was covered in sand. On far end, there was a small grove of trees (how did they grow underground?) and a small pool of water. These were for wood and water jutsu, respectively, of course.

There were also poles for training, and targets that looked like they were hooked up to a system that would allow them to move. That was nothing compared to the wall behind them. In the span of thirty feet or so, there were hundreds of weapons. Kunai, shuriken, katana, senbon, swords, and more that Sakura couldn't even name were carefully placed on the wall.

Deidara snorted at the kunoichi's awestruck reaction to the underground facility. Her mouth hung slack as she took in the entire picture. "Surprised, Sakura-san?" he asked playfully. She simply nodded, but then she turned to Itachi.

"So what's your offer?" she asked, now suddenly much more willing to consider the mission.

"Two hours every day you're not healing me," Itachi replied quietly. "Free range. We'll just be checking to make sure all the weapons are here when you leave."

The reaction the kunoichi had not failed to amuse him greatly. It was similar to a face Sasuke had made when he'd been caught watching one of Itachi's ANBU training sessions. The younger Uchiha had been completely overwhelmed by the dexterity and finesse the ANBU were showing. Sasuke had said that it was nothing he'd ever imagined.

A twinge of guilt that appeared so suddenly almost made Itachi flinch outwardly, but luckily he had been able to subdue it before his body jerked. Thoughts of Sasuke always brought on this guilt – nothing had gone according to plan with him. When Itachi had been forced to annihilate his entire clan, the only solace he found was that one day Sasuke would kill him.

Itachi was always a masterful tactician. He planned for almost any scenario that could occur during a mission. There had been very few occasions where an outcome occurred that Itachi hadn't planned for. He hadn't anticipated Sakura's offer. However, that was nothing compared to the shock that had smashed into him like a freight train when he'd learned that Sasuke had defected from Konoha to join Orochimaru as his apprentice.

That had complete shocked, disoriented, and horrified him. With the exception of the Third Hokage and the Konoha council, there was no one in this world that Itachi hated more than Orochimaru. Instantly, he recalled his own fight with the sannin. It had been bloody, messy, but ultimately successful for Itachi. Before Orochimaru's leave from the Akatsuki, he'd tried to take Itachi's body for his vessel. Once Itachi had deterred him, he went for Sasuke. A silent chill ran up his spine.

"Alright," Sakura said suddenly, snapping his thoughts back to the reality around him. He was in Earth Country somewhere, with Deidara, Tobi, Kisame, and Sakura. Itachi jerked his head so that his red eyes met hers. She shied away slightly at the sudden, intense gaze. "I agree to your terms under the conditions that I won't have to…become intimate with Tanaka. Past what is…acceptable I mean."

Itachi just stared at her a little confused, but really he was just trying to regain focus. Sakura's face blushed a little further under his penetrating gaze. "I mean I just won't sleep with him, okay?" Sakura elaborated, trying to defer the stare away from her.

"Of course," he finally managed to reply. Sakura released a breath she'd been holding, and she looked slightly more relaxed. The group began to walk slowly up the stairs and filed back into the kitchen slowly. The sun was now beginning to peak into the kitchen, and Sakura sighed, realizing she probably wouldn't be going back to bed tonight.

"So what kind of party will we be going to, and what's our cover?" Sakura asked, now getting slightly excited at the thought of the mission. Not only was she doing an infiltration mission (one of her favorites that she rarely got to do), but she was taking down at least one of Konoha's most hated thugs. Adrenaline rushed through her at the prospects of it all. She compartmentalized her guilt of helping the Akatsuki into the back of her mind. The benefits outweighed the slight betrayal, she reasoned.

Kisame was making coffee when he said, "You will be working with Deidara and Itachi inside the party. You will be Deidara's sister, Itachi will be Deidara's friend, and Tobi and I will be stationed as surveillance and backup outside. Itachi and Deidara will be acting as sons of noblemen who are looking for a good time. It's supposed to be quite a shin-dig. All glamorous and fancy. They'd notice a shark and a masked fighter for sure."

Sakura snorted. Deidara going to a ritzy party, getting drunk, and looking for prostitutes – sure that was all well and good. But Itachi? Itachi Uchiha – the most stoic, intense, intimidating individual she'd ever met. He couldn't even imagine him taking a drink, much less acting as the son of a nobleman who wanted a good time. Then, she remembered he had once been the son of a nobleman.

In fact, Itachi could be quite polite, if he wanted. She'd never seen it outright, but there were subtle hints in the way he would treat her when they were alone together. He always asked if she needed tea, water, or food, and always made sure she was comfortable during their healing sessions.

Itachi looked at her a little too intensely after her snort. Was she questioning his ability to successfully complete a mission? This was easy compared to other things. It had been years since he'd really had to be proper, but the lessons his mother taught him years ago were so engrained in him that he could properly greet someone in his sleep. A pang of guilt ran through his body when he thought of his mother. Then, he shook it down.

