6

The bed was so comfortable, she could have fallen asleep right away if it wasn't for the background noise of her teammate, who was sharing loudly his wonder about the luxurious room they were currently occupying. Ginza wasn't such a rich village, far from it, the lord's house, as most lord's houses were, was simply the anomaly, or was it the peasants dressed in rags leaving happily outside the imposing fortress.

Even the pillows smelled luxurious, it reminded her of something sweet she had eaten in another country.

A small voice reached her ears, "I apologize for intruding, Uzumaki-san, Uchiha-san, my lord is inviting you to the festivities tonight."

Sakura left her soft pillow and looked at the newcomer, a petite woman dressed in a light blue yukata. A servant. She was looking expectantly at Sasuke, waiting for an answer, until a very scared expression appeared on her doll's face.

"Uzu—Uzumaki-san?"

A not so dressed exhibitionist was standing still, mouth wide open like an idiot.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled right away.

"I—I'll be waiting outside to— to lead you to the dinner hall!" she shut the door quickly and disappeared.

"Disgusting," Sasuke muttered from a comfortable leather armchair.

"Come on, guys! I didn't realize we weren't alone. Wait, did she mention festivities?"

Sakura chuckled. "Eh, more like showing you off to his guests."

The Governor Yamaji was their host for the evening. He was known as the ruler of Ginza by heredity and as a close friend of the daimyo. He also happened to be the benefactor of their very honest clients. The evening would certainly bring interesting details regarding the mission's future—or more precisely, what would befall the missing child.

"The guy looked alright! Besides, considering we didn't bring back the kid, he's been kind enough to us. We owe him that, don't you think?"

"Are you going to stop speaking to me too, Naruto-kun?" she asked while looking at the grumpy Uchiha, who had been giving her death glares all day long.

"Never," he said. She brought her attention back to the blond, noticing how his cheerful face shifted into something more neutral. "But you…hum…" he scratched his head, "you shouldn't have done it, you know…"

"Done what?" she asked innocently.

"Er…Sakura-chan, you should get ready for…tonight."

The corner of her mouth lifted into a faint smile, "Coward."

"W—what?!"

"Come with me, Sakura," Sasuke suddenly asked, as he walked between them.

What a timing.

"So, you're done with the silent treatment now?"

"Ssh."

Sakura rose from the bed, intertwined her fingers together, and made her bones crack, before following him out of the room.

"Wait!" Naruto cried out, "Where are you going, guys!?"

"Mind your own shit, dobe."

The door got shut.

"I'm glad you speak to each other again," Sakura commented, as she was dragged along a large corridor, far enough from onlookers, like the servant that had been waiting outside their room—or rather, Sasuke and Naruto's room.

"Don't start changing the subject," he grumbled.

Sakura smiled. "And I'm glad you're done being mad at me too."

"You're not forgiven yet."

He suddenly stopped walking, and turned to her. "I want you to apologize."

"Apologize?" she repeated, blinking in confusion. "To whom?"

She stood still for a second, puzzled, before moving calmly towards the wall. She then sat on a bamboo bench and crossed her arms over her chest. Sasuke was wearing that unusual expression of concern, one she had only ever seen when two topics were concerned: either Naruto or…his brother.

Sakura groaned. "Unbelievable. Why do you care so much about what your brother thinks?"

"Just do it."

"He—he doesn't like me, Sasuke!" she continued, showing a solemn expression on her face. "And I can't say he's done anything to earn my respect—quite the opposite actually."

"Sakura," hesighed. "Just apologize."

"Are you deaf? In what reality would it make sense for me to pretend I'm sorry for telling the truth? There's no way he'll buy it! He doesn't even look like he'd care!"

"It fucking doesn't matter," he hissed, starting to lose patience. "Just do it!"

"No, I'm not doing it."

"Is this how much you value our friendship?"

She couldn't stop herself from letting out a snort upon hearing his words. Resorting to blackmail wasn't something she was used to coming from her friend. But judging by his dead serious face, he really meant business here, looking even more adamant than she was.

"Remember your promise."

As always, and as much as it pained her to admit it, she was going to give in to his requests –although her heart was definitely not in it.

"Fine," she breathed out. "I'll do it. Can we go back to our room—"

"Go in," he ordered, pointing to a door nearby. "Now."

"What!" she protested, jumping off her feet. "Now? Like…like right now ?!"

"Yes. You're not going to have a better opportunity, Sakura."

