...I do NOT own Naruto…

Author's note: Please note that I will try to wrap this story up ASAP. I recently found out that a family member of mine has terminal cancer, and I have been spending my spare time dealing with that. That is the reason I have not updated recently.

Also… I am elated that some of you are grammar gurus. I used to be one myself. However, I rarely re-read my fanfiction entries, and I certainly do not comb through them for minor grammatical errors. Just because a comma is forgotten or misplaced does not mean I do know what proper sentence structure is. I have not worried about such things since college English class, and I do not intend to start back up again.

With that said, I will post what I manage to write regardless of how long the chapters are. I think that by doing this I will be able to keep the updates a bit more frequent.

Chapter 16: Cry Havoc! And Let slip the Dogs of War

Itachi studied the petite silhouette within the doorframe. Her person was disheveled. Her stance was wide. Her breath came in deep, ragged draws. Piercing emerald eyes stood out from the rest of her bruised and dirt-covered body. His stare did not miss the way her legs trembled slightly as she fought to keep her battle stance.

"You're looking well, Sakura." Itachi stood. "I won't bother to inquire after my partner. Clearly he has been incapacitated."

She didn't reply. There was nothing she could bring herself to say to the man who stood a few feet in front of her. His invasion of her person still burned on her lips, and his odor of sweat refused to leave her nostrils. She remained where she was as he slowly stepped closer to her.

As Sakura pulled out another kunai, Itachi stopped. "This will be easier for both of us if you agree to cooperate," he said calmly. "I have no reservations about harming you. I simply need you to be alive, no more no less."

Her gaze traveled over the forms of Naruto, Tsunade, and Sasuke. The younger Uchiha's face was turned toward them, and Sakura could tell he was awake.

Her voice, when it finally came out, sounded foreign to her own ears. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but I won't be helping you. One of us isn't going to leave here alive."

The mangekyo master's eyes narrowed, and his expression darkened. He had little tolerance for stubbornness, and the pink-haired medic was testing his patience. It was proving to be an immensely annoying problem to figure out how to fight her and not kill her. Unfortunately, he still needed her.

Then again, Itachi had more strengths than just his jutsus. He was also inclined to avoid another battle, no matter who his opponent was.

"I don't agree with you, Sakura." He ventured another step closer, pleased when she held her ground. "I think we might be able to come to an arrangement. You did make a deal with Kabuto, did you not?" At her silence, he nodded. "I thought so. Well, I can offer you a similar deal, with a similar prize."

Sakura's eyes flicked over to Sasuke. The raven-haired youth struggled to shake his head.

Itachi followed her gaze. "Yes, you've guessed right. I'll forget all about Sasuke. All I want you to do is take his eyes. You can even give him your old ones, if it pleases you. There's no reason he has to die."

"And then what? I have to come with you?"

He nodded. "Yes. And when the time comes you will achieve the mangekyo like myself." She does, after all, have more than one best friend. Itachi almost smirked. He wanted the Kyuubi anyhow. "You wouldn't be alone. Naruto has agreed to come with me. Think of it as a way of looking after him as well."

"Naruto?" Sakura stared at the limp body of her teammate. "Why would he…"

"To find you, Sakura. Don't you think you owe him the same?"

His question left her speechless. She knew he was up to something. Despite the fact that his words rang true, she would have to look past them. This was her last chance. She had to defeat Itachi on whatever level he wanted to fight.

She swallowed, avoiding Sasuke's gurgled protests. "Very well. I'll do it."

"Yes," Itachi stared at her. "You'll do it right now too, while he's unable to stop you."

His strength completely gone, Sasuke fought against the helplessness he felt as Sakura quietly knelt next to him. If he could have turned his anger to physical strength, he would have killed them both. How could she do this to him? Take his eyes? He would rather be dead.

Out of everyone, he thought Sakura would have understood that.

As she moved closer to him, Sakura leaned down next to his ear. "Please, Sasuke," she whispered, "you need to trust me. And don't doubt your instincts."

He only had a moment to ponder her words as Itachi's hand wrenched her up and away from Sasuke's face. The older Uchiha gripped her chin cruelly, staring into her eyes with his crimson gaze.

"Get on with it," he whispered, inches from her face. "I don't want to have to persuade you."

Facing burning, Sakura pulled her chin from his grasp and placed her hands on either side of Sasuke's face.

"I have to seal off the blood vessels first," she said loudly. "It will take a few moments."

The younger Uchiha waited to feel the change within his body. Sharingan or no sharingan, he would kill them both for this.

However…

The feeling he anticipated was not present. Instead, Sasuke felt an incredible surge of chakra enter his body. He didn't know what to make of it at first, until he realized what Sakura was doing. Shocked, he could only stare at her flushed face and watch as she visibly began to weaken.

She whispered to him again. "Sasuke…now…"

She collapsed forward onto his chest as he sent an elongated chakra blade straight into the chest of the confused Itachi.

The older Uchiha snarled and fell to his knees. His gaze of hatred moved from the refreshed form of Sasuke to the fatigued body of Sakura as she tried to crawl away from them.

Ignoring the wound that was killing him, Itachi reached forward and grabbed the pink-haired woman's ankle. He clawed her back toward him, and pulled out one of her kunai as he grappled with her.

Sasuke disengaged his chakra blade. He couldn't send a current of chidori into his brother while the other man had a hold of Sakura.

The medic struggled beneath Itachi, her hands covered in blood that seeped from the Uchiha's wound. Part of her irrationally yearned to heal the mortal injury even as Itachi managed to land another cut on her with the kunai.

She managed to kick upward at the same moment Sasuke pulled Itachi away, and the sharingan master toppled away from them.

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Coming soon…the last chapter?