Sakura's POV:
I sipped some of my tea as I stood over my counter. I looked out my window over the street. I snorted in amusement as I saw kids playing. They seemed so carefree. I smirked. In a couple years they wouldn't be playing like that again. I looked across the room at a mirror. My reflection starred back at me. My green eyes were cold. My short cropped pink hair fell to my shoulders. My whole face was hard with no compassion. My face would make even my friends have second thoughts of talking to me. I looked at myself a minute. Then I turned away.
I was eighteen. It had been six years since they had left. Sasuke had left and joined Orochimaru, and Naruto had left with Jiraya to train. Naruto had promised to bring Sasuke back. I didn't care anymore. If Sasuke wanted to stay with Orochimaru let him. I was no longer the sweet naïve little girl I used to be. I was a hard, strong, and cruel woman. Tsunade had trained me. I think she regretted that sometimes. I was now a better medic then her and I was also stronger then her with my inhuman strength. I smirked.
After the other two had left team seven had broken up. Kakashi had become an ANBU captain and I had become the Godaime's apprentice and later became an ANBU. I could have taken position as ANBU captain but refused. I had also gone on missions with the other teams. It had helped me greatly. I had trained with Gai and Lee a lot too. They had taught me everything about Taijutsu and helped me increase my speed and stamina. I now wore weights like them on my legs at all times but was still one of the fastest in Kohona with them on. Kurenai had helped me improve in genjutsus too since I was so good at them. I out ranked her now. Then I had trained with other members of the teams. Like Hinata and Neji. They had taught me some chakara points that I could poke to mess up chakara. I was good at it since I was so fast, had good chakara control, and since I was a medic. I had trained with Tenten learning how to use certain weapons, and I had trained lastly with Kakashi. He had taught me the Chidori and just trained with me a lot.
I chuckled softly. I was one of the top ninja's in Kohona. Many thought I would take Tsunade's place as Hokage later. I doubted that. I didn't want to become the Hokage of a village I didn't love. When I had been little I had been loyal to Kohona. It had been my home. But now, since my parents had died three years ago and I had started to live alone with out even many friends I had done a lot of thinking. I didn't love the place. Not many people trusted me either. I was a loner, one who could easily betray them at any moment. I was someone no one really trusted or had faith in. I was one of their strongest but one of the least loyal. That was one of the reasons I had refused the position as ANBU captain. It would have meant I had to be loyal to my village, take any mission, and show to my team and others how loyal I was.
I didn't care about any of that. No friends of mine thought I would turn out like this, but I had. I thought a moment. I didn't have any friends anymore actually. Well I'd say my only friend left was Shikamaru. Shikamaru and I had become great friends. I always thought it was odd. The two of us trained together the most and we met a lot to play Go and other games like it. I liked the lazy ninja. He was very nice and never seemed to expect anything of me. He was the only person I relaxed near and showed real emotions too.
I had learned to keep most of my emotions locked away years ago. I was known as a cruel, cold, merciless, and emotionless killer in the field. At home and around 'friends' I usually showed the same emotions; coldness, cruelty, and anger. Only Shikamaru got to see my real emotions. I sipped more of my tea as I looked outside. I saw three kids playing together. Two boys seemed to be fighting but looked to be partial friends and the girl looked frustrated as she tried to stop them. She seemed to like one of the boys.
I chuckled. It was like how Sasuke, Naruto, and I used to act. I guessed that if Sasuke ever came back he and Naruto would act the same as always. I wouldn't though. For one I didn't love Sasuke. I didn't even think of him as a brother. He was just some one who had left. I had been foolish to chase him. Naruto? Well I guess I would still hold some respect for but we wouldn't be close. I finished the last of my tea and set my cup in the sink. I walked to the living room and pulled out my game board. I set the pieces up and made some more tea for Shikamaru and me.
I got everything ready then waited. Shikamaru would be here soon. I didn't have to worry about anyone else bothering our game of even interrupting me while I set up. No one would bother to come over to even say hi anymore. I had usually pushed them away. I didn't see what the point in having friends was. I still liked Shikamaru but he was different. He never was loud or rude, or asked questions I didn't want him to. He rarely pried and never scolded me or made fun of me. He was polite but still my friend and he always talked with me and let me do as I wish.
I sat on my couch. Shikamaru was the only person I trusted. Ino had tried to stay my friend but I didn't like her. She was the opposite of Shikamaru and the opposite of what I wanted my friends to be. I wasn't ever really close to the others. I doubted they even remembered me unless we talked. Tsunade talked to me and bothered me sometimes though. She always seemed to want to keep an eye on me. I couldn't blame her. If I did something I wasn't supposed to them they wouldn't know. She was the only one who could probably talk to me with me pushing her away. She was my Hokage and if I pushed her away or was rude I could be surrounded by ANBU in a second so I had to stay at least partially loyal in her eyes.
It wasn't hard to be distant and cold because that was what I was really like. It annoyed me though that all my old friends had let me try and push them away once and then shrugged and left me. I knew that any true friend wouldn't have given up on me, like Shikamaru or Naruto. But in the end Naruto had left me too. They had left me in the dark. That was when my hate for them had seeded. Only one light remained; my friend Shikamaru.
Suddenly a knock rang out. Shikamaru may be lazy but he was always on time. I opened the door and Shikamaru stepped in. He gave me a small smile and sat in front of the board. I sat across from him and we started our game. We were silent a moment as we made the first moves and drank some more tea. After a minute we started to chat about normal things like gossip he had heard. I stayed alone a lot so I didn't hear any. He told me how everyone else was progressing and what missions he had had and would get. I told him some small things I had heard and how my training was going, and such. After a while when we were reaching the end of the game he started a different conversation.
"So Sakura-chan, have you been talking to others, making new friends?" He asked.
"No Shikamaru-kun."
"You should."
He wasn't scolding me. He was just saying what he thought.
"I don't feel like it. You are enough for me." I winked.
He snorted and made his move.
"You are getting more distant. Kakashi and Tsunade are worried."
"I know."
I made my move and he made his easily.
"They think you may betray him and have been arguing about how to deal with you. The council has even had some meetings on you."
I scowled slightly.
"I'm not supposed to say but Tsunade said that Naruto found Sasuke."
I made my move and looked up at him.
"Seems Sasuke agreed to come back even with out a fight; something about Orochimaru talking about a new body soon."
I nodded and he made his move.
"Jiraya sent her a letter saying they would be back in a week."
"Nh." I said as I made my move.
He glanced at me.
"Do you miss them, Sakura-chan?" He asked.
"Not really." I answered easily.
"Why not?"
"They left me. Even if Naruto left to get Sasuke and bring him back they left me. Naruto hasn't written to me once in six years. I would think he was dead if Tsunade didn't say he was well. And Sasuke abandoned us. I do not miss them… I win."
