Chapter7 Recall:
There was the impromptu date with Sasuke, dinner with Ino and Grandma and a rambling session between the girls.
Chapter8 – Sorry for Making You Cry (Again)
"I unloaded lots of bull on you yesterday didn't I, Sakura?" Ino mumbled groggily as she attempted to sit up.
"Nah, not really." Nothing new, that was for sure.
"You must have regretted bringing me to your house."
"Nah, not at all." Sakura did not bother to rectify that it was she who insisted on bringing herself to her house.
"I must have look like a mess now… Eew what's that stench?" Fanning the lingering odour in front of her face, she glared at Sakura for an explanation.
"Oh, must be some sewage leakage along the corridor; there was a heavy rain last night," Sakura replied, suddenly concerned about her last statement. As Ino proceeded to freshen up, Sakura swiftly made the bed and made a grab for the lavender air freshener to spritz off any hints of Ino's spew from last night.
Pushing aside the bedroom curtains, she was caressed by the gentle warmth and promise of a pleasurable day. I hope he found a place with shelter.
"Hey, you added a new poster! Wow I didn't know he plays the piano," Ino remarked chirpily, referring to the Itachi's limited edition promotional poster for next Tuesday's local concert, as she launched herself onto the freshly made bed.
"Yes! His new album will be a ballad, hence the piano. You will have no idea how amazing and amazingly talented he is until-"
"You see his concerts," Ino chimed along before shaking her head with a soft sigh, "Yes, only you told me a hundred times already. As I mentioned before, I'm not interested in local artists, cutie or not," She concluded as she sent an appreciative glimpse at his modest built, acknowledging his hot-o-meter.
"Well, there are always exceptions, aren't there?"
"Well, even though Dei lives here, he's still from the Sand, so- Wait, why am I even talking about him? Urgh! Damn this hangover." Sakura struggled to mask her smirk as Ino began hitting her forehead.
"Oh yes! I finally remember what I wanted to tell you the other time during P.E.!" Ino exclaimed while bouncing on the bed before she continued, "You are going to be so excited after you hear this – I saw someone who resembled Kanae Itachi, in your apartment's elevator! Either he's visiting someone, or he totally lives here!" It took a good ten seconds for the news to sink in. Under normal circumstances, this news would blow her mind off, but given the high chance that the Itachi Ino encountered was most likely Mr. Ninja Itachi, any potential ecstasy was replaced by trepidation.
"O-oh, wow, that's big! Why didn't you tell me as soon as you saw him?"
"Initially, I couldn't recognise him; you have any idea how different he looked backstage? At first I was thinking, hey this must be the hottest nerd I have met around town. Then I saw the specs from the poster, and it all clicked – it's him alright." Sakura forced a smile that bordered on awe-struck as she hoped that not many had approached the poor ninja for autographs and photographs since the launch of the poster.
"Lucky you."
"Meh, if you're into the quiet ones. He did not even smile at me! Isn't that one of the basic requirements for a public figure? I like my man to come and go with a bang, not with a brooding look that says he doesn't know where he is now!"
After persuading Ino that she would give breakfast with Mas a miss, she sent her to the elevator and hugged her farewell.
Throughout the night till the doors of the elevator slammed shut, Sakura deliberated over revealing the truth about Uchiha Itachi; the affliction of being unable to be wholly forthright ate at her. Anyway, there was no suitable way to broach the topic, at least not one that would not either frightened the wits out of her or reduced her into hysterical fit. It was for the best – the fewer in the know, the better.
"Where's Itachi anyway? I hope he's coming back…" The other niggling thought that kept her awoke during the hours of darkness, was him. She would muse on his whereabouts, his safety and his existence in this world, with the retching sound of Ino vomiting accompanying her in the background. She sincerely prayed that he could return to where he came from soon, but was it selfish to ask for an adieu before he did so?
"A selfie would be fine too…"
"What's that?" At the pleasant intrusion of her thoughts, Sakura sprang to the kitchen, where Itachi hopped through the window and landed with a faint thud in front of her.
"Oh! Hey, you're back," Sakura answered awkwardly.
"Were you hoping for this to be permanent?" At his teasing tone, she flinched inwardly at her own welcoming tone.
"No! It was just, there was no way to contact you and Ino left for quite some time already…"
"Well, I was here all along," Itachi clarified, pointing to the woods beside them. Sakura remained thoughtful for a moment, before the thunderstorm came in.
