AN: I'm sorry. I know you've waited longer than usual for this chapter to get up. Thank you for your patience.

After reading this story, I've decided to do some relatively major reconstruction on chapters 1-5, and some minor edited on the subsequent chapters. I think it'll make the story better. However, I won't start that until I'm finished writing this story. Thank you to the people who suggested taking the 'clips' out and adding them to the body of the story. I post those things and love your feedback. Most of the time, I fully agree with you guys. So I'm going to do that – so if you'll bear with me, I'll be fixing up the first portion of the story at some point.

Speaking of which – there are about 5ish more chapters after this. The sequel is still in planning stages. Thank you for reading this, guys!

Also, I've posted some stuff on my profile to update ya'll on the status of my stories. I know there are some Blue Jays readers that are wondering what's going on. If you're curious, check out my page.

Thank you for reading and reviewing this chapter! Please review!

Nothing but the Truth

Chapter 15: The Extraordinary Moment

"Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate."
― Sun Tzu, the Art of War

Uchiha Itachi didn't get worried. Uchiha Itachi didn't get worried because Uchiha's never worried. Therefore, he surmised, he was not worried. No, he was not concerned with the fact that Sakura had just run off into the night to go home. He was not worried that she wouldn't come back. He was not troubled with the notion that someone would capture her. He was not worried that she would be found by rogue-nin and they would kidnap her. He was not worried that she was the clumsiest kunoichi he's ever met, and very well could have fallen and twisted her ankle and be lying in some ditch right now. He was not worried that she still had feelings for his foolish little brother – because that would be borderline jealousy. And if there was one thing that Uchihas felt less than worry, it was jealousy.

So, if he wasn't worried, why couldn't he sleep? The day had certainly been long and tiring enough. Surely, he was tired. His eyelids were heavy and his head hurt. His legs shook slightly when he stood. All signs pointed to his body being tired, but his mind was not. That was a lie. His mind was also exhausted. But he couldn't fall asleep – not until she was home.

Damn it, kunoichi. He thought. Standing from his bed, he yanked his pants, shirt, and cloak on forcefully. He walked into the kitchen where Kisame and Deidara were drinking, as always. "Where are you going?" Kisame asked gruffly and then hiccupped. He downed another shot of something very pungent before turning back to Itachi with glazed eyes.

"Out," Itachi replied smoothly. "I'll be back by dawn."

Kisame laughed heartily. "Say hi to the kid for me."

Itachi glared, but walked out the door silently and began to run in the direction of Konoha.

X

"And here I was thinking hell couldn't get any worse," Sasuke muttered under his breath. Sakura arched a pink eyebrow in response, a smirk splaying across her face. Sasuke shifted a little and realized Sakura was sitting completely on top of him. "Would you get off me? You're so-"

"Annoying?" Sakura answered, jumping off the bed so she was next to Sasuke. "You should be nicer to people Sasuke-kun – especially when people are trying to…you know…help save your life."

"Tch. I was going to say heavy, but annoying works too."

"Don't be such an arrogant bastard. I have to examine you," Sakura hissed, smacking the Uchiha over the head lightly. Sasuke grunted and turned over on his mattress so his back was to her. "Trust me, I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here."

"Go away, Sakura," he replied gruffly. "I'm only here because of you in the first place."

"Yes, yes, very true. It's not my fault you underestimated me, again, Uchiha. Anyway, do you want Orochimaru out of you or not?" Sakura asked. She saw Sasuke visibly stiffen from where he was. Slowly, he turned around to face her. Onyx eyes faded into crimson orbs that shown brightly in the black cell.

"Can you?" Sasuke replied warily.

"I don't know," Sakura replied honestly, "But I do have to examine you to find out."

"So you escaped my brother?" Sasuke asked, glaring at her through the darkness.

Sakura stiffened. "Sort of," she replied. "I'm going back."