He blinked at the board and smiled.
"Well I have won sixteen times in the past month and you have only won eleven times." He said.
I grinned.
"I am catching up though. Wait till I surpass you. Then I'll be rubbing it in our face."
He nodded.
"Let's go get some lunch."
I smiled.
"Okay."
I gently picked the stuff up and put it away neatly. Then I grabbed my bag and followed Shikamaru outside. I wore a black skirt with a black tank top at the moment. It had been the only clean thing in the house that day, the rest had been in the wash. I felt a bit different with a skirt on. I hadn't worn one in ages. I walked beside Shikamaru. He glanced down at me and grinned.
"You look nice."
"Thanks handsome." I said.
We grinned at one another and continued to walk. When I passed down my streets the woman whispered as they saw me. The men eyed me and whistled to themselves. Most people rarely saw me and if they did I had a blank face and pants on. I just talked with Shikamaru softly as we walked. He seemed to enjoy my company as much as I enjoyed his.
Shikamaru's POV:
Sakura and I walked along. I noticed that many guys starred at her. She was very beautiful. She had long pretty legs and curves in all the right places. Her green eyes looked full of life as she walked with me. Her pink hair bounced as we walked and her lips would tempt any man. I felt honoured to just have her walking with me. She rarely agreed to go in public with me and she usually didn't show emotion in public. I had seen her fight before and her cold mask could be very frightening, but at the moment she looked like an ordinary girl. She wasn't like that around anyone, only me. I smiled at her as we talked. I heard many people whisper as we walked. It was rare enough to see Sakura but to see me with her and smiling was even rarer. We soon found a restaurant and we slipped in. We talked as we ordered. When are food arrived we ate in silence. When it was done I looked at Sakura.
"Want to come cloud-gazing with me?"
She grinned.
"You know I think I will."
'She's in a good mood if she said yes.' I thought.
"You know you haven't come out in public or stayed out this long in months." I said.
"I guess I'm getting a bit bored of staying home."
I nodded and as the bill arrived we argued about who was paying. We did this every time we ate out. I finally gave in and she paid. Then we walked out. She walked close to me and we continued to talk. When we reached the grass hill I liked we sat down on the side that faced away from the village. We laid back and I put my hands behind my head. Sakura just laid her hands on her stomach her fingers intertwined. We just laid there in silence as we watched the white clouds roll across the clear blue sky.
I sighed happily. Sakura was the only one I could actually cloud gaze with. She didn't complain and actually sat still and enjoyed herself. She sighed happily with me and grinned at me. I grinned back and let my eyes close as the small breeze blew over us. I don't know how long we laid there but then I heard someone clear there throat. I opened my eyes to see Neji standing above me. He looked down at me a small smirk on his face. Sakura was watching him her emotionless mask back on.
"Ino and Choji are wondering what you're doing. They saw you and Sakura here but didn't want to interrupt anything. You know you sat here for over four hour's right?" He asked.
I sighed. I guessed I had dozed off slightly earlier.
"So?" Sakura asked.
"Are you two dating?" He asked.
"No." Sakura and I chorused easily.
He glanced at us then looked at Sakura.
"I haven't seen you in almost two months." He said.
"I usually train at night or early in the morning away from everyone and I had no reason to come out."
"How did Shikamaru get you out?"
"He suggested lunch and I agreed."
"So you went to lunch together." He said. "Sounds like a date to me."
"Well its not." I said.
"Nh." Neji said after a minute.
Then he walked off. I sat up sighing.
"Well as soon as he tells Ino and Choji we aren't doing anything they'll come bother us and I know you won't like that."
She nodded.
"I better be going home." Sakura yawned.
I smiled slightly and nodded. We both stood and stretched. I put my hands behind my head and we walked off. We were a bit silent as we walked. When we reached Sakura's house we walked in. She shut the door and tore her sandals off. I followed her example. She walked to the kitchen motioning me to follow.
"Want an early dinner?" She asked.
"Sure." I said.
I sat at the table and she started to cook. When she had finished we sat and ate. We talked quietly. When we had finished Sakura cleaned up and escorted me to the door. I pulled my sandals on and looked at her.
"You said you didn't care that Sasuke and Naruto were coming back so I'm guessing you don't love either of them."
"No. I don't love anyone."
"I think Neji likes you a bit." I said.
She blinked. Then snorted and smirked softly like she doubted it.
"Lee has finally given up on you too. He's going out with a girl named Mikota."
She chuckled softly.
"So you have a mission tomorrow?" She asked.
"Yes. I will be back before Naruto and Sasuke arrive. It's just a short delivery mission."
"I expect you to come over. And you had better be ready for me to crush you in our Shougi game."
I grinned. Then I grabbed her wrist as she went to open the door for me. She looked up at me. I pulled her into me and she came. When she was close enough I leaned over and planted my lips firmly on hers. She gasped slightly. I slipped my tongue in her mouth and she let me. Our tongues battled for dominance as my lips worked against her. My hands let her wrists go. My one hand held the back of her neck deepening the kiss and my second hand grabbed her nice ass and pulled her closer to me. I noticed that she hesitated before she wrapped her arms around my neck but ignored the fact. I pushed Sakura against the wall and pushed my body closer to hers. She moaned against my kiss and at the close contact. Suddenly a knock rang out. I slowly pulled back from Sakura. She stood straight and straightened her clothes and hair before she opened the door. An ANBU stood there.
"The Hokage wants you to come see her immediately."
"Hai." Sakura replied.
The ANBU nodded and was gone. Sakura turned to me.
"I'll see you when you get back from you mission Shikamaru-kun."
I nodded and walked out the door with her. She looked at me then she took off running for the Hokage's tower. I mentally slapped myself. I noticed how much she had hesitated kissing me and almost seemed a bit skittish when she left. I was getting to pushy or I was going to fast. I groaned softly and walked off down the street.
Sakura's POV:
I ran quickly to the tower as I licked my lips and sorted my thoughts. I guess I had been a little surprised at the kiss but not too surprised. I wondered how I really thought about Shikamaru. I shook my head. I would have to figure that out later when I had time to unlock my feelings and see. I entered the tower and headed for Tsunade's office. I knocked at the door before entering. I calmly looked over Kakashi, Tsunade, and Shizune who were looking solemn and serious.
"Sakura." Tsunade greeted.
"Tsunade, Shizune, and Kakashi." I nodded.
I made sure no emotion showed. Tsunade regarded me a moment. Then she sighed.
"I have a mission for you."
I nodded.
"I will offer it to you first. If you refuse I will offer it to Shikamaru and his team."
"He has a mission." I said.