"What? And I assumed you slept on the tree branch since the ground is muddy?" At his confirmation nod, Sakura continued, "Itachi, ninja or not, I believe you are still a human. Aren't you afraid of being electrocuted?" She crossed her arms, head tilted in disbelief. Itachi fixed his gaze at her, absorbed in his musings, before brandishing out his kunai. Shocked, Sakura took an involuntary step back, hands positioned in a karate chop. Yes, this should make him think twice about ambushing her.
"Sakura, put your hands down, I'm not going to hurt you," Itachi elucidated, and if it was not for that nasty weapon, she would have already delivered a hefty kick to wipe those raised brows and smirk off his pretty face.
"No! Y-you put that, that sharp blade-"
"It's called kunai-"
"-Away before I kick you through the open window behind you." Itachi's lips twitched at her pitiful attempt of verbal threat, both of them knowing the off-chance of it occurring was, well, none.
"Sakura, did you know that kunais make good lightning rods? You were asking how I survived the lightning strikes, so I'm trying to explain." At the logical reasoning, she lowered her hands, still wary. Itachi grinned.
"It's good to remain alert at all times, even when it seems that danger is beyond reach. I have no qualms that you will make a fantastic ninja." At his soft tone, an inexplicable emotion gripped at her heart, rendering her of her speech.
"After selecting the tree, or my bed, I planted a kunai at the topmost crown, coiled a copper rod around it which would channel the current towards the second coiled kunai I stuck on the forest ground."
"But even then, it's not completely safe, right?" Sakura whispered, speculating over the what-ifs. Itachi merely stared on, eyes hardening as his inner ninja instinct kicked on full-drive.
"But being a ninja isn't about staying safe, Sakura. It's about staying alive."
When Sakura was in the shower humming away to Kanae Itachi's all-time favourites "You've Got to Be Kidding Me," Itachi detected a slight tremor on the dining table. It was her phone; curious, he reached across for it. When it shook in protest, he had to resist from dropping the foreign object nestled in his big palms, despite his capability to nullify its existence with a crush from his fist. After a few more false alarms, he was finally accustomed to the periodic ticklish sensation, but found himself releasing an in audible sigh when it finally ceased to vibrate.
Unfortunately, his relief was short-lived as it began to shake again. In his unprecedented panic, he accidentally triggered the switch by the phone rear, which set off its silent mode. The timing could not have been better; Sakura in the shower had just hit the chorus as her ringtone burst out in sync with the lyrics. He had to silent his yelp by releasing the phone.
"Eh, Itachi, is that my phone?" She had to pause and asked such rhetorical question on the off-chance that Mr. Uchiha was actually singing his counterpart's best hits.
"Yes." Well, a girl could always dream. She made a silent vow to teach him one of Kanae's songs, and soon.
"Who is it?" Itachi tentatively peered down at the culprit of his distress, and his earlier state of bungle and undesired attempt of acting clown was instantly of history.
"It says 'Yakushi Kabuto,'" Itachi confirmed, eyebrows forming a deep V at the disturbingly coincidental name; or was this the one and only?
"Oh, help me answer that will you? It's quite important." With no further instructions from the land lady, and with mild interest, he followed the weird instruction on-screen and slided to answer.
"This is Haruno Sakura's phone," Itachi relayed in a monotonous tone.
"Sa- Oh? You must be Itachi-san ne? Nice to meet you, or rather, hear you, since we haven't really met eh?" Kabuto chortled into the mouthpiece in ignorance to an unamused recipient. After a few silently pained seconds, he cleared his throat.
"Right now you must be wondering how I know your name, hmm? Well I'm not sure if Sakura-chan told you before, but I'm the one she approached with regards to... Easing you into this society." Back at his Konoha, Itachi knew that Kabuto was Orochimaru's best henchman, and like his role model, was capable of any means for results. Deception - be it lying, counterfeit or a tailored personality, were child's play to him, so it was hardly a surprise to learn that his reincarnation was meddling in his precursor's legacy of shady businesses.
"What do you want," Itachi wasted no time with pleasantries.
"I'm calling to inform Sakura-chan that the documents she requested are ready, and wanted to know if she wants to meet today, Itachi-san," Kabuto added, just to test his patience.
"Alright, I'll let her know. And I would prefer you address me by my first name, since like you mentioned, we haven't even met." Even though he was not well-acquainted with Kabuto from either worlds, his hunch told him they were not becoming friends anytime soon.
