"Itachi-nii-chan, can I ask you something?" Sakura started carefully. Itachi nodded and stayed silent so she could continue. She leaned back against the tree, relaxing during their mid training break.
"I've been thinking about the masked man," She started, watching Itachi's eyebrow quirk upwards. "We don't know what he's planning this time around. I understand his endgame and all, but I'm worried about the differences and how they'll affect everything. If I want to accomplish my goal. . . I don't want the changes so far to make things worse."
"I assume you have a theory?" Itachi inferred and she nodded.
"I've come to the conclusion that chakra has memory," Sakura said, tapping her temple. "It makes sense considering everything, right?"
"Chakra is essentially both spiritual and physical energy," Itachi nodded. "So I think it's safe to assume that one's chakra holds that person's specific essence in it, as well as what it experiences throughout a person's life."
"Because of that," Sakura started, tilting her head up to watch the leave blow slightly in the wind. "I wanted to ask you if you think it's possible to see someone's memories through their chakra signature, even if they aren't physically there."
Itachi blinked a few times, staying silent for several moments before he began to speak slowly. "You mean to use a person's chakra trail on the physical earth to see into their memories?"
Sakura gave him a weak smile. "If we could find a way to sort of, I don't know, hack into a person's chakra trail, I think we could apply a genjutsu to see their memories. Think about it-- genjutsu uses a person's own chakra against them. We can make people see their own memories or someone else's if we wanted to. If we connect to the spiritual aspect of a person's chakra, the part that is directly connected the memories, then we could theoretically see what the person saw."
"What made you think of this?" Itachi questioned as he processed the information.
"With me, my spiritual energy transferred back," Sakura said. "But not my physical energy. It made me think about how a person's chakra is their life force and who they once physically were. Most mind jutsus rely on physical energy, like Ino's clan. But genjutsus don't-- they directly force the spiritual energy to work against the physical. And I was just thinking that if we could harness that spiritual energy left remnant in a person's wake, we could see their memories."
"That's," Itachi paused. "An interesting concept. It could be possible."
"You think it's worth exploring?" She asked hopefully. "I just. . . I've been thinking about a way to get one over him, you know? I want to prevent the outcome entirely. And it's so difficult trying to compensate for the changes I've made when I have no idea how the other factors are reacting. I can make educated guesses, but that's it. A wrong choice could make everything even worse, if that's even possible."
Itachi watched her carefully, before he slowly nodded. "It will take time to even create a prototype."
Sakura grinned. "Good thing time is one of the things I have right now."
Their mission started out just as it had in her old life. They bickered with Sai, Sakura punched him across the road, and Yamato chose to spoil them as a means in getting them all to work together.
Sakura attempted to make peace with Sai. She knew that they would be friends in the end. She just had to get past this stage of Sai's life. Or well, help him evolve into the friend she cherished. The friend she mourned so deeply after he died in the war. They just had to help him see the power of bonds in this life again.
And then they were back on the road, heading to Tenchi Bridge.
"You think Orochimaru is really alive?" Naruto asked her, holding the straps of his bag. "I thought Itachi-nii and Shisui-nii killed him ages ago."
"So did everyone else," Sakura said with a frown. "But why would Sasori lie? He had no reason to. He was dying."
"Perhaps it was a means to finish you off as an act of revenge," Sai added unhelpfully. "You're talking about Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui, correct?"
"Yeah," Naruto answered, throwing Sai a dirty look. "Tell me you've got something against the Uchiha's. Actually don't, because I won't hold Sakura-chan back."
"Thanks," Sakura replied dryly and Sai looked thoughtfully ahead.
"You refer to two legendary ninjas as if they were your older brothers," Sai noticed, glancing at her. "As far as I know, neither of you are Uchiha."
"Itachi-nii and Shisui-nii are the closest things to brothers we have," Sakura told him. "We practically grew up at the Uchiha compound."
"But you are not related to them," Sai pointed out. Sakura and Naruto shared an exasperated look.
"Sasuke-kun is," Sakura decided to say. "We've been friends with each other since we were seven. Sometimes, friendships become so great, that you consider each other family. And that's what we are. A family."
"Team 7 is a family," Naruto added, smiling at her. "We have each other's backs. Always. Maybe if you were actually nice, we'd consider making you family too. Yamato-taichou is already on his way."
