Chapter16 Recall:

Sasuke followed Itachi's advice and learnt to behave like a decent human; Ino recounted her relationship with Deidara, a brewing friction between Deidara and Itachi and a gift to Itachi by Sakura; a concerned Sasori and a confession under the moon.

Chapter17 – Never Alone

As usual, he reported to school with no abnormalities at the basement. The freshly developed drug was proving to be a huge success to succumb the brats' clamours. He breezed through the throng of crowds along the walkway as fluidly as water, but not quite as invisible as the air…

"Hey Kabuto!" Her sudden greeting automatically triggered his memory, which stated he was supposed to be on good terms with her, being fellow medics and all.

"Ah, S-Sakura…chan ka? Good morning," He replied with as much mirth he could summon. Why in the world would his master be on any terms with her was beyond him; she was the embodiment of everything against his nature – flashy, over-zealous and definitely too gregarious to maintain a low-profile.

"I want to thank you for saving Suu-san the other day; how did you do it?" He searched his mind for an image of Suu; ah that middle-aged man with a fetish for young male nurses….

"Oh don't worry about it; it was all about finding his exact needs and treating him from there…" His eyes slanted towards the man standing slightly behind Sakura. It was only then he realised this was the same man from the other time who stared holes into him. She caught his flick of eye and swiftly introduced Itachi to him.

"Oh, this is Itachi, as I'm sure you already known."

The name rang a bell – he had heard it being thrown around on several occasions when he passed by groups of girls and glimpsed upon it on several more advertorial posters. Quite timely, the school bell rang ahead of them, signalling the start of school. As Sakura waved away and hurried through the high school's gate, Itachi was already nowhere to be seen.

The pathway was all but empty, spared for some fallen leaves and Kabuto, a sickening smirk growing on his face. That damn singer is back, he thought smugly.

"Guess what; I've told him," She causally announced the moment she sat.

"Wow that's fast!"

"Then what did he say?" The girls wasted no time with preambles, with tables readily shoved aside and chairs shifted together around her.

"He didn't say out loud that he loves me…" The horrified look splashed across their face was almost comical, but their sympathies were not discouraging. If anything, it affirmed her of her decision. "But it's okay. I wouldn't want him to say it just because I did. It should come from his heart and until he's ready, I shall wait patiently by his side."

They exchanged uncertain glances, but the positive glow radiating throughout her body was an indication that she was far from being defeated. Haruno Sakura was ready to fight for her happiness. They embraced her in a tight hug.

"Sakura, you've grown up."

Pulling out the complimentary tablet, he racked his brain for Sakura's instructions and turned it on. Hesitantly, he unlocked the screen and clicked on a book icon named My Secret Diary, which she had downloaded especially for him. It had never occurred to him to leave behind a recount of his little adventure here until Sakura mentioned it.

He took a deep breath and attempted his first entry for Sasuke.

Dear Sasuke, this is Uchiha Itachi leaving a message for you. This felt too stiff and almost like a voice mail. He spammed the backspace and rephrased his thoughts.

Dear Sasuke, guess what, your older brother is still alive. He could already imagine his look of disbelief; never in a hundred years would Sasuke buy that. If anything, he would only break down in laughter and promptly set the tablet on fire at the pathetic joke. Backspace, backspace.

Dear Sasuke, guess you hadn't changed even after a hundred years; you're still as full of yourself. But don't worry, I've beaten some sense into the future you. He frowned at his motherly tone, not exactly the kind of exciting last words any sibling would be expecting from his older brother who was happily alive in the future. He mentally sighed in frustration and shut the app.

This is so much harder than I thought.

He always assumed his eyes were the only thing he would be leaving for Sasuke.

Upon the vibration in his pocket, he slipped out his new phone. 'Miz eu,' it said. He stared blankly at the screen for a few seconds, trying to decode her message. Maybe he still was not adjusting as smoothly as he thought.

"Hey, you've finally got yourself a phone; and a limited model for the matter- what's wrong? You looked troubled," Konan commented as she slotted into her seat. Itachi considered his next action; it was either to make a fool of himself in front of Konan, or to appear like a dull-witted, outdated old man in front of Sakura. It was not much of a choice, unfortunately.