"It would be cancelled. This is more important. This is an SS-class mission. "
I looked into her eyes a moment and nodded.
"We have some information that at the moment Orochimaru and Kabuto, are at a base we know the location of and he has few guards. Your mission would be to infiltrate his base and kill Orochimaru and Kabuto. Getting in may be troublesome but I'm sure you can do it. The problem will be getting out and killing the two. There is a high risk of death."
There was silence a moment.
"You don't need to accept. We can ask Shikamaru and his team but Tsunade said this would be a better solo mission and you are one of the few ninja who do best solo and are strong enough." Kakashi said.
I looked at him.
"I will take it; but not to prove my loyalty or strength to you. I will do it to save Shikamaru the trouble."
They looked at me.
"You will leave immediately." Shizune said.
I almost detected a hint of sorrow in her voice.
"I hope to return. But if I do not tell Shikamaru I said goodbye."
Tsunade looked at me.
"No goodbyes to anyone else?" She asked with sorrow.
"I know no one else who would need a goodbye."
"What about Naruto and Sasuke?"
"Who are they?" I asked coldly.
The three flinched visibly.
"They abandoned me six years ago and I have not heard from them once they are strangers to me."
I saw Kakashi turn away, Shizune look at the ground, and Tsunade pinch her lisp tight.
"We know you know that we do not trust you." Kakashi said.
"Of course, and you shouldn't. I am not as loyal as I used to be. I could kill you in a split second if I wanted to."
"You must understand that we will not mourn if you die and if you return a traitor you will be killed merciless. Even if you return after finishing your mission we will arrest you. We will not allow you to harm this village. The council wanted Tsunade to keep you under house arrest because of the danger you are but she refused. But if you return we will have to. You will be striped of your ninja ranks and become a normal citizen. This is your last mission Sakura, there will be no others. Please understand." Kakashi said.
Tsunade clenched her eyes shut. And I saw her hands claps together till her knuckles were white. Shizune had schooled her face but just looked over my head. Kakashi had set his mouth in a grim line and was doing his duty.
"I understand perfectly. I sort of wish it hadn't come to this, but I do not regret anything I did. I have to say that was a wise decision. I was getting close to deserting you anyways. If you had left me longer I would have betrayed you." I sang with humourless amusement.
"Could we have saved you from the coldness, saved your emotions, and kept the old Sakura?" Tsunade asked.
"I do not need emotions and I like the coldness. The old Sakura has been demolished there was no chance of saving her even before she was pushed back. I wish to say thank you though."
They all looked at me now.
"Thank you Kakashi, for everything. Thank you Tsunade, for everything. Thank you Shizune. I will probably even thank you as you strip me of my rank and put me under watch. I will thank you for saving me from myself….maybe."
Tsunade looked away and tossed me a scroll with the details and map for my mission.
"I'm sorry." She whispered.
It didn't change me hearing those words but it did make me feel a tiny bit better. It told me they knew they were partly responsible for what happened to me. I turned on my heels and walked out of the tower. I headed home. When I reached it I went straight to my room. I ripped out a bag and stuffed some clothes in it. I threw in soldier pills and medic stuff. Then I pulled my ANBU outfit on. I strapped my weapon pouches on and a kanta at my waist. Shikamaru had got the Kanta for me for my birthday. I liked it. It was all black except for the silver blade. The hilt also had two cherry blossom petals engraved in it.
I walked downstairs and opened a drawer. I pulled out my will. I had made it years ago. It said goodbye to all my friends and told them how much I loved them. I snorted and ripped it up. I wrote a new one saying to let Shikamaru have my Go and Shougi boards. He also got to have anything else he wanted. I said goodbye to him and that was it. My will was in the favour of my only friend. Screw the others. I left it on my fridge and pulled my pack on. I looked at my mask. It was a fox with orange and red markings. It held a grin and made it look cold and mischievous. Foxes were crafty and keen, and mischievous and tricky. I pulled it on. I pulled my hood up and walked out my door.
I walked off for that gate. The sun was half set but I liked to do missions and such at night better then the day. I found no one at the gate. Before I might have found friends who were wishing me well on this mission but now the area was empty except for the guards. I looked back once. It may be the last time I looked upon my village. I snorted, not that I cared. I smirked under my mask and walked out the gate. My last thought as I ran into the night was 'maybe when this is done, and I'm a normal citizen, I can play shogi with Shikamaru more.'
--
For three days I ran at a good pace. I didn't run into any problems and was like a shadow in the trees. When sunset of the third day arrived I stopped in the clearing Surrounding Orochimaru's base. I saw the stairs leading to the underground base. I saw two guards standing beside it. They looked sleepy and didn't expect an attack. I fell down in the shadows and grabbed the one from behind. Before he could utter a word I twisted his head breaking his neck and killing him silently. The other guard had looked off for the moment and hadn't even noticed. I grinned wickedly as I snuck up behind him and did the same thing. The only thing heard was the soft crack of the neck and the thump as the bodies hit the ground. I didn't even bother to hide the bodies. I needed speed not stealth.
I slipped down the stairs and ran down the halls. I was like a ghost. I didn't make a sound and barely touched the ground. If any saw me they would look again to see nothing thinking I was never there. I killed any who saw me or any I saw, easily. I broke their neck or stabbed certain points that killed them instantly. I grinned still. I was one of the best silent killers in Kohona for a reason. I ran along slaughtering many without alerting the rest. I soon found the room I was looking for. I glanced in to see Orochimaru sitting in a chair reading some scrolls. Kabuto was talking to him softly and pointing out certain things in the scrolls. I slipped in and shut the door with a soft click. The two looked up at me and growled slowly standing.
"Kohona ANBU." Kabuto said.
"Hai." I nodded.
"I recognize that voice….Sakura?" Kabuto asked in almost disbelief.
I popped my mask off and showed my face along with the cold, cruel, mask that had made some flinch just looking at. They starred at me a moment.
"Sasuke is already gone." Orochimaru growled.
"I came here to kill you, not to get the pathetic Uchiha. He could have stayed with you for all I care."
They regarded me a moment. I got impatient. I popped my mask on and pulled my kanta free.
"Well we might as well get this over with I'm getting bored and need to decided if I want to go home after this." I said.
"You are no longer loyal to Kohona." Kabuto said. "I heard rumours that Kohona's blossom had got distant and they feared a betrayal."
"Rumours can be true." I said.
"Join me instead." Orochimaru said with a smirk.
I thought a moment.
"No thanks I don't want to be held back by weaklings like you two."
Their eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Kabuto kill her." Orochimaru ordered.
"With pleasure." Kabuto smirked pulling out a kuni.