"What?" Yamato spluttered, glancing between the two of them.
"I'm not here to be your friend or family," Sai stated. "I'm here because I was assigned as your substitute teammate."
Sakura raised a brow but didn't say anything. Last time, Sai was given this mission because he had an alternative assignment to kill Sasuke. Now, of course, that couldn't be the case.
So what was it this time?
"With that attitude, I'll never consider you family," Naruto muttered, bumping shoulders with her. "Are you sure you can't pull some Sakura-chan charm and convince the Uchiha elders to place Sasuke back on Team 7 fully? Shisui-nii says they like you. And Fugaku-san does too."
"Fugaku-san likes me because I can hold a conversation with him," Sakura said with a small laugh. "And Shisui-nii is overly biased."
"I don't understand," Sai admitted and looked between the two of them. "Fortunately, that is not required for me to complete this mission."
Naruto leaned towards her and held a hand over his mouth. "How is he more socially inept than Sasuke?"
"Sasuke-kun isn't that bad," Sakura whispered back, thinking back to her old Sasuke. Really, this Sasuke was much better with emotions than her old one ever was.
"You're biased," Naruto hissed back. "I am too. I see right through him and everything but still. He's pretty bad."
"He's not great."
"Sakura-chan, the teme is the worst."
"Didn't you just say that-"
Naruto dramatically shushed her, moving his hand to cover her mouth. Sakura deadened her gaze and her best friend was smart enough to remove it. Sai watched them with curiosity.
"We should hurry," Yamato said, a hand held to the side of his face. "We want to get there early to strategize."
They all nodded, the conversation subsiding for the most part. Naruto tended to bump shoulders with her every once in a while, commenting about something before they fell into silence again.
Tenchi Bridge. Sakura wondered how it would go down in this life.
Sasuke didn't expect them to travel back to the Akatsuki cave where Sakura and Chiyo fought Sasori, but that's where he was told to lead them. His brother and cousin took in the landscape with wide eyes as they entered the rubble.
"I thought you said it was a cave," Shisui commented, looking upwards and watching the clouds above.
"It seems Sakura-chan caused a cave in," Itachi responded, glancing around the cave. "Can you sense it?"
"Sense what?" Sasuke asked, watching his cousin's attention pull from the sky and go to the ground.
"I hate puppet users," Shisui muttered, narrowing his red eyes as he swept the cave floor. "His chakra thread remnants are everywhere."
"What are you looking for?" Sasuke asked his cousin, but he only responded with the shake of his head and continued to concentrate on whatever he was doing.
"You know how chakra leaves a slight trail, even in our wake?" Itachi inferred, continuing when Sasuke nodded. "Shisui's trying to find the largest pool of it. It's better for him if he does."
"This has to do with the scroll?" Sasuke inquired, watching his cousin move towards the area where he had found Sakura days ago, with a sword through her abdomen and one through her shoulder.
How she hadn't bled out or been close to death, he didn't know. She had simply laughed and said she wasn't as breakable as both he and Naruto thought. He argued that he was concerned about her dying because she had been impaled with two poisonous blades.
"Tell him once you set up a boundary," Shisui called back, kneeling down and pressing a finger to the ground.
Itachi nodded, pulling out a handful of kunai and throwing them around the cave in a single flick. He made a hand sign and Sasuke once again felt the disruption of chakra. So it was a seal meant to keep listening ears on the edge? The same as what the Hokage activated before she brought out the scroll?
"Sakura-chan has been working on this prototype for years," Itachi explained, moving towards Shisui with Sasuke following his steps. "She originally dreamt it up during one of our first training sessions after you two left for the Feudal Lord."
So that's why he didn't know anything about it. Sasuke took refuge in that-- had she whipped something apparently incredibly risky up within the past six months, Sasuke would question himself and how many other things had happened he was totally unaware of. He was around Sakura daily after he got back-- even approving a prototype of something he didn't know about left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.
Because this was Sakura. And they were, they were close. How had he not realized? Or at least noticed? Were his own emotions clouding his judgement?
"What's it do?" Sasuke asked and Shisui called out that he had found what he had been looking for.
His cousin sat down cross legged, pulling the scroll out of his pouch and carefully opening it.
"Sakura-chan has been worried about the lack of knowledge we have about certain enemies," Itachi explained. "And she's become quite knowledgeable on the relationship between a person's memories and their chakra. She's been drafting a prototype for a genjutsu that allows you to see the recent memories of anyone, so long as you have a few things."
