…I do not own Naruto…

Chapter 5: The Sin of Omission

The Sin of Omission: It is not regret for having spoken; it is regret for that thing you did not say

It was all Sakura could do not to count the raindrops. She stared into the downpour, each moment hoping that it would let up. She shivered, unsure if it was from being cold and drenched, or if it was from the company she presently kept.

"Looks like the wind has stopped." She grimaced as another gust of air pelted them with newly developed hail. "Thank you for your help earlier. I'm sure I'll be fine now."

"Don't be foolish." Itachi turned to look at her from beneath the cover of their cloaks. "I do not want to have to rescue you again."

"You didn't have to rescue me at all," she mumbled.

Itachi smirked. He wasn't sure if she was implying that she'd rather have died than been forced to take shelter with them, or that she was perplexed by his actions. He could tell that the pink-haired medic was incredibly uncomfortable. She was soaked. Her wet hair clung to her face, and one side of her was covered in mud from when she'd slipped. She shivered despite the fact that she was snugly in between both he and Kisame.

The blue man to her right chuckled. "Do you want to die, kunoichi? I can think of some much more enjoyable ways."

Sakura frowned. "Why don't you stop talking about it and just do it?" Her eyes were focused on the muddy clearing, a hint of anger visible within them.

Both Akatsuki members regarded her with mild surprise. It took Kisame a moment to reply. "Nah," he grinned. "I kind of like you the way you are." He leaned down toward her, causing her to involuntarily jump back against the sharingan user.

"Kisame," Itachi brushed away the strands of pink hair that had plastered to his cheek with her motion, "that's enough."

At the sound of his voice, Sakura instantly pulled away from him.

Itachi could tell she was at her tolerance limit.

But just at that moment, the rain slowed from a vicious squall to a quiet, heavy shower. The medic next to him stood abruptly, pushing the cover of their cloaks away. She would have immediately strode toward her teammates if a hand around her calf hadn't stopped her mid-stride.

The contact was like a shock of electricity going up her leg. Her green eyes stared at the hand that so casually dared to touch her. Without lifting her eyes, she softly forced out the words, "Let go of me."

Itachi stared up at her though the rain. "I have questions for you yet."

"I said, let go of me."

His eyes flicked to the forms of Naruto and Kakashi making their way toward them. His face remained impassive, even though he could detect the note of warning in Sakura's voice.

"You will speak with me, Haruno Sakura," the Uchiha said. "It is unavoidable."

Sakura leaned over and grabbed hold of Itachi's hand. She met his eyes as she pulled his fingers from her leg. Tossing his hand away from her, she glared at him. "Thank you for saving my life. Don't expect the favor to be returned."

Itachi watched her walk away, amused that his hand still retained the feeling of her contact.

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Karin frowned, watching Sasuke instead of what had just happened out in the forest. The youngest sharingan user seemed unaware of the weather even as water droplets ran down his face. They were all wet, but the dangerous expression on the Uchiha's face told Karin that the limits of her jutsu were being reached.

Sasuke was usually unexpressive and aloof. However, it was moments when he became still and focused, like a gathering storm, that he was the most deadly. All of his teammates felt the hate radiating off of him as he watched the Konoha shinobi in the clearing below.

Sasuke ignored the ever-there female presence of his group. He was too busy coming to grips with what he'd just seen.

He'd touched her.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He'd touched her. His grip on his sword tightened. The man he'd sworn to kill had deliberately reached out and touched Sakura.

Sakura. She was familiar to him. She'd been his teammate. But he couldn't place the reason why he was so intensely angry about what he'd just seen. It was almost as if a whole ocean of thoughts concerning the pink-haired girl swirled around in his head, inaccessible due to some wall he was unable to break through.

His mind told him there was more. But he just couldn't figure out what. It seemed that every time he tried to delve into those memories, Karin was suddenly there in his mind. When he tried to find Sakura in his memories, it was a young Karin he saw instead. Sasuke was no fool—he knew his thoughts were not his own.

The obvious invasion of his memories irritated the Uchiha.

Sugeitsu, at home in the rain, grinned. He studied the group on the ground. "Hey who's the girl?"

The look Sasuke gave him instantly erased the smile from the swordsman's face.

So, Sasuke's not completely free of his memories after all. Those must be some pretty strong bonds. Sugeitsu's grin widened at the look on Karin's face. "So when do we attack?" he asked.

"Soon. Wait until I give the signal. And," Sasuke added, "kill anyone who gets in your way."