Sasuke sat bolt upright and grabbed Sakura's wrist. Before she could defend herself, she was on her back on the mattress with Sasuke pressed against her tightly. "What?" he hissed. His face was mere centimeters from hers and she could feel his hot breath tickle her skin.

"They have a lot of research Orochimaru did. I need to go through it because it could help," Sakura replied a little timidly. She had not expected Sasuke to react like this. Sure, she expected him to be angry, but she hadn't though he would pin her down on the bed. The proximity was making her anxious, and she attempted to wriggle out his grasp. However, his grip was iron tight – strong enough to leave welts on her arms.

"My brother is dangerous," Sasuke muttered, his gaze never leaving hers.

Sakura let out a bark of laughter. "Maybe you just don't know him well enough. He's really just a big softy," she replied with a genuine smile. The look Sasuke gave her was even more deadly than it was before. "Calm down, Sasuke. Your brother had never done anything to physically hurt me."

"How about mentally and emotionally?" Sasuke replied bitterly. "That's his specialty."

Sakura hesitated, which was her mistake. Sasuke's eyes turned dark as he looked at her uncertainty. "What'd he do to you?"

"Nothing," she replied hastily. Her mind filled with the mission scrolls that had been assigned to Konoha ANBU in the past, and her heart fluttered in unease. Something twisted her stomach when she thought about those horrible missions, but nothing compared to Itachi's last mission as a Konoha shinobi. Sighing, Sakura continued, "It was months ago, when he first kidnapped me. He's only been kind to me since."

Sasuke's grip wavered a bit, and he pulled himself off of Sakura in a swift, graceful motion. He was sitting, cross-legged, at the end of the bed staring at her. "Kind?" he echoed. "My brother doesn't know the meaning of the word, Sakura. What you've been seeing is just a façade. He's using you to get to me!"

"No, Sasuke," Sakura replied resolutely, shaking her head, "He's not using me at all. He does know kindness; more than you know."

"Are you sleeping with him or something?" Sasuke accused, "Because you're awfully defensive of him."

Sakura gasped, "How could you accuse me of such a thing? And even if I was, it's none of your business."

"…"

"Sasuke just let me scan you. Please," Sakura pleaded a bit. Right now, he was just wasting her time. She could be back at base, in bed, and preparing for her morning training with Kisame. But no, she was here, for him. And he was being a royal pain in the ass.

Sasuke let out a deep, defeated sigh, Sakura's face spread into a wide grin. "Hn."

"Alright just lay down on the bed. Oh don't give me that look. I'm not going to jump your bones…. Are you blushing?" Sakura laughed a little. "Lie down and close your eyes. I'm going to enter your mind."

"Enter my mind?" Sasuke questioned, his red orbs fixing on her in a distrustful stare.

"It's the only way I can think of to examine you. I need to enter you consciousness in order to determine how large of a role Orochimaru is playing from within you. It's important, Sasuke," Sakura stressed. "I won't be doing anything drastic today. But I need to see Orochimaru," Sakura explained, her mind fogging with nervousness. This was not something she had ever attempted before, but she knew it was possible. On her journey here, she figured out a way to do something similar to a mind-body transfer like the Yamanaka's did, and it would hopefully work on Sasuke. "Just lie down and relax, okay?"

Sasuke gave her another look, but lay down on his back anyway. Sakura sat next to him on the bed, positioning herself between his arm and hip, and looked at him one last time. It struck her, very suddenly, as to how much Sasuke looked like Itachi now that he was more mature. While Sasuke's features were more rigid and masculine, the general appearance was still very similar. Especially when Sasuke closed his eyes, she realized, he looked just like Itachi did while she was working on his heart. Her heart flickered inexplicably, and the urge to smile washed over her. Oh, this wouldn't do. She could not feel such things for Itachi because their time was coming to an end. However, she couldn't help it. You can't choose the ones you love. LOVE?! What the hell, Haruno, you're going crazy. She thought suddenly. Shaking the feelings of discomfort off, she slowly pressed her hands together in a number of seals and pressed her palms lightly to the sides of Sasuke's temples in order to enter his mind.