"It's still in the works," Shisui continued, looking back at them. "But she got the idea from our genjutsu training. She thought if she figured out what exactly happened within our chakra systems to cause the memories to resurface, she could recreate it even if the person was no longer alive."
"Seeing a dead person's memory sounds like Yamanaka business," Sasuke pointed out and Shisui shook his head.
"For their clan's jutsu to work, the person still needs to be alive," Shisui told corrected and summoned a small vial from a portion of the scroll. "Sakura-chan wanted to find a loophole around that. So she created a genjutsu simulation using the person's blood, because apparently, she's become a genius on blood as well."
"She's researching a disease," Sasuke answered with crossed arms. "I don't know much about it because of doctor-patient confidentiality but I can still read the titles of the books and scrolls I carry for her."
"Doctor-patient confidentiality," Shisui repeated and laughed. "Tachi, can you believe she applied medical knowledge to our clan's dōjutsu?"
"She's got a mind like no other," Itachi said approvingly, glancing back at Sasuke. "Sakura-chan enlisted Shikamaru to help her figure out the jutsu requirements and such when she got down the basics. We've been supervising the entire research process."
"Is that why you two are just always showing up with her?" Sasuke asked in an annoyed tone, glaring when Shisui smirked.
"No need to get all jealous, Sasu-chan," Shisui told him. "Sakura-chan based this on our genjutsu skills, since there's not really anyone who can overcome them."
"Is that what would make it a forbidden jutsu?" Sasuke questioned and at this, the smiles on Itachi and Shisui's face dropped into thin lines.
"No," Shisui answered shortly, busying himself with the scroll and its contents. He summoned another vial and held it up, examining it for a moment before he closed his eyes.
"Sakura-chan's blood was the missing component that left her and Shikamaru stumped for months," Itachi said slowly. "It required something only Sakura could give, as the creator of the jutsu."
"And if people found out about the jutsu and all its components," Sasuke started slowly, closing his eyes as he realized how much of an idiot Sakura was. "They'd target her."
"It could theoretically be used to see anyone's memories, so long as you had their blood," Shisui said in a grim tone. "The jutsu is supposed to bypass any mind blocks and grant the user access to whatever memories they want to see. That is like the Yamanaka's specialty."
"Sakura-chan thought this would be the best time to test it," Itachi added. "She took some of Sasori's blood before you left for this reason. While they're investigating Sasori's spy to find who's targeting you and the Uchiha in general, we'll be looking into the Akatsuki from Sasori's perspective."
"If it works," Sasuke commented and watched his cousin's brows furrow together. "Tsunade said you're the one who can work it best. If no one else can properly use it, how can it become a forbidden jutsu?"
"Sakura-chan was probably hoping by making it unusable besides a select few, it made it less dangerous," Itachi answered and Shisui nodded.
"And she's right, it does limit a lot of unwanted attention if this ever got out," His cousin said with a frown. "But that doesn't mean its limitations are dismissible. Anyone with the Sharingan could probably use it. Though, Sakura-chan grew up memorizing my genjutsu style, which is difficult even for our bloodline to recreate. So, it's logical she used that knowledge to create this. It's the fact that Sakura-chan's blood is required that would make it a forbidden jutsu."
"So you're attempting to see Sasori's memories?" Sasuke asked and his cousin sighed as he uncorked a vial.
"That's the idea," He answered, unrolling the scroll even further to reveal a complex seal. In the center of the writing, Shisui poured the liquid onto the paper. He made a few hand signs before he uncorked the other container and placed his thumb over the top of it. He held it upside down until his thumb was coated in red, and then looked at them.
"Here it goes," Shisui said, forcing pathetic attempt at a reassuring smile onto his face. He quickly placed his hand on the scroll, markings emitting in a large circular shape from his hand. His cousin remained quiet, his eyes closing and lips falling into a thin line.
"Do you think it's working?" Sasuke whispered, watching his cousin's brows furrow together once again.
"I would be surprised if it didn't work," Itachi admitted, glancing at him. "Sakura-chan and Shikamaru have spent months working on this prototype. There's always room for error, of course, but I believe their work is rather seamless."
"You have a lot of faith in this," Sasuke noted. His brother shrugged, casting him a small smile.
