Back at the Hokage tower, six people stood before Tsunade's desk, silent and waiting. The air was thick and still, a tension Sakura hadn't felt since Sasuke left the village.

"This is a lot of information to handle at one time," Tsunade said, her eyes roving over the faces before her. "I'm not sure where to begin."

"Tsunade-shishou," Sakura said, clearing her throat, "I think we should start with Sai. He didn't come to the rendezvous point and he can't be found anywhere. It isn't like him to skip a mission."

"When was the last time anyone saw him?" Tsunade asked.

Sakura's hands were trembling so she stuffed them into her pockets. The last time she had seen Sai was before he left her apartment the night he infiltrated ROOT's base.

"Two nights ago," Sakura answered. "He was with me and Ino. It was the night he found the file."

Silence fell in the room again, everyone's thoughts on ROOT and Danzo. No one had the courage to say aloud what it seemed like everyone was thinking.

Except Sasuke.

"Danzo must be responsible," he said, "Sai figured out the truth and Danzo took matters into his own hands."

"I hate Danzo as much as the next guy," Tsunade said, "But I can't accuse him of anything without proof. This matter needs to be fully investigated. Yamato. Kakashi. Can I trust you with this?"

Both men gave an affirmative nod.

"Look into this immediately," she said, "You are dismissed, but I want you to report back here as soon as you find anything."

They nodded again and were gone within seconds.

"Sasuke," Tsunade said.

Sakura felt a nervous lump form in her throat. Sasuke had made it clear that it was not his intention to come back to Konoha – he had only done so for his brother's sake. If Tsunade said the wrong thing, Sasuke could flee again.

"Naruto went to a great deal of trouble to bring you back here. Sakura, too. You are lucky to have friends like them. They are the reason I won't be punishing you for what you've done," she said.

Sasuke shifted on his feet, a bored expression on his face. Sakura imagined he must have still been reeling from the conversation he'd had with his brother. He probably wasn't interested in anything Tsunade had to say.

"And it's difficult for me not to show you any favoritism since it seems that your brother is actually a hero."

Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Itachi stiffen.

"I'm willing to reinstate you as a Konoha shinobi, Itachi," Tsunade continued, "If you are willing. It will be difficult for our citizens to accept you, but in time they will. You have agreed to help us with Akatsuki, but I'm sure you are aware that you owe us nothing else and I wouldn't dream of asking anything else of you."

Sakura stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye and saw his mouth turned down in a tense frown and his brows knit together.

"Your clan was treated unfairly," Tsunade said when Itachi did not respond, "You were treated unfairly. I cannot blame you – or Sasuke – for the things you have done. So I have to ask. Itachi, what do you want? What can we do to make reparations for the Uchiha clan?"

Sakura felt the tension rolling off of him in thick waves. She wasn't shy this time about turning to look at him, waiting to see what he would say. She noticed that he was trembling slightly and that his breath looked uneven and ragged. She moved to put her hands on him and push her chakra into him as she'd done so many times before, but he put his hand up to stop her.

"Hokage-sama," he began, "I appreciate your offer. I cannot speak for my brother, and I do not know how he feels about all this. But I would like to be reinstated as a shinobi. And I would like the opportunity to restore my clan. I am well aware of the poor treatment of the Uchihas in the past, but I believe that the cause of the bad blood is gone now. I believe that restoring my clan can be a good asset for Konoha."

Stealing a glance at Sasuke, Sakura held her breath. Sasuke's face was as impassive as ever, but she noticed the way that his breathing was also uneven and shallow.

"I agree," Tsunade said, "You will be reinstated as a shinobi effective immediately. Your clan's funds have been frozen, but I will cede control of them back to you. You are rightfully the clan head."

Sakura saw the relief on both of their faces, and contentment that she had never seen on Sasuke's before.

"Alright, then, that's settled," Tsunade said, "Unless either of you have any objections, you are welcome to go back to living in the Uchiha compound."

"What about Akatsuki?" Naruto asked. Sakura was honestly surprised that the loud-mouthed blonde hadn't spoken up yet.