Reluctantly, he showed Konan his phone, careful to evade his eyes from her questioning ones.

"Do you have any idea what this means?" Konan squirted at the tiny screen then eyed Itachi, who still refused to look in her eye.

"Is this from the owner of the pink cover?" Why was she smirking at him? Grudgingly, he nodded. Unable to control herself, she giggled softly behind her palm. And she thought Nagato was clueless; the girl must be having a hard time, she thought.

"It means she's thinking of you; aren't you a lucky guy, Itachi-san," Konan teased affably while Itachi's eyes widened in understanding and ducked his head away. He wondered if the library has a book of modern slangs made especially for people like him.

She left him to his weltering thoughts and delivered a similar text to Nagato for the fun of it. He replied in less than a minute.

Is smth wrong, Konan?

She stifled another raising giggle – guys would never take such messages at face value.

With the training cancelled, Itachi was free for the rest of the afternoon. Sakura would be reporting to the hospital and he figured he could try his luck at the public library for the handy dictionary that could translate funny words into sense.

His phone vibrated once again and there was a text from Konan, telling him Minato had convened an emergency meeting at his office.

As he rounded back by the corner where he came from, his body collided with Sasuke, smacking the phone out of his hand. Sasuke was in a rush and in his distraction his head clashed hard onto Itachi's chin and landed on his rear in an undignified heap.

Nursing his bruised chin (he had no idea Sasuke's head was this hard), he extended a hand to help the poor dude up.

"What's the rush, Sasuke?" Itachi quipped as Sasuke brushed off the dust on his butt.

"I-Itachi?! O-Oh I was just on the way home… Hey I think you drop something," He bent to retrieve his phone, taking in the Uchiha fan symbol casing with a sceptical eye.

"Do you want to join the police that badly?" He asked incredulously as he handed back his phone. Itachi glanced down at the casing and shook his head, smiling at his assumptions. It must appear weird that someone would be wearing other family's symbol on their phone (even though strictly speaking Itachi was his ancestor).

"It bears similarities to my clan's symbol; makes me feel closer to them. Petty nostalgia you could say," Itachi shrugged and waved him off, curious to meet Minato.

"H-Hey! Wait!" He stopped and waited for him to catch up, eyebrows raised in anticipation. Sasuke wielded out his phone, outstretched in front of him expectantly.

"What's this for?"

"I-In case Kakashi-sensei calls for last minute training, I'll be able to contact you." His raised an eyebrow in amusement, but instead of taking over his phone, he gently pushed it back. Sasuke's flicker of rejected look tugged at the hidden smirk behind his amused face.

"Why not I tell you while you key the numbers in? I believe it'll be faster that way." Sasuke's face lit up in realisation that he would still be getting his number and Itachi mentally released his panicked breath. After they had saved one another's contacts, they went on their separate ways.

Itachi joined the Akatsuki members who had formed a semi-circle around Minato's desk, which was even disorganised than usual. An intangible gloom cloaked the room, and even the usual gaiety Deidara was displaying some degree of reticence.

Hidan was the last to arrive. He was busy combing his hair and preening in his compact mirror until he sensed the deadly silence in the room and peeled away from his vanity. The sense of foreboding that instantly tackled him made him swallowed in trepidation, and he gingerly shut the door and found his spot next to a frowning Kakuzu.

"Thank you all for coming so quickly. I understand it's after school but I'm afraid this can't wait. Our Chairman, Hiruzen's grandson, Sarutobi Konohamaru is missing. Under normal circumstances, it would have been reported to the missing person's police department, but the timing of his disappearance is too much of a coincidence as the recent missing children's cases. I believe we have to expect the worst," He informed sombrely as the members exchanged nervous glances.

"How long has he been missing?" Pein asked in the centre of the group.

"He was last seen the previous night, when he reportedly went out at around nine-thirty to get supper take-away at the snack's district. So far we're the only ones who know about this, and I hope to keep it this way for now." Everyone nodded and he began the dissemination of tasks.

Kisame and Itachi were in-charge of scouting his usual hangout and possible places an eight year old elementary kid might visit. Minato handed each of them a photo of Konohamaru and they decided to split up for maximum efficiency.