"Sakura-chan created it," Itachi said. "Don't you have faith in it?"
Sasuke didn't hesitate to agree. "Of course. It's just. . . I had no idea she was even working on something like this."
"She was forbidden to speak about it unless behind sealed doors," Itachi told him. "And to keep the knowledge limited to only necessary personnel. Hokage's orders."
"Still," Sasuke insisted, shaking his head as he thought about all the tiny secrets Sakura seemed to keep from him. Granted, most of it was her medical history, but there were still moments where Sasuke felt she knew more than she was saying.
"Sakura-chan isn't the only one keeping things to herself," Itachi responded, causing Sasuke's frown to deepen.
"That's different," Sasuke said, not missing the disapproval in his brother's tone. "Sakura isn't like Izumi. She didn't grow up with the expectation of marrying me like Izumi did with you. I don't even know how to approach a topic like that with her."
Because how did Sasuke not only explain that he thinks Sakura is the most irritating person alive because she makes him feel things he doesn't entirely understand and that because of those apparently obvious emotions, his clan elders are ready to approve a future marriage between them. He understood that he will most likely marry the person he inevitably court, but Sakura was from a civilian family. He knew her parents had other partners before they married each other.
How did Sasuke suggest something like this and know that she was essentially signing away her future to the Uchiha clan? And besides, once they opened that door, there was no going back.
None of this accounted for the fact that Sakura might not even be interested in him like that. She spends an awful lot of time with his cousin and he's never seen her smile so widely as when she's with Naruto. She looks at their mutual best friend as if he hangs the sun in the sky everyday.
Okay, maybe that's because Sakura's love for them is endless and knows no bounds. Sasuke doesn't understand emotion but he knows Sakura does. And she expresses it so easily.
"Why don't you just take her out?" Itachi raised an eyebrow, breaking him from his thoughts. "Sakura-chan is one of your oldest friends. I can't imagine spending time with her will be too strenuous on you."
Sasuke pinched his nose. "Since when do you give relationship advice?"
"Since you've demonstrated that you're as hopeless as father in such aspects of life," Itachi told him bluntly. "Sakura-chan has quite the amount of admirers. You can hinder most attempts to court her but not everyone is scared of you."
Sasuke glared at his brother but nodded anyway. He thought of his blonde best friend and the infatuation everyone knew he held for Sakura. "I'll. . . talk to him or whatever."
"You could always just talk it out with your fists," Itachi shrugged. "You and Naruto understand each other like that."
"I'll punch him for the hell of it," Sasuke snorted but then gave his brother a serious look. "I know, Itachi, I know. I just. . . don't know how to put these things into words."
"You do like Sakura-chan, right?" Itachi inquired and Sasuke stared up at the clouds. "Then say that."
Sasuke made a face. "You're horrible at understanding things for a genius."
Itachi chuckled. "Maybe so. That's why I have this one to help in that area."
He pointed to Shisui, who's eyes were still screwed shut. The only thing about his expression that changed was his lips turning downwards into a frown with the slightest traces of anger evident in his features.
Then, his cousin's eyes opened up, fading from a stark red to its natural dark hue.
"I'm going to give Sakura-chan the biggest hug when we get back," Shisui finally said, looking at them. His eyes flickered over to Sasuke for a moment before he focused on Itachi. "She's an absolute genius."
"It worked," Itachi said and Shisui nodded.
"It worked but I need to have Sakura-chan fix a few things," Shisui said in a tight tone, packing away the scroll and vials. He stood up and took a breath. "For the time being, I'm the only one who can use this. No one else."
"That difficult?" Sasuke questioned and Shisui shook his head, not meeting his eyes.
"Not exactly."
Sasuke wanted to question his cousin more, but he saw the way his cousin's jaw had set itself and the way his eyes were narrowed dangerously. Whatever it was that he saw, Shisui was not happy with it. And when Shisui was angry or unhappy, it was best to just leave things be and not push him. Sasuke could count on a single hand the times he's seen his cousin this agitated.
Whatever it was, it was serious. And it wasn't anything good.
"Let's go," Shisui said, walking past them. "I've got the location of another hideout and memorized each member and the assignments they were recently given. I'll contact Jiraiya-san after we infiltrate the base."
Itachi and Sasuke nodded wordlessly, taking off when Shisui did.