X

It was black. Everything was black, and she was alone. Her eyes opened as the cool air of Sasuke's mind engulfed her like a sickening blanket of confusion and anger. So, this was the mind of Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura looked around cautiously as a light began to flicker a few meters to her left. Sasuke's form came into view suddenly, and he looked annoyed. Instead of wearing the gray jumpsuit he had been given at the jail, he was in his full Sound attire which made him look even more intimidating.

"Your mind is a scary place, Sasuke," Sakura commented as she began to walk around. "I can almost touch the fury within you. It's like a haze."

Sasuke shrugged, clearly uncomfortable having Sakura inside his consciousness. "What are you looking for?" he asked coldly.

"Not what Sasuke, but who. Is there a way to summon Orochimaru to you? I need to see him," Sakura replied as she gazed into the expansive darkness. Is this what her mind looked like? It couldn't. Perhaps it was dark in her consciousness, but there was no way that the hatred and fury would be so palpable within her. Every breath she took was filled with an unexplained resentment that was radiating from Sasuke. Sadness, her own sadness, engulfed her. If only she could tell Sasuke the truth about Itachi, then maybe he wouldn't be so angry. However, that wasn't her place. Itachi would have to tell him on his own. If he decided not to…then Sakura would tell Sasuke. But she wouldn't meddle unnecessarily.

"Why would you want to see him? And I have no idea how to summon him. I do everything I can to keep him pushed back," Sasuke replied gruffly, turning his back to her.

"Are you keeping him away right now?" Sakura asked cautiously, approaching him so she stood at his side.

"Yes."

"Then stop pushing him down and maybe he'll come out," Sakura said. She was beginning to feel nervous. Confronting a sannin in the middle of your former comrade's consciousness was not a safe or rudimentary procedure, but she couldn't think of any other way to examine him. If Orochimaru was a life force within Sasuke, she needed to know how strong of a force he was.

Sasuke's face was strained with tension and anxiety. "No."

"Sasuke…"

"There has to be another way."

"There isn't. This is the only way I can think of to-"

"Sakura, don't." Just as his words left his lips a sudden chill overcame them and Sasuke's face turned pale as his onyx orbs bled crimson. It seemed as if all the blood left his face as his breathing became labored. "Sakura-"

"Sasuke?" Sakura questioned, running to him as he collapsed onto his hands and knees. "What's wrong?"

"He's pissed that you're here. Get out," Sasuke commanded.

"But I-"

"OUT!" Sasuke bellowed, but this time, there was a discernible lisp behind his words that made him sound like a snake. Just as she was being forced out of his mind, Sasuke looked at her. His eyes were yellow.

X

Sakura's hands came off of his head so fast that she almost hit herself in the face. Sasuke's eyes opened suddenly, bulging out in panic. He looked around at Sakura for a moment before taking a few deep breaths to calm down. "He's fused with your consciousness," Sakura stated as she took a few deep breaths. Her heart was thrumming so loud it was almost all she could hear.

"I'm trying…"

"I know," Sakura replied briefly as she stood from her place. "I'm going back to the Akatsuki base now. But I think I know what has to be done. Although, you're not going to like it."

"I'll do anything to have this bastard out of me," Sasuke replied, running a hand through his spikey raven hair. "What am I not going to like?"

"I'm not going to explain it right now because I'm not even sure if it would work. I also need to do more research before I jump to conclusions," Sakura replied. "I'll have to write a report and send it to Tsunade…"

Sakura trailed off as all the possibilities flooded her mind. This was not good. Sakura had been hoping that Orochimaru would be a separate entity within Sasuke that they could extract, but now he had fused with Sasuke. This meant they would need to separate the two and then extract Orochimaru. Everything just got a lot more complicated, and it would take her longer than previously anticipated to figure this all out. But, a small voice in the back of her head whispered, that means more time with Itachi.

