First off, sorry for the slight delay. I have other ideas brewing in my head that I'm testing out, and Word temporarily died on me. This chapter is a bit shorter than the rest, but I will make sure the next chapter is longer. We are coming close to an end to this story. Thank you to all of my readers. There will be about two or three chapters left. Without further ado, here is chapter seven.

Words: 3854

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Chapter Seven—Digging the Truth

"We're dead." Ino proclaimed dramatically as she plopped herself down on the couch in Sakura's apartment. Tenten sighed as she settled herself down beside the blonde.

"You're not. I am." Sakura corrected. "I'll be buried ten feet under. Tsunade will spare the two of you."

"Do you really think he'll go see Tsunade?"

"Positive."

Another sigh.

"By the way…" Ino flashed her eyes to Sakura with a mischievous grin. "Why was he in your apartment?" Tenten sat forward a bit. Her eyes flashed the same way as Ino's.

"Yes, Sakura. What was he doing here?" Sakura huffed. This was great. Not only was their secret about to be exploited, her friends were now accusing her of fraternizing with the enemy. Simply perfect…

"Manners."

"Manners?" Echoed the two girls in confusion.

"Mhm." Sakura confirmed. "He drove me back to my place so I used my manners and invited him in." Tenten and Ino shared a look. A look that didn't escape Sakura's eyes.

"What?" The pink haired girl questioned on guard. Her friends' expressions were not very reassuring.

"So you guys hitched a ride together. Then stayed in the same room together." Ino concluded.

"How come you can make nothing sound like a make-out session?" Sakura countered dryly.

"It's a gift." Tenten chuckled on the side. Then she directed her gaze towards Sakura.

"But now, things are going to change. Are you ready?" Sakura gulped.

Truth? She was totally not ready.

Itachi strolled down the halls with Shisui. They were supposed to be doing work. This was just a temporary break…that might last for a while. Shisui observed the stoic Uchiha next to him. Itachi didn't seem to have changed. Shisui wondered about Sasuke. Now he did change.

It had been exactly two days without any word from the younger Uchiha. Which to Shisui meant, no chores. Bizarre. He was starting to wonder if Sasuke had been brainwashed. As a matter of fact, he hadn't seen the ice cube of a guy in the mansion lately. What was he up to? Shisui thought about the possibilities. Thinking of more tasks to complete and assigning him more chores seemed to be a likely excuse. But then, Sasuke usually didn't dwindle on these types of things for very long. Two days time was just exceeding the time limit. Well now, the only way to know where Sasuke was without having the Uchiha know about it, was to… Shisui shifted his gaze to Itachi. He was his brother, after all.

"Say, weasel, where's that brother of yours lately?" He received a sharp glare.

"Do not call me weasel."

"Why not? That's what your name means." Shisui grinned. "Quite fitting."

"Shisui." Itachi gave his cousin one of his death stares. They had stopped walking, and Itachi had cornered the other Uchiha into the wall. "If you dare call me weasel one more time, my brother will not be the only one that you will fear." A smirk. "There are plenty of tasks to be completed in the mansion. And I'm afraid, no matter how many maids we have, we could always use more help." Shisui gulped. Sasuke and Itachi were more similar than they thought.

"You're quite cruel."

"So I've been told." Itachi stepped away from Shisui and continued walking as if nothing had happened. The other Uchiha groaned.

Why in the world was he born to the Uchiha family?

Sasuke drove his car away from Sakura's apartment. It was time to go visit Tsunade. His left hand grasped the wheel as his other hand grabbed the piece of paper with the address scribbled on it. Itachi had done something useful for Sasuke for once.

After a few twists and turns, his sleek black car parked in front of a rundown old building. He double checked the address. This was the place. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke looked around. This part of the city was vacant. The 'downgraded' half. His nose scrunched up in discontent. If this wasn't such an extreme problem, he wouldn't have been caught dead in this place. It reeked of litter, and the air was musty with air pollution. It was a dump. Sighing, Sasuke approached the door of the building. It was now or never. And cautiously, he opened the door and stepped in.