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They moved at a walk through the steady rain. The ground was too treacherous for faster travel, and the trees above too slippery. Sakura and Sai lead the group, followed closely by Itachi and Kisame. Kakashi and Naruto brought up the rear.

The copy-nin frowned slightly. He felt guilty for giving in to Itachi's request to deal only with the medic. The look in her eyes as she sat with them during the storm was a look he would never forget. But as much as he regretted it, it was still the best way to avoid trouble. Once they were in Konoha, and the Akatsuki were under heavy watch, Sakura would be able to disappear from the attention of the Uchiha.

Or so he hoped.

His doubts grew as he heard the sharingan user address her again.

"Kunoichi," Itachi said quietly. "I need to speak with you now."

Her back still to him, Sakura gritted her teeth. She could ignore him for what little good it would do her. More than likely, Kakashi would just tell her to keep the peace and humor the S-class criminals.

Her jaw clenched tighter at the thought.

Not one to be ignored, Itachi stopped walking. He had just upped the price she would have to pay for being stubborn. "I will speak with you now. Alone."

"Alone!" Naruto's blue eyes went wide. "Are you serious!?! You bastards actually think we'd leave you alone with Sakura-chan!?!"

"What's the matter, Kyuubi? Don't you think she's capable of protecting herself?" The Uchiha's softly spoken question hit a nerve with everyone in the group.

"N-no! That's not it! I just don't think it's a good idea!"

Itachi ignored him, satisfied with the reaction he'd gotten. As much as she fought to hide it, he could see a tiny seed of resentment within Sakura. Clearly he was right to assume that she felt inferior. "Kakashi," he looked to the former ANBU, "you remember our deal."

Torn, the silver-haired jonin looked from Itachi's stoic face to Sakura's unforgiving eyes. If he denied the Uchiha she might end up dead instead of just angry. "I cannot let you be totally alone. I will stand watch out of earshot."

"What!?! Kakashi-sensei! You can't…" Naruto was held back by Sai as he waved angrily at the Akatsuki.

Kakashi sighed and just shook his head.

Itachi nodded, and then motioned to Sakura. "Come."

Her hands balled into fists, she followed him a ways from the group. Her only solace was the fact that all of her teammates were still visible, albeit too far away to help her if she really needed it.

"Sakura."

The sound of her name said so familiarly jolted her attention back to the man standing in front of her. He was only inches away, facing her. She took a step back, irrationally fearful of his closeness.

"Why do you hate me?"

Her green eyes narrowed. "Do you really not know? I'm surprised, for a genius, you're not all that smart."

The only indication of Itachi's annoyance was the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Your hatred is not your own."

"It's not?" She glared at him, bold enough to meet his stare. "Then tell me, Itachi, whose hate it is."

"Sasuke's. Most of your hate is from my brother."

She shook her head. "You're wrong. A long time ago, maybe. But not now. I hate you for what you've done to him. I hate you for what you want to do to Naruto. Those are the two people who mean the most to me in this world. I'll defend them with my life."

Itachi was silent for a moment as he watched her. When he finally spoke, he closed the distance between them again. "You have made a poor judgment on a sliver of the truth. Yes, I did kill my entire family. Yes, I did defect to Akatsuki. Yes, I have pushed Sasuke to where he is today." His voice lowered to a whisper. "But have you ever asked yourself why, Sakura?"

She held her ground, but could no longer meet his eyes. "You wanted to test you ability."

"No. I wanted to test Sasuke. Or more correctly, I wanted to test what is inside of Sasuke."

"That is no reason to kill innocent people."

Itachi leaned in closer. "We can argue that point forever. Nothing less traumatic would have awoken his old blood. It is blood that I share, but Sakura, what is inside Sasuke is more evil than I could ever hope to be."

"You're lying," she whispered. "Sasuke would never kill innocent people!"

"Just like he wouldn't have killed you and Naruto that day in Orochimaru's lair?"

"Why are you telling me this? Why have you singled me out?"

It was a good question. It was also a question he couldn't answer directly. Part of him saw the potential in Sakura. He recognized her for what she was and for what she might be able to do in the future. That it could play a part in his plans, he was certain. But that was only a part of her appeal.

"You have surprised me." Before she could reply, his hand shot to her throat and he lifted her up against a nearby tree. "And because I know that you must have surprised my brother as well."

"Sasuke hated me," she managed to choke out.

Itachi shook his head. "His sin is omission, Sakura. Mine, I assure you, is not that."

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Kakashi and Naruto were not the only ones who leapt toward the pair at that moment.

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Coming soon: Chapter 6: Enter the Snake