Sakura started backing down slowly, "Wait—Sasuke-kun, I'm not sure whether this is a good idea, we should—"

She gasped as her friend grabbed her and literally pushed her inside an unknown room, taking the choice out of her hands, much to her dismay.

Itachi Uchiha was sitting on a tatami floor in front of a low wooden table. There were ceramic cups over it, yunomi tea cups, a feature definitely lacking from her assigned room—maybe her surname wasn't prestigious enough for tea. It looked like it was the worst moment to bother him and trouble his peaceful respite around a well-deserved warm beverage. Aside from the quietude surrounding him, she could sense something else, a dreadful feeling that seemed to appear every time he was nearby, making her feel more self-aware than ever. It confused her and made her feel uneasy about him, even wary of him.

Finding herself alone with Itachi Uchiha was a bit like torture. She had really no idea how she was going to hide her true feelings. Her discontentment and disapproval.What she wouldn't do in the name of friendship…However, going back was no option, especially considering he must have noticed her presence now. How long had she been standing still?

Damn you, Sasuke-kun!

And forward she went, right into the wolf's den. The sooner it would end, the better.

"I must speak with you, Uchiha-san," she announced, standing within his peripheral view, not too far, but close enough to make her intent clear.

Not receiving any reaction from him, other than his haughty self, taking a sip of tea, she just forgot about manners and invited herself to sit right in front of him. The tatami felt good under her knees, just like most furniture in this wealthy property, but what caught her off guard was the smell, a rich earthy savor she could almost taste on her tongue. The leaves coming from such strong tea must have come from an otherworldly plant, one that only nobles could afford, that she was sure of.

Something tells me he isn't going to share any of it.

She cleared out her throat. "I got a bit carried away yesterday…said things I shouldn't have…" seeking her gaze, she paused, expecting him to at least look at her, but nothing happened, "for that, I must apologize."

Mission accomplished. The words were said.

"Your empty apology isn't welcome, Haruno."

She blinked, completely taken aback by his words. Did he really just say he was refusing her apology? No, that wasn't how it was supposed to go. And what's with the passive-aggressiveness? Why wasn't he looking at her? At that moment, something cracked inside Sakura. Being here, in such an uncomfortable position was already taxing enough, what the hell was wrong with him? Couldn't he just play along and get this over with so they never had to speak to each other again, since he so obviously had a beef against her?

She was done pretending. "Did I do something to you?" she finally asked, tired of this masquerade, her voice devoid of any warmth.

He took a sip of tea, ignoring blatantly her question. How astonishing. Sakura was trying her hardest not to explode, not to just grab his holy cup and smash it right in front of him in a show of pure defiance. But someone like him wouldn't respond well to her impulsiveness. She wasn't sure he would respond at all. No, such a man needed to be fought with words, with reason. He might be one of the most skilled shinobis of the Fire country, nevertheless, to access any position of authority, one needed to possess critical thinking and be articulate enough. She didn't know much about him, but enough to believe he had to possess such abilities too.

Sakura didn't care per see about any conciliation, even if her teammates might highly disagree. She just wanted to understand why someone she had never met and interacted with—before this mission at least—behaved in such a discourteous way with her. It felt purely insulting and dehumanizing.

"I'm not sure what's going on," she admitted. "I've seen you speak to Naruto, interact with him, but…not with me. You don't even look at me, you won't speak to me, why is that?"

"You may leave, Haruno."

Dismissal, again.

She looked at the disinterested man, hating herself for being affected enough to feel humiliation creeping through her, an unbearable feeling freezing her body in place. And so instead of leaving, she lowered her eyes, focusing herself on insignificant details, the dense hem of his black kimono, the pretty floral ornamentation on the ceramic cup reminiscent of spring and its beauty, the three fingers and thumb pressed against it, holding lightly the cup, whose bottom was seated on a little finger.

Holding a yunomi tea cup in such a way was odd, most people wrapped all their fingers around it, or sometimes between their thumb and index. Her brows furrowed, as a moment of deja-vu ran through her mind. Her eyes lingered on his hand, his skin, rose to his wrist, the uncovered forearm, until they stopped on a fine line in a different pigmentation than his skin: a scar, one that looked familiar.

The seed had entered her mind, and was spreading inside her like an inexhaustible flame. She stood up in a calm and controlled way, without ever taking her eyes off his hands.

"That's an unusual way to hold a cup."

It was both a statement and a question, that caught his attention immediately. Now his eyes were on her. She had all his attention, at last. Sakura took notice of the way he abandoned his cup and slowly led his hands towards his knees, slightly under the table.