I rolled my eyes. And lifted my kanta and in a move, almost to fast for Kabuto to see, I was in front of Kabuto my sword slicing up. My blade got him but he softened the blow with his knife and stepped back. His eyes were instantly sharp as he realized I was better then he expected. He lunged in and I saw a chakara scalpel in one hand. He would use the kuni as a diversion and try to kill me with the almost invisible blue scalpel. I pretended to fall for the diversion as I blocked the kuni. But before Kabuto could strike I had pulled a kuni free. He never got to scream as my kuni tore through his throat. It was a bit messy and blood splattered on me. I let his body drop. Well one was out of the way.
I turned to see Orochimaru gaping. I gave him a smirk, though he couldn't see it. I knew his arms still weren't at their best since the old Hokage had sealed them. He clumsily grabbed his sword which he had at his waist. I didn't even bother. I did some hand signs to fast to see. I had learned long ago it was useless to yell out my attacks too, it gave the enemy a heads up. I just took a deep breath and shot a large fireball at him. I had over the years studied many element jutsus. Sasuke had given me the idea of the fire jutsus. Orochimaru dodged but his hair got a bit singed. He glared at me as I sent numerous fireballs at him.
Finally I gave up on that and did more hand signs. He immediately was caught in the genjutsu. I made sure it was at least strong enough to hold him for a few seconds. I smirked. He was most likely stuck in his worst night mare. I walked up to him and put my kanta against his throat. Just as he broke the genjutsu I sliced my blade across his throat. His eyes widened once as his life left him. I let his body drop. I grinned. My mission was complete and I hadn't even got a scratch. I thought that for once Tsunade had sent me one an easy mission. She had totally over estimated my opponents. 'Or maybe they underestimated you; both your opponent and Tsunade.' 'I haven't heard from you in a long time.' I replied to inner Sakura. 'We have not needed to talk and you have not wanted to.' She replied. I nodded and pushed her to the back of my mind. I still didn't want to talk to her.
I swiped the blood off my blade and slid it in my sheath. I heard the door open a second later. I turned to face about fifty of so furious sound ninja. I grinned though none noticed. They all pulled out weapons and got ready to do jutsus. I smirked. They were fools. We were in a small room. They would risk hurting their own team mates if they attacked in here and they wouldn't have as much room to move in. They all lunged and I hit the ground. My feet lasted out. I felt and heard the crunch of bones. That didn't stop the others though. Soon I was backed into a corner though twenty five of the enemy were dead. I did hand signs and started to breathe fire.
I heard the screams of the victims and laughed. They had cornered me but the room was so full that they couldn't dodge my attacks easily. I stopped the fire assault and went back to the old fashioned way; killing with a kuni. When they were finally all dead I walked over to the bodies of Orochimaru and Kabuto. I looked down at them. They were the real bodies; the two were really dead. I cut there heads off quickly and sealed them in a scroll. I was about to burn the bodies and leave when something caught my eye.
It was a red ring on Orochimaru's finger. It had small black lines in an undefined pattern. It seemed to sparkle even in the dim light. It was polished till it looked like glass. I tilted my head. It almost seemed to be made for those who were strong. I kneeled down. I gently grasped it and pulled it off the snake's finger. I slid it onto mine and almost gaped. It seemed to shrink. It then fit my finger perfectly. I knew Orochimaru's finger had to be at least twice as big as mine and it had fit him perfect so it couldn't logically fit mine. Unless there was some sore of jutsu on it. I shrugged it off and turned to burn the bodies, but stopped as I felt the presences of others.
Itachi's POV:
We ran effortlessly over the tree tops. The six of us ran side by side. We were wary but quick. Our mission was to eliminate Orochimaru. We had been trying to for a couple years but now we had the chance. He had had a fight with a hidden village and was low on guards. Kisame was grinning like mad. He seemed happy to finally get the chance to kill the snake. Hidan scowled slightly but he always did that. Kakuzu looked blank, Deidara was grinning with Kisame, and Sasori was looking bored. As we reached the clearing we froze. There on the ground by the stairs were the two guards. They were just lying there though. I motioned Sasori forwards. He dropped from the trees and crouched by one of the bodies. Then he stood and poked the other. He looked back at us.
"They had their necks broken. I doubt they knew what was happening before they were dead." He said.
We frowned as we dropped beside him.
"Seems someone beat us here." Kakuzu said.
We were all on guard again. I frowned slightly and quickly slipped into the base. As we sped down the halls we found more dead sound ninja, all had been skilfully killed. We knew the one who had come in had to be a top ninja and one of the best silent killers. We slowed as we reached the door we wanted. We didn't hear anything from inside. We stepped in and immediately froze. The whole room was littered with bodies. There had to be at least fifty. The one thing that caught our attention was the only living person. They stood in the center of the bodies. They had blood splattered on them and at their feet lay the bodies of Orochimaru and Kabuto. The person was an ANBU by the mask. They wore a cloak and I couldn't see anything but green eyes. They watched us calmly.
"You are from Kohona, ANBU?" Kisame asked slowly.
They gave us a curt nod. Suddenly I saw the ring on their finger.
"Where did you get the ring little ANBU?" I asked.
Everyone starred at the ring on their finger.
"Orochimaru had it."
"Into grave robbing?" Hidan asked.
"I don't normally take things but it seemed to beckon to me."
We all stiffened. I scowled. I looked at the others.
"Grab him." I said.
"Try it." The ANBU whispered.
We pulled out kuni and he pulled out a kanta.
"Let me try them first, un." Deidara said.
We nodded and the blonde lunged in already throwing bombs. The ANBU didn't even move as the bombs hurled towards him. Suddenly the ANBU was right in front of Deidara. We all gaped. The ANBU's speed at least rivalled mine. I noticed that all Deidara's clay bird/bombs were cut in half too. The kanta arched for Deidara with deadly aim. The blade was blocked by a second blade from Sasori as he pushed Deidara back out of the way. The ANBU jumped back and looked at the red head.
"Well I didn't suspect to ever see you again."
Sasori frowned.
"I thought I killed you the first time. But I guess I was wrong. Well I guess I'd better finish the job."
We all looked at Sasori in confusion but he seemed as confused as us. The ANBU leaped at Sasori in a flash the blade only a silver blur. Sasori pulled out a hidden blade and their blades locked their faces centimetres apart.
Sakura's POV:
"So Sasori, have you killed any people recently and made them into puppets?" I asked the red head.
He scowled. I chuckled. He still didn't know who I was.
"You know Chiyo was such a great help fighting you and helping me out."
His eyes widened slightly. Then he swiped with a second kuni. I let him. If I had wanted to, I could have stopped the blade. He jumped back beside the others as they watched me. I felt the strings on my mask fray from where Sasori's kuni had cut. Within a second the mask fell to the ground. It clattered against the stone. Not another word was uttered in the silence. I still had my cold cruel mask on as I looked up. I pushed my hood back and smiled twistedly at Sasori.
