I do not own Naruto okay? I know it has taken me forever to update this but I figured I would try to wrap this up. As it sits at the moment I have a few more chapters in mind and this should wrap this story up. But enough of this A/N, on with the fic!

Sakura looked in the mirror as she washed her hands. It was still her mandated day off from the hospital, and she knew that Tsunade or Shizune would chase her out with the ferocity of a demon if she dare show up to work on days she was supposed to be off unless by direct summons by Tsunade herself. The mark Sasuke had left earlier was mostly faded and could only be seen by someone who knew it was there and looking for it. However, the fact he would do something like that told her that she was nothing more than a womb to Sasuke to mother Uchiha heirs. It was time for her to take a deep assessment of what situation she was in. As Lady Tsunade's top student, able to have mastered 100 healings, she knew she was physically strong. She was also dedicated. It took storing chakra for 3 years to be able to do it. That could not be done without skill and dedication. So why am I still putting up with a man who left the village for revenge? Sakura thought.

Kakashi met up with Tsunade in her study. It was a private office, away from many of the more formal rooms she worked as Hokage, but she cared deeply about Sakura. She saw much of herself in her and over time had sort of adopted her as a daughter. As any mother figure would be, she felt like she had to protect Sakura when she couldn't do it herself. Tsunade had no doubt that if Sakura had physically wanted to, she could put Saskue in his place, but she had noticed changes in her personality when Sasuke entered back into her life. Kakashi bowed and Tsunade motioned for him to sit down across from her on the couch. "So, I take it Sasuke is as bullheaded as ever." Tsunade said.

"More concerned about procreating Uchihas than Sakura?" Kakashi said as he sighed. "Yes."

"I knew that Sakura should never have gotten together with that fool in the first place." Tsunade said. "I blame myself."

"Why?" Kakashi said looking at Tsunade.

"Because I let him back in. He claimed to have learned better." Tsunade said. "The intel on Orochimaru he gave in exchange has been invaluable and it led to our information on Akatsuki and the ANBU mission to assassinate Itachi while he was down."

"Do you know what that will do to Sasuke if he finds out?" Kakashi said.

"I don't intend for him ever to, this mission will be classified. Naruto has probably told Sakura, knowing him and how much he actually cares about her well being, but she won't take it further. If nothing, she is good with confidential information. But he doesn't deserve to have the honor of being the Uchiha avenger." Tsunade said. "Why kill the clan's killer if you won't act like a proper clan head?"

"I see what you mean." Kakashi said.

"The fact you said Sasuke still is being like that towards Sakura tells me a lot." Tsunade said. "I hope she comes to her senses soon."

Sasuke headed to the training range and started the test. He was going nowhere and now the second part of his goal, his motivation for even living at all, was taken from him. If he wanted to restore the clan honor, he was going to have to kill Itachi. He could not just start the clan over. He was married to Sakura in the eyes of the village. If he were to leave her, the name would be scandalized forever. Sure, he could write it off as a clan affair as to why he had to leave her but they would still talk. That was all the village did when it came to anything he did. Talk. Behind his back. About him. Whatever he did. It was wrong, it was bad. He was so evil for what he did. He was rouge, why would he even think of coming back? Sakura was so innocent and he just used her up for his own end. She could do so much better. Well if they really think I am rouge, and I am a disgrace, what will they say when I bring Itachi's head back on a plate for them? If Sakura is still loyal, well that's her problem. She did become incredibly skilled in my absence. I cannot deny that. A Sannin medical genius teacher? She picked well. But in the end it hurt her. I cannot have that. If I kill Itachi, then they will forgive me leaving her. And if Naruto wants her, that useless annoying husk, he can have her. He thought as he looked at the dummy where two kunai were placed perfectly in the eyes. "Huh, Tenten could be proud of that." Sasuke smirked.

"Uchiha!" The chief said as Sasuke bowed in salute. "At ease. I wanted to let you know that I am letting you go home early. If you can just train here, you can do it at home, where you have more freedom and range."

"Are you sure you will be able to handle everything sir?" Sasuke asked.

"I will be fine." The chief said with a smile. "Today is the kind of day where nothing will happen."

"I was worried. Seems too quiet is all." Sasuke said knowing full well by the end of the evening, there was going to be something more for the village to gossip about.

"There will be a few rookies coming in a little later. I think we'll be able to handle anything that may happen on a day like this. If we need you later on, we'll send a message out."

"Yes sir." Sasuke said as he got up to leave.

"See you tomorrow Uchiha." The chief said with a wave. Sasuke did not respond, but the chief thought nothing unusual about that. Sasuke was notoriously aloof and did not say goodnight all the time.

Sakura lay in bed with a medical book on her face. She may have been on rest from her duties at the hospital, but she could always study more and more on the current medical knowledge that was available. It was her duty as a medical ninja after all. The door creaked open, causing Sakura to jump awake. Sasuke wasn't due home for a few more hours. She jumped up with a kunai and headed to the door.