"We'll worry about that some other time," Tsunade replied, "Sakura, take Sasuke and Itachi to the hospital and do a full work up on the both of them. Report back to me when you're done. We have something we need to discuss."

Sakura felt heat flame up in her cheeks and ducked her head. She had a good idea of what Tsunade wanted to talk to her about.

"You three are dismissed," Tsunade said the Sakura and the Uchihas.

Sakura turned to leave and the two brothers followed her with no argument, leaving Naruto alone with Tsunade.

.

"You must be feeling very emotional right now."

Sasuke made no response, grimacing slightly when Sakura stabbed his arm with a needle. It was customary for foreigners or shinobi who had been away from the village for over a year to receive a full medical exam, but Sakura didn't feel like it was really necessary. Kabuto seemed to have taken good care of Sasuke during his absence, and Sakura knew from experience that Itachi had also received top-notch medical care within the last few months.

"I'm glad you're back," Sakura said, giving Sasuke a small smile. She was truly glad that he was back. It was what she had wanted for the last four years. Yet it felt so bittersweet. He was still the same, cold Sasuke.

Sasuke gave her an annoyed look and remained silent. Sensing that Sasuke was not going to be talkative or friendly, Sakura said nothing else and finished his exam as quickly as possible.

When his chart had been filled out completely and his work up was done, Sakura gave a curt nod to the door. "You're all done, Sasuke-kun, you can go."

Wordlessly, Sasuke hopped from the table, rustling the sanitary paper.

"Send your brother in, please," she said to him as he walked through the door. He didn't respond to her, but a minute later Itachi walked into the room.

She smiled warmly at him and indicated that he should take a seat on the table. He obliged and gave her a small smile.

"I know this seems a bit unnecessary," she said, picking up a new chart to create for him, "But your old medical file was archived so I have to create a new one for you. If you'd fill this out for me, I'd appreciate it."

She passed the chart to him. He took it without saying a word and began to fill in his information. She took the opportunity to give him his shots and to use her chakra to run a quick diagnostic check on him, even though she was fairly certain she knew everything she needed to confirm.

The silence wasn't tense or uncomfortable, but Sakura felt uneasy. She wanted to say something to him, but she couldn't figure out anything appropriate to say. He must have felt very strange to be back in Konoha – to be in everyone's good graces again.

But his face was as impassive as Sasuke's and Sakura didn't feel like it was any of her business to ask.

He passed the finished chart back to her. She set it on the nearby cart and took a step back away from the table. "You're all set, Itachi-san," she said. "You're free to go now."

He folded his hands in his lap and watched her as she marked things down in his chart. "That was quick," he said.

"Yes, I already had a good sense of your state of health," she said, "There wasn't much for me to discover. However, your autoimmune disease… I guess I still owe you a fix for that. I apologize for not holding up my end of the bargain."

"Sakura," he said, rolling each syllable of her name over his tongue like honey, "I am only here because of you. You do not owe me anything."

She chortled and felt the corners of her mouth quirk up into a grin. "Still, she said, "If you're going back to active duty, I'd like to eradicate it completely. It's for your own safety."

"It's been a while since anyone was concerned about my safety," Itachi said, returning her smile, "If I am honest, I feel overwhelmed by all of this."

"I can't even imagine what this must feel like for you," Sakura said, "And for Sasuke as well."

"I'm glad to be home."

"We're glad to have you back," she answered, "Now we'll have to coordinate weekly appointments to take care of your autoimmune disease. The front desk can help you schedule those. This is beyond the purview of my orders, but I can also take a look at your eyes if you'll let me. I know that your vision is deteriorating and that there is probably a lot of damage in the nerves. I've only ever worked on Kakashi's before, obviously, but I have a pretty good grasp on how to correct most of that for you."

"That would be fine."

He remained seated on the table and Sakura didn't know what to say. He was free to leave, but he stayed and fixed his gaze on her, watching her with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief.

"Will you be staying in the Uchiha compound?" she asked, not knowing what else to say, "There's a really nice tea house that just opened up close to there."