Itachi's POV:
We all starred at the pink haired woman. She had green eyes and a beautiful face. One thing that surprised me was her look. She had a face that read coldness and cruelty. I wondered how long she had been in the pit of loneliness without care or emotions. She smiled, but it looked wrong. Her smile held coldness and evil. I wondered how she had become a Kohona ninja. She couldn't be one of the most trusted ANBU. That was probably why she was on a solo mission. I saw Sasori's eyes widen and his mouth opened slowly.
"Haruno Sakura." He whispered.
"The one who tried to kill you, and almost succeeded?" Hidan asked.
"That was four years ago. Want to see if I can really kill you this time?" Sakura asked.
The woman spread her feet in an offensive position. I looked her over.
"You are the girl who was partners with the Kyuubi and my foolish little brother." I said.
She smirked slightly.
"I wondered how badly they would want you back." I said.
The girl started to laugh. It was a dark sound that almost made me shiver.
"Them want me back? I bet if you kidnapped me or something they would thank you. You know as soon as I get back they're going too… No they would never want me. I am to far gone for their likes."
We all looked at the woman.
"Explain." I said.
"Simple; I pushed everyone away. I gave even my teacher the cold shoulder. I refused every mission that expected me to prove my loyalty to my village. I would only take missions were I was expected to kill and where I had a chance of dying. I was to strong and I was on the verge of trying to kill them all and at least betraying them. They wouldn't really want me back."
We starred at the woman.
"Were you not the girl who chased my brother?" I asked.
"Yes but with age comes wisdom. I realize that was foolish. I almost wish that he would have stayed with Orochimaru so I could have carved his heart out."
She said it in an icy tone that could rival mine. Suddenly she frowned and seemed to think.
"I guess maybe one person would want me back." She whispered to herself.
I wondered who this one person would be. I looked at the woman. She wore the ring so we needed to take her to Pein. The woman's eyes focused and took on a hard glint.
"I…."
She seemed to still. Then she looked at me. Our eyes met. I saw in her eyes that she was like me. She had had expectations thrown on her and she had distanced herself and then left to rot in the pit of loneliness and despair. She sighed slightly.
"Do you want to fight me or can you just move. I want to go home. I promised him I would play Shougi with him."
I felt my eye twitch. She was thinking of playing Shougi while she was splattered in blood, standing in a ring of corpses, and surrounded by the strongest criminals alive. I wondered briefly who the 'him' she referred to was.
"We do not need to fight but we do need to take you to our leader." I said.
"Any strong reason?" She asked.
"Yes." I replied.
She seemed to sigh.
"I am guessing once I see him I will be given two choices. One will be instant death and the other will be something with high risks of death that I will most likely die from in the end."
I almost smirked. She was quite intelligent. She seemed to think a moment.
"Fine. I will come meet your leader."
Everyone glanced at me. I smirked slightly. The woman lowered her weapon but didn't seem to keen on sheathing it. I nodded and walked out the door. I knew the others would follow. As we set foot outside I jumped into the trees and started to run. I noticed that Sakura kept her guard up and a weapon ready and that the others were close enough to attack her if needed. She didn't seem too interested in fighting though. She almost looked bored as we ran through the trees. We ran for a couple hours in an eerie silence, all tensed.
We finally reached the base. It was a large house as big as the Hokage tower at least but flatter and wider. The whole area, a kilometre on each side, was surrounded by a large and strong Genjutsu. Pein, Konan, Sasori, and I had set it up. It would make sure that who ever entered who get turned around or go around the base without even knowing they had. It hadn't been found out, for ten years it had stayed and no one had got suspicious. Only those wearing Akatsuki rings could get in or those with some one wearing the ring. The rings let them pass through and made the genjutsu neutral. As soon as the door was open we all slid in.
"I will get Pein, wait in the meeting room." I said.
They all nodded and walked off leading Sakura. I slipped down the halls and knocked on our leader's door. It opened a minute later. The orange-haired man covered in piercings looked sharp.
"Did you succeed?"
"We need to talk."
His eyes sharpened and he understood something had happened.
"Are the rest in the meeting room?"
I nodded.
"I'll go wake Tobi and Zetsu."
"I will get Konan." He said.
I nodded and turned heading for Zetsu's door. I knocked and waited till the plant man opened the door.
"Yes Itachi?" His white side asked.
"Meeting, now."
"Something happen?" His dark side asked.
I nodded and moved on to the next door. The man with spiky raven black hair and an orange swirl mask opened the door. He just waited for me to speak.
"Meeting." I said.
"Okay Itachi!" He sang.
I turned and walked for the meeting room. As I reached it I found almost everyone there. I sat beside Sakura and beside Kisame. Tobi, Pein, and Konan walked in a second later. They all starred at Sakura a moment.
"Why is an ANBU in our base?" Pein asked.
"Itachi can explain." Kisame said.
The three sat down and everyone looked at me.
"We went to kill Orochimaru. We arrived to find this ANBU had beaten us to it. She killed a lot of sound along with Orochimaru and Kabuto. She now wears his ring."
Everyone sharpened.
"The ring chose her? An ANBU loyal to a village?" Konan asked.
"I wouldn't say loyal." Sakura mumbled.
We all looked at her a second.
"What do you mean the ring chose me?" She asked.
"The rings are made specially and have a special jutsu cast on them. They will only let those powerful enough to be an Akatsuki member, wear them. If you aren't strong enough you will not even be able to get it on your finger. Now explain how you got it." Pein said.
"Simple. I saw it and it seemed to pull me. It pretty much fell off Orochimaru's finger. It then shrunk to fit my finger. I don't think it will come off if I try to take it off." She said.
She twisted it and pulled but it wouldn't budge. There was silence.
"So she is our new member?" Hidan asked.
"New member?" Sakura asked.
"If you wear the ring or it chooses you, you become an Akatsuki member, even I can't say no. We could kill you but it might be more useful to let you stay." Pein said.
"Mh." Sakura said looking at the ring.
"You don't see to horrified or worried about being forced to be a member." Konan said.
"She has been forsaken by her village." Sasori said.
Everyone glanced at him.
"Would you be Haruno Sakura?" Zetsu's white side asked.
Sakura nodded.
"She is the best medic alive, her genjutsus can rival Itachi's, her taijutsu skills are at least as good as Might Gai and Rock Lee's, and she has inhuman strength. She has been offered position as ANBU captain but refused. She had refused every mission that expects her to be loyal to her village and only takes high risks. She has no friends. The counsel of her village has also agreed that she will be stripped of her rank, put under surveillance, and banned from being a ninja. She has come close to betraying her village a couple times and everyone fears she will very soon." His dark side chuckled.
