AN: This chapter answers the age-old question: Why do the Akatsuki wear nail polish? Enjoy!
"Sasuke-kun…word has reached me that Sakura-chan is dead. Is this true?" Orochimaru's voice was deadly soft.
Sasuke only nodded.
"How did it happen?"
"We had a disagreement. A fight. I killed her, as she was endangering the success of the mission."
"The success of the mission? The mission was a failure."
"Because of her." Sasuke turned away. "I don't see why she was so important to you. She had no potential at all."
"Kabuto found some powerful medicine in your bag and in your digestive system. You've suffered many injuries lately. She clearly healed you at least once. I am not pleased at your killing one of my subordinates, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke started walking out. Before closing the door behind him, he said, "I'll make it up to you."
Whenever Kakashi was at Tsunade's office at exactly the time his appointment had been marked, the Hokage knew something was wrong.
"Kakashi," Tsunade said tersely. "What's up?"
"You're not going to like it," he said somberly.
"I usually don't."
"You're really not going to like it."
"Kakashi, you got here on time. I've already braced myself for bad news."
A sigh. "The thing is…I just got in a report from the spies I posted around Orochimaru's base…"
"You posted spies without my permission?"
"Yeah. But that's not my point. My point is…word is, well…Sasuke has come back from the mission."
Tsunade's fists clenched. "So?"
"…Sakura…hasn't. According to intelligence…she's…"
They said the last word together. "Dead."
Tsunade slammed the clenched fist on the desk, making a crack in it and sending papers flying. She stood. "I can't believe it. I won't. This is absolute bullshit. Your spies are crap."
"Tsunade—"
"Just shut up, Kakashi." Tsunade marched over to the nearest refrigerator and grabbed the closest bottle of sake. Judging by the label, it was the strongest stuff made in these parts. She took out two glasses and put them on the weakened desk. She pulled up a chair and motioned for Kakashi to sit.
Kakashi usually didn't drink, but this time called for it. As they drowned their thoughts in alcohol, Tsunade murmured between coughs, "How could we have gone so wrong?"
"It's probably my fault," Kakashi admitted. "I was so focused on training the boys that…and, well, I thought that after Sasuke she'd want to be left alone, but...I misjudged. I'm not fit to become a teacher. Naruto deserves—" it dawned on both of them. "Naruto is not going to like this."
"Understatement of the year," Tsunade mumbled. Her speech was becoming more slurred and there was a faint flush to her cheeks. "She had so much potential…would've been a fearsome foe… could've convinced Sasuke ta…" she slumped, picture of distress. "We can't let Naruto know this."
"Can't let me know what?" asked a cheerful voice from the doorway. Naruto had barged in without warning—as always. Oh, perfect timing. Just perfect. His smile fell at the fact the sight of his sensei hurriedly pulling up his mask and the distress on both of their expressions. "Hey, what's up? Did something happen?"
"Nothing," Tsunade answered, forcing a smile to her face. But Naruto noticed a sheet of paper clenched in Kakashi's hand.
"What's this? Report from spies…concerning…" all the blood left Naruto's face. He glared at the two others. "You believe this rubbish?"
"Naruto, I—"
"You two are getting senile. Based on some fodder ninja and rumors, you think that the bastard killed Sakura-chan? Yeah, right!" Naruto laughed. "Besides, didn't you guys just go on a mission without me? You saw her! She was well and hearty! Sakura-chan's just fine, we just gotta find her and bring her and Sasuke back!"
"Naruto…" Kakashi heaved a sigh. It was pointless for Naruto to prolong this obsession. He had to absorb the brutal truth. He pulled out the other delivery from his spies—it had been carelessly thrown onto the ground outside the lair. It was Sakura's baggy Sound shirt, the green faded and stained with blood. Pakkun had found the blood to be a mix of Sasuke's and Sakura's.
Naruto took the shirt in bewilderment. Kakashi continued, "The blood belongs to both of them… obviously, Sakura picked a fight with Sasuke-kun, and… well, Sasuke won. There's even a puncture wound on the shirt, senbon as well. Even Sakura's hair."
Naruto pressed the shirt to his chest, staring at it. "No way…Sakura must have thrown the shirt down or something…or used it for something medical…"
"I'm pretty sure news about a girl walking shirtless across the deserts would reach us," Kakashi said softly. "Besides, if Sakura hasn't returned…then where is she?"
"She's coming back!" Naruto responded with that insufferable grin of his. "Sakura-chan's coming back, obviously, she just had to fake dead to get away."
"If Sakura, like you believed, went to get back Sasuke, why would she leave without him?" Kakashi asked.
"That's enough, Kakashi!" Tsunade reprimanded sharply. "Naruto has a right to believe what he wants."
"He's not thinking rationally," Kakashi responded. "As his teacher, I have to…I mean, he should have learned long ago that your comrades die. That's the life of a ninja."
"It's you who's being stupid, sensei," Naruto said carelessly, crossing his arms behind his head. "You want to believe, for some reason, that they're beyond help so you don't have to bother saving them. I'm going to be Hokage. I can't give up on them. You know that. Anyway, I came here to warn Granny that next time people go on a mission concerning my teammates without me, I'm following them." With a final grin, he jumped out the window.
