A few days had passed since Sakura's pregnancy announcement to Itachi, and it had been as if the new life growing inside of her had breathed new life into him. Smiles graced his lips more often; there was a cheerfulness in his voice and a gleam in his eye. After finding out that he would be a father, the raven-haired man had gone around to the other members, letting them in on the big news. It seemed to affect everyone; Sakura found that other members stopped by her and her lover's room to congratulate her on the news. One of her favorite visits was from Tobi and Deidara, as they argued away about whether the child would be a boy or a girl.
The content young woman sat thinking about the events over the course of the previous few days; everything seemed to have happened so fast. Within a moment, her entire life had changed with the news that she was an expecting mother, and so many doubts still found their way to the forefront of her mind. Was she old enough to be a sufficient mother? Could she truly protect her little one? Would her pregnancy carry the entire nine months or would she lose her precious baby? Every time these negative thoughts would plague her mind, one positive thought would put her at ease: Itachi would be there with her. There was no need to worry so long as she had him by her side.
Sakura was distracted from her thoughts by a knock. "Who is it?" she asked, making her way to open the door. Upon swinging it open, she was greeted by a smiling Konan.
"Hello, Sakura. I was wondering if you would mind chatting for a bit?"
At Konan's inquiry, the rosette-haired girl responded, "Of course not!" and stepped aside to allow her friend entrance into the room.
"Funny, I've never seen Uchiha's room before. We all would typically stay to ourselves unless we attended a meeting. The décor on his walls is beautiful," the origami user commented as she examined her surroundings.
"It is, isn't it? Itachi is a very talented artist, and that isn't just me bragging about him! His skills never cease to amaze me." Sakura paused to glance around the room. "So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
"Oh, it is not anything serious. I just thought I would… I mean, if it is not a bother, I was just hoping for a friendly conversation."
The younger kunoichi's eyes lit up at Konan's words. She loved spending time with Itachi, of course, but having a friend to talk with was always nice. "I'd love that!" she exclaimed, sitting on the bench next to the bedroom window and motioning for her company to join her.
"I have seen Itachi around the hideout, and he seems joyous. Am I correct in assuming that he took the news of your pregnancy well?" Hazel eyes portrayed what seemed to be relief at her comrade's acceptance towards the situation.
"Yeah, he took it totally different than I had expected him to. He was—he is—happy."
"It is wonderful to hear that, but that does lead me to another question: How are you feeling now that you know of his contentment with your circumstances?"
Green eyes slowly made their way to the garden outside; Sakura watched the vegetation sway with the gentle breeze while gathering her thoughts.
"You know… I'm not sure how I feel," she started, being as honest with Konan as she could. "I'm scared. This is a step in my life that I didn't expect to be making so soon, especially not with someone considered to be an S-ranked criminal. But, I've seen a side of Itachi that proves to me that he's a good guy—one of the strongest and most respectable people I've ever met. I should be happy with that, but… my mind keeps wandering to my village and my friends. They have not seen the side of Itachi that I have; to their knowledge, he is a man who's committed unforgivable acts and continuously jeopardized any peace in the world. I keep wondering if my voice will reach them when the time comes. The opinion of one ninja who wasn't even strong enough to not get captured by one of her village's greatest enemies might not matter to many people…"
"It only takes the smallest pebble to start a ripple in the water," Konan stated, resting her hand on Sakura's leg. "You have already rippled our waters; in the relatively short time you have been here, you have affected most of us greatly, and it all started with you—as you put it—not being 'strong enough' to resist being captured. You were, however, more than strong enough of a person to penetrate the heart of a man that had been hardened for so long."
A sigh made its way out of Sakura's mouth at her new friend's words. "You sure do have a way with words. I feel so much better now, and it's all thanks to you! For the time being, I'll focus on my pregnancy and Itachi. Anyway, though, enough about me! I think I've told you more than my fair share, so it's your turn! Now, tell me about you and the leader!"
The normally pale origami user ended up turning a new shade of red.
"It looks as though we have found the approximate location of the hideout. Once we discover what is generating the barrier that is restricting us from gaining access to the Akatsuki, we can officially launch the rescue of Sakura." Grey eyes scan the forest trying to pick up anything out of the ordinary.
"Yeah. Sakura has been gone for quite a while now. Under any other circumstance, it would be safe to assume that she is dead, but from what I know of the healing process for eyes, it can be a pretty lengthy process. Itachi's use for her has most likely kept her alive this long," Shikamaru explained to Neji, hands behind his head as he did so.
Naruto and Hinata stood within distance to their friends, overhearing what they were saying.
"Even if Sakura had decided to heal his eyes, she wouldn't stop fighting; she'd never stop fighting. She's alive. I know it." Naruto spoke more to himself than to the Hyuga girl.
"Y-You're right, Naruto. I have faith that Sakura is just fine. We'll save her; I know i—"
Hinata's speech was cut off by the blue-eyed jinchuriki abruptly standing at attention.
"What is it, Naruto?" Kiba questioned as him and the other ninjas gathered around their friend.
"I sense his chakra. Looks like we aren't the only ones who figured out just about where the Akatsuki hideout is located," Naruto began speaking right before jumping into a tree. "Isn't that right, Sasuke?"
A/N: This is just a shorter chapter to begin leading into the climax of the story. The real drama will begin soon, after years of me working on this fanfiction (sorry again to those who have been waiting patiently for me to update)! I'm excited to work on it some more! I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far.