Itachi scanned over Sakura's poem as she began to eat the meal that he prepared. "You have a serious talent. This is beautiful," he complimented, placing the paper on the bedside table.
"Really? That means a lot coming from you," Sakura replied, a large smile making its way onto her face.
"Sakura, I have something that I wish to ask you about."
"Sure, what is it?"
"We have become very close and imitate, there is no denying this fact. This may be a move that brings more negative than positive outcomes, but the only way we can be sure is to try. I would like to gather the Akatsuki members that are currently here for a meeting, and there, I would like to introduce you to them. I feel as though you may be able to bring something out of them like you have done for me. They may not look it, but they need it. Although, I am wary of Tobi and Zetsu."
"I understand Zetsu, but why Tobi? He's such a sweet guy, although I guess there must be more to him, if he is in an organization of S-ranked criminals."
"Precisely. I have often wondered why Tobi was let into the organization, despite his clueless demeanor and his clumsiness. I have also wondered who he really is, as he possesses the Sharingan. I have reasoned that there must be something wrong with his other eye, due to it being covered. The incident that triggered my suspicions was Zetsu reporting to Tobi about occurrences before even going to Pain, our leader. Pain sifts through the information given to him by Zetsu and then relays the important information to us. So, why would Zetsu inform someone like Tobi before going to Pain? I dared not stay an extended amount of time when I caught the two, as I wasn't too sure how long it would be before they noticed my presence. However, I did linger long enough to hear 'Tobi' speak, if that is even his true name. His voice was dissimilar to how he normally sounds. It was deep, threatening, and serious. I was almost taken aback. As much as I despise bringing up the subject, I know, for a fact, that I killed every last member of the Uchiha clan that was in the village that night, other than Sasuke. Before my attack, I took my time to count each different chakra. I did not let one person escape, and with that, none of the chakra signatures of the members of my clan matched Tobi's, which—"
"...which means that Tobi wasn't a part of your clan. At least, he did not live in the village," Sakura interrupted, a disturbed look on her face.
"Correct. I have continuously tried to obtain more information on who Tobi really is, but I have yet to find much. Although, I did notice something peculiar, regardless of it having the potential to be merely coincidental. Your sensei only has one Sharingan eye—his left eye—just like Tobi. Even more suspicious, it is Tobi's left eye that seems to be missing or incapacitated. Itachi is not an Uchiha, yet he wields our kekkei genkai. This means that his eye must have been given to him by someone. In relation to that, Kakashi and Tobi seem to be around the same age."
"Do you think… that my sensei and Tobi somehow know one another?"
"That may be the case. Though, I cannot say for sure. I have no evidence beyond that which is coincidental. Kakashi was of good age before my clan was wiped out, so it could be that a different Uchiha bestowed their eye upon him, but I never remember any member of my family only having one eye. Plus, my clan was always much too prideful and selfish to do something like that for someone. Or so I thought. Aside from all of this, I just wanted you to know to stay even more cautious around Zetsu and Tobi than you do around the other members after I introduce you to them all. Although, I doubt Tobi would try and harm you. Whoever he really is and whatever plans he really has, they do not involve you and his act is still up. It would only affect him negatively to harm you. I feel that he has already calculated this."
"I understand, Itachi. I have no problem meeting the group. As long as you are there with me, I know I'll be safe," Sakura smiled gently at the thought of having someone so strong, handsome, and intelligent there for her. "I may ask my sensei about the situation with Tobi once I get back to the village. Speaking of eyes, though, before you take me to meet everyone, I would like to prep your eyes for the more intense operations I will have to do on them."
"That is fine. Let me go inform the other members that they are to gather in the meeting room in approximately one hour. Will that be acceptable?"
"Yes, that's fine."
"Make any preparations needed while I am out. I will return shortly." With Itachi's last word, he slid the door closed behind him.
As he said, Itachi did not take long to return to the room. The young konoichi had just enough time to focus her chakra and get the supplies she needed to perform her task.
"Alright, Itachi. I need you to lie on your back for me, please." At Sakura's word, Itachi laid on his back. She awkwardly undid his cloak and rested a rag drenched in warm water over his eyes. "Hello, I am Sakura Haruno, and I will be your nurse today. If you have any questions about the operation, please feel free to ask. All I ask is for your cooperation, so that I may be able to treat you to the best of my ability."
Itachi's lips curled into a grin. "Thank you, Nurse Sakura. I will be sure to cause little to no problems for you."
"Hehe. I'm glad you're such a model patient. What I am going to do is take the rag off of your eyes and place two of fingertips on each of them instead. You will feel a slight pressure and burning sensation as my chakra makes its way through your system. This feeling will not stop at your eyes. It will continue through your body, but it will not last long. You may feel as though you are peeing for a brief period, but I promise you, you aren't. Any questions before I begin?"
"Yes. Can I have a kiss to calm my nerves before we begin?"
Sakura let out a giggle at this and blushed slightly. "Well, I'm not supposed to have a relationship with my patients, but I guess I can make an exception this once. Just don't tell anyone, alright?" She finished her statement as she placed a small, gentle kiss on Itachi's lips. Once she pulled back, she removed the rag from his eyes and placed two fingertips on each of his eyelids, as she said she would do. She focused her chakra into her fingers and, at feeling she had finished, pushed her chakra into him. She felt his muscles tighten a bit, but they quickly relaxed. She had to maintain the flow of chakra for about thirty minutes, and then the prepping of his eyes would be complete.
"You know, Sakura, I find myself glad that I kidnapped you. I greatly apologize for putting you through the pain and stress, but I am content with how the situation has turned out. I never thought that I would ever hold anyone dear to my heart like I do Sasuke, but you have proven me wrong." Itachi almost whispered each word, but his quiet voice only made Sakura latch onto each and every syllable as she listened as carefully as possible.
"I'm glad you abducted me too, but now that we're like this, how about you ask next time, okay?" Sakura inquired playfully.
"Of course."
"Itachi…?"
"Yes, Sakura?"
"I love you."
"Hmph. I hate having to state my feelings out loud, but I feel as though I am yearning to say this: I love you too."
Tsunade slammed her fist into her desk, causing her glass of Sake to tumble off.
"What's wrong, Lady Tsunade? Has something happened?" Shizune questioned as she tightened her grip on Tonton.
"Call for Team Guy, Team Asuma, and Team Kurenai! Issue them here on account of a kidnapping… Sakura has been taken by Akatsuki."
"Oh no! Sakura… Lady Tsunade, I hate to ask, but… are you sure I should issue them here on account of just a kidnapping or account of a kidnapping and p-possible m-murder…?"
Tsunade shot a death-glare at her assistant and long-time friend. "She has not been killed! She is like a daughter to me, and I will be damned if she went down just because of some over-powered thugs! NEVER ask something like that again, Shizune! How could you even think such a thing?!... Not to mention, I have the feeling the Akatsuki needed her for something important, if they took her without killing her. According to Sai and Naruto, although there are obvious signs of a fight, there is no blood indicating that someone was harmed. Sakura would not have gone with them while conscious, so she must have been knocked out but not actually hurt. It hasn't been too long. To go through the trouble of taking someone as powerful as Sakura… They must need her for something that will take a while and a lot of effort to fix and someone who has grand power and knowledge of medical ninjustu. If only I could figure out what that 'something' is…"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade. That is a wonderful deduction. I will let the teams know that it is Sakura who has been taken right away, but I will allow you to brief them on the situation once they arrive. Is that alright?"
"That is fine, Shizune. Just hurry. If anything happened to her, I could never forgive myself. We have to find her."