She felt her pulse quicken, as her instinct led her to sit beside him, invading his personal space like they weren't strangers. As if she was in a trance, she felt the urge to grab one of his hands, like she had every right to do so. He didn't resist her ministration.

Sakura held his wrist in one hand and pulled up the sleeve of his haori to reveal more skin underneath. With meticulous eyes, she observed the scar she had spotted earlier, following its path over his forearm to his elbow. The mind could be deceitful, and so, she let her fingers slide over his skin, retracing every crease, feeling every muscle tense underneath. She felt mesmerized by what she was seeing, by what it could mean. This…stranger, he was looking away from her, like having her so close was unbearable.

Her shaking fingers kept moving upwards, the skin-on-skin contact giving her long-forgotten thrills, galvanizing her into exploring more of his body. How come this stranger's body felt so familiar and so right?

She saw flashes of shivering naked bodies entangled together, moving with urgency against each other, in sync with their gasps of pleasure. Panic took hold of her, breaking Sakura out of her trance and making her let go of him. She jumped off her feet, putting distance between them. As her heart pounded wildly in her chest, she just stared at the man in front of her. Itachi Uchiha. Sasuke's brother. She suddenly felt dizzy.

What's happening?

"This must be a cruel joke," she murmured, after a long silence.

"Sit back."

Her heavy legs moved by themselves to her initial spot. She didn't know what made her move, but her wide-opened eyes never left the Uchiha. The more she looked at him, the more she recalled his behavior towards her throughout the whole mission, his unwillingness to interact and speak with her. To let her hear his voice. This voice. It all made sense. Everything about it was personal, after all.

Hit by an unpleasant realization, the bitter taste of betrayal filled her, "You. You knew… You knew who I was? And you didn't…stop me? Why?"

"I did stop you."

"No," she shook her head several times as if she could wake up from this nightmare. It had to be a dream! "You let me do it!" her voice cracked, "This is…This is just wrong."

"You blame me without reflecting on your own actions."

She lifted her head out of her hands.

"Without reflecting on your promiscuous behavior."

Sakura froze in horror, as the weight of his demeaning words and hidden accusations hit her. How dared he? How dared he to have the hypocrisy of shaming her like this?

"Disappointment has no grounds here," he continued, in what was without a doubt the most words he had ever spoken to her. "You cared not about the knowledge of my name, just like your identity held no interest to me."

Throughout all his speech, his stiff eyes had been on hers, judging and condemning her. She had no reason to believe that he didn't mean everything he had said. It sure looked like he'd had plenty of time to think this through. Her first impression had been accurate enough though. Sakura knew with certainty that she had absolutely no desire to make their discussion last any longer.

This can't be him.

Overwhelmed by the situation, torn by his words, the wrongs in it, but also the truths, her head started to feel heavy. As much as she wished to reconnect the dots and make sense of everything that was happening, she just felt powerless to act. Was she dreaming?

I never asked for his name.

"I don't… I don't understand what's going on, Uchiha-san," she admitted, letting a nervous laugh out. "I think I'll just forget everything about this conversation."

She picked herself up, feeling a sudden urge to leave, to get away from this nightmarish development, but not without having the last word, not without showing him she wasn't going to submit. Whoever he was, when it came to protecting her loved ones, nothing could stop her.

"As for yesterday's event, Sasuke is my friend," she said firmly.

"My relationship with my brother doesn't concern you, Haruno."

She held her breath, loathing his manners, until her unwavering resolution made her reassemble her thoughts.

"You're wrong," she corrected, clenching her fists. "I'm warning you. If you ever humiliate him or berate him in public again, in my presence, I won't remain silent," she bowed down," I wish you a nice evening, Uchiha-san."

Without giving him any chance to spit more fire, she strolled to the door, leaving this tense atmosphere behind her. Once she was finally out, she felt her feet wavering, all her energy and confidence leaving her at once. If it wasn't for Sasuke's expectant eyes meeting her, she might have crumbled in front of him.

"Did you do it?"

"Everything is solved, Sasuke-kun," she lied, as she walked past him.

She had no desire to discuss her predicament. At some point, though, she would inform Sasuke of her unequivocal distaste for his brother, of the unsalvageable state of their mutual dislike, so that he wouldn't ever force her again to interact with him.

Her melancholic, but yet precious memories, were all ruined.

All lies.