"Thank you, Ita- Uchiha-san. I find it really intriguing that you bear the declined Uchiha clan's surname. Was it mere coincidence or are you by any chance, a survivor?" To an untrained ear, it would sound like Kabuto was engaging Itachi in a harmless small talk, but Itachi could recognize the probing tone with an underlying intention anywhere, even across the Universe.
"I'm sure you have heard from Sakura that I came from the rural, and am in no way affiliated with Konoha." His trenchant tone was unmistakable for the end of their not-so-successful conversation, and Kabuto was more than glad to do the deed.
"Ahh... Well do tell her to text me, and I'll get back to her as soon as I have my signal again."
Sakura was struggling to make out his words but despite skipping on her song and resorting to leaning against the bathroom door, Itachi's voice remained muted against the redundant insulation of the door.
Putting on clothes as fast as a stripper would do otherwise, she sashayed out of the bathroom, dripping wet and pretending to appear bored.
So, what did he say?" She watched him put down her phone as she piled her tresses into a bun with her towel.
"He told you that the documents are ready, and to text him back about the rendezvous place," Itachi answered, feeling this dialogue vaguely reminiscent of his early days after mission, where he needed to report his findings to either Danzo or his Father. Since his unofficial enlistment as a double-agent, he quickly learnt to reshuffle the information in mind and pieced them into separate recounts that would satisfy both parties on the flagging trip back to his village.
In a way, he was always performing double the job with triple expectations, excluding no rooms for failure and absolute fidelity to the respective organizations. There was no way to fathom the morale values that were eating at him, constantly nagging at the hypocrite he was. There was also no one appropriate to confide in, since he hardly had any friends and came from a family of ninjas with firm regulations. It was an unspoken rule that 'A mission is a mission.'
Itachi grew up hanging on to that maxim and understood it, and was in no position to question that, even though he did doubt that inflexible resolve occasionally. He quickly suppressed these insignificant memories to the back of his consciousness before it clouded his current train of thoughts.
"Oh, that's fast!" Sakura exclaimed, before descending into a staring contest with him that was beginning to grow common between them. Feeling smug, Sakura broke the deafening silence.
"Itachi, do you even know what 'to text' means?" She wondered if they employed pigeons to deliver a message. So many things could happen along the delivery - unpredictable downpours, pigeons shot down by hunters, pigeons getting lost…
"If he isn't expecting a call, then he might be expecting you to leave a message," he replied instead. Sakura pulsed her lips, feeling indignant to be defeated by an old uncle who was well over his hundreds, albeit remaining in top form. Grabbing her phone, she composed a speedy reply to meet in the evening at Mushi Mushi Sushi Bar, where it would be dimly lit and less conspicuous.
"Is he a good friend of yours?" Sakura glanced up from her phone, unprepared for the question. Was he making small talks with her?
"Hmmm, I don't think so. We're more of amicable colleagues than confide-in-me buddies since I knew him through Konoha Hospital? Why do you ask?"
"Believe it or not, there was someone who bears the same name as him in my world, and in your modern day context, he would be classified as an outlaw," Itachi offered, hoping to instil some sense of chary against that man.
"Well, in our case, he's hardly a bad guy since you'll have him to thank for your brand new identity here!" She was buzzing with such certainty and trust that was going against his instincts to do anything but.
"Will it be dangerous? Maybe I should come along-"
"No silly! We're meeting at a public space and besides, I trust our police force's patrol units." The unmistakable pride and faith in her voice resonated at his heart, and he decided to give in to her. However, her last sentence piqued another point of interest for him.
The police force," Sakura was still grinning as he continued, "Is the police force still under U- Kanae's supervision and management?" She returned him a quizzical look as she considered her response.
"Well yes… Why? Don't tell me you are interested in joining the police force?" She was so caught off guard by his randomness that she failed to notice his implications.
"I might, considering my history with them back at my world."
"History? You mean you were part of Konoha's early day's police force?" That was news for Sakura; she could not imagine how he would look in the policeman attire wielding a handcuff. But who was she kidding? Why anyone would need handcuffs when you could use ninjutsu, or when you were called Uchiha Itachi?
"Not exactly, but my clan was put in-charge of our Konoha's Military Police Force and it used to be mainly comprised of the Uchihas," Itachi explained. That was, before I killed them all.
"I see! That's why your clan's symbol is part of the police force's logo right? Such honour!" She felt doltish for not making the connection earlier, but mirth nonetheless. Not only was he an outstanding ninja, but also a guardian of the village!
"On the surface, it is a venerable title, a privilege even. However, what we did was simply to spy on the villagers to maintain internal security and eliminate threats, be it friend or foe," He reinforced as a matter-of-factly, forever the humble pie.