"Sakura," Sasuke stated as Sakura subconsciously walked to the door.

Sakura turned to him, "Yes, Sasuke?"

"Do you think you'll be able to remove him?" he asked in a quiet, unguarded voice. It was a voice that Sakura had never heard from Sasuke. It was vulnerable. He was afraid.

Sakura plastered on her best, most reassuring doctor face, "Yes, Sasuke, I do. For now, you get some sleep. I'll probably be back to examine you next week. Good night."

"Good night, Sakura."

Leaving the village was harder than she had thought it would be. As she jumped the fence when the border patrols were between posts, she felt an ache in her heart that begged her to go back. Her legs landed on the ground with a gentle thud and she fell over onto her hands and knees. Silent tears streamed down her face for just a moment. The overwhelming urge to see Naruto and Ino overcame her for a instant as her body shook from the pressure. Was this was heartbreak was like? That's certainly what if felt like. Betrayal – that's what she was doing. She was betraying her comrades. This was her chance – her golden opportunity. She could jump back over the walls and never look back. Her teammates and friends would protect her from the Akatsuki – it would only be too simple. Genma had hugged her as she left Sasuke's cell, and she had almost lost it right there. But she had left anyway, each step taking her further from her home.

If Sasuke didn't need her, she would have stayed. But he did need her, and she needed the information at the base. So she would have to go back – there was no other choice…not really.

Sakura wiped the tears away ruthlessly and stood up slowly. Her Akatsuki cloak lay about three hundred yards from the wall, but when she went to retrieve it, it was gone. She looked around cautiously as she pulled out a kunai. Who would steal her cloak? If an Akatsuki cloak was found so close to the Konoha borders, then the entire village would have been alerted and in a panic before Sakura even got the opportunity to leave. Her eyes scanned the trees that surrounded the cloak carefully.

For a moment, just a moment, she was sure she saw two red eyes peering at her from a tree branch, and a small smile appeared on her face involuntarily, "Itachi, I know you're there." He dropped down in front of her silently, her Akatsuki robe hanging loosely from his pale fingers. Sakura gave him a good look to make sure he wasn't a genjutsu or a trap, but soon determined it was indeed the real thing. She ran to him and grabbed her cloak, with a fake scowl on her face. "You could have gotten yourself killed. I was ready to attack."

A smug smirk was her response, and the resounding 'hn' that fell from Itachi's lips sounded a whole lot like 'As if you could kill me.'

"Why're you here anyway? You know they would attack you on sight," Sakura chastised as they began walking in the direction of Whirlpool Country.

"You forgot your gloves at the base," he replied emphatically, holding up two black gloves in front of her face.

Sakura was quiet for a moment before a realization dawned on her. "No I didn't," she replied with the puzzled tone to her voice that echoed her confusion, "Those were in my cloak… Hey were you worried about me?"

"You are much too loud. We will surely be caught and attacked by any patrolling shinobi."

He wasn't meeting her eye, and a large smile splayed helplessly on her face, "You were worried about me."

"I'm an Uchiha. Uchiha's do not worry."

"Right, so what were you really doing here then?" she asked, wagging a finger in his face. When he gave the offending finger a look that certainly meant death, she dropped it by her side.

"You have yet to make my eye drops that will keep my eyes from deteriorating. I was simply making sure you finished the deal you made with me," he responded. It was then that his eyes trailed down her arm that hung loosely at her sides. He grabbed her hand quickly and unexpectedly, pulling the sleeves of her cloak down to reveal a very deep bruise on her wrists. The bruise happened to be shaped like a handprint. "What did he do to you?" His tone was chilly and deadly.

"Nothing, nothing," Sakura replied hastily, yanking her arm out of his grasp. She clenched her wrists in her hands and allowed some of her green chakra to escape in order to heal the bruises. "He just got mad at me. Nothing worse happened than this. I forgot they were even there."

"Hn."

