Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter Four: Shadows on the Horizon

Help?

Of all the reasons Uchiha Itachi showed up in Hougyoku for, asking her for help would have been her last guess. She expected him to say something more along the lines of 'I'm here to kill you'. Now that wouldn't have surprised her.

"What?" she so eloquently responded to the request, the word coming out with a laugh. Sakura regarded him with such incredulous humor she was surprised he stayed so calm. Again, his first reaction was to blink slowly and not say anything right away. Itachi never spoke without first considering his words, Sakura could tell. That was simply just the kind of man he was. Every syllable was calculated. Every sentence was artfully, meticulously, assembled. The briefest of expressions flashed on his face that read, 'if I were kidding, why would I have even bothered asking?', but it came and went so fast that she couldn't be sure if she imagined it.

"No, I'm not." The flat, even tone of his hoarse voice and the matching stare he gave her sobered Sakura. That amusement on her face ebbed away until she regarded him as someone obviously taken aback. She could also tell by what she knew of him that Itachi wasn't the kind of man who joked around. Vaguely she wondered if he even had a sense of humor, but the current bizarre situation kept her from thinking too hard on that thought and from risking a laugh or two. This wasn't a laughing matter to him, that much was certain. Nevertheless, her past experiences with the infamous Uchiha warned her not to trust him. Still, she couldn't help but be curious.

"Help with what?" What did a man such as Uchiha Itachi need from her? Her skills lay in healing, and that she already supplied him.

"I know, just as you know, that Madara and the Akatsuki are gone. I helped to make sure of that in the ways I could back then." He said those last words more to himself, his tone almost bitter. Confusion entered her mind. What on earth did he mean by that? Her thoughts were halted as he continued. "But now, in their absence, a new threat rises." Sakura's jade eyes widened. A new threat? Who? What? Itachi answered that unspoken question. "They go by Hakumei." Twilight. Sakura couldn't help the small, ironic laugh that escaped her. The dawn of the Akatsuki had passed, and now they were passing into the dusk of a second, sinister organization? The irony was too much to not find at least somewhat humorous. It was obvious they chose the name because of the now defeated group.

"In Madara's wake destruction followed, but not everyone perished. You are a testament to that, Sakura-san. But others survived, as well." Sakura's gaze sharply refocused on him. It unsettled her somewhat that he was so polite as to refer to her with the honorific –san added to her name. It hit her suddenly like a crashing wave, that this was all so very bizarre. Here she was, sitting down having a long conversation with a man normally of few words, and he was very civil and polite and well mannered - totally at odds once more with her memories of him. But she was too stunned still to really unravel all that just yet, especially since he wasn't done with his tale.

"Others?" she asked instead, prompting him to elaborate.

"Yes. Rogue ninja who survived the war began to group together not too long after the five nations' defeat. Shinobi who seek to rise up in power, in tyranny, and reclaim those lands as their own. Those who had been exiled, outcast, and tossed aside from their villages. They want their vengeance."

"But everything was destroyed," Sakura finally interjected. "It's all gone. Who do they plan to seek it from?" Again, Itachi blinked first as his dark gaze lay heavily on her. She wondered again if it had to do with the drugs still lingering in his system, or if he were simply gathering his thoughts. He wet his lips with a swipe of