"Well, that still says something about your clan! The Hokage, the head was called Hokage right? For him to entrust a critical aspect like security - man, I have no idea the Uchihas were such a big shot!" While Sakura was regaling in the knowledge, Itachi was struggling to make clear of what she just said. The modern slang was a lot harder to decipher than the contents of the monument in Naka Shrine. Sometimes he considered activating his Sharingan just to process her words better ant not appear like a fuddy-duddy old man.
"Unfortunately, Sakura, not everyone feels the same way. Uchiha Madara, a deranged ancestor whom I'm mildly acquainted with, was certain it was the village's method of isolating us from participating in Konoha's governance. He eventually rebelled and attempted to destroy Konoha." Never in the world could he foretell that he would be doing so much storytelling, and in a row, albeit this being the truncate version (in comparison to the one he told Sasuke).
"What? Why would someone from our village do that? And why aren't these recorded in the history? I certainly won't be sleeping through these!" Sakura railed as she slammed her palms against the glass table, her brain addled. The sober and functioning side of it was reminding her to stop acting uncouthly. I'm beginning to sound like Ino, and that's bad!
"The time of the shinobi is very different, and not even I can comprehend every aspect of it. People like Madara, with strong beliefs but were not heard or agreed with, tended to resort to extremities, even if it means destroying everything they built, including their only home."
"That's… That's tragic, Itachi. So was he apprehended, or killed?" Sakura's voice dropped into a hushed whisper at comprehending the brutality of his era, where killing and being killed were nothing but a norm.
"To my knowledge, he's still alive, out somewhere plotting his revenge, baiting for the right time."
Boy, never did Sakura feel so much gratitude for being born into this era. She was going to stop lamenting over closet perverts and surveillance cameras; at least there would be an indisputable evident over her cause of death, she regarded resolutely.
After abandoning Itachi for the past few days, Sakura figured today was the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with this very unique guest. As she headed to the bedroom to find him, she could hear the faint sliding and clinking of metal.
"Hey, Itachi, where are you going?" It was weird seeing him getting all ready to set off somewhere, without inviting her. She felt strangely left out.
"Training. I'll be back in two hours," Itachi announced as he exited the room, moving towards the kitchen.
"At the forest?"
"I'll be on the rooftop for now. I might head over to the woods later on. I'll still be within reach should you need me." With an uncertain nod, she was left standing in the living room as she observed her handsome tenant causally leaping onto the window ledge and in a flash he was out of sight. She sprinted towards the window and strained her head and body for a sight of his ponytail, but was greeted with a gust of wind and sunshine. Wow, ninjas are seriously no joke.
"Looking for me?" A male voice came from behind. In her shock, she overestimated her body's leverage on the window sill and fell forward, her eyes widening at the generous view with the wall sheltering her from the outside world missing.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" The moment her hand slipped from the sill, she knew it was over. Suddenly, she felt something gripped her left leg, and the falling sensation she anticipated never came. Still, she was inverted; her head was pointed downwards to the back garden, and the adrenaline and blood rushing to her head made her felt like she was viewing the world through frosted glass.
"I've got you, Sakura," Called Itachi from her apartment. When her vision became clear, she hastily shielded her eyes with her shaky palms.
"No no no…"
"I'm pulling you up now." Inch by inch, he lifted her up along the façade of the building, grasping his other hand against the wall to avoid a double free fall. Once her feet were levelled with the window ledge, he carefully tugged them towards him, guiding them to the kitchen floor.
"D-don't let go, p-please!" This was the second time he had heard her voice shook in tremor, and he was the cause of both instances. Overcome with self-reproach, he made a mental pact with himself. I won't, not if want me to.
When both feet made contact with the ground, he held her waist and steered her body up and away from over the edge, then deftly slide and locked the safety panel in place. Sakura felt her legs went jelly and collapsed onto the floor, not quite digesting what just happened.
"Are you alright, Sakura?" Itachi was genuinely concerned as he crutched down in front of her lacklustre face. Her blank eyes crept up and met his, as a single drop of tear glided down her cheek, betraying her still composure.
"Oh my god, Itachi, you saved my life," Sakura spoke under her breath, and before Itachi could register her words, he was assaulted by her fierce grip around his lean frame. Overwhelmed by the sudden force, Itachi lost his balance and they toppled onto the floor. They remained lying body to body as he listened to the quiet sobs from the fragile being snuggled on top of him, ambivalent of his next course of action. Should I comfort her? Or would it be too rude of me to engage in any more unnecessary body contact?
