Hey yall!
So the thing with has been fixed. So I will be posting to both ff and Ao3 once again (yay!)
I don't get many views of but I have a *tiny* following, so I'm happy to be post to both places.

Also, thanks to shiningstardan for helping me come up with this chapter! They had a few good ideas that I incorporated into the fic. Though all mistakes are my own.

It's been a week since Itachi had gotten the warrant to pull the Hokage's archives. He felt a little wrong for doing it, but he told himself that he did it to clear Sasuke's name. He didn't want to think that Sasuke was up to anything untoward, but there wasn't much else he could do until they gave him what he asked for.

He was at a tea house in the Uchiha district, a mom and pop place down the road from his office. Itachi was sipping on some tea when a swatch of pink and red came into his field of vision. He had a few questions to ask her, but he didn't want to bug her. She was an important person in the village and whatever he had to say to her wasn't important, even if it were something to clear Sasuke's name.

Itachi popped a dango in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully as the pinkette turned around and noticed Itachi. She waved before beginning to walk over. Itachi swallowed what was in his mouth as unnoticed as possible when Sakura made it to his table.

"Surprised to see you out of your office." Sakura said, pulling out the extra chair at the table he was at. She sat herself down and smiled at him.

Itachi straightened up, leaving the rest of the dango on its tray.

"Why are you out of your office anyway?" Sakura asked, thinking it was different to see Itachi out during work hours when he should be working. Itachi sighed, thinking he would figure it out anyway.

"Sakura-san, I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I would like for you to answer them truthfully.

Sakura blinked at Itachi, taken aback by it. He took that as the okay to go ahead and ask her.

"Besides, Naruto-Sama, you're closer to Sasuke than I am. When he comes home from his missions, does he talk about it to you?"

Sakura looked at Itachi, surprised but she began to think.
"Besides the ones I went with him a couple of different times, not really no. He usually keeps it tight lipped. The only people who would know that is Naruto himself and maybe Shikamaru… but you already knew that…" Sakura finished.

Itachi nodded his head, not wanting to tell her much more than that, but he knew Sakura was pretty smart. He looked over her face when he realized it clicked for her.

"You're looking into Sasuke? Why Sasuke?"

Itachi sighed.
"It was the current Hokage's idea. He brought up the fact that Sasuke came home from his mission sooner than he was supposed to, and he stopped by Orochimaru's hideout before he got there. Nara-sama convinced me to look into it so I am going to."

Sakura shook her head no.
"I don't think Sasuke is the person to look into. It wouldn't make any sense. I can't tell you why, but Sasuke isn't the one to look after."

Itachi raised a brow at what she said. She was so sure that Sasuke couldn't have done anything so sinister.

"Sasuke has tried to kill Naruto before, what would make this any different?"
Sakura sighed.

"Are you sure if i tell you, it'll not make him a person of interest?"
Itachi shook his head no.

"Unfortunately, anything you say won't make him innocent. It depends on those records." Itachi sighed. He understood why Sakura would want him to be innocent, but she knew a secret about Sasuke that he didn't even know. Sasuke was quiet, but when he had problems, he confided in Itachi, even into his adult years.

Sakura sighed. She looked around her to see that no one was paying attention.
"I'll meet you in your office in twenty minutes. I have to drop something off for Tsunade-sama, but I will explain everything to you."

Itachi nodded as Sakura got up to leave. He watched her as she walked away, wondering what all she knew.

hr

Itachi made his way back to the office. On the way there, he was wondering what all Sakura knew about Sasuke, wondering what this big secret was. Was it something that had to do with their marriage? Why didn't he know this secret? There's nothing that could be said about Sasuke that would make the older Uchiha hate his younger brother. The clan could hate him but he never would. He made it back to his desk and sat there for a few minutes before he heard someone enter the building, then there was a knock on his door.

"Come in," He said, already knowing it was Sakura.
She came into the office and stood in front of the desk. She looked a bit distraught and it unnerved Itachi. He wouldn't have a clue about what all has happened for the past twenty minutes. Itachi motioned for Sakura to sit down, but she shook her head.

"Sorry, I'm nervous right now, so I don't feel like sitting."

Itachi acknowledged that with a nod of his head before he got a pen and a notebook out, thinking what Sakura was about to tell him would be something important. She noticed and shook her head.

"Sorry, but this is off the record."

"I understand you would like to help Sasuke, but if this is something that could clear his name then I have to make note of it."
Sakura shook her head no once again.

"Sorry, but I don't normally out people," She stated surely. Itachi looked her over before it clicked in his head.

"Oh… Sasuke is…?"

"Yes, Sasuke is gay." Sakura sighed, going to sit down.

"Geez, I've been holding on to that for a couple of years now. It feels good to finally be talking to someone who isn't Naruto about it."

Itachi put the notebook away, placing his hands on the desk as he took in the news.
"And how did you know?"

