Itachi's Promise: Chapter Twenty-Three

The following three months were really hard for Itachi, he had to deal with what he had done and keep up his emotionless face to everyone else apart from Kisame. Numerous times Kisame had stopped Itachi from doing something stupid; while Itachi had saved Kisame multiply times while on missions. The two had been getting along rather well, Itachi had become a lot quieter, but other from that everything was fine.

"Itachi, I've got the next mission," Kisame told Itachi, Itachi nodded and held his hand out for the mission report.

"Hidden Leaf Village?" Itachi questioned, Kisame nodded.

Their mission was to go the hidden leaf village, check on the nine-tailed container and leave. Itachi and Kisame left almost immediately, Itachi leading the way while Kisame followed behind.

"I'm going to see, Sakura," Itachi said, as they neared the Hidden Leaf Village.

"I know, meet you back here when you are done," Kisame answered, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Itachi made his way secretly through the village, ending up at the house Sakura had lived at when he was still allowed in the village. It wasn't empty; Sakura's room remained the same as it had always been. Itachi jumped through the window, to hear shouting from down stairs and a small whimper from within the cardboard.

"Sakura," Itachi whispered, sliding the door open and looking down at the small girl curled up in the bottom of the wardrobe.

"Itachi," Sakura answered, looking up at him with tear filled eyes.

"Yes, my little cherry blossom," Itachi answered; smiling and holding his arms wide for Sakura to run in to them.

Sakura stood from her position and ran into Itachi's arms, forcing him to take a step back with the force.

"They are fighting again," Sakura whispered, Itachi looked towards the doorway of Sakura's room and then down at Sakura.

"Let's go," Itachi whispered, leaning down to pull Sakura into his arms and then jump gracefully out of the window.

Sakura stayed close to his chest and Itachi jumped from rooftop to rooftop with amazing speed so no one knew whom he was. Seeing the forest Itachi and Sakura jumped into the trees and then Itachi set Sakura down on a branch and began to rapidly run around Sakura, with as much speed as he could muster. Sakura smiled and then she laughed, causing Itachi to trip and end up on the forest floor staring up at Sakura.

"Your amazing," Sakura said, sitting down on the branch and waiting for Itachi to come and join her.

Itachi jumped from the floor, landing beside Sakura and sitting down. Sakura looked out among the forest and smiled, then frowned.

"Your brother is an asshole," Sakura said, if it was possible to chock on air Itachi did.

"What?" Itachi gasped.

"Your brother an asshole," Sakura repeated.

"I got that…Why?" Itachi asked, regaining his breath and wandering why she had called his brother an asshole and where she had learned that colourful language.

"He bullies me, pushes me into the dirt, tells everyone I'm from a civilian family and calls me names," Sakura answered, Itachi looked down at Sakura and then out at the forest.

"Tell me, if he doesn't stop bullying you, I will come and find him," Itachi said, Sakura looked up at Itachi with surprise and then smiled and leaned into his arm.

"Thank you, Itachi," Sakura said; even through he hadn't fixed the problem he had helped.

"So…where did you learn the word 'asshole'?" Itachi asked; Sakura smirked and looked up at Itachi.

"The ninjas that are meant to be my parents," Sakura answered.

"So you know they aren't your family," Itachi stated.

"Yeah, and I know what happened the night we went to that place," Sakura said, not meeting Itachi's eyes.

"How?" Itachi asked.

"Your brother, he told me. He said I shouldn't trust you, I shouldn't be anywhere near you," Sakura answered; Itachi sighed and ran a hand through his long hair.

"Are you going to listen to him?" Itachi asked, his chest tightening and hoping for one answer and wishing he wasn't going to get the other.

"No," Sakura answered simplicity.

"What makes you think that you are safe?" Itachi asked.

"You wouldn't hurt me," Sakura said; she was certain that after everything he had done that he wouldn't hurt her.

"Sakura, how can you be so certain?" Itachi asked.

"You're my hero, you saved me, you protected me from your father and you gave up everything for me. You won't hurt me, My Sharingan User" Sakura answered; taking Itachi's hand and looking up into his red eyes.

Itachi locked eyes with Sakura, as she leaned forward and pushed her lips against his. Itachi froze unsure what exactly to do; he set his hand down on Sakura's cheek and gently kissed her back before they pulled away from each other.

"Can he kiss, Sakura?" Kisame asked, landing on a nearby branch.

Sakura and Itachi blushed and looked away from each, Kisame grinned watching the pair as they each tried to say something along the lines of I slipped.

"The container is watching your brother," Kisame said.

"I don't care," Itachi replied, Sakura looked at Itachi and went to ask what a container was when Itachi put his finger to his mouth.

"What?" Kisame asked.

"Shhh," Itachi shhhed.

"Why?" Kisame asked.

"Be quiet," Itachi ordered, firmly yet quietly.

Sakura leaned closer to Itachi and Itachi quickly put his arm around Sakura and scanned the forest with his sharingan. Kisame jumped forward, landing on the same branch as Sakura and Itachi. Kisame pulled his sword from his back and laid it across the trunk behind Itachi and Sakura to not allow anything from attacking them from behind.

"It's Anbu," Itachi whispered.

Kisame sighed and looked at Sakura.

"Take her home," Kisame groaned, looking at Itachi and they back towards the way that the Anbu can be heard coming.

Itachi turned to face Sakura and ducked as a kunai barely missed his head.

"I think they already know Sakura and I'm here," Itachi replied, jumping higher into the tree branches with Sakura.

Itachi released Sakura as they landed on the branch, Itachi pointed to the branch, Itachi left Sakura and returned to beside Kisame.

"Ready?" Kisame asked, as four Anbu jumped into the clearing before Kisame and Itachi.

"What are you doing here?" The leader of the Anbu squad asked.

"Nothing," Kisame answered.

The Anbu jumped forward, Itachi jumped back behind Kisame and Kisame swung his sword across the air. Itachi leaped over Kisame as the Anbu spread out and knocked two of the four Anbu into a tree, effectively knocking them out. Kisame mean while let his sword slice into the shoulder of one of the remaining Anbu and then Itachi took out the last Anbu.

"Itachi," Sakura screamed, Itachi jumped up on to the higher branch he had left Sakura on.

To Be Continued...Please Comment