"Come on!" Sakura said suddenly, running into the trees, "Last one to the base makes breakfast!"

Itachi allowed a small smirk to appear on his lips before he launched himself into the trees. Of course, several hours later when they arrived at the base, Sakura was making breakfast.

X

The training ground they were in was large for a private ground – about half the size of training ground 3 back in Konoha. The lake sat at the northern edge of the ground, and a small grove of trees covered a patch of land towards the east. Next to the grove was a rack of weapons, a few targets, and some dummies that could be used for combat practice. Other than that, there was a large clearing that was perfect for sparring. Deidara sat by the water of the lake, molding clay and preparing it for use, while Itachi sat on a bench that lay on the border of the lake, reading a book.

Kisame circled her like prey. Sakura stood in the middle of the outdoor clearing, arms crossed over her chest, not responding to his advances. Slowly, he was making his way closer and closer to her. Her eyes followed him carefully, looking for any sign that he may attack. When he was at her left side, about five meters away from her, his arm shifted ever so slightly with Samehada in it. There. Sakura jumped straight into the air to dodge a swing from Samehada. She flipped in order to counter another blow. She landed on the sword, using her gloves as a chakra barrier so the sword could not consume her chakra. However, it was quickly wretched from underneath her and she had to flip once again in order to dodge another hit.

"Just going to run away, kid?" Kisame taunted.

Her knees buckled ever so slightly when she hit the ground. It was just before noon, and she had only returned from Konoha a few hours before – meaning she had only gotten about three hours of sleep – not prime conditions for sparring with the Akatsuki. "I'm just getting warmed up," Sakura replied nonchalantly, standing fully to face Kisame.

"Sweetheart, the bags under your eyes say different," Kisame replied with a gruff laugh.

Sakura's face turned dark. "You asshole! I do not have bags under my eyes!"

Sakura's fist hit the ground and it ruptured, causing Kisame to jump into the air. Sakura followed him closely and dodged a hit from his sword. Twisting her body, she threw a punch towards his shoulder. The Samehada came up to block, though, and she felt some of her chakra leak into it. She pulled her hand back as if it were burned but recovered quickly. A rain of shuriken made their way at Kisame, who dodged them easily. However, he didn't see the seals on them that made them chakra-honing shuriken. They whipped back around towards him and Kisame had just enough time to dodge them, biting out a curse as he did so. This left him off guard, and Sakura threw a chakra-infused punch towards his ribs.

A hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist. Her body jerked involuntarily until she was on the ground with both her arms behind her back, a large boot pressed into her lower back. "That was clever, with the shuriken, but you still lost, kid," Kisame chortled.

Sakura swore at him loudly, but she was nowhere near finished with this fight. Large amounts of chakra channeled into her arms and through her wrists where Kisame was holding her. With a burst of strength, she ripped her arms out of his grasp and slammed them on the earth beneath her. The earth erupted into a fissure, and Sakura sank beneath it while Kisame was still trying to collect what had happened and balance himself on the uneven surface. Several fowl words left his mouth when he realized that the kunoichi was no longer visible.

Sakura took a moment to collect herself as she resided under the earth. She felt Kisame move closer to her and was sure that he knew where she was. Slowly, she made the hand signs for an earth jutsu. As Kisame grew closer, she released the jutsu which forced several earth pillars to explode from the ground, taking Sakura to the top of one. When she looked down from her place twenty feet above the ground, she found Kisame wedged in an uncomfortable looking position between three pillars, the Samehada lying on the ground several yards away.

"Dammit, kid, what the hell?!" Kisame yelled. "My arm's stuck. Get me out of here now!"

"Not until you admit defeat," Sakura jeered from her safe place on top of the earthen pillar.

"Like hell," Kisame replied.

"It gets cold at night. I hope you don't mind sleeping out here then," Sakura replied, turning her back to him and lying down on the pillar so she was out of view. "You know, if this were a real battle, I would have killed you by now, so you should just admit that you lost. And I didn't even get to use the jutsu I wanted to show you. You're getting soft, old man."