Itachi Uchiha couldn't be her mysterious man. It seemed too far-fetched to be true. Life couldn't just have played such a cruel joke on her. One way or another, he had managed to get information about her private life, by spying on her or going inside her head. She had no idea how or why, but that was the only sensible explanation.

Despite how much she wished to be right, her whole being was in a terrible agony. She felt utterly betrayed. To think her precious memories were ruined by a mere stranger.

Naruto was standing in the doorway, and just as she passed by him, he cried out, "Sakura-chan! Where are you going!?"

"Out."

"What about tonight's festivities?"

"I wasn't invited."

She heard him whine something, but she was too far away already to catch his words, not that she cared about partying and strutting in front of a noble. Right now, she desperately wanted to be far away from this place. To go home. She knew she couldn't just leave Ginza like a thief, but there was no rule forcing her to remain inside the fortress, and thus, she just decided to head downtown.

The bar was filled with people chatting loudly, drinking and laughing, reminding Kanao of her own hometown, of the cozy tavern owned by her dear aunt, minus the bilious smell. She had never been fond of drunkards, of their desperate appetite for destruction, usually their own – although some loved rampaging their surroundings.

The pink-haired lady looked different than them. To start with, the open bottle on her table appeared to be still full, unlike the half-filled glass on its side. There was an odd stillness surrounding her, no laughter, no red cheeks, nothing similar to what the rest of the inn's crowd was experiencing. As a matter of fact, she looked quite out of place with her tense body and her empty gaze. Her eyes were fixed on the rich liquid inside her glass, as if something quite meaningful could be found there, something so hypnotizing she had no means to look away.

When Kanao sat in front of her, with just the brown table separating them, she found no reason to be surprised by her lack of reaction. It took a few minutes before the kunoichi decided to finally acknowledge her presence.

"What do you want?" she asked without looking at her.

Finding her had been rather tricky—the mere fruit of being in the right place at the right time, in other words, pure luck. Kanao feared that her only option would be to confront her whole team, leading her to more trouble. But then, out of nowhere, she noticed a pink head out of a crowd, followed her, lost her, until Kanao went inside another inn, the right one, and hit the jackpot. That was how she found her.

"You might want to take a look at my face, Kunoichi."

Their gaze met, "I've never seen your face," she murmured, leading the glass to her lips.

Kanao chuckled and shook her head, "Don't you remember what happened inside the mine, kunoichi?"

"You were one of them?"

"Look," she sighed. "I don't have time to play guessing games—"

Her eyes narrowed, "Why don't you fuck off then?"

"I have no desire to be here. Your kind cannot be trusted. But my lord, as…as foolish as he is, he believes in you, and it is my duty to trust his judgment. No matter what I think."

"I see… You're the people who left me for dead," she stated, in an odd, detached voice.

"No, this is more what yourkind does. We're not without honor."

"Your lord abandoned me inside the mine while everything was collapsing."

"Ah, we were merely doing what we had to do to save our people! Collapsing the mine's entrance gave us a way to distract yourfriendly comrades, and thus allowed us to escape safely. Does it sound like stabbing a man from behind?"

The kunoichi took a sip of her beverage.

"Besides, what else were we supposed to do with a band of assassins on our heels. We might not be from around here, but we've heard of Konoha's strengths, of the mighty Uchiha Clan and its appetite for bloodshed."

She drank the whole cup in one go.

"There were two of them in your band, weren't there? I have no doubt they would have enjoyed killing more of my men. One can't be enough! But we know better, we don't underestimate our foes, especially when they belong to powerful clans!"

The kunoichi nonchalantly poured more alcohol inside her glass and said, "Wonderful story. Is this why you're here? To praise the holy Uchiha clan?"

"How drunk are you?" she asked.

"Not drunk enough," she took another big sip of sake and kept doing so until the glass ended up empty once again.

"I've been sent by my lord to bring you a message," she finally revealed. "Don't finish your bottle before you hear what I have to say!"

"For your… interest, I'm not part of the mighty band of assassins anymore."

"It matters not. You're the only one who helped him. You…saved him."

"Not out of pure altruism," she poured more sake into her cup.

"Your reasons are your own… All I see, all my people see, are the results," she answered, "despite who you are, you saved my Lord. You went against your own to save a…stranger. Do not be mistaken, I'm still wary of you. But my leader believes in you, this is why I can neither ignore his orders nor the fact you're the reason he's back and safe where he belongs."

The kunoichi remained silent, drinking more of the noxious beverage.

"Here," she took a paper out of her pocket and put it right in front of the pink hair woman. "He wanted you to have this."