Sakura took a deep breath.
"Because it's the reason why we ended things in the first place. He wanted to be some martyr, wanted people to think it was his fault because he was simply a bad husband and father, but it was because he had feelings for another man. Strong feelings that he would never show me."

The wheels in Itachi's head started to turn. Now it makes sense, what Sakura said before.
"...did he have an affair with Naruto?" Itachi questioned carefully.

Sakura finally let go of the breath she had. She nodded her head yes.
"Naruto is… I think he explained it as pansexual, but he always had feelings for Sasuke. Not that Hinata and their kids were a beard of sorts, but he did play around with Sasuke when they had the chance."

Itachi rubbed his face with his hand, taking all the information in.
"Did Hinata know about this?"

Sakura nodded her head.
"It's actually what Hinata and I finally connected on. We never had anything in common until our husbands were screwing around with each other. She was okay with it since Naruto came home to her every night. I obviously wasn't okay with it. It's not like I hate gay people or anything, its just that I'm not into the whole 'open marriage' thing. At first I tried it, I got to play around as well, but I just…. It got to the point where he wasn't coming home to us, that he would stay out of the village and only come here to see Naruto and not us. Sarada was getting depressed knowing that Sasuke was in the village but didn't come to see her. Their relationship is pretty strained right now, especially since someone she confided in was murdered along with the man she looked up to. Sarada doesn't know about the relationship, and I want to keep her in the dark. She doesn't need to know about our relationship like that. Sasuke wants to keep it to where he is seen as the bad guy."

Itachi took it all in. He kept his gaze with Sakura's eyes.

"How did Hinata feel about all of this?" He questioned. Sakura straightened up in her chair.

"She was uneasy about it at first, but after talking it over with me and knowing what I thought about it, she began to relax. Actually, I think that's how we got closer." Sakura chuckled sadly.

"Who'd think I'd be friends with Hinata all because our husbands used to fuck each other. She told me that she was okay with it, as long as they used protection, that I was okay with it as well, and that Naruto wouldn't leave her. She had waited for their marriage for a long time apparently. I didn't know she had a slight obsession over him." Sakura chuckled, relaxing a little. She looked to Itachi, seeing that he had stiffened up. She knew he was serious and was surprised at what he said next.

"You know, if it is Sasuke, then we have a motive, right?"

The color drained from Sakura's face.
"No no. I was hoping telling his secret would keep him from being a suspect. How does it make it to where he had a motive?"

Itachi had looked her over, noticing she really was uncomfortable right now.
"Maybe getting rid of Hinata and his family would mean that Sasuke could have Naruto all to himself. Maybe Naruto told Sasuke that they couldn't see each other anymore. I mean, you know how Sasuke is. It's all or nothing with him."

Sakura shook her head, placing her face in her hands.
"That's not what I was going for. I just wanted to clear his name."

Itachi understood. He would have done the same thing if the tables were switched. Unfortunately though, He had to bring it up with Sasuke, to get his side of the story.

"I will try and keep his secret the best I can, but it may come out. I do not want to paint Naruto in that light, so I will try and keep it to myself as best as I can, but you do know that I need to talk to Sasuke right?"

Sakura nodded her head, defeated.
"Just… don't tell him I told you. It's bad enough he stays away as it is. If he knows that I was the one who told his darkest secret, he will stay away even more. I don't want that for Sarada."

Itachi agreed.
"I will just tell him I figured it out myself, or make it to where he has to tell me himself. Though, I shouldn't be surprised."

Sakura began to tear up. It wasn't something he wanted to see. He genuinely felt bad.

"I know where you're getting at. Sasuke loved Naruto. Yes he loves me, but as the mother of his child and nothing more. But he and Naruto's love was something out of a romance novel. It was pure. Sasuke wouldn't have done this! He is a kind and gentle person…"

Itachi breathed in through his nose. He was all of this information in, but deep down inside he was more shocked and worried for Sasuke. Now that he knows the nature of he and Naruto's relationship, he now realizes that Sasuke probably was taking the death hard even if he didn't show it right away.

"We will get to the bottom of it. Thank you for telling me this. It helped me out in a way." Itachi said calmly, getting up to stand beside Sakura. He didn't know what to do but he put his arm around her shoulder, rubbing it to comfort her. Sakura then moved her head to lean against Itachi. He let it happen, anything to not see her cry he was okay with it.

"We will figure it out. Please don't cry."

Apparently that's what was needed. Sakura sniffled loudly, using her hand to wipe her eyes.
"Thanks. Really, for what you're doing right now. I am glad you're taking it seriously. I want to know what happened to Naruto. He was my teammate. Its hard to think that anyone would have gotten the best of him and he died the way he did. Please, catch who did this."

Itachi nodded.
"We will, don't worry."

Thanks for reading!
Kudos keeps the depression away!
(That is a joke, please don't murder me)