He quirked an eyebrow at her and she realized that it sounded like she was asking him to go there with her. Her cheeks heated up, but she kept her gaze on him confidently.

"I'm not sure how comfortable I feel staying in the compound," he said quietly, "Maybe at some point in the future, though."

"Oh. Where will you stay?"

"I don't know," he answered, "I thought I might find some place to live with Sasuke."

Sakura smiled brightly. "That would be nice, wouldn't it? I'm sure he's so pleased to have his big brother back."

Itachi smiled back.

"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed, "And I know a couple of kids who'd be pleased to see you, too. They've been very good about not talking about you, but I can tell they miss you. They'll be so excited to see you again."

Itachi's focus seemed to sharpen at the mention of the children, his eyes widening a little. "Have you remained in contact with them? I assumed you'd find another home for them."

"Well," Sakura started, "I didn't want to leave them with a stranger, and I care about them so much. My parents are actually the ones who adopted them, but I've been doing what I can to help them out. I take Yamato to and from the academy every day when I'm not on missions and I support them financially. I didn't feel right burdening my parents with that."

Sakura had never seen Itachi look surprised before, and she was confused to see something akin to sadness in his eyes as well.

"Your parents?"

"They're civilians and they had an empty nest," she answered with a flippant wave of her hand, "Honestly, I think they're over the moon to have kids around again. Especially my father."

"I should have offered you something in return," Itachi said, his voice oddly somber.

"What do you mean?"

"You offered to take Yamato and Sachi here in exchange for me not hurting you," he said, "I never had any intention of hurting you. And you kept them far closer than I expected you would. I should have given you something more."

Sakura laughed. It was ridiculous for him to think that he owed her something after everything he'd done for Konoha.

"Don't be silly – it wouldn't have been good for your villainous image to have offered me more," she said, "Besides, I care about them as much as you do. I wanted them to have a good home. And they do."

"I'd like to see them."

"Now?"

"If possible."

Sakura inwardly winced. She couldn't take Itachi to her parents' house without having to do a lot of explaining that she really wasn't in the mood for. They were well aware of who Itachi was. She also was hesitant to let Itachi meet her parents. It seemed too weird and almost intimate.

"I have to report back to the Hokage after this," she answered, "But I can meet you at the park with them in a couple of hours, if that's okay."

Sakura was pleased to see his lips quirk up into a smile. "That would be perfect."

.

Tsunade was angry and Sakura could tell.

"Is there something you need to tell me, Sakura?"

Sakura entertained the idea of telling her the truth – that she had worked with an s-class criminal and then lied about it. Or that she had recruited her teammate to infiltrate ROOT's base – the epicenter of Konoha's darkest secrets.

But she shook her head instead.

"Your teammate is missing," Tsunade said, her voice almost mocking, "Now really isn't the time for you to be withholding pertinent information from me. Don't you want to find Sai?"

Sakura sighed and twisted her fingers together nervously. Of course she wanted to find Sai. She couldn't help but feel like it was her fault that he was missing.

"If you are afraid of the consequences, you should be," Tsunade said, "But you are a shinobi and your duty is to the village and to me. I can't help you if you don't help me. I know you are hiding something."

"Okay," Sakura said. There wasn't any point to lying anymore since Tsunade obviously knew that something was up. She supposed she could tell the truth if it meant that they could find Sai faster. She was an adult and she could accept her punishment.

"The shinobi I met in Toyeiki was Itachi," Sakura said. She waited to see Tsunade's response, but the blonde woman merely watched Sakura through narrow eyes, waiting for her to continue.

"Yamato and Sachi were with him. He was the reason they had been orphaned. He had gotten sick from their father, I think," Sakura said, "When I found him I knew I wouldn't be able to fight him, but then I found out that he was sick and I made a deal with him. I told him that if he helped me find a cure – let me study him – then I'd heal him."

Tsunade steepled her hands in front if her face, hiding her mouth, which Sakura knew was set in a hard line. She was angry.