"That's it! When I get out of here, I'm going to chew your arms off with my razor sharp teeth you disrespectful little brat!" Kisame called back, but his voice sounded much more strained. "Kids these days have no respect for their elders."

"Kisame, you are making yourself sound like an old man," Itachi intoned monotonically from his place on the bench, just loud enough for them to hear. His eyes hadn't left his book, but the amused smirk that was pressing his features was clearly from the conversation at hand.

"Are you ready to admit that you lost to me? If it makes you feel better, I killed Sasori when I was much younger. At least you're stronger than him," Sakura replied, not turning her head to look at him.

"What'd you say about Sasori-senpai?" Deidara asked. He stood to get a better view of the kunoichi, but she was blocked from them because of the pillar she was resting on. "I know you weren't about to insult him, were you?"

"Of course not, Deidara," Sakura replied too-sweetly. She shifted onto her stomach so she was peering down at Itachi and Deidara on the other side of the clearing, closer to the water. Sakura pushed her lips out into a pout, "I didn't get to show you guys the jutsu I learned." Suddenly, Sakura's face turned mischievously bright. "I know how I'll get Kisame out of the earth pillars!"

Her hands were already halfway through the signs by the time she landed on the surface of the water, just behind Itachi and Deidara. The two Akatsuki turned to look at her just as she finished the seals: "Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu!"

Sakura thrust her arm upwards and in the direction of Kisame. A large body of water surrounded her in the form of a shark and flew at incredibly speeds towards the trapped Akatsuki. It hit the pillars in full force, which destroyed the three earth pillars and effectively freed Kisame. Sakura was laughing, completely drenched, when the water crashed and she lay on the ground next to Kisame – equally drenched.

"Where the hell," Kisame began, but he was still catching his breath from being hit with a shark-shaped water bullet and mounds of earth, "Did you learn my water jutsu?"

Sakura laughed pitilessly, "Sorry, I didn't know the jutsu belonged to you only."

If things couldn't get any better, or funnier, Sakura pushed herself up using her arms and looked around. Her laugh was loud and instantaneous, and she couldn't remember ever laughing so hard. Twenty meters away, sitting on a bench, was a completely soaked Uchiha Itachi who was looking none-too-amused. A perfect onyx eyebrow arched at her, which only made her laugh harder. Even Kisame began to chortle when he was able to stand up and see what the commotion was about. Surely, Deidara would have laughed if 1. he didn't fear for his life, and 2. he was completely soaked as well.

It took a few minutes for her to calm down, and she only did when she couldn't breathe from laughing so hard that her laughs had turned silent. Why it was so funny, she wasn't sure. Maybe it was because the usually infallible Uchiha was soaked to the bone because of a jutsu she did, or maybe it was because he didn't find this situation funny. There was also the fine possibility that she was just sleep deprived, but she would prefer to think it was one of the former options.

Sakura stood up, a large grin plastered on her face, "You guys go get dry. I'll make lunch."

After the back door to the house closed with the kunoichi receding in the distance, Kisame looked at the other too. "She's gotten a lot stronger since she's come to stay with us," he commented.

Deidara nodded his head in agreement. Itachi merely stated, "Indeed," as he began to ring the water out of his hair.

X

The next two months went by relatively quickly for Sakura because there was a systematic pattern to her days. Very rarely did it deviate from the norm. She would wake up, eat a light breakfast, and spar with Kisame, Deidara, or Itachi for the better part of the morning. Then she would eat lunch, shower, and spend the rest of the day working through Orochimaru's scrolls. Only after dinner, which was usually spent in her room, would she come out and spend some time with the three Akatsuki. Sometimes one or two would be gone on missions, so she would merely socialize with whoever was there. On the one occasion that she was left completely alone, Sakura forgot to eat and sleep – effectively causing her to pass out at her desk only to be found the next day by a frantic Deidara. After that, her three companions checked on her frequently to ensure she was being properly nourished. She would retire to her room early in the night only to be joined later by Itachi.

