Sakura had got the hang of using her chakra and hand signals in tandem after many failed attempts. She was only moments away from freeing Itachi. Her heart was pounding with anticipation, her hands were clammy, and there was a bead of sweat trickling down the side of her face. The young woman reached up and twisted her wavy pink locks around her finger. After Pein visited her in her dream, she knew something was about to happen... something serious. He told her that the survivors of Itachi's clan were coming for him. What was an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan? She knew it concerned Itachi's Kekkei Genkai, but how would they get it? So many questions were wracking her brain.

She thought about sharing the dream she had with Itachi. He deserved to know what would happen. She cared about his wellbeing and the young woman couldn't lie to herself about it any longer. Sakura frowned. The crush she developed for Itachi wasn't logical but didn't change the intensity of her feelings. Emerald orbs turned to look at the male sitting on a large rock a few feet away. She could tell that he had grown tolerant of her. To her surprise, he had a playful side. One time, Sakura and Itachi got into an argument. She reached down into the lake and splashed water at him out of childish anger. It was only about two drops, but it still was enough to have Itachi lumbering in her direction, smoke billowing from his nostrils. Sakura jumped into the lake and swam away as fast as possible, treading water in the middle of the lake.

"Sakura, come here."

"No way!" she exclaimed. "Catch me if you can!"

"Such an easy task."

Before Sakura could process what he said, Itachi bounded from the edge of the mouth of the cave into the air. Her eyes widened when long wings opened from his back. He could fly?! Well, he was a dragon, but it still caught Sakura off guard. She tried to swim away to the farthest wall. She looked over her shoulder and saw the large black dragon flap his wings to raise his place in the air before nose-diving into the water. His entrance caused a large wave crashed over Sakura's head. The pink haired woman came up sputtering and wiped her eyes.

She looked down and her heart almost stopped when she saw Itachi rocketing towards her from underneath the surface of the water. "Wait!"

It was too late. Itachi burst through the water a few feet away and his thick tail wrapped around her, pinning Sakura's arms to her sides. The dragon pulled her to his face, bright red orbs boring into her.

"I've caught you."

"I see," Sakura stated in a dry voice. "How did you get out of the cave?"

"You do not listen well Sakura," came his smooth voice. "I informed you when you first arrived that my chain restrictions change at Pein's discretion. He agreed with the actions I decided on."

Sakura cocked her head. "What action is that?"

Itachi moved over to the cave opening and placed Sakura down. She gave him a confused look which turned to shock when Sakura saw him raise his tail.

"Don't you dare -"

Her words stopped when a massive wall of water barreled into her. The strength of the wave knocked Sakura flat on her back. As the water seeped back into the lake, Sakura sat up and coughed.

"No fair."

That moment of play allowed them to feel more at ease. It also showed Sakura that although Itachi had been an unapologetic murderer, he had a human side. She still wondered what happened between Itachi and his clan. What drove him to kill them? There had to be a reason. The man she'd gotten to know contemplated actions before executing them. to She would ask Itachi before freeing him.

They took a short break from training. Itachi taught her how to use her strength with chakra to her advantage. He also taught her how to break free from genjutsu, a jutsu that messed with a person's mind. She earned this world was genjutsu. Their physical bodies were still in the cave. Itachi weakened his genjutsu to let Sakura practice breaking it. Once, she tried while Itachi had his genjutsu at its normal strength and she was almost successful, but Itachi realized what she was doing and almost tore her to pieces, hence she never tried that again.

Her mind returned to the previous thoughts about letting him know what she dreamed. Sakura stood, brushed her hands down her sides, and walked over to him. The quiet male was looking over the rippling water of the river, one leg propped up with his arm resting on it. Sakura sat down next to him and gazed at the river for a moment before turning to him.

"We need to talk."

Itachi's eyes remained constant in their stare. "What is it Sakura? Something is bothering you."

Sakura exhaled. "Yes." She crossed her legs Indian style. "Pein came to me in a dream. He told me that the remaining Uchiha clan are coming for you and I had to defeat them."

Itachi looked up and turned towards her. "So, they have found me. The wait for this battle has stretched over centuries; however, I am not sure how you play a part. Your chakra use progressed faster than I thought. Still, your strength does not begin to rival those of my clan."

"Don't sound so optimistic," Sakura snapped. "What is an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?"

"Pein told you about the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Sakura nodded in response.

Itachi stood to his feet and hooked an ebony strand of hair behind his ear. "I suppose I will have to start from the beginning. My clan, the Uchiha clan, has the most powerful ocular jutsu that has ever existed. Before the massacre, other clans possessed types of jutsus different from ours. All our villages were at peace. We had allied with the neighboring people and often accompanied each other on missions.