Everyone was silent. No one was surprised at Zetsu's knowledge; he was Akatsuki's spy after all.
"So you aren't a soft, happy, and loyal ninja." Pein said.
Sakura smirked evilly.
"Will you join us with out a fight then?" Konan asked.
Sakura looked at her ring.
"Yes."
There was silence a moment.
"Then welcome to Akatsuki." Pein smirked.
Sakura nodded. Pein motioned that the meeting was over. Everyone quickly left. Sakura, Pein, and I stayed though. Sakura and Pein sized one another up.
"Itachi show her to a room.
"Leader…-sama…" Sakura started.
"Call me Pein."
"Pein, may I go back to Kohona to grab my stuff?"
Pein looked at her.
"What else do you want to do?"
We both knew Sakura didn't want to just go back to grab some things.
"I wish to say good bye to someone and I wish to show Tsunade what I have become."
We watched her a moment.
"You have friends and loved ones? I thought Zetsu said you were all alone." Pein said.
"I have one friend; Shikamaru of the Nara clan."
We continued to watch her.
"Fine you may go, but take Kisame and Itachi with you."
Sakura nodded. I sighed inwardly. We all stood and headed for the door. As Pein passed me he looked at me.
"Watch her till we trust her." He whispered glancing at Sakura. "Oh and give her the room next to yours."
I frowned.
"Then we will have to share a bathroom."
Pein grinned.
"You could use this chance to learn how to share and how to become more social."
I scowled but nodded slightly. We all walked out the door and split. I led Sakura to a spare room by mine. I opened the door for her.
"This is your room. You may decorate it if you wish. Kisame and I will take you to Kohona in the morning."
Sakura nodded. I waited till she was in her room before I shut the door. I walked to my room beside hers and walked din. I just pulled my cloak off and set it on my desk chair before I fell onto my bed. I soon drifted off.
Sakura's POV:
I looked around the room. It was a plain grey and there was a bed, a dresser, a nightstand, a desk, and a chair. There was a door leading to a bathroom too. I scowled as I saw the position of it. The side it was one suggested I shared it with someone. I sighed slightly and shrugged. I walked to the bed and sat down. I took my cloak off. I slid my kanta out of my waist but put it on the nightstand in reach. I kept my weapon pouches on. Just because they hadn't given me reason to doubt they were lying I was ready to turn on them in a second. I lay on the made bed and pulled my cloak over like a blanket ignoring the blankets I laid on. I easily fell asleep even if it was a restless sleep.
Itachi's POV:
I woke up at about six. I glanced at my alarm clock and sat up. I stood up still dressed from last night. I grabbed my cloak pulling it on. I slipped out the door and walked to Kisame's room across the hall. I knocked and was greeted by a sleepy looking shark.
"It's six in the morning…" He started.
"We are going to escort Haruno to Kohona so she may grab some things."
He looked at me a moment. Then he sighed and returned to his room. I waited a minute then Kisame came out with his cloak on, yawning. I walked to Sakura's room and I saw Kisame smirk.
"This room shares a bathroom with yours." He grinned.
"Blame Pein." I said.
He smirked again. I didn't even bother to knock. We both walked in. I stopped and looked at the little pink haired ANBU. She was on the bed under her cloak, not the blankets. I saw that her weapon pouches were still on and her sword was in reach. Kisame went to wake her but I stopped him.
"If you touch her she will kill you. She is ready to do so."
He gulped.
"Haruno, wake up." I said.
Before we could blink the woman was standing her hand on the sword. I did catch her with my sharingan on though. Kisame gulped again. The woman looked at us and strapped her sword on. She pulled her black cloak on and walked up to us but stayed out of arms reach.
"Let's go." I said.
She nodded and followed me out the door. Kisame followed behind her, watching her warily. We walked through the base silently. When we reached the outside we launched into the trees. We ran in silence, side by side, with Sakura in the middle. She seemed quite calm and bored.
--
We ran for three days. Each day we got closer to Kohona. We were pretty silent the whole time. I didn't care, I liked the silence. When we camped at night Sakura always stayed a safe distance from her and we made sure we always knew where she was. She relaxed a bit but not much. It was about dinner of the third day when we were finally reaching Kohona. We stopped and Sakura looked at us.
"Stay out of sight. Do you want to meet me at my house?"
I nodded. She gave us her address and handed us her keys. Then without a word we ran off towards a different gate as Sakura slowed and looked to be coming back from her mission.
Sasuke's POV:
The three of us walked slowly together. Naruto had his hands behind his head looking deep in thought. He had changed over the past six years. He was a bit wiser, stronger, and smarter. He was still obnoxious and loud though. I walked with my hands in my pockets looking ahead. Jiraya just walked beside us day dreaming. I wondered how much everyone had changed. I wonder how much Sakura had changed. Naruto said that he hadn't seen her since he had left almost six years ago.
Everyone knew we would be back today at about dinner and I wondered if anyone would be at the gate waiting for us. I smiled slightly. Soon we saw the gate come into view. Naruto grinned and picked up the pace. Jiraya fell from his day dreams and also walked faster. I sighed softly and followed the two. As we got closer to the gates we saw some people waiting. When we finally made it to the gates we found Tsunade, Kakashi, Shizune, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Neji, Tenten, Lee, Gai, Kurenai, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and Iruka waiting. They all smiled and waved. Naruto leapt at Hinata and crushed her in a hug. Hinata turned red but surprisingly didn't faint. She hugged him back. Everyone was silent a moment.
"Welcome back Naruto and Sasuke." Some said after minute.
Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Tenten, Neji, Lee, Ino, and Choji all crowded around and started to babble questions. Gai, Kurenai, and Jiraya all stood off a little chatting too. I wondered where Sakura was.
"Where is Sakura?" I asked Ino.
Everyone quieted.
"I haven't seen her in a month." Lee said.
"I haven't seen her three weeks." Tenten and Hinata chorused.
"I haven't seen her in about a month in a half." Kiba said as Shino nodded.
"We saw her a little more then a week ago." Neji, Choji, and Ino said.
I frowned. They hadn't seen her in a couple weeks and they didn't even seem concerned. Something was wrong.
"Okay guys run off. We need to talk with Naruto and Sasuke." Tsunade said.
Most of the ones who had gathered around us headed off glancing at us with sad eyes. Naruto was frowning. Iruka patted Naruto on the back and smiled.
"Welcome back. I'll have to buy you ramen later."
Naruto grinned. Iruka then walked off to. Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi, and Shikamaru, stayed though. We watched them. Shikamaru was almost glaring at the Hokage and the others. That really confused me. I had never seen Shikamaru show any emotion other then boredom. Tsunade glanced at him.