She looked at the familiar picture with unconcerned eyes, "This won't be of any help anymore."

"It will," she protested. "We're not naive. The Yashiro family won't stop here, they'll do everything they can to kidnap my lord's nephew again. They have the means to hire more of you, many influential friends to convince your leaders to help them. If…if your people still have some honor left, knowing the truth might be dissuasive enough."

The kunoichi snorted, "Doesn't work like that." She took her empty bottle and got up without staggering—surprisingly enough—only to be followed by Kanao.

"Please, you must give this picture to your leaders," she insisted as they reached the tavern counter.

"Another one!" the kunoichi said to the innkeeper, as she lifts abruptly the bottle in the air.

"If you have any respect for Ryuu-sama, you must do it!"

A shattering sound suddenly erupted, and pieces of brown glass fell everywhere on the ground while blood was slowly streaming from pale fingers, "I amsick of it! Of people telling me what to do! Get off my back!"

She stormed out of the tavern, like an upset drinker would, leaving Kanao slightly agape. The woman was utterly… drunk, there was no way she could have a decent conversation with her now. Despite this, giving up wasn't an option, and so she went after her, and waited for a good opportunity to strike, ensuring nobody would witness them.

A dark alley on their path gave Kanao all she needed to complete her plan. She suddenly jumped on the drunk kunoichi, pushing her swaying body into the alley in one go. Her head bumped against the wall while she fell on her bottom.

"Listen now Kunochi," Kanao hissed, fingers clenching on her ink blue collar "You're going to take the picture," she put it harshly inside her vest's pocket, "And I swear, you better not forget about it! I wish we'll never ever have to meet your kind again."

Fearing she would retaliate, Kanao left her immediately and strolled through the streets with the confidence of someone who had just accomplished the unachievable.

As she made her way through the fortress gates, staggering and fighting not to fall off, Sakura felt like her head was going to burst out at any moment now. The guards, watching out for trespassers, ignored her. But when she reached the back garden, hoping to return inside the guest's quarter without being noticed, she bumped into two of them and fell unceremoniously on the ground.

"Hmpf."

"What do you think you're doing, girl?" one of them asked.

Their attire and haircut made her identify them as a pair of samurai with whom politicians loved to associate—they were often hired as bodyguards, or sometimes just as guards. Hiring samurais was seen as proof of wealth, considering how expensive their service were. Shinobis never associated themselves with samurais, not because they lacked the capital to pay them, but because of an old animosity that made any partnership vain.

"Eh, she looks drunk," the second one said.

"And filthy."

"Bah, I've told you how shameless their women are, Murazaki-san."

She groaned from the pain and tried to get back on her feet, until a force suddenly pulled her forward, in one swift motion. Even drunk, she could recognize those pearly eyes anywhere.

"Ta—Taicho," she whimpered.

"One of yours?" a raspy voice asked.

"Don't you have gardens to patrol?"

Sakura wasn't sure what happened next. One minute she was hearing unpleasant words coming from the samurai, and the next her bottom was hitting the plush mattress of her luxurious bed. She let her upper body fall down backward, relieving all the tension from her body, as her head hit the comfortable pillow.

"So, in addition to being a traitor, you're a drunker too."

She felt a weight at the bottom of the bed and tried to open her eyes.

Captain Hyuuga.

"Aah! My head!" she moaned, "It…hurts."

"What a shame there isn't going to be any mention of it in my report, since, thanks to me, you're no longer part of the team."

Sakura could hear her cold voice, yet her words made no sense at all, as if she was speaking another language.

"Ugh! They were right, you stink!"

She heard the zipper of her green vest being pulled down.

"Haruno, Haruno…You truly are the most pathetic thing I've ever seen in my life. Even the samurais could see it, and they're not known for being the cleverest."

Hands and clothes moved on her, disturbing her attempt to rest, until she heard the noise of paper being unfolded.

"Hm. Interesting intel," the captain said. "Now, I can't fathom why you would willingly keep it to yourself unless you truly aim for termination. You really don't make much sense, Haruno."

She felt pleasantly lighter, the source of heat was long gone. There were only footsteps, and pacing sounds, bothering her now.

"Luckily for us, the Governor Yamaji was only interested in boasting himself about his work at the capital, his protégés interests long forgotten. So, we're heading back home tomorrow, whatever happens next isn't up to us anymore."

The light suddenly disappeared.

"Tch, I have better things to do than tracking a baby."

And at last, the silence ruled over the entire room. A mere respite before an unforeseeable future.