The first thing Sasuke noticed was that the ground floor was just as dirty as outside. How pleasant. Rounding off to the other side, he ascended on the stairs to the second floor. It wasn't a surprise that this floor was just as messy. Sasuke was beginning to wonder if Itachi had given him the right address. There seemed to be no sign of anyone staying in the vicinity.

Since he already traveled this far, he might as well just search the entire building. And the only way to go, was up. Sasuke climbed up the stairs again.

Third floor.

Trashy.

Fourth floor.

Whoa, did the spiders have a party in here? Sasuke brushed the cobwebs away from his face with a disgruntled expression.

Fifth floor.

Smelled like a bathroom. Enough said.

Sixth floor.

Dusty, and Sasuke was glad he didn't have allergies.

Seventh floor.

Wow, this was one tall building.

Eighth floor.

There was really nothing to see. He was just wasting his time.

Ninth floor.

He really should go down now.

Tenth floor.

Old lady glaring at him. Ok, time to go.

…

Pause. Rewind.

Sasuke stared at the woman piercing holes in his being. There was someone here. Someone actually lived in this dump? His eyes glanced over the room. It was like an attic, one single room on a floor. And surprisingly, his eyebrows arched, this place was clean. Piles of paper were stacked up against the wall. Two bookcases stood off to the side. A big, mahogany desk rested in the corner, farthest from the window. Speaking of the window, it was the only thing that was filthy. Grime and a black substance covered the area. Sasuke supposed that the purpose was so that those outside wouldn't be able to see inside. Plus, the dirtiness matched with the rest of the area. This lady was in hiding. Which meant, he redirected his gaze to the woman that seemed perplexed, angry, amused, and haughty at the same time, she was Tsunade. Oh boy. Sasuke noticed the familiar gleam in her eyes. Another tough girl to handle. Never mind, old lady, he meant.

"Who are you?" A brisk, crisp, business like voice rang out.

"Sasuke Uchiha." He watched with satisfaction when he saw her eyes widen slightly in surprise. "You're Tsunade, I presume." She smirked.

"Uchihas really are smart." Her eyes glared. "What do you want?"

"My blueprint back." He countered coolly.

"Too bad. I don't have it."

"Then who does?"

"It's gone. Vanished. Disappeared. Nowhere to be found. Get the picture?" Sasuke almost snarled at the amused lady. Why were these women so hard to handle?

"Then answer something else."

"What do you want to know?"

"Who is Sakura Haruno?" Sasuke waited, tightlipped, for Tsunade to reply.

"Why should I tell you anything?"

"Because I can reveal everything." He noticed her eyes darken, and he thought he heard her mutter.

"Damn these smart Uchihas." Sasuke smirked. He was getting under her skin. Perfect.

"Tell me all there is to know about her."

"…She's a…" He noticed how the lady was struggling to find the words to say.

"She's a …?" He prompted her.

"Spy."

"Sakura's a spy." Sasuke tried to say it. He needed it to sink in. He already knew that she was different, but he hadn't necessarily thought that she would be a spy.

"For how long?"

"Ever since the…"

"Accident?" Sasuke remembered what Itachi had found out. "The car accident that 'killed' her, Ino, and Tenten?" Tsunade smirked wider.

"Sounds like you already know everything."

"Tell me more."

"Nothing more to tell." Sasuke sent her a glare.

"Fine. But I'm not leaving until I know where my blueprint is." He stated, stonily. There would be no budging. There was a twinkle in the woman's eyes, and he didn't miss it.

"How about a proposal, Uchiha?"

"I'm afraid I'm a bit younger than you." He replied with a smirk. Sasuke couldn't help it. His cockiness had to come out eventually.

"Not marriage. Business proposal." Tsunade was unfazed.

"Keep talking."

"Sakura's mission, the stealing of your blueprint….there's a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Her orbs flashed.

"Suspicious activities dealing with our employer."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Well, I thought you'd want this." A rolled up document was lifted from behind the desk to Sasuke's view. He visibly stiffened.

"You told me you didn't have it."

"And you actually believed that?" Tsunade chuckled. "And I thought you were smart…" Teeth gritted, he replied, eyes trained on the blueprint.