"Is there something you'd like to say, Sakura-san?" he asked coolly. Sakura turned to him and looked at him dead in the eyes, as if deciding something, and then shook her head 'no.'

Then, she seemed to think for another moment. "Wait, there is something. I'll need a kimono if I'll be going to the party. And makeup and other feminine things if I'm going to pass off as slightly decent."

"Aa," Itachi replied. Now that he thought of it, he had no formalwear to speak of. As far as he knew, Deidara didn't either. "We'll have to go to the market today then."

"Tobi needs new boots and new weapons," Tobi said happily.

"We also need to hit the food market, yeah. We're low on everything," Deidara added.

"Well let's just make this a fun family outing," Kisame added sarcastically. "I need to get some supplies as well. We also need new headsets for this mission so we can stay in contact."

X

That's how Sakura found herself here, in the middle of an Earth Country market with over half of the Akatsuki. They'd all split up, with the exception of her and Itachi. When she suggested she go shopping by herself, he'd almost laughed and the sheer amusement of her verbal and mental slip up made her want to smack him. It was a feeling she was beginning to sense more and more often while she was in the presence of the Uchiha. It was then that realized the gravity of what she'd said.

In the little time she was out of the captivity of her room, she seemed to be getting too comfortable because she'd actually thought that she could go off by herself. The second she was, she'd realize that it was her opportunity, and run away.

So she and Itachi first went to the woman's formalwear shop, where she'd picked out a royal purple kimono with a deep blue obi. The purple reminded her of Ino, and a deep pain ran straight through her heart. Missing her friends while she was with the Akatsuki was not uncommon for her, but the intensity of this pain was so complete that she clenched her heart a bit in the changing room.

She sucked a deep breath in as she steadied herself with one hand on the short chair in the room. Forcing the emotion back, she stepped from the room. Itachi was sitting just outside of the changing room door, and he turned to look at her.

Breathtaking. He shoved the word to the back of his mind the instant it came up – how uncharacteristic of him indeed. But, she was breathtaking in the kimono. The deep purple and blue contrasted with her fair skin but complimented her pink hair and cool emerald eyes. He felt another twinge deep within his chest. To his discontentment, it wasn't guilt. It was something else buried deep within him that he didn't think he'd ever encountered before.

He was already aware of his physical attraction to the kunoichi. It was becoming more difficult to deny this with each passing day. You don't spend hours with someone locked in a room, with said person touching your most deadly weapon (he inwardly smirked at that last bit – Kisame would have laughed if he'd ever said it aloud 'touching your most deadly weapon'), and not form a physical attraction.

He was a warm blooded 23-year-old. Physical attraction was what you got with 23-year-old males, no matter how controlled they are. Even Deidara was affected by the girl, so Itachi could not hold himself totally culpable these feelings. At least he wasn't the only one.

However, this was different. There was a fondness for the kunoichi that had snuck up within him that he was now forcing with all his might back down. Her fiery personality, blatant emotions, and clear distaste for anything that threatened her perfect home village were all very amusing to Itachi. However, now physical attraction and amusement was forming into something else.

The others were feeling it too – Deidara seemed to even enjoy the kunoichi, Kisame found her relatively pleasant and fun to be around, and Tobi wasn't complaining (not that he ever complained). Itachi allowed the thought to cross his mind, knowing he'd regret it – maybe she would join the Akatsuki. If she did, Itachi would not mind. No, he may even enjoy her presence if it became more relaxed, personable, and permanent. As quickly as he had permitted the thought to come, he shook it off easily.

Sakura felt herself trembling a little as Itachi just stared at her. Clearly deep in thought, she just looked at herself in the mirror and she was able to see him staring at her in the reflection of the mirror. It wasn't angry, just intense.

"You think this will be alright?" she finally asked timidly. Sakura could see Itachi come back into his eyes. He'd really been thinking of something, hadn't he? Itachi only inclined his head stiffly at her and paid for the kimono. Sakura couldn't tell if she was just imagining things, but he almost seemed uncomfortable. She shrugged inwardly – it was no skin off her back if he couldn't look at a girl without discomfiting himself.

Then, they went to the men's formalwear shop. It was much smaller, but just as nice. Itachi quickly found a suitable suit for the occasion. After stopping by the beauty supply shop and feminine apparel shop (Sakura had gone in there by herself), Sakura realized that there were still several hours before they were meant to meet up with the others.

So, since fall was fast approaching, she decided to do some birthday shopping for a very special blond who was surely missing her back home. Itachi could just follow her around for all she cared. She went from stall to stall, enjoying each trinket happily as she poked around to look at things. It was a small shinobi souvenir shop where she found Naruto's present.