She couldn't stand the silence. She knew Uchiha were soft-spoken, but they'd been in the room together for two hours with not a word exchanged. She had to say something...anything...
Sakura burst out, "Why the hell didn't you kill me on sight? Were you afraid of getting blood on the ground or something?" She winced and looked away. Maybe that wasn't the best icebreaker she could have thought up.
"…No," Itachi answered, undaunted, as he carefully applied black nail polish. "I didn't kill you for several reasons. One, word has it you are apprentice to the best medical kunoichi ever to have existed. I have an…illness that perhaps you could help." He finished one hand and waved it gently in order to dry it. "Two, you are familiar with Sasuke and could provide me with information on him. Three, you killed a member so we need a replacement anyway. I figured Pain would allow it." He began painting the next hand. "And, of course, I saw no reason to. You were too weak to interrogate, and now you could be an asset to the organization. I was—as always"—he finished that hand and blew daintily on it—"correct."
Sakura just stared at the nail polish.
Itachi noticed. "Ah—would you like some?" He tossed the bottle at her.
"No thanks," said Sakura, throwing it back. "I'm not that kind of person."
"It is not about what kind of person you are," Itachi responded. "This is not a fashion statement."
Sakura was surprised. "Then?"
"This nail polish is special—Sasori's own formula. It allows you to store chakra in your fist so that your strikes are more powerful. For those Akatsuki who are not naturally brutally strong, it is a useful asset. I suppose it is not unlike your regular punches. Yes," he confirmed upon seeing her shocked expression, "I saw your punches with the sharingan; you concentrate chakra in your fists. With this, you would be twice as strong and have your current strength with no trouble at all."
She should have known the Akatsuki weren't prissy men to wear nail polish with no purpose. So they weren't all gay. Shocking. She reached out her hand. "I'll take some. But what I'd really need would be some gloves that could store chakra like that…" she sighed and looked at her current gloves, lying on her cot. They were tattered, especially the fingers. She grabbed a kunai and cut off the damaged parts—they were now fingerless gloves. Then she took the nail polish and applied, brushing on with somewhat sloppy technique. She tried to bite back the memory, but it came anyway.
"Honestly, Forehead, you're totally useless at this!" Ino despaired, throwing up her hands in annoyance. The acrid smell of nail polish filled the whole room; it was Ino, TenTen, Sakura, Hinata, and two of Ino's cousins at a sleepover a few years ago. There was, of course, nail polish and makeup. Sakura had managed to give Ino some decent eyeshadow, but when it came to the nails she'd only managed to get huge globs to drip off onto the towel. Ino shook her head in wonder and growled, "Here, I'll show you how it's done."
With a gentleness contradicting the roughness in her voice, Ino took her hand and applied a fantastic pink manicure. Sakura hadn't let it wash off for days.
But this wasn't pink; it was black. And this was far, far, far from a sleepover.
Sakura realized she'd been lost in her thoughts for twenty minutes or so, and her nails had dried. She glanced over at Itachi, who appeared to be bent over some sort of work. Sakura leaned her head a little and had to bite back a gasp. It was a painting… a clearing in a forest, beautiful and vivid. The Uchiha had been artists, but Sakura hadn't thought…
She'd forgotten Itachi basically had eyes on the back of his head, so when he spoke, she jumped. "You know, Akatsuki is not uncivilized. Many members are here for reasons other than killing everything in sight." He put down his brush. and looked around at her, eyes hard. "But we do not show mercy, and this is not a ninja academy. We are ruthless, and we hurt people. Badly." With the hint of a smirk, he turned back to the painting, picked it up, and promptly incinerated it. The ashes fluttered to the ground.
Sakura bit her lip. "I—Itachi-san."
Itachi stilled to show he was listening, but didn't deign to look at her.
She realized now: during the initiation…he'd helped her. When she had the curse seal and bloodlust, Itachi had helped her control herself by discreetly using the sharingan…
"I know this isn't an academy, and I don't expect any academy teacher here. But I'm sure you noticed… I… need work. A lot of it. I need some sort of training."
"You're a genjutsu type," Itachi drawled. "So you want me to help you improve that. Your taijutsu needs work, and you have no shape manipulation to speak of. Is that correct?"
"Y—yes." He knew too much...she would have to get used to that.
The genius ninja shook his head. "It's a marvel you managed to beat Kisame—but then, you have intelligence, so you could figure out how to deal with him." Finally he turned around and met her eyes, sharingan whirling. Sakura forced herself not to look away. "I'll train you. Pain won't give us a real mission for a while. I won't have you being a burden."
A burden. A burden. Useless…annoying… weak.
Not anymore.
"We'll start shape manipulation tomorrow. I have to find the chakra paper…"
AN: So I've gotten so many reviews and I'm so happy that I've decided that I'm going to do what I've seen some authors do: allow requests. See the rules on my profile.
So I worked through Halloween to get this up, because I've been procrastinating. Sorry, guys! I can't update much faster than this if you still want bearable chapters.
Argh, writing Naruto's character kills me. I never know the right amount of happy and serious to include, because I just see him as a big, overconfident goodball who gets REALLY lucky. Meh. Everyone's different. Itachi, on the other hand, is fun to write but I'm not sure I do him justice, hahah!
Well, hope you all have/had a happy, safe Halloween or just a good weekend if you're not American!