"What do I need to do?" Sasuke could have sworn that her lips twitched up in a mischievous smirk. Groaning, he stayed tensed. Just perfect…

Sakura was confused. Why was Sasuke outside her apartment? She had been preparing to leave to go the Uchiha mansion for day three of her 'oh so pleasant week as a maid.' She had actually been on time today. No need to rush. So when Sakura walked outside to see Sasuke leaned against his car, she was quite reluctant to move. What was his plan now?

His eyes met hers, and she was vaguely surprised to realize that he didn't smirk. Sasuke didn't say anything, just nodded towards the car as a motion for her to get in. Seeing no point to argue, Sakura complied. Sliding into the leather seats, she was aware that Sasuke had something to say. He was just taking his sweet time staying quiet before then.

"To what do I earn the pleasure of getting a ride?" Sakura started the conversation, for fear of the silence lasting any longer.

"I know everything." Her eyes widened at the stoic man still intent on driving. His eyes were focused on the road.

"E..everything?" She hated the fact that she stuttered.

"Hn."

"You met Tsunade." Sakura stated, mutely. She really was going to get sliced and diced.

"Hn."

"What now?" Sasuke took his time in answering.

"There's a plan."

"A plan?" Sakura questioned. He was taking the truth rather well. And shockingly, she relaxed.

The car eased to a stop at the red light. Sasuke took this time to turn to look at Sakura. His gaze was intense as she gulped.

"Sakura, we need to act as a couple." The girl blinked.

"W..what?" Sasuke sighed. He looked back to the road and started the car again. His mind traveled back to the conversation he had with Tsunade.

"As you know, Sakura is a spy. Our agency has made sure that her past was erased so we arranged her 'death' in the car accident along with the other two girls. She's supposed to be keeping her distance from you, but…" Tsunade pursed her lips. "She didn't." Sasuke was oddly pleased with the fact.

"Our employer was Orochimaru. Do you know of him?" Sasuke pried into his memory.

"Vaguely. I believe he dealt business with my father before."

"Mhm. He's supposed to have the blueprint right now, but we're suspicious of his motive and actions."

"What makes you think that?"

"Some spies have been tailing him, and according to the reports, he's bad news. And besides…" Tsunade waved her hand nonchalantly in the air. "He's a creep." Sasuke smirked. He might actually be able to get along with this lady.

"So you're planning to give my blueprint to a creep." He stated. Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"Haven't you been listening? I have a plan to foil his …well whatever he's doing. It's Orochimaru so it won't be any good." Sasuke understood this lady. And he had a half a mind to brand her as crazy too.

"What's your plan?" So like an Uchiha. Straight to the point.

"First things first, you and Sakura must be as close as possible the next few days."

"How come?"

"You two will be partners. So close contact is essential."

"What are you saying?" The old lady had on a sly smile. Oh, beware Sasuke, beware.

"The best way without anyone suspecting anything will be if you two pose as a couple." Sasuke smirked. That wasn't as bad of a plan as he had thought.

"Can you pull that off, Uchiha?"

"Hn."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Go to the address of your plot of land. See if there are any suspicious activities. You're there so even if you're caught, you can say that you want to check out the land. Best to not be seen, though."

"Hn."

"Go tomorrow."

"Hn."

"I'm taking all of this as a yes. Good luck." There was a glint in Tsunade's eyes that made Sasuke want to leave as soon as possible. He had gotten the information that he wanted. And now somehow, he was warped up in Sakura's business too. Right before he left the room, Sasuke heard the lady speak again.

"Welcome to the agency, Mr. Uchiha."

"Aa." With that, he left.

"So let me get this straight. You know everything. We need to act like we're going out. Somehow, you're in the agency. And we need to stakeout at a vacant plot of land to spot Orochimaru." Sakura spoke slowly, absorbing the information. "Wow. Didn't see that coming."

Sasuke stayed quiet. The pink haired girl looked at his face. She was surprised to see that it was calm and relaxed. Did he harbor no hard feelings towards her? Wasn't he upset that she had deceived him? But then again, Sakura thought mentally, he had already known from the start that she was lying. Then a thought occurred to her.