As he flew through the gate of the university, he recalled the night that kid banged into him after a long day of snack shop-hopping with Sasuke. He hoped that was not the last he would be seeing of the energetic boy.

For once, Sakura could not wait to wiggle out of her little nurse outfit and to leave the sterile confines of Konoha Hospital. The moment she admitted to her feelings, it made her vision clearer. She could not wait to spend more quality time with Itachi, even if it meant simply lying beside one another on separate beds and not talking.

To be staying under the same roof as him was inexorable; to be in love with him was of her free will, and not completely unexpected.

She confessed that her initial adoration was from his uncanny resemblance to Kanae Itachi, but the similarities stopped there. Uchiha Itachi, was a man of his own and absolutely lovable from every inch.

As she stepped out through the entrance, she caught sight of a familiar head of spiky hair.

"Sasuke-kun!" He stopped and turned towards her approaching form, hit by déjà vu from the concert night. Like the previous time, he had wanted to escape from the solitude and the silence that accompanied it, with his parents and brother aboard and he the sole keeper of the large mansion.

"Sakura, ka?" It seemed like she remembered to change out of her costume this time.

"Where are you going?" It had been a while since she saw him out of school uniform, and in his high collared blue tee shirt and bermudas, he appeared even more youthful and innocuous. He hastily looked around for an excuse.

"I-I'm just going for a walk…" Without waiting for his invitation, Sakura joined in his stroll and they caught up with each other's life along the almost empty pathway.

Along the way to Sakura's apartment, they entered a street nearly enshrouded in darkness, with most the lamps broken down. She was glad there was Sasuke to send her home, even if it was obligatory.

"Do you always get off work this late?"

"Tonight is an exception really; I usually get off way later," She replied meekly. Sasuke eyed her incredulously.

"Alone?"

"W-Well…"

"Let's end your little date here, shall we?" A man roughly grabbed Sasuke by the neck and kneed him behind his knee. Sasuke tried to stand up but was suppressed with a firm leg on his back. The man then flourished a cloth and smothered his nose and mouth, and within seconds he passed out. Sakura watched on with paralyzed fear, her numbed mind unable to put sense to this masked man's agenda.

She inched away from the masked man but her retreating steps were stopped when her back met against something warm and solid.

She could not find the energy to retaliate and grabbed futilely onto the strong arm of another man cupping her mouth with a chloroformed cloth. Before her consciousness seeped out of her, she thought she heard the man's whisper.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."

Until now, he had no idea of the number of playgrounds the Leaf had taken the liberty to construct; there were everywhere. With the removal of the training grounds, the barren lands were mostly converted to recreational spaces for the civilians.

By the fifteenth playground, he felt like a paedophile who eyed raucous kids as a pastime in the shadows. When one of the boys tried to deviate from the watchful eye of his parents, Itachi caught his attention by the overhead branch and 'advised' him to return to the playground. The scrawny boy nodded obediently and scampered back into the light.

There was no doubt about it; Itachi would make a fine babysitter.

With the last possible area scouted, he made a U-turn back to the Haruna Residence feeling like he was the one with the lost child. He checked in with Kisame and he was met with similar results.

"It's alright, thanks for the work, Itachi. You can go back and rest. We'll keep in touch if there are further updates," Minato replied and they ended their brief phone call.

Itachi's brow furrowed in concern when he noticed Sakura's pair of loafers was missing from its usual spot by the door steps. He set his school bag down and was about to make his way to the hospital to pick her up when his phone rang. Why was Sasuke calling at this time of the night?

"Well, if this isn't Itachi-san, welcome back to Konoha," The sickening and familiar voice of Yakushi Kabuto boomed through the earpiece, and he checked the phone screen to be sure it was Sasuke's line.

"Don't worry, your dear brother and his woman is with me. If you want them back in one piece, you will jolly well agree to Orochimaru-sama's contract and have it delivered to the address that I'm going to text you. Then, you'll find the brats waiting for you at the location."

"What woman?" Itachi asked instead. There was a pause on the other end, like he was momentarily thrown off by his question.