"He offered not to hurt me or anyone else in Toyeiki in exchange for my taking Yamato and Sachi back to Konoha with me," she continued.

"You lied to me," Tsunade said, "And you willingly engaged in mutually beneficial activities with a missing-nin. You realize that you've committed treason, don't you?"

Sakura apologized in a whisper and let her head hang down in shame.

"So after you left Toyeiki, you came home with the kids and had Sai do some research on Itachi for you?" Tsunade asked?

"That's the short of it, I suppose," Sakura mumbled.

"If you had come to me first I could have helped you," she said, her tone much softer, "You should have told me as soon as possible."

"I know, Tsunade-shishou," Sakura said, "I'm sorry."

Tsunade inhaled deeply through her nose and let her hands fall to her desk. "I have to punish you, you know."

"I know."

"What do you think your punishment should be?"

"A slap on the wrist?" Sakura joked.

To her chagrin, Tsunade cracked a smile. "I'm not angry at you for what you did, Sakura. I'm angry that you kept the truth from me."

"I know," Sakura said, "I should have told you. I was afraid I'd get into trouble, but I was desperate for a cure because you trusted me and I was failing."

Tsunade shook her head, not wanting to hear it. "I have a punishment for you," she said, "You're going to spar with me tomorrow. I'm going to kick your ass."

Sakura felt the blood drain from her face, "A spar?"

"All this Uchiha business is frustrating me," Tsunade said, "The council is not happy about this, but at this point I'm not going to condemn Itachi for what he did. I can't even blame Sasuke for anything either. Right now, you are the only person I can feasibly hold responsible for anything, so tomorrow when your shift at the hospital ends, I'm going to take out all my frustrations on you. Be prepared."

Sakura winced, and curled her hands up into loose fists. It was a lighter punishment than she had expected. Suspension from work, no missions for a while, possibly even a demotion. But a spar? It had been a long time since she had sparred with anyone other than Yamato.

"Yes, Tsunade-shishou," Sakura said.

"You're dismissed."

.

"Why are we in such a hurry, Sakura-san?" Yamato asked, "We're just going to the park."

"Because there's a surprise for you," Sakura said, unsuccessfully trying to hold back a grin. She had all but forgotten her punishment for now. She'd worry about that tomorrow. Sachi was perched on her back, her tiny legs wrapped around Sakura's waist. Yamato was two steps ahead of her, leading the way.

It had been quite a challenge to convince Yamato to come to the park. He had said that he was too old for things like that and that he was a ninja now and ninja didn't play at the park.

But he eventually relented when Sakura informed him that Sachi needed to spend more quality time with her older brother and that he was supposed to take care of her. Even though they fought a lot, Sakura could tell that Yamato had an enormous soft spot for his little sister

When they arrived at the park, Sakura noticed that Itachi had masked his chakra. She spotted him sitting on a bench near the swings before Yamato and Sachi did and she gave him a little wave.

Yamato noticed him first.

"Itachi-san!" he exclaimed, barreling toward the bench. Sachi kicked her legs and begged to be put down. Sakura set her on the ground and she was off as soon as her feet touched the grass.

Itachi crouched low in the grass and smiled more warmly than she'd ever seen him. He wrapped his arms around the both of them and pulled them into a hug.

Yamato pulled back away from him first and spun toward Sakura, pointing an accusatory finger. "You said Itachi-san couldn't come here and that we should never talk about him!"

Itachi grabbed Yamato's hand and pulled it back down to his side. "It's rude to point fingers, Yamato," Itachi said, "Sakura was only trying to protect me. She's the reason I'm here now, so you should be thanking her."

Sakura watched them for a while as they got reacquainted with one another. It seemed odd to Sakura that Yamato and Sachi had grown so fond of Itachi in the short amount of time that they'd spend with each other, but then again, she had also grown somewhat fond of him. Or at least not hostile toward him, which was odd enough.

Itachi pushed Sachi on the swing set while he listened to Yamato tell him everything about his time at the academy so far. Sakura stayed near the edge of the park, not wanted to intrude on Itachi's time with them.