"Why are we going to the Uchiha mansion then?" He spoke in that usual stoic tone of his.

"I didn't go home last night. If I don't show up again, they'll start to worry. We'll go to the land later tonight." Sakura nodded.

"Then where did you sleep last night?" Sasuke tilted his head back. Sakura gaped at him.

"You slept in the car?!" He quirked an eyebrow in amusement.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"Just didn't think someone as 'high and mighty' as you would do such a lowly thing."

"Hn." Sakura smiled as she turned her gaze to the window. She was a spy for most of her life. Acting really shouldn't be a problem. Acting to be Sasuke's lover, she inwardly smirked, might actually be easy.

Sasuke noticed the pleasant aura surrounding Sakura. Guess she was over the sleeping in the car thing. He smirked. He really hadn't spoken all of the truth. Sasuke really had slept in the car. But he had slept in a car that was parked in front of her apartment. Oh well, she really didn't have to know.

After a bit more driving, Sasuke and Sakura arrived at the mansion. They both got out and headed towards the main door. Sakura took a deep breath. Let the acting commence.

The two walked inside the building and began to head up to the study. Sakura couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed at their close proximity. Standing next to such a good looking person almost made her feel as giddy as a school girl. She rolled her eyes. Those days were long gone.

Sasuke led her upstairs. They stopped at the study room door. Sasuke's hand was already on the doorknob when he paused his movements.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"Someone's coming." His movements were so fast that Sakura couldn't even see them. The next thing she knew, his arm was around her waist and they had gotten closer than ever. Unconsciously, her head leaned a bit on his shoulder. Sasuke smirked.

Down the hallway, they saw Itachi and Shisui walking over. Sakura tried to stop her beating heart. Sasuke probably already noticed its fast rhythm, but she had to act now. Time to stay composed. Time to be relaxed. Time to lie.

Itachi would have laughed at the situation.

Laughed out loud. But he didn't. Because, well, because he was Itachi Uchiha. And Itachi did not laugh. But he could snicker.

And snicker he did.

Sasuke and Sakura stood in front of him. One of his brother's hand was draped around the girl's waist.

The two stood rather close.

Sakura's head was against his shoulder.

A picture perfect couple.

"What the hell are you looking at?"

Itachi looked into his brother's flashing orbs.

"Your girlfriend."

He waited for a biting comeback.

But...it didn't come.

Itachi's eyes twinkled with amusement. This was quite different than what he had expected. After all, they had been arguing just the day before. And now, they were a couple? Something was up. He could feel it.

If he wasn't Itachi Uchiha, the genius, then he would act more like a clueless person. He might've thought that they were actually going out. Or he would gawk at them and question the two on how this came to be. To put it more simply, if Itachi wasn't a prodigy, then he would've acted exactly like Shisui.

"You are dating?!" The male practically screeched. Itachi mentally rolled his eyes. His cousin wasn't the sharpest needle in the haystack.

"Are you blind? Can't you tell?" The biting remarks were back.

"But..I thought." Shisui's eyes traveled to Sakura who, under Itachi's scrutiny, fidgeted. "I thought you hated him!" Sasuke twitched involuntarily.

"Well, I stopped." That was lame. Sakura knew it, and she mentally sighed. She better start acting better.

"I think I'm dreaming…a horrible dream…" Shisui whispered softly. He seemed to be in a daze. Sakura stared at him worriedly. The man was sweet and nice, but he seemed a bit dense at the moment.

"Are you ok?" She asked cautiously. Sasuke and Itachi rolled their eyes. She was obviously unaware of Shisui's habits.

"This is a nightmare!" Shisui turned to Sasuke. "You better treat her right! She's not something you can just order around like you do to me!" Sasuke was unfazed by his remark. Just let him ramble. Then Shisui turned back to the girl. "Sakura…I feel sorry for you." Sakura gave him a wry smile. At least he was starting to calm down.

"We should go now." Sasuke tugged at her arm to try to lead her away. Shisui was beginning to get on his nerves. They might as well go to that plot of land now. A voice halted Sasuke.

"You will go nowhere." Sasuke mentally groaned and looked to his side. Low and behold, Fugaku stood in his usual strict manner. He strode over in quick angry strides.

