Chapter 12

"Who is your inside person?" I ask Itachi when I'm confident I won't lose my temper again. The last thing I want is for him to put his walls back up. I don't think I'd manage to scale them a second time. He finishes putting on his Akatsuki cloak, probably deliberating on whether or not to tell me.

I might have been mistaken in my initial approach regarding his liaison – they may not be a traitor per say. They may know Itachi well enough to trust him and to my mind, that is akin to knowing the truth about what drove him to destroy his clan. Still, that doesn't mean I don't think it was irresposible, or that whoever did it shouldn't suffer any consequences. If I were in their place, I would never have done something like this.

That leads me to two more possibilities: the first is that Itachi's liaison may simply be an unethical person. The second is that he or she knows Itachi a lot better than I do and that whatever connects them is stronger.

It's only when he looks at me that I come to realize how conflicted he is over answering my question. Whoever this is, he cares about them. An old friend seems likely, though I distinctly remember him saying he had two friends and both are dead. A lie?

"Alright," I say. "You don't have to tell me." I've conceded only because it makes me uncomfortable to keep pushing him like this.

"A former ANBU teammate," he says. Why does he always seem more willing to give information when I tire of asking for it? And why do his answers leave me with only more questions?

The ANBU deal in secrets and undertake covert operations. They are the village's shadow line of both attack and defense, the unseen elite of our shinobi forces. It doesn't surprise me to learn than Itachi was once one of them.

I sigh and finish putting on my sandals. I don't know how long of a journey we have ahead of us or where we're headed, but it doesn't bother me anymore. I've grown used to being dragged along like this. The only thing I dislike is not being able to talk freely with Itachi in Kisame's presence.

"Have you ever thought about going back to Konoha?" I ask.

"I can't," he says, the instant I finish formulating my question. Too quickly, I think, for someone who always weighs his words before speaking. These ones escaped. I try to act casual.

"Konoha needs shinobi like you."

"I'm of more use to the village out here."

"I disagree," I say right back. "You already know a great deal more about the Akatsuki than all the other village intelligence units combined. What else is there for you here?"

"What makes you think there's anything for me in Konoha?"

This is about Sasuke, my mind whispers. Konoha holds nothing for Itachi without Sasuke there. I grit my teeth, swallowing the pain. Konoha once felt empty without him for me, too. But I had Naruto, I had Kakashi-sensei, Lee, Ino, Tsunade-shishou… Itachi would only have me. I shake my head stubbornly.

"Sasuke would come after you, no matter where you go."

Itachi sighs. I assume his patience has come to an end. "I've been a missing-nin for seven years, Sakura. Konoha only knows me as a clan killer and a traitor."

There's that, I admit to myself. My mind works over it furiously. I know we don't have much time left.

Tsunade-shishou would listen if I tried to explain the situation to her. I can't guarantee she'll believe me at first, but she trusts me enough to give Itachi the benefit of the doubt. But Tsunade-shishou is one person, even if she is the Hokage. What about the rest of the administration? The other shinobi? The civilians? They only know and believe in what they've heard, like I once did. If, by some miracle, Itachi would be allowed to return to his life as a Konoha shinobi, he will be a pariah. I can see that, and still, the idea of returning home with Itachi has taken root. I will not give up on him.

"Itachi, I-"

"Oi!" A series of loud bangs make the door shake and I start. I was so lost in thought I didn't sense Kisame approach the room. His voice sounds like thunder, even from outside. "We're going to fall behind on this one if you two don't hurry up!"

Itachi opens the door just as Kisame was about to bang with his fist again. His arm, roughly the size of my leg, drops to his side and it's rather comical how he stands there, regarding Itachi like one might a poised cobra. Then his odd eyes turn to stare at me and he squints.

"Itachi-san, why isn't she wearing a blindfold?"

Itachi looks at me over his shoulder. "I placed her in a genjutsu. She won't remember any of this." I freeze. The look in Itachi's eyes is telling me to play along. I don't think Kisame will buy this, but I do my best. A moment later, the Kiri-nin sneers.

"I take it she misbehaved. I told you you should have done this from the start, Itachi-san. She looked feisty."

"Come," Itachi tells me and I obey.

While this act allows me to see my surroundings, I liked the blindfold more. Being trapped in a genjutsu is very much like being a zombie. I'm not supposed to talk, to do anything of my own free will, to give Kisame any reason to suspect Itachi and I are playing him for a fool. But why would Itachi change tactics all of the sudden?

I wonder about it as we leave the hideout and I make sure to commit every detail to memory as we depart, just in case this is why Itachi did it. Questions run through my mind as I keep my face blank and follow the two Akatsuki. Is this hideout special somehow? Is it its location? Is it more frequented by the members than other hideouts? Is there something here that could be of use? Sensitive information? Plans? I have no doubt Itachi will tell me when he gets the chance to, though that may not be soon.

"It was really lucky that we came across this kunoichi, nee, Itachi-san?" Kisame says.

The two of them are right in front of me as we walk along the path cutting through a field. The grass here seems almost fluid in the wind, like a green sea.

"She'll come in handy, at long last," the Kiri-nin says, and my ears perk up. "That annoying jinchuuriki won't be running off without her."

I nearly stop dead in my tracks before I remember I'm not supposed to do anything but keep quiet and follow. Naruto. They're talking about Naruto. I struggle to keep a frown from my face, I command my facial muscles to stay still. If I could, I would use chakra to numb them. Itachi clearly overestimated my drama skills.

"What are we going to do with her once we capture the Uzumaki brat, eh?"

Suddenly, I understand why Itachi wanted me to play the genjutsu game.