"T-Thank you, I-Itachi." His hand twitched before he finally gave in to the former and tenderly stroked her back to calm her nerves.
Itachi had no idea she was not referring to the earlier incident, but the act of allowing her to lie against him, keeping quiet and keeping her safe.
"So, why are you still in the house? I'm sure I saw you leaping out of the window," Sakura began after wiping off her snot and tears.
"Technically, yes. But, that was my actual body; I was here all along," He answered as though everything made perfect sense.
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I lost you at the body reference?" Was this one of the genjutsu he mentioned of?
"To put it simply, I'm a shadow clone, a solid replicate of the actual person," Itachi's clone repeated, and Sakura's face instantly lit up in recognition.
"Oh! Is this similar to the one you created using water?"
"Yes, but a shadow clone like me is stronger than a water clone, as the user's chakra is divided evenly to the number of shadow clones created. Whereas for a water clone, it only bears one-tenth of the user's power, so your punch wouldn't work this time," Itachi hinted, to Sakura's displeasure.
"Right… And when were you created?" Sakura did not recall witnessing him duplicated himself, but this was Itachi she was talking about.
"I was created before my original left your bedroom. I was instructed to stay in the room until he left to avoid overwhelming you," the clone confessed, though it was evident to both parties that the plan clearly backfired.
"I-I see. Oh, so that was what he meant by within reach. What a 'ninjalic' way of doing so…" She mumbled under her breath, causing the clone to raise his brow in fascination. As the earlier fiasco subsided, he headed for the couch and ensconced himself onto the leather, both hands outstretched along its backrest. Sakura frowned at the scene.
"Why are you standing around? Come over and sit. It's going to be a while before he'll back anyway," The clone shrugged as he leaned back and shut his eyes while she watched on, unable to abandon the queer feeling in her chest.
"Are you really his clone? You seemed a bit, off," She blurted out, chary to sit next to this foreign being, despite the disturbing stark resemblance to Uchiha Itachi. The clone peeled opened his eyes, fanning and directing his impressive set of thick lashes at her.
"Even though I'm just a clone, I'm still a part of him, you know. If you think I'm odd, then perhaps you don't know as much as you think you know about Itachi." Is he giving me an epiphany? Who does he think he is!
"Listen, you clone, I'm just saying I have never seen Itachi behaving so... Carefree around the apartment, and since you are him, it just doesn't adds up," Sakura crossed her arms and when the clone burst out laughing, she narrowed her eyes at the ludicrous scene.
"Listen, Sakura," Sakura felt a shiver escalated through her body at the tone, "Although I'll eventually join back with him, I'm now a separate entity, an individual body capable of emotions and hurt." To demonstrate his point, he flourished his kunai and with a swift swish, a streak of red appeared on his inner wrist as dark, warm blood began rolling down his arm.
"Itachi! What did you do?" Containing her gasp, she dashed to the kitchen cabinet to retrieve a first-aid kit and pulled out an antiseptic. She began the routine of cleansing the wound as she resumed admonishing his abnormal impetuousness.
"Ho, so you finally acknowledged me as Itachi huh? And all it took was just a slash." Sakura gritted her teeth in an ill-quelled anger as he smirked down at her while admiring her neat handiwork.
"Don't push your luck, pony fiend. The next time I'm gonna just leave you to bleed to death," Sakura forewarned, not releasing his wrist without delivering a firm squeeze, strong enough to force out a wince from his straight face.
"You wouldn't let that happen to me; after all, it's this intrinsic quality of yours that drew him to you in the first place."
Exactly two hours later, the real Itachi joined the duo in the living room who was engaged in a staring contest, though the atmosphere was a little tenser than their usual intent to outstare. As his chakra reserve was considerably lower from splitting half to his shadow clone, he could not perform as many ninjutsu and trained as long to complement with his mediocre stamina. He noticed a white glow a few centimetres ahead of them, emitting from a flat black panel.
"And the winner for this week's Best Photograph goes to… Electra," Came a posh voice from the black panel. It was immediately accompanied by Sakura cursing softly and a victory grin from his clone. It had been very long since he saw himself smiling so freely.
"I can't believe this…" As Sakura channelled her attention back on screen, the clone twisted his head to greet his oncoming original, and with an affirmative nod, vanished with a poof.
"Me neither."
"Oh! Itachi you're back! How was your training?"