"Father, Sakura and I have business to deal with." Fugaku's eyes lingered on their intertwined arms.

"Seems to me like you didn't heed my warning." His steely eyes directed them to Sakura. The power this man had was amazing. She wanted to look anywhere but at him. However, the harsh old man held her gaze.

"What are you after? Money?" Sakura was fired up now. How dare he accuse her of using personal attachments for her own use? As angry as she was with the old man in front of her, she could feel the tightening of Sasuke's hand around her own.

"You have no right to say that to her, father." Sakura was mildly surprised when she heard the slight waver in his usual stoic voice. It held anger and irritation. She looked up at his face which did now show any emotion, but his eyes were hard. Was he actually going to go against his father? For her? The school girl giddy feeling was coming back.

"You have no use for her."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"She'll just use you."

"Then I like being used." Sasuke was protecting her. Sakura tightened her hand around his in encouragement and thanks. A smirk appeared on his face.

"I must leave now."

"You will do no such thing." The old man was grating on Sakura's last nerves.

"You can't control me, father." Sasuke's voice had grown soft but still hard. He pulled Sakura by the hand to leave. She scurried after him, and they were about a couple of steps behind Fugaku when the old man spoke again. His voice had gone up, shaking with authority.

"You will run the Uchiha Corp. when I retire. Until then, you must behave accordingly! If you take one more step, I'll leave the company to someone else!" Sasuke put on a wry smirk as he turned around to look at his angry father, stoic brother, and thoughtful cousin.

"I never wanted to become the head anyways." With that, he tugged Sakura along with him as the two left the building.

Itachii cursed his timing. He should have left when they had been talking. Now he was stuck with a fuming father and an awed Shisui. Amusement was gone, and now, his father was going to take it out on him. Nice going, Sasuke.

"I want you to follow him, Itachi." Came a voice that was shaking with fury. "Follow him and bring him back." Itachi sighed. Since Sasuke was able to voice out his opinions, he might as well do the same. There was no use for him to avoid them.

"I believe he can do as he wish." Fugaku rounded on his eldest son. Eyes were balls of fury. Shisui looked at Itachi as well.

"Are you disobeying me as well?"

"No, just merely stating my opinion. Come on, Shisui." Itachi nonchalantly led his cousin away.

Fugaku stood shaking. Were these really his two sons?

Shisui looked at the stoic face of Itachi. Maybe he had changed too.

"Where are we going?" A smirk quirked up on the male's face.

"To follow Sasuke and Sakura." Shisui was taken back.

"But I thought you weren't going to do that!" Itachi calmly replied.

"I said I wasn't going to tail him for father. It doesn't mean that I don't want to see where he's going." Shisui rolled his eyes as he followed his cousin. No change at all. Same old sadistic Itachi.

"Hurry up."

"You're walking too fast, weasel!"

"What did I say about the nickname?" Shisui grinned.

He wouldn't want his cousin to be any other way.

A/N: Throughout this fic, I've had Itachi and Sasuke call Fugaku 'father.' And I've mistakingly typed 'dad' in my rough copies. It was quite a hassel to change all those 'dads' into 'fathers'. For some reason I can't see either brother calling Fugaku by any other name. This was quite a useless ramble, but I just felt like typing it. :3

Oh, and check out my new fic 'Deja vu.' It's my next focus.

Preview of the next chapter:

Chapter Eight: Caught Red-handed

Sakura's breath came out in shallow gasps.

She watched the men pile boxes on top of each other. Guards heavy with weapons stood at every corner, blocking intruders such as herself.

Good thing Sasuke was here with her or else she might've been caught. He had found the hiding place in the woods after all.

She directed her gaze back to the men. All of them were buff. It would be hard to take them down.

Beams of light from flashlights roamed the area. The darkness from the night covered Sasuke and Sakura well.

"What should we do?" Her voice was raspy with worry as she whispered.

"Calling for backup would be best." Sasuke answered. The two got ready to move when a shrill voice caused them to see what had caused the commotion.

There, standing in the middle of the plot of land with guards surrounding him was Shisui.

r&r pwease