"My father was the leader of my clan and asked me what I thought about our position on the chain of power. I responded that each of the villages worked equally hard to keep us safe and prosperous. He then informed me he believed we should have total power over all villages and a coupe d'état was in progress. They would use our abilities to become the ultimate source of power over every village. They planned to steal their goods, control their military, and force their people to work for us.

"I did not agree with this and told my father. He believed I would warm up to the idea. I did not. It plagued me night and day that my father wanted to disturb the peace we had with our allies. I discussed this with my wife, Keiko. It astounded me to learn that she had been the one to bring the idea to my father. The one person I thought I knew was more of a stranger than I'd ever imagined.

"One day, Pein appeared. He showed me what would happen if my clan succeeded with their plan. I could not live with myself if I let them do what they wished. If I did nothing, copious amounts of bloodshed would occur, more than what I have on my hands from ending them. It was then I decimated my clan to save the lives of millions. "

Sakura couldn't believe her ears. His clan was up to no good. Was it worth killing them though? Sakura voiced this question.

"Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan is paramount to the Uchiha clan," Itachi continued. "When my father realized I disagreed with this enslavement, he confided in my younger brother. They both decided I was a liability. They planned on stealing my eyes and implanting them into my brother. The Mangekyo Sharingan causes blindness with continued use. By implanting another's Mangekyo Sharingan into a user, the blindness will no longer occur."

"So, they want your eyes to prevent blindness?" Sakura questioned. "They must have some bigger plan for the use of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, right? Do you know what it is?"

Itachi looked over into the distance. "They still plan on taking over. They crave power. I do not know what all has changed since my imprisonment here, but I am still their goal to better control the population."

Sakura stood to her feet and moved in front of Itachi. "You killed everyone… including your wife?" When Itachi nodded, Sakura asked, "Well why didn't you kill your brother and father?"

"I could not bring myself to murder my younger brother. My father should have suffered the same fate, but it was Sasuke's begging that caused me to let him live. I did not want to leave Sasuke with no one from his clan to take care of him. That was a grave mistake. They will be here soon."

There was still one more question. "Why did Pein lock you in here if he was the one who warned you of what would happen if your clan succeeded?"

"He did not want me to kill my clan, but that was the only sure way to prevent them from hurting others."

This was a lot. So, it was Itachi's brother and father she would fight? But why her? Itachi was much more powerful than she was, what could she do to help him? She gazed up into his face and her heart beat faster as she looked at his handsome profile. His eyes locked onto hers and didn't think it was possible to look away. Sakura realized she didn't want to be away from Itachi. At first, she was livid and bitter about her situation, but it faded the more time she spent with him.

"Itachi," Sakura breathed. "I'll do whatever I can to help. Now let's free you."

The two walked to a wide area. Sakura took a deep breath, concentrating on the task at hand. She moved into her stance and began the hand signals while pushing chakra into them. The familiar sensation of her chakra being pulled started, and she yelled at the top of her lungs, " Release!"

Sakura felt like her soul was being pulled from her body, but she held strong and soon, the pull stopped too quick and she blacked out.

Sakura awoke to a cool breeze on her cheeks. Cool breeze? Slowly opening her eyes, a sky full of shining stars greeted Sakura. She sat up too fast and immediately regretted it when a throbbing sensation pounded the back of her head. Sakura groaned before looking around. Her vision was clearing, and she searched the area for Itachi. They were outside the cave. She recognized the brush that had entangled her when she first arrived. Relief washed over Sakura when she discovered she was free of that hell hole.

"Itachi?" she called, getting to shaky feet.

No answer came to her. Sakura's heart sunk. So, he used her to free himself and left her. She was desperate to escape the cave, but without Itachi around, she felt... empty.

"You asshole!" she shouted to no one in particular.

"Who are you talking to?"

Sakura whirled around to see Itachi standing behind her, free of chains, and in his human form. Before she realized what she was doing, Sakura ran to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I thought you had left me," she whispered.

This woman's outburst overwhelmed Itachi, yet he did not free himself from her grasp. In fact, he reached his arms up to encircle them around her shoulders. When she laid her head in the hollow of his shoulder, that familiar twinge ached deep within Itachi once more. He remembered this sensation. He felt it with Keiko. Did he care for this woman?

Sakura looked up at him with a smile and stood on her tiptoes to plant a gentle kiss on his lips. Itachi pulled her closer without a second thought and they kissed like lovers who reunited after years apart.

"Well, this is interesting."

The two stopped and turned. Sasuke leaning against a tree, eyes lit with the Sharingan. A smirk sat confidently on his features. Sakura's mouth opened in shock. Sasuke was Itachi's little brother?