"How are you so certain I'm not the clone?" He answered her question with another question, hoping to bait for time. In actuality, he was trying to make sense of the two hours he missed based on his replica's experience. She turned to the ceiling as she mulled over his question.
"Your eyes look different. And I'm not talking about your sore eye," Sakura jokingly pointed out. Itachi was prudent to ensure he deactivated his Mangekyo Sharingan before entering the apartment, so when she was met with a blank stare, she sighed and took out her phone.
"Here, see for yourself." Extracting the phone from her outstretched hand, he dropped his eyes onto the screen and was met with himself…? The image of him had an inverted Sharingan colour palette, with black pupils and irises and a pinkish-red sclera. As he blinked in confusion, so did the image.
"My eyes… They're still not fully healed," Itachi declared pensively to himself. This was his first attempt at using his Mangekyo Sharingan in the modern era, and his body was already suffering from its dire side effects. Noticing the surfaced brooding expression, she switched off the television and focused her attention on him.
"Itachi, don't look so worried. I'm sure it's just an eye infection. The air these days ain't like it used to be. Come on; let me get you a remedy." Opening the refrigerator, she withdrew and uncapped a bottle of eye drop. She instructed him to lie flat on the sofa, and gently prying opened his left eye, she dripped the chilly liquid into the stoic jade. As he blinked in reflex, a stray drop of liquid cascaded along his deep creases down to his cheek, and for a second it almost felt like it was speaking on his behalf. She shook off that peculiar sensation and repeated the procedure, and this time she dabbed off the excess before it did funny things to her head.
"I'm sorry Sakura," He called out from the living room as she was keeping away the eye drop.
"For what?"
"For endangering your life and making you cry, again."
Even with the countless reassurance from Sakura, he remained dubious about letting her meet up with Yakushi Kabuto alone, and for good reasons. There was no comprehending the degree of relief coming from Itachi when he first laid eyes on Sasuke, that the only thing that went awry for his brother was his disastrous choice of mentor and equally appalling sense of fashion. He did not detect any traits of Kabuto on him – no glasses, no ponytail (he himself was an exception to the aforementioned, since he managed to pull both off with much more success than the whitehead) and certainly no involvement in problematic researches and experimentations. He also managed to settle the snake issue before he died so no problem there either.
He spied her walking past the guard house, and made his first movement to tail her. If he was going to do this, he planned on doing it the way he liked it.
After she boarded the sparsely packed bus, he casted his body flicker technique that allowed him to be on par with the heavy vehicle. As the wind and branches whirred past him in a blur, he remained amazed by his rekindled night vision. Since obtaining the cursed dōjutsu, his nights augmented with each passing day, and he was forced to learn to endure and adapt to the remorseless sombre.
He extended both his hands to grab onto a thick overhanging branch to stop his movement as Sakura appeared behind the bus she boarded. She did a surreptitious glance to both sides of the sidewalk before marching into the sushi bar, and disappeared behind the blue noren.
Still suspended on the branch, he summoned a crow clone where he promptly kicked it in the guts to disperse it into a flock of crows. The crows flew off and strategically positioned themselves at varying distance from the sushi bar, effectively laying eyes where optimal sight was impossible.
A crow to his left spotted the male target getting off a white sedan as he made a bee-line for the shop. Before he released the shop's noren, he spun around and gazed at one of the crows perched on the sidewalk tree, before continuing his way in.
The racket generated from the bar radio and the chitter-chatters of the customers drowned out any hint of their conversation, so he was in the dark to the progress of the rendezvous.
After standing by for nearly an hour, both of them emerged from the bar, deep in conversation, and he noticed Sakura was hugging a document. Kabuto gestured towards his car, presumably to offer her a ride home, to which she politely declined with a bashful smile, to Itachi's delight.
Kabuto waved her off as she dawdled towards the bus stop, oblivious to both his and Kabuto's watchful eye on her.
Once she boarded the bus, he summoned a crow to continue stalking her, while he dispersed the rest of his crows and headed in the opposite direction of her, taking the lead from the white sedan reversing from its previous parking spot.
Chorus from:
You've Got to Be Kidding Me, by Kanae Itachi
You've got to be kidding me
What's with all the do's and don'ts
You're told not to disagree
Unless you want to be left alone
But girl let me tell you this
Nobody gets to condone you
For having the courage to break into the great unknown
You're the only one who gets to decide what you've got to pursue
The tune is inspired by L'Importante by Boomdabash feat. Otto Ohm; don't be afraid to fight for what you believe is the right path for you.