"I'm sorry Shikamaru but this has to be done."
"No it doesn't." He said evenly.
"She even told us it was a smart idea." Shizune said.
"We will knock you out and arrest you if you try to stop us." Kakashi said.
Jiraya who had been standing next to us was scowling.
"Where is Sakura?" Naruto blurted out.
Everyone looked at him.
"She is on a mission. She should be back any minute." Tsunade said.
Naruto blinked.
"Why hasn't anyone seen her in a long time?" I asked
"She rarely leaves her house and always trains alone." Kakashi said sadly.
"But the Sakura I know would never do that!" Naruto said.
Tsunade, Kakashi, and Shizune looked grim.
"She is not the Sakura you know." Tsunade said harshly.
Even Jiraya seemed upset by her tone.
"What happened?" He asked.
"We don't quite know, but she changed; drastically." Shizune whispered.
"Oh you know what happened." Shikamaru almost snapped.
We looked at him.
"You show disrespect to your Hokage, Nara." Jiraya said.
Shikamaru took a deep breath.
"I will not respect her as much after this." He said calmly.
Suddenly one of the guards whistled to Tsunade. She looked down the road and we all saw an ANBU walking towards us. After a minute they stopped in front of us. They wore a green cloak and a mask. Their outfit was splattered in blood. Their mask was fox. We saw green eyes.
"Sakura!" Naruto yelled.
He lunged at her to hug her. Suddenly he was pulled back before he reached her. It was Kakashi who pulled him back.
"That is not a good idea Naruto." He said.
Sakura looked at us and bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement. Then she reached her hand back and undid her mask. We froze at her face. It was hard and cold. It was cruel. Like my brother's, but crueller. She watched us coldly.
"I have finished my mission Tsunade."
"Was it a success?"
"Yes." She said tossing the woman a scroll.
"What was your mission?" Jiraya asked curious.
"Her mission was to infiltrate the sound base and kill Orochimaru and Kabuto."
There was dead silence.
"Sakura isn't strong enough to do that." I said.
They glanced at me.
"Do not test me Uchiha." Sakura said coldly.
I blinked and almost took a step back. Naruto looked confused.
"I killed Orochimaru, Kabuto, and at least fifty sound nin."
There was silence again.
"Sakura…." Naruto started.
Sakura looked at him.
"What happened too you?" He asked.
"I was left in the dark, the loneliness. I have no friends and few emotions."
"That's not true." Shikamaru interrupted.
Everyone looked at him.
"I guess I do have one friend." Sakura said.
Then she walked to Shikamaru and gave him a hug. We were all surprised. I wondered how the shadow boy had got close to Sakura when it seemed no one else had.
"I'm glad to see you again Shikamaru-kun."
We all almost gaped at the suffix.
"It's good to see you back and safe Sakura-chan."
She nodded and pulled back. She glanced at us then at Tsunade. Tsunade took a deep breath and stepped forwards. We now noticed the papers under her arms. She cleared her throat.
"Haruno Sakura you are here by stripped of you ninja rank, you must always be with someone, and you are banned from being a ninja for Kohona."
Sakura pulled her ANBU mask from her waist and cracked it in half. Then she tore off her ninja head band and held it in a fist.
"I'm so sorry." Tsunade whispered.
"Don't be. You are making the right decision."
We all stood in utter and complete shock. Finally Naruto gasped.
"How could you do that?!" He asked.
"Sakura is a danger to our village she is no longer to be trusted. The counsel has decided on this course of action. If Sakura does anything to betray us now she will be executed."
I was still standing in shock. Sakura, the small girl who always had a smile and was intelligent that I had known had just been stripped of her rank and pretty much arrested. Jiraya seemed in shock too.
"You are being rash…" He started.
"No, they aren't."
We all turned to Sakura.
"I am not loyal to this village and I won't be. I am too strong for my own good and I will end up betraying them."
"Sakura…." Naruto almost sobbed. "What about wanting to become a great kunoichi?"
Sakura let out a small laugh.
"I already have; I'm strong, fast, talented, just a little twisted."
We all watched her.
"You may keep your head band Sakura but you may never wear it." Tsunade whispered.
Sakura nodded and stuffed it in her pocket.
"Naruto and Sasuke will watch you tonight. I will have other ANBU watch you but I think they need to talk to you, and I'm guessing you and Shikamaru have already planned something."
Sakura nodded. Then she looked up at Kakashi, Shizune, and Tsunade.
"I am no longer a ninja in your eyes or in the eyes of Kohona. You are no longer my senseis or Hokage. You are not welcome at my house. Tsunade may come if duty calls but I will not welcome her."
They all winced. Then Sakura started to walk off. Shikamaru fell in step with her. The three watched with blank eyes. Jiraya also stood still. Naruto suddenly ran after then staying next to Sakura. I instead turned to Tsunade.
"Why?" Was all I asked.
"As she said, she was going to betray us soon, it wasn't a possibility it was a fact. She is no longer my student, she is gone." Tsunade said.
Tsunade's eyes clenched shut. I noticed that Sakura had dropped her ANBU mask. Kakashi walked to it and gently picked it up.
"I never thought she would turn out like this." He whispered.
"What did you do to make her like this?" Jiraya asked.
"Her friends gave up on her before they even tried to help her, and as she started to change we never tried to help either, we just showed her that we distrusted her." Shizune said.
"How did Shikamaru get to her?" I asked.
"He never gave up and it seems since he is so intelligent he caught her. He helped her. She would have betrayed us long ago with out him." Tsunade said.
"He seemed mad about your choice." Jiraya said.
"He thought she could still be saved. He wanted to try and save her but the decision had been made." Kakashi said.
I looked at them a moment then jogged off to the other three walking away. I caught up to them and saw that they were silent. We walked to Sakura's house where she let us in. She then headed up to her room to change as we sat on her couch. When she was gone Naruto and I rounded on Shikamaru. We all looked at one another a moment.
"So how close are you two?" Naruto asked.
"Closer then you will ever be." He said.
We looked at him.
"She doesn't like you two anymore. You are strangers to her."
We both winced.
"She hates Sasuke for leaving and she hates Naruto for leaving."
"But I left to get Sasuke back for her." Naruto said.
"Yes and she loved you for that for a while, but you made a mistake. You didn't write once, you didn't send word or anything. She believed you dead for years. The only thing she had to say you were alive was Tsunade's word and she stopped trusting that year's ago."
We all fell into silence. Suddenly Shikamaru stood up. He walked to Sakura's closet and pulled out a Shougi board and started to set it up. Then he went to make tea. He looked to be right at home.