Speaking of whom…did she mention that she was head over heels in love? She never said it, and neither did he, but she didn't expect anything different. In fact, Sakura believed she was being relatively realistic about the situation with the elder Uchiha. She was well aware of the fact that their relationship, if one could call it that – because they certainly never did, was temporary. It was unspoken but understood. Their nights together were glorious for her, though. At first, they would merely talk (well, Sakura talked, Itachi sometimes responded with a sentence if he was feeling extra chatty). Then, as she made progress through the scrolls, they discussed different possibilities as how to get Orochimaru defused and extracted from Sasuke. After he was sure she was in bed for the night, he would kiss her senseless before retiring to his own room. It never went further than that.

One night, though, Itachi took her on a real date. A little over a month since her first encounter with Sasuke, she found a kimono folded neatly on her bed when she finished her afternoon shower. A note pinned to the top said, 'Be ready at 7.' Sakura knew what Itachi's handwriting looked like, and she knew it was his. The kimono was dark red, almost maroon, with a black swirling pattern that covered the entire thing. The obi was black and was tied with a red silk ribbon. Sakura had to admit that it was gorgeous – it also fit like a glove and made her eyes and hair stand out perfectly. So, when seven came around, a familiar knock sounded at the door to her room. Sakura opened it to find an incredibly gorgeous raven-haired, onyx-eyed man leaning against the frame. He was clad in black slacks and a button-up dress shirt. He guided her silently to a small, affluent village not far from the base. They had dinner at a small, beautiful restaurant and then walked around the town, looking at the lights. Itachi had been the one to take Sakura's arm and place it in his – which made her quiver in excitement at the open display of affection. Just as they were about to depart and head back to the base, it began to snow. Sakura danced in it unashamedly the entire way back while Itachi trailed her with a genuine (small, but genuine) smile on his face.

That was the first night they slept together.

Sakura didn't want to call it 'making love,' but calling it 'just sex' was definitely wrong as well. To her, it was making love. There was no other way to put it, in her case, but she wasn't sure how Itachi felt about it. Of course, she never asked, and he never addressed it.

It was a few days after their date that she found it. She had spent the few hours after dinner going through more of Orochimaru's scrolls. Itachi was lying on her bed, book in hand, while she opened a few scrolls while sitting at her desk. Orochimaru wrote all of his notes in code, but Sakura was familiar with it because Tsunade used a lot of the same encryption methods as the snake sannin. A pile of half-read scrolls lay in a box by her feet. They were all scrolls Sakura deemed dangerous to Konoha and was planning on destroying them before she left permanently.

She had just dumped a scroll into the box and picked up another. Unrolling it, she scanned the contents carefully once. Not believing what she was reading, she read it again. A gasp escaped her lips as she dropped the scroll unexpectedly. Itachi looked up from his book and looked at her.

"Sakura?" he called quietly.

Sakura just stared at the scroll, heart beating so loud from adrenaline she could barely hear him. Even the thought that a scroll such as this existed made her shake with anxiety. The power one would have with that scroll was enormous. "Do you know…" she whispered, "What that scroll does…?"

Itachi moved from his place on the bed and walked over to her silently. He picked up the scroll and looked at it. "I can't read this," he answered warily. Clearly, the look on her face was making him concerned.

"No one," she croaked, "should be able to read that scroll. We need to destroy that."

"What does it do, tell me," he ordered quietly.

"Why don't I show you?" she responded. The scroll was powerful, very, very powerful. In the wrong hands, it could bring down any village. Some of it was curiosity, though. Now that she had read the scroll, she needed to know if it really worked. If it did, then how many of these scrolls existed and who knew how to perform the jutsu inside? Could anybody else read this? Had Kabuto read this? Could anybody else but her read this? Her mind was a whirlwind of unanswered questions that required answers. She wasn't sure if Orochimaru would share this precious information with anybody else. This scroll was powerful, very powerful, and he would most likely want to keep it for himself.