"I think Naruto would like this," Sakura stated calmly, eyeing the little figurine. It was a ceramic, almost cartoonish, depiction of a slug, snake, and toad. It represented the three sannin. The plaque depicting the word 'Family' was almost too much to take.

"Hm," Itachi replied coolly.

"I had money with me when you captured me. Where is it?" Sakura asked. Itachi quietly pulled the small black money purse from his pack and placed it in her hands. She muttered a 'thanks' and bought the little figurine along with the cost of having it wrapped.

"Naruto's birthday is coming up," she said fondly as the shop manager handed her the package. She had also requested to have the Uzumaki, Uchiha, and Haruno family insignias painted on the back. If Sasuke saw this, he would get the irony immediately, but she knew that Naruto would be fond of the gift. She knew he would only see the primary meaning of the gift – that they were all still family. Even though she had resolutely decided – after spending a few weeks in one of Orochimaru's bases, after Sasuke had tried to kill her more than once – that she would kill him if need be. They were still family, and she would try her hardest to make sure she was never put into that position.

"How will you give this to him?" Itachi inquired.

"I'll send it when we're done with the mission," Sakura replied emphatically, not meeting his eye. They were walking through town at a leisurely pace. Sakura and Itachi already had their outfits for the mission, yet it was still hours until they needed to meet up with the others. They passed a small movie theater that was playing a foreign film from Bird Country. "Eh, you want to go see a movie?" she asked.

"I'm not wasting Akatsuki funds on a movie," Itachi replied smoothly.

"Psh," Sakura replied, an evil glint forming in her eyes as she gave Itachi a sidelong glance. "Who said we would pay for it?"

"Pray tell, what are you talking about?" he replied icily.

"I'm talking about doing something I haven't done since I was thirteen, with your little brother, might I add," she replied mischievously. Suddenly, she grabbed his arm and forced him into the alleyway next to the theater. "Being a shinobi has to be fun sometimes, right?" she asked as she began to scale the wall in front of her.

Itachi's thoughts automatically went to Shisui. He and his cousin used to do this all the time – using their skills to sneak into movie theaters. Nostalgia hit him like a brick, and before he could use his impeccable self-control to stop this incredibly immature act, Itachi ran up the wall with the girl. Sakura found a way in through a roof-top hatch, and they snuck into the theater.

Hanging from the ceiling while watching the movie, Itachi studied the girl a little more closely. As she watched the film, Itachi watched Sakura. Feeling his gaze, she turned to him abruptly, confused by his stare. He shrugged noncommittally and faced the movie again. She smiled a real smile. A smile Itachi hadn't seen since she'd joined them at the Akatsuki base. It was almost infectious the way she beamed – her entire face taking shape at the smile. It made the ends of his lips tug up in a smirk.

Since when were prisoners allowed to smile like that?

X

Several hours later, Sakura stood outside of the small town with all of her parcels being carried by Itachi – who was surprisingly a gentleman when it came to these things. Sakura watched as the men pulled their Akatsuki cloaks and hats on automatically. When Itachi inclined his head at her to do the same, she began to dress. It wasn't as automatic for her as she'd only ever done it once – on their way here. They'd purchased the cloak for her so they could travel without anyone recognizing her.

They began at a slow pace, tired from their shopping and eating. It was only a little passed midday, she surmised by the location of the sun in the sky. She had worked on Itachi's eyes the day before, so she didn't think they would have another session today. Perhaps she could get in some training to brush up on her skills before leaving for the mission tomorrow morning. Then again, she thought darkly, if they would be gone for a few days, Itachi may want her to have a session before they left.

Just as they entered a sparse coniferous forest, Itachi stopped suddenly. Sakura had been so wrapped in her thoughts of what weapons she would be training with that she bumped right into his back. He turned his head to give her a look. "Sorry," she grumbled.

However, his gaze intensified a bit, "Stay behind me," he ordered. Sakura tilted her head in confusion, but she soon had her answer.

A lone man was standing dead in their path, only twenty feet ahead. How had she not felt him? Then as the lone man approached, she realized why. He had been masking himself, but there was no mistaking the white shirt and purple braided belt around his narrow waist. Also unforgettable was the creamy skin, dark raven hair, and red, angry eyes that were now glaring at the group.

"Itachi," the young man hissed. Then, he stopped and stared at some point behind his brother. His mouth fell slightly ajar with comprehension as he saw the slightly trembling figure behind the elder Uchiha. Although the chakra was masked and stifled, it was unmistakable. If he had any doubt, it was gone when he saw a tendril of pink hair flip out of her hat when a wind suddenly passed the group. "Sakura?" he said tentatively, still not believing the sight.

Itachi pulled his hat off so he could fully see the man before him. "Sasuke."

AN: Like I said, a good set-up for what's going to go down in chapters 6-7-8 and maybe even 9. I hope you enjoyed it a little and aren't too mad that there was no action whatsoever.

Please review! :)