Itachi's POV:
Kisame and I saw Sakura walk in with the Kyuubi, my foolish little brother, and a boy from the Nara clan. When they walked away we sped to her house. We stayed in Sakura's room and waited. She walked up and in a second later. She glanced at us and grabbed two bags. She started to stuff her clothes, books, medical stuff, weapons and scrolls, and personal items. She then grabbed a pair of clothes and slipped into a bathroom. She emerged a minute latter in black cargo pants, and a black zip-up tank top/t-shirt. She looked blank. She grabbed her bags and turned to us.
"Stay out of sight."
"Can't we leave now?" Kisame almost whined.
"I promise to play Shougi with him."
I didn't know what she was talking about but it seemed like something important so we nodded. She looked at us a moment then slipped to the stairs. She set he bag at the top and silently glided down her stairs.
Sakura's POV:
I walked into the living room to find Shikamaru sitting in front of the board ready to go. The other two sat on the couches. I smiled at Shikamaru and he smiled back. I sat opposite of him. Then he made his move. We started the game in silence. Naruto and Sasuke seemed to see we didn't want to be disturbed. Finally we slammed the last pieces down and looked at the game.
"I win." I said.
Shikamaru grinned at me.
"Well that's twelve wins for you, and sixteen for me, this month."
"You guys play all the time?" Naruto asked.
"Almost every day." I said.
There was silence.
"Thank you Shikamaru-kun."
"You're welcome Sakura-chan."
I smiled at him.
"Goodbye." He said.
I almost winced. He was too intelligent for his own good. He knew I was leaving. We both stood and bowed our heads to the other.
"Sasuke, Naruto, wait in the kitchen and don't peek."
The two nodded slowly and walked to my kitchen through the arch.
"So you are leaving." Shikamaru whispered.
"I have no future here."
We made sure we were quiet enough that Naruto and Sasuke couldn't hear.
"Stay here with me." He pleaded.
"I'm sorry."
There was silence a minute.
"You have no need to be sorry."
I looked at him gratitude on my face. I clasped his hand in mine.
"You were the one who saved me Shikamaru. Thank you."
He nodded and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back and let my face rest in the crook of his neck.
"The game board is yours and anything else you want."
"I want you to stay."
"I know."
His hands hugged me tighter. I leaned my face back a bit. Shikamaru did the same thing but then leaned in closer to me his lips capturing mine. I may not love him like this but I could give him this much. His mouth moulded to mine as his tongue entered my mouth. His mouth pushed harder against my mouth demanding more. I moaned slightly and his one hand slid up to the back of my neck deepening the kiss. His one arm still crushed me in a half hug as he kissed me. I tightened my arms around his neck and kissed him back. When we finally ran out of breath we broke apart. We took a step back and glanced to the other two. Sasuke was glaring and almost advancing on Shikamaru, Naruto was holding him back with all his strength.
"Well I have to say that was a very heated kiss."
Naruto and Sasuke froze at the voice and looked up at Kisame and Itachi who stood at the base of my stairs. Shikamaru seemed to know they had been here. Kisame held my bags and was grinning. I sighed slightly.
"I told you to stay out of sight."
"Yeah but we got bored poking around your room." Kisame laughed.
I slowly let my arms circling Shikamaru drop.
"If you ever need anything find me." I whispered.
Then I pulled my blank mask on and turned to the two waiting for me. I grabbed my black cloak from the top of one bag. I pulled it on and grabbed my bags from the shark who was still grinning. I gave him a blank stare.
"Itachi." Sasuke hissed.
Itachi glanced at his brother.
"Hurry over here Sakura." Naruto said.
I snorted softly. Then I pulled a kuni from my pouch. I pulled my head band from a pocket. I set the tip of the blade against the leaf symbol. In one fluid movement I slashed it in half. Naruto winced, Sasuke continued to glare at his brother, Shikamaru looked blank almost a bit sad, Kisame grinned more, and Itachi even smirked slightly. I pulled my head band on.
"I thought that Hokage of yours banned you from wearing that." Kisame teased.
"What Hokage of mine?" I asked.
He chuckled.
"You watched?" I asked calmly.
"Wouldn't have missed it." Itachi said blankly.
I nodded slightly. I looked back at Shikamaru.
"Thank you."
I bowed my waist down. Then I looked at Naruto and Sasuke. My cold eyes held theirs.
"Hate will destroy a person so I leave my hate with you. Now all my bonds are broken."
Itachi's eyes flickered with something I thought may be surprise. Then the three of us did the hand signs for the transportation jutsu. Kisame disappeared in what looked like a swirl of water, Itachi vanished in what was a swirl of dead leaves, and I disappeared in a swirl of cherry blossom.
Itachi's POV:
We all landed softly outside of Kohona. We sped away at top speed knowing some ANBU would be chasing us if we didn't hurry. I watched Sakura closely. I knew she had not kissed the shadow boy out of love. It had been obvious to me. I was also surprised by what she had said, 'Hate will destroy a person…' I stepped up beside Sakura. Kisame seemed a bit surprised. Sakura looked at me.
"Why did you thank him?" I asked.
"Shikamaru?"
I nodded.
"He saved me from myself."
I looked at her.
"With out him I'm sure I would have been like a second one of you… maybe not as bad. With out that one true friend I would have betrayed them so long ago, killing a lot of them. I had expectations like you. I was expected to be great. My team consisted of the famous copy ninja, the last Uchiha, and the Kyuubi, apprentice of one of the Sannin. I was loaded with expectations for just being on that team. I am also the last Haruno so I was expected to be strong. The only way I became as strong as I am, was to lock my emotions away."
I nodded.
"What you said, 'hate will destroy a person' was very true."
Sakura glanced at me.
"I know you tried to make your brother hate you so that he would be too weak to do so. You left your brother alive not out of mercy but to torture him slowly. The more your brother hates you the more mistakes he will make."
I smirked. Kisame just starred at us. Sakura looked blank.
"You know how much hate you can feel when a clan or family expects so much of you. You know that you have to get ride of that hate or lock it away. You got rid of it by killing your family, you worked it out."
I smirked again.
"I did the same thing. But I didn't do it in such an obvious way."
"How then?" Itachi asked.
"I distanced my self and made people get used to seeing me only once a week or every couple of weeks. When they got used to that I waited till the perfect moment. I slipped out and met my parents, returning from a mission, a distance from Kohona. They saw there 'troubled daughter' and let their guard down asking why I was there. I killed them before they knew what happened and disposed of the bodies."
I nodded. It had been a good plan, she was intelligent. Kisame was still starring at us.
"I can't believe you two are having a conversation. No one has got Itachi to talk that much except Leader." Kisame said.
"Because no one else is intelligent enough, too carry a conversation on with me."
Kisame opened his mouth then snapped it shut scowling. Sakura smirked. Then there was silence again.
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