Slowly, she read through the scroll again. Grabbing a kunai from her bag, she pricked her thumbs so they were both bleeding a little. She made the subsequent hand signs – the ones she was sure she would now never forget – and smeared the blood from her thumbs across her eyelids.

Shooting pain fired from the back of her eyes to the back of her head and all the way to the back of her neck. A yelp of surprise and pain escaped her before she could stop it. Her hand went up to her temple automatically as she felt her eyes beat so hard she was sure they were going to burst in their sockets.

Itachi was leaning into her now, looking as the blood that covered her eyelids began to pulse green. It did for a moment before fading into her lids permanently, and they returned to their normal color. Only then did Sakura crack her eyes open.

However, they weren't the glorious, emotional emerald he was so used to seeing. Instead, he was staring into the blood-red depths of the Sharingan – two tomoe spinning restlessly in each.

For the first time in years, Itachi felt all the breath leave him in one fowl swoop. This scroll gave the ability to utilize the Sharingan. Sakura was right – no one should read that scroll. If Orochimaru had access to this, he could raise an entire Sharingan-wielding army that would crush any hidden village.

Sakura looked confused at his stunned reaction for a moment before staring at herself in the mirror that sat on her desk.

"Holy shit," she breathed. Everything was brighter now. It was like someone had peeled a film from her eyes, and she was seeing clearly for the first time. When Itachi moved to face her fully, she could see every move before he made it. Not only that, but she could make out every pore on his flawless face and every wave in his silky hair. Sakura instantly understood why Itachi and Sasuke wished to always keep their bloodline activated. The world was a whole new place. Suddenly, she was nervous as to how Itachi would react to this. Would he be mad? Shouldn't she have asked his permission before doing this? Did she require his permission for such a thing?

That's when he did something unexpected. He kissed her. His hands cupped her chin and his lips pressed fully to hers. It wasn't long, but it was filled with passion, and it left Sakura craving more – much more – as Itachi's kisses usually did. When he pulled back, he ran his calloused fingers under her eyes softly. "Red suits you," he said quietly. Sakura was about to speak when he continued, "Destroy the scroll. I'll start teaching you how to use them in the morning."

And they did. Every morning and evening for the following three weeks, they trained Sakura's Sharingan so that both eyes featured three tomoe. It wasn't nearly as good as Itachi's or Sasuke's, but it was an effective weapon on the battlefield. Even Kisame had to concede it gave her an edge over him, but he never admitted defeat, even when the kunoichi unceremoniously pounded him into the ground one day. Deidara wasn't so stubborn. After one sparring session, he vowed to never fight her again if he could help it. Sakura called him a wimp while she healed his four broken ribs, fractured leg, and mended his ruptured intestines.

This training didn't deter from her work on Orochimaru's research. That's why, one day, two months after she was given the task of finding out how to get Orochimaru separated from Sasuke, she announced she had found a way to do it.

And she needed Itachi's help.

AN: Whew. That was really, really hard to write. I'm not sure why, but I struggled with this chapter. I know a lot happens, and it is probably choppier than I want it to be. I'm sorry if it jumps around a lot. I needed to get this all done, though, so I can get to the important stuff in the last few chapters.

Thank you for reading, and please review.

Also, here's some unashamed advertising for my new (I know, I'm already super busy with my other stuff but this is going to be shorter and I'll be focusing on this first, don't kill me) SasukeXSakura story:

In Order To Heal

Summary: The day Uchiha Sasuke returned to Konoha, Naruto's broad arm slung around his shoulders with a glowing smile plastered on his face, was supposed to be the best day of her life. Instead, she crouched on top of a roof that overlooked the gates with a look of contempt hidden under her ceramic ANBU mask. Post Shinobi World War. SasukeXSakura and other secondary pairings TBD. Rated M.

Please check it out!