"Is that any way to greet me?" Sasuke asked plainly.

"Oh! It's you." Sakura said half heartedly. "I thought you were still scheduled for a few more hours."

"The chief sent me home early. It's been a quiet day after all." Sasuke said simply.

"That's good." Sakura said.

Sasuke walked past her, not paying attention and headed to the bedroom to pack a bag before he left. In training he knew what he had to do. He had to leave Konoha again and never comeback until Itachi Uchiha was dead by his hand. If he had found concrete proof that Itachi had died before he could kill him, Sasuke was never going to come back to the village. If they were going to think of him as nothing more than rouge ninja scum, he was going to prove them wrong or die trying. As he headed through the room, he saw the medical book that was over Sakura's face when she woke up and nearly stabbed him in the face. He picked it up and threw it on the bed in a rage. That damned Medical bullshit. That cost me the chance to restore my clan. He thought with a rage as he placed some clothing and weaponry and food pills in a bag he slung over his shoulder. He took off his Konoha Military Police insignia and thew it on the floor. He could no longer live this lie. But as he turned to leave, he picked up the book and carried it to the living room where Sakura was sitting.

"Here." He said thrusting it with intense force at Sakura. "You'll need this now. It's the only friend you got left."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked.

"I cannot stand this anymore. I am leaving the village and staying gone unless I can bring Itachi's corpse back that I have killed myself." Sasuke said. "You can just devote your life to that whole Medical ninja thing and be as useless and barren as Lady Tsunade."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Sakura said, finding her inner self and looking at Sasuke with intense rage. Obviously he did not understand that she did not CHOOSE to have a miscarriage. She did not chose to have complications that made her infertile. However, any insult on that part of herself she could take. But to talk about Tsunade, her sensei, like that was a great insult.

"You heard me. You can just hang around Tsunade living vicariously through her and her position and do nothing more than nurse around living in her shadow. I cannot do something so pathetic like you can." Sasuke said as he headed for the door.

"So because I can't have kids, you will give up everything you have been working for to chase after Itachi!" Sakura yelled. "He could be dead already for all you know!"

"Then I will stay rouge until I die." Sasuke said simply.

"What good will that do you? Do me? Do Naruto? He cares about you too you know!" Sakura yelled following Sasuke out the door and to the village gates.

"Oh why should I care! I know what the village says all the time about me anyway!" Sasuke said, knowing he was in a very crowded roadway and did not want to draw more attention to himself. "If they think I am rouge ninja scum, then that is what I will be! I will prove them wrong or die trying. It's not like I can restore the clan. If I were to find a more suitable woman who could actually mother children they would just talk bad about me."

"Since when did you care about what the village thought?" Sakura said she placed her hand on his shoulder and he turned down a very private alleyway.

"Since I became more disgraced in their eyes than that bastard brother of mine who killed off the Uchiha in the first place. Because of your carelessness with my unborn child, I cannot play this game anymore." Sasuke said as he came around and smacked Sakura across the face. "That felt better. You whore."

"What did you call me?" Sakura asked. "I did not do it on purpose."

"Yes you did. You wanted to drag me down for breaking your heart when you were a prepubescent girl and I left in the first fucking place." Sasuke said. "So you worked yourself to death practically and lost the baby and to add pity points on and to shame me, you became infertile so I would be seen as a dishonorable bastard if I left you to find a girl who could mother my children."

"You're fucking delusional!" Sakura said as she punched the ground in front of her, causing Sasuke to jump back to the wall of the village.

"No, you are. You're a psychopathic bitch whore." Sasuke said. "I hope to never see the place again unless I have killed Itachi. Then the village will see the truth and I might be able to honorably restore my clan."

"If that's your attitude, then it deserves to go extinct!" Sakura said. Telling Sasuke what she was really thinking was allowing her to feel so much better and know what she had to do next. Everything that came from the miscarriage, the guilt, the same the embarrassment was disappearing and she was feeling stronger.

"Chidori!" Sasuke said as he ran towards Sakura who was running at him to punch him with her monster strength. He had activated his Sharingan and saw where she was aiming, dodging it and turning the chidori on her in a vital chakra point that caused her to black out and fall face first in the alleyway. "For a medical ninja you aren't very good at blocking your charka points. You told me about this one yourself." Sasuke smirked as he took Sakura over his shoulder and ran to the main gates along the top of the village gates. Seeing there was two guards there, he tossed her down on the ground and headed out of the village. They ran to her unconscious body and called for help, giving him enough of a head start to delay any operations that would try to bring him back. He had learned from the last time that he was better off fleeing on his own than with a bunch of cursed fools who got themselves defeated by genin.

So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? I know it got pretty intense there with the fight but at least Sakura is discovering her inner strength again like she should. But what is going to happen when Naruto finds Itachi and will Sasuke find them both? What will become of Sakura? You're just going to have to read on. So remember to read, well you just did, and to review. Ciao for now,

otherrealmwriter

aka

Realm