Chapter threeI do not own Naruto
*Thank you to everyone! I'm so glad you like it.
Here's the next chapter! Italics is flashback, bold is thought. *
―――
Sakura eyes over flowed with tears as she met Tsunade's eyes. "I'll do it."
Tsunade couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What?"
Sakura looked away and said, "Tsunade-sama, I know that the village would not be able to survive if it weren't for you. If I try to refuse, they'll fire you, right? I guess…it has to be done."
Tsunade looked at her student. Seeing the fact that she was willing to put everything aside, her love, her freedom, for the good of the village, and it made Tsunade realize just how much she had grown.
"Alright, I prepare everything." Tsunade turned to leave. "Ahh, Sakura, one more thing."
"Yes?"
"Do you want to tell your family or should I?"
"Can you do it?"
"Sure, but you have to tell Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai. Especially if I'm the one that has to tell your family and Itachi!"
Tsunade walked out of Sakura's small apartment. God, she took that well!
―――
Itachi looked around the window-less cell he was in. Apart from a camp bed and a bucket, it was empty. Itachi walked up to the cell door. There was chakra infused within it, and he was unable to touch it.
"Hm" What are they doing? You would think they would have come to a fast decision, considering. Itachi was yanked from his thoughts as Tsunade walked in front of the cell door.
Itachi was sitting on the floor as she walked into the cell and curtly addressed him, "Uchiha Itachi, the council has come to the insane decision to forgive you for all of your past crimes and…and…"
"'and' what?" he asked, patiently.
Tsunade looked at him with distaste. I can't believe Sakura is going to marry this guy! "And, you will get married."
Tsunade looked at his face as she said those last words. His face was emotionless, controlled, but his eyes said that he was confused. Soon enough, his expression returned to his normal, apathetic stare.
"When?"
"In three days" Didn't he want to know who it is he's marrying?! Tsunade thought angrily. When he said nothing more, she turned to leave.
"Hokage-sama…" Saying that felt weird to him, but he supposed he would have to get used to it. He was after all, part of the village again.
"What?" Tsunade said, exasperated.
"Who is it?"
Tsunade smiled. "Haruno Sakura, my protégé." Tsunade left without another word.
―――
The Akatsuki base had never been in such an uproar. Uchiha Itachi had abandoned the organization and been transported to Konoha, presumably under arrest. The dark cave was filled with whispers as holograms of all the remaining members waited for the arrival of their leader.
"Why would he have left?"
"Hell if I know, Kisame! Weren't you his partner?!"
"YEAH, but-!" He abruptly stopped talking as the shadowy figure of the Akatsuki Leader appeared before the group.
"As you all have figured out, Uchiha Itachi is no longer with us. Why he left is unknown. But! He will not be gone for long!" With this, a low murmur of consent and a small amount of laughing spread throughout them.
Leader wore a sinister smile as he said, "Kisame, Deidara, I want you to find Itachi, see what he is doing, then report back. Nothing more. You'll leave tomorrow."
"Right."
"Okay, yeah!"
"Good, we'll see what Itachi has done, and bring him BACK. Whether he wants to or not." The images of the Akatsuki members faded from the cave one by one, all of them with a low chuckle.
―――
Sakura walked swiftly through the village. She had left messages with Naruto and Sai to meet her at 8. She had told Kakashi to meet them at the same place, only two hours earlier. She had hoped that, with his tardiness that he would be on time for once. She looked at her watch.
Shit, it's all ready 8:15! She thought. Could Kakashi-sensei's lateness be rubbing off on me? She ran now to find her team so she could tell them the news. The fact that she was marrying Itachi, her beloved Sasuke-kun's worst enemy was a tough pill to swallow and was the reason she was late; she had been up most of the night crying. Well, I can't cry now. She thought bitterly. She let out a sigh as she ran. I have to be strong, for everyone and myself.
Sakura had arrived at her destination. There was a tall, blonde, well-built young man arguing with Kakashi. The blonde turned to a skinny and pale teen on his left and screamed, "This is the end of the world, I'm telling you!"
The white-haired jonin, Kakashi, sighed. "I'm telling you, the note I got said to be here at 6, so… I'm still okay." He said this cheerfully, and watched as Naruto, the number-one hyperactive, knucklehead ninja, stared at him in awe.
"Kakashi-sensei, you were here before I was! That is just not normal!" At this point Sai had sensed that Sakura was near.
"Hello Sakura."
Naruto ran over to her. "Sakura-chan, you're late! I knew the world was ending!"
Sakura muttered her hellos and Kakashi waved in a mutual greeting. Naruto was staring at her as if to say 'what now?', so she took a deep breath.
"Thanks for coming guys. There is something I need to tell you…"
Sakura then proceeded to tell them what Tsunade had told her the night before. When she had finished she tried to look at each of their faces; while she had talked, she had stubbornly kept her gaze on the floor. Kakashi was silent. By looking at his body, you would assume he was relaxed. Sakura knew better, she looked into his dark colored eye, the one that wasn't covered by his headband, and saw that he was troubled and upset. Sai looked tense and had closed his eyes in an attempt to register the information. Naruto, however, was not someone that Sakura had to study. Upon hearing her stop talking, he completely went berserk.
"EEEHHH?! What the hell?! Sakura-chan, you've got to be kidding me! Since when was Itachi in the village? let alone your fiancé! I can't believe this! I'm going straight to talk to Granny Tsunade! How can she let this happen? What about all the stuff he did? What about Sasuke?!" He suddenly stopped pacing. His face wore an odd expression. "No, I won't let it happen!" Naruto turned to face Sakura. "Come on." He said, grabbing her by the arm. "We'll get outta here!"
Sakura ripped her arm from his grip. She had begun to cry without realizing it. "No, Naruto."
Naruto stopped in his tracks. "What? Sakura-chan…come on."
At this point Kakashi stepped in. "Sakura, what did the council threaten to do to Tsunade? If you had refused?"
"They would fire her."
Kakashi sighed. "I figured as much." He turned to Naruto. "We can't do anything to stop it Naruto. I'm sorry."
"But Kakashi-sensei, we can't let this happen!"
"Naruto, this is my life! I told you guys what was going on not to ask your permission! I've already decided. I can't let Tsunade leave the village." Sakura turned away from her teammates. They were all stunned by the manner in which she had spoken to them. As she walked away, Sakura regretted leaving as she did. She turned around and, with tears streaming down her face, said, "You're all invited to the wedding. It's at the end of the week." Sakura thought for a moment. "God! That's in two days!" she tried to gather some cheeriness as she said, "I'll see you there, right?"
With that, Sakura left Naruto, Sai, and Kakashi to watch her walk away. A slight breeze had picked up, and tousling Naruto's blonde, spiky, hair as his eyes filled with tears.
"I guess the world really is ending…"
―――
Woo! There's chap 3! And in record breaking time! Please let me know what you think!