Tsunade had mentioned that the council was not happy about her decision to allow Itachi back into the village. It made her sick to her stomach to think that the same man who ordered him to kill his own family was now denying him entry to his own home again. The truth was out and it was too late. Itachi belonged here.

Intuitively, Sakura had a feeling that whatever had happened to Sai was connected to Danzo. It made her nervous. Her eyes flicked over to Itachi, who was smiling as Yamato showed him how he could make three shadow clones. It almost felt like she had traded Sai for Itachi.

She had the sudden urge to find Ino and talk to her. She hadn't seen the blonde since the night they'd read Itachi's file.

When the sun had begun to set, Sakura decided that the time had come for them to leave because she had to work in the morning and Yamato had to go to the academy. Not to mention, Sakura had a spar to prepare for.

"Do we have to leave already?" Yamato asked. Sachi had attached herself firmly to Itachi's leg and refused to let go.

"Yes, you can see Itachi-san another time," Sakura said, prying Sachi away from Itachi, "He lives here now."

Eventually, they both relented and allowed Sakura to take them home, but they both complained the entire way there.

.

When Sakura arrived home that night, Ino was sitting at her kitchen table. He eyes were red-rimmed and puffy and her face was coated with a sheen of fresh tears.

"Ino, what's wrong?" Sakura breathed, rushing to comfort her. She placed a soothing hand on her back and rubbed circles into the tense muscles there.

"Sai is missing, Sakura," Ino sobbed, "And it's our fault."

Sakura pressed her lips together and pulled Ino into her chest, stroking her hair. It had never occurred to her to be this upset about it because she had full faith in Sai's abilities. But maybe Ino was right. Maybe something really bad had happened to him.

"It will be okay, Ino," Sakura whispered, "We'll find him. Kakashi-sensei and Yamato are investigating right now. They'll find him."

"But what if it's too late?"

"Don't say things like that," Sakura said, "It's not too late."

Ino said nothing, but continued to sob. Sakura felt her tears leak through her shirt, making her feel hot and sticky. When her sobs had finally subsided, Sakura pulled back away from her, giving her a questioning look.

"I didn't know you and Sai were so close," Sakura said, the unasked question hanging in the air.

Ino flicked her bangs away from her face and bit back against a wave of fresh tears. "He's a really good friend," she said, her voice sounding much more defensive than Sakura felt it should, "He's surprisingly easy to talk to. And he's always there for me when I need him."

"Do you…"

"Do I what?"

"Do you love him?"

Ino shrugged her shoulders, but it wasn't quite as indifferent as she might have wanted it to be. "I don't know."

"I had no idea," Sakura said.

"That's because you were always busy thinking about Sasuke," Ino pointed out, but it wasn't accusatory.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"There wasn't anything to tell," Ino said, "At least, not yet anyway."

"Oh, Ino."

Ino shoved her chair away from the table and stood up angrily. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this. If this is Danzo's fault, I swear to God I'll kill him."

"Ino, calm down, don't say things like that," Sakura said, rising to her feet as well.

"After all he's done to Itachi and now Sai," Ino began, "He's a blight on the village. He's disgusting and should be removed from the council."

"Shh, Ino, stop it," Sakura chided, "I agree, but that kind of talk isn't helpful right now. We should focus on finding Sai first. Danzo can wait. He is still on the council and we can't talk openly about this kind of stuff."

Ino's eyes were brimming again, and Sakura felt there should be tears in her own eyes, too. She couldn't bring herself to cry. She couldn't bring herself to feel anything other than numb.

"Tsunade knows about Danzo," Sakura said, "She'll help us figure this out. She told me the council is upset that Itachi had been allowed back into the village. They're going to try to get rid of him, I'm sure of it. We've got a lot on our plate right now, so we need to stay calm and sharp."

Ino sat back down and heaved a sigh.

"You can stay here for the night," Sakura said, "It's going to be okay. Sai is going to be okay. We'll get all of this worked out."

"Okay."