"Funny you're worried about that girl more than your brother. If you really want to know, her name is Haruno Sakura." He could detect muffled noises in the background.

"How do I know you're not lying?" After a few seconds, Sasuke's hollow voice burst through the speaker.

"Don't worry; we're fine! Don't agree to the contract no matter what- ARGHHH!"

"You may want to hurry up; there's no telling what we'll do when our patient's up. You have until midnight. Oh, and do come alone, we do not appreciate having to deal with more corpses, Itachi-san." Kabuto's vile chortle reverberated into his ear, and Itachi stared at the dead line. He quickly redialled Sasuke's number but it went straight to voice mail.

He had no clue of the crap Kabuto just babbled to him, except that Sasuke and Sakura could be in danger and that there was something different in Kabuto's voice than the last time he had heard through the phone.

His phone beeped and there was a text from an unknown number containing an address with a message: 50-50 revenue or 100% loss, your choice.

He recalled the address from one of the Akatsuki's scouting missions and he immediately eliminated that as the place of captive. There was no way he would corral them at a known abandoned warehouse by the police, let alone simply giving away the location of the hostage. He needed to assume someone like him would never keep to his end of the bargain, and even after he handed over that unknown contract they might not be released alive.

He might have a clue of their actual location, and right now his best bet was to follow his years of ninja hunch. Just then he received another incoming call, this time Kisame's name surfaced on his screen.

"Itachi-san, one of the witnesses Sasori interviewed just confirmed that Konohamaru was seen talking to a bespectacled male-"

"Kisame, my brother's been kidnapped."

"What?" Itachi shook his head to clear his jumbled thoughts.

"Or rather, the idol's brother, Kanae Sasuke is being held hostage, along with his classmate. They apparently mistook me for Kanae Itachi and are demanding for a contract as the terms for exchange…"

"What? So they are asking for a contract which you don't have? Then what are you going to do now? Do you know who did it?"

"I have an idea, but it's more of a wager. I'm going to search for them now. Talk to you later, Kisame." He lifted around for some waste papers and stuffed them into a brown envelope before securing it with a hypnotising genjutsu seal as a sign of courtesy.

What he could not figure out now was why in the world was Sakura involved in this incident?

There must have been together and Sakura was a witness that they had to get rid of. Somehow with her in the equation, the steaks were unknowingly higher and he was even more adamant that he was going to get her out alive. He felt responsible for her safety. Why, he was uncertain.

He only knew that the thought of not seeing that sweet smile or hearing that voice of hers again was strangely depressing. What was more; he did make a promise to Sasori.

"I won't let anyone hurt her, even if it means killing them."

He checked the time – he had an hour and a half to locate and rescue them. He took an inventory on his remaining weapons –two freshly sharpened kunais and ten shurikens were all that was left from those weeks ago. It was hardly enough to perform his fancy jutsus and he would have to use them sparingly.

Summoning a shadow clone, he handed him the envelope with the dummy contract and together, they each advanced in the opposite direction.

"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?" Sakura whispered after Kabuto left them alone in the putrid cell. The entire room was dimly lit by the high window at the back wall, and Sakura speculated they were held in an underground prison.

"Y-Yea… That was nothing," He forced out between laboured breaths, having been exposed to the taser and was fighting for control of his contracted muscles. They were each tethered to a wooden chair, with arms tied behind the backrest and ankles strapped by the legs. The only positive aspect to their predicament was that they could still talk.

"Wh… What's this about? Why did they kidnap us?" Sakura glanced nervously around and hazily eyed the row of metal bars to her left, where a guard stood.

"It must be related to my brother's producing company. I heard from him that they recently they ran into some bad debts and the industry are not making things easy for them. Other companies took this chance to bribe the venue management agencies to increase their rents in hopes to destruct his world tour," Sasuke explained. Sakura knew of the shady side of entertainment world, but hearing and having it actually happening to her favourite idol was another thing by itself.

"So the contract…?" Sasuke nodded and turned away.

"They must have offered to clear the company's debts in exchange for a large portion of my brother's revenues, which is to say absurd. There's no way I want him to do that just to save us."

"But why target your brother? Surely there is more lucrative source of revenue out there…" Sasuke gave a helpless shrug.

"They must be pressed for money and he happens to be the quick solution they are looking for. The devil would resort to anything to get his hands on anything beneficial."

Something was still not adding up – how could they order Itachi to deliver the contract by tonight…

"B-But, isn't Kanae Itachi out of town…?" Sasuke smirked in response.

"I was just playing along; that bastard had no idea who he just called." At her confused look, Sasuke's smirk grew and he continued, "It has been a habit of mine to not save my family's contacts." Sakura's eyes widened in understanding and she thought, no way, he knew his number?!

"Then the person who he just spoke to…"

"…Only one of the most deadly man who can take on these losers and get us to safety."

Shrouded by the thick foliage, Itachi crouched on a broad branch, mindful to maintain at least a fifty metre distance from the stupendous white mansion.

He pinpointed three patrol guards by the entrance, but they appeared to be a complacent bunch, their footsteps slothful and unfocused. He had already taken down a pair on scouting duty on the way to the mansion, and they were predictably unpolished and far too cowardly for their assigned roles.

After observing their movements and surroundings, he was about to begin his infiltration when he remembered this was the modern era, and squirted harder at the building façade. He managed to locate at least four rotating cameras along the edges of the buildings.

Itachi closed his eyes, focused his chakra and hopped down from the tree. In one smooth motion, he launched four shurikens towards each camera, and the guards snapped to attention at the firework of breaking glasses above them.

By then it was all too late; he dodged behind each of the three men and landed a solid karate chop on their backs, instantly knocking them out. It almost felt too easy.

Taking a few steps back, he gained momentum and aimed a hefty kick at the door, striking it down in one movement. Within the expansive dark interior, the first level was mainly empty except for a dusty sitting area in the centre of the carpeted space, framed by two more levels of corridors with multiple rooms.

He found a working lift at the east of the room, while disabling two hidden cameras along the way. When he entered it, he noted the three basement floors on the panel. Without thinking further, he hit the 'B2' button.

The pungent smell of chemicals threw Sakura into a vomiting sensation for the fifth time, and her muscles felt sore from being in the same stiff position for the past two hours. She could feel something wet on her palms; it must be from the blood from her wrists from the abrasion against the thick ropes.

"Sakura, sorry to drag you into this," Sasuke's toppled form said suddenly next to her. She was not the only one who had been trying to escape. She shook her head and glanced down at his body.

"Two is better than one right? At least you're not alone in this." She prayed she felt as optimistic as she appeared; the truth was with each passing minute, she thought the chances of them seeing another living day was getting from slim to none.

"But how do you think Itachi could even find us? The place that that man messaged was most likely a hoax; if anything it'll only lead him further away from here." Sakura hated that she doubted him, but Itachi hardly knew his way around, let alone knew the whereabouts of an underground prison!

"He'll find us," Sasuke asserted, the certainty brimming in his depthless eyes.

"You're right, he definitely will; he's a ninja," Sakura shooed off the pessimist and nodded self-encouragingly. Sasuke frowned at her words.

"You know that too? Are you two that close?" She wanted to say yes, not only were they well-acquainted, but were living under the same roof. And that she was in love with him.

"W-We're okay I guess," She replied with a titter.

"Huh." Somewhere beyond the thick stone walls, there was a deep rumbling sound, and the guards posted outside the cells swept towards the source all at once. Everything was silent for a moment, and before they knew what happened, Uchiha Itachi materialised in front of their prison.

"Itachi!" The imprisoned duo shouted at once, and using the butt of a rifle, Itachi forced it down against the metal lock pad and broke it open.

"Are you two alright?" He brandished his kunai and freed both of their arms and legs in a series of swift slash. As Sakura helped Sasuke up, she noticed Itachi's eyes lingered on the torn skin of her wrists.

"Nothing that an ointment and bandages can't solve," She remarked with a soft smile. Their eyes met, and Itachi nodded before he chivvied them of the forsaken room.

Towards the end of the corridor, lay a pile of defeated guards but the absence of blood indicated that they were probably just unconscious. Sakura stared at Itachi in amazement.

"Wow, did you do this?" It was then that she noticed there were no visible scratches on him or his clothes. Sasuke was equally impressed by the human pyramid.

"Now is not the time to be admiring the fallen guards. Come this way, Sasuke, Sakura."

"Sakura?" Sasuke had no idea they were on first name terms. Itachi glanced back and caught Sakura's grinning eyes, as though in glee of the little secret relationship they shared.

"Sakura helped me a lot when I first moved in." They dutifully followed behind Itachi towards a narrower passageway, which led them to a spiral stone staircase.

They found themselves in a poorly lit arena, with interlocking concrete pavers and metal imprisoning bars lining the base of the four walls and an exit at the opposite end from the staircase.

"This is as far as you go." All eyes landed on Kabuto's descending form, who was taking one step at a time down the opposite stairs before he came into full view in front of the trio. Itachi instinctively raised an arm in front of Sasuke and Sakura.

"Stay back, I'll take care of this-"

"Why are you doing this Kabuto? Why are you helping this person? He could be just using you!" Sakura bawled behind Itachi's restraining arm.

"You know nothing, woman. I live for my master, and my life is his to end whenever he deems fit. So why don't you be a good prisoner and go back to your cell?"

"Step aside, I do not wish to kill you," Itachi's unnaturally calm voice interrupted their not so successful conversation, and Kabuto's attention shifted onto him.

"I'm surprised; how did you find out about this place?" He leered at the group ahead and sniggered.

"Did you think you could barge in all by yourself and get out of here alive? You've seriously underestimated us big time. Soldiers, get them!" At his command, hidden panels across the arena were flung opened. Itachi frowned at the 'soldiers' climbing up the ladders from the exposed panels.

"Y-You can't be serious, why are they all children?" Sakura could not have conveyed the two men's thoughts any better; ranging from as young as four to twelve, an assemblage of over thirty kids were staring blankly at them, armed with various lethal weapons.

"To resort to child soldiers, you guys are sick," Itachi spat out, and against his better judgments, kept his kunai into the hidden pouch behind him. Judging by their vacant expressions, they were obviously under the influence of drugs.

Perhaps the most unsettling factor of all was sensing their chakra. Some were stronger than the rest, but they were generally faint and probably would have been stronger if not for their drugged states. Itachi cocked his head towards Sasuke.

"Look after Sakura, would you?" He was off charging towards the children before Sasuke could register his words. As he stared at Itachi skilfully dodging assaults while careful to not severely injure them, and knocking them unconscious, he clenched his fists in indignation.

"Sakura, will you be okay alone?" Sakura wanted to say no, but the determined spark in his eyes, the burning need to free the kids from their Tartarus was hardly something she could defy.

"Go on," She whispered and tried to appear brave for his sake. Sasuke nodded and sprinted towards Itachi's side, quickly helping him take down three kids on his way.

"Sasuke…?" His eyes momentarily left the kids and flew towards Sakura, who was hugging herself by the stairs. Even without his Sharingan, he could easily read the tugs and pulls of those soft lips, the same lips that helped to mend his broken soul and warmed his frozen heart, which were telling him to 'be careful.'

A veil lifted behind his eyes and he nodded.

"I'll look after your back; let's quickly get this done and over with," Sasuke grumbled and thanks to all their collaborate training, they were able to take the unwary children down in no time. Sakura released the death grip on her upper arms and released an audible breath of relief. Kabuto merely shook his head in disapproval at the fallen heap around him.

"Keh, a bunch of failures. Looks like I'll need to increase the intensity of their trainings." He mused and flicked his finger. This time, a horde of masked men came rushing down the steps, and within movements they had Itachi and Sasuke surrounded. The two guys backed up against one another, scanning their enemies' bulky body suits and assortment of weapons reflecting their determination.

"Ready for round two?" Itachi took Sasuke's snicker as a yes, and he slipped out his other kunai. Sasuke frowned at the choice of weapon but kept mum and took it from him. In a flash they bolted towards the enemies. With the body suits it meant that their speed and movement were hampered, but it also resulted in higher defence, meaning the previous blows that worked for the children would be ineffective against this group.

They were also considerably proficient with their weapons, as marked by the scratches that littered the duo's arms and legs.

"Sasuke watch out!" At Itachi's warning, he avoided a fatal stab by his blind spot and kneed the man in the gut, hard. His relief was evanescent; Itachi was soon circled by six men eyeing him like sharks. They charged forth simultaneously with their swords outstretched, to which Itachi retaliated with a smirk. Before they knew what was happening, their swords went slicing through the opposite attacker's chest and they collapsed into one another, their spilt blood merging into one warm puddle by Itachi's feet.

"I-ITACHI!" Itachi and Sasuke's head snapped towards a cornered Sakura, with a sword lying precariously by her throat. Sasuke heard Itachi cursed under his breath and the next moment the man who had raised the sword against her neck was lying on the floor. The man clawed at the blood oozing out of the deep cut across his throat, and his throes soon ceased into a motionless heap.

Itachi stood in front of Sakura, eyes narrowed in concern at the cut on her neck and he cupped a hand on her cheek.

"Sorry, it'll be over soon." Just like that, the tender glint in his eyes was instantly clouded by a shutter of pure coldness and she watched as he fought to suppress his raging Sharingan.

He picked up the discarded sword that nearly robbed Sakura's life and began an onslaught on anyone in his way.

In an attempt to protect Sasuke, whose left arm was spotting a deep gash, Itachi took an attack meant for Sasuke and was kicked against the metal bars lining the arena. He clutched his bleeding right arm and slashed the man through the centre.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Itachi flinched and turned around to the source of the childish voice.

"Konohamaru?"

"How do you know my name? More importantly, look out!" Itachi spun to his left and avoided another slash by yet another enemy, before sending him to hell.

He gripped the handy sword in both hands and in a swift motion the lock was cut into half.

"Hey I recognise you! You bumped into me the other night!" Itachi smiled and picked Konohamaru with one arm and sprinted to the opposite side of the arena. He deposited him next to Sakura before re-entering the fight. Sakura crouched down and petted his slightly spiky charcoal hair.

"You must be one of the captured kids. Don't worry; the onni-sans over there will get us out in no time. What is your name?"

"S-Sarutobi Konohamaru, and I'm going to grow up and be as cool as that onni-san over there!" He exclaimed and pointed at Itachi's dancing movements.

"Sarutobi?" Doesn't that make him Hiruzen's grandson?!

If Sakura thought her eyes could not grow any wider, she was dead wrong on that. She felt the world slowed around her as a man emerged next to Kabuto.

Another Kabuto had materialised next to the suddenly stiff Kabuto.

Detecting another chakra signature, Itachi lowered his blade and turned towards the dead ringer next to Kabuto. His discerning eyes narrowed dangerously at the replica flowing with chakra, his right arm holding what Minato referred to as a 'rifle.'

Something is different about this 'clone' next to the original Kabuto…

Sakura instructed Konohamaru to hide by the stairs. She quickly ran up and stood close behind Itachi, his arm shielding her protectively from their toxic gaze.

"I-Is that a shadow clone? So Kabuto can use chakra?" Sakura breathed frightfully, and Kabuto's ears caught her words. So she knew about chakra huh, he thought.

"No and yes Sakura, that is his actual body, and I do sense chakra from him," He replied, nodding to the new Kabuto. He smirked and mockingly clapped his hands.

"Itachi-san's right. I'm the real deal."

"Then who's that next to you? Is that a clone, Itachi?" Sakura searched his eyes for confirmation, but they were fixed hard on the two Kabutos.

"This man next to me is pure flesh and blood; he's a living person," Kabuto answered for her.

"What? Then how…?"

"Plastic surgery…" Sasuke muttered suddenly next to Itachi. At his quizzical gaze, Sakura spoke up.

"It is a surgical procedure that permanently alters the physical appearance of a person, though seldom do you see anyone who did an entire face to resemble somebody…"

"Because it would have cost too much money and pain to pull off something like this," Sasuke finished for her. Kabuto guffawed at their expressions.

"Don't look so surprised; we talked on the phone a long time ago and I've seen your photo. There's no way I would forget someone as beguiling as you, Uchiha-san." If looks could kill, Itachi would have stabbed him at least ten times by now.

"So who was I talking to all along?" Sakura breathed out while Kabuto contemplated her profound question.

"Hmm, let's see. When you approached me to create an identity for Mr ninja," He gestured mockingly to Itachi and continued, "When you asked to take over your entire shift... And I think that's about it."

"What? Geez no wonder you- your counterpart didn't recognise Itachi when we saw each other this morning..." At her point, everyone's attention returned to the walking lie next to Kabuto.

"M-Master… What are you doing here?" The fear and admiration leaking out of his kneeing form in undignified proportions was disturbing to watch. The real Kabuto ignored his question and kicked him to the other side of the room. Without warning he fired two resounding shots at the fake Kabuto.

Sakura's hands flew to her mouth in shock, while Sasuke and Itachi watched on with hardened gaze.

"Now, what's the use of having you around when you couldn't even differentiate one man from another? Am I right, Uchiha Itachi-san?" Kabuto asked rhetorically and aimed his rifle suggestively in his direction. Itachi quickly pushed Sakura behind him, and she dared a glance at Kabuto, her hands gripping his sleeves in apprehension.

"You may be a ninja, you may be able to use chakra, but can a ninja use chakra to dodge bullets that travels three hundred and seventy metres per second?" Kabuto wondered aloud, smiling the way he did when they chatted in the hospital.

"Let's test that out shall we?"

"Crouch down," Itachi ordered in a low voice and vanished, using his body flicker to narrowly dodge his almost precise aims.

When their eyes met across the room, Itachi saw the challenging smirk on Kabuto's face and his eyes widened in horror. He only managed to pick up Sakura a millisecond before the bullet flew through her.

"I-Itachi!"

"Guess I'll take this chance to help Orochimaru-sama finish off what he set out to do five years ago!" Kabuto made another aim for Sakura, and in that moment there was an earth-shaking explosion above them.

At the second explosion, the ceiling ahead gave way but instead of pieces of earth crashing down, the split ceiling peeled apart and curled into a roll like two sheets of paper.

Kisame was the first to jump through the opening, his hands blurred together in a fury of hand signs.

"Water style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!" The attack deflected the rifle from Kabuto's grasp, and soon they were engaged in an intense hand to hand combat.

The rest of the Akatsuki members landed around him one after another, and Deidara and Kakuzu were already busying themselves with fending off the new batch of back-up soldiers. Hidan was particularly thrilled to be involved in this men slaughtering business as he flourished his scythe and began slicing men in halves.

Pein landed next to Itachi and was already on the phone with Minato.

"Yes, we've located Itachi and the hideout; we'll be proceeding with the rescue mission right now." Pein signalled to the remaining members to fend out and to gather the kidnapped children.

"Kisame informed us of your predicament and we've tracked your phone's GPS to determine your location. It also happens that we have a witness that saw a suspicious van barrelling down the lane towards the forest where this mansion stands," Konan informed helpfully to Itachi.

"W-Wow, are those real studs?" Everyone's head flicked towards Konohamaru who seemed to pop up from nowhere. Pein and Konan smiled at one another, visibly relieved.

"I see you've found Hiruzen's grandson too, good job, Itachi," Pein remarked with an approving nod.

"Danna, move back, I'm going to blow these metal bars into pieces, hmm!"

"Don't be reckless! Those are kids behind the bars, not your clay sculptures!" Sasori's chastise was drowned out by another chain of explosions.

"Go on, take Sakura out of here; I'll look after Konohamaru and we'll take over from here," Konan offered and began summoning a pair of paper wings on her back.

"W-WOW, onee-chan has wings!" Konan bent to ruffle his hair affectionately.

Itachi's eyes met with Sasuke's, and he shrugged and picked up Itachi's 'borrowed' sword.

"I'll stay here and help your friends. It'll make for good training anyway." Even though Itachi had more questions, he grudgingly nodded. With secured Sakura in his arms, he gathered chakra on his feet and sprang out of the dusty basement through the gaping hole, not once looking back.

For once, he allowed himself to rely on others, to trust his friends.

It felt surprisingly comforting.

How many times does telling yourself 'I won't pull a last minute act for my next submission' before it actually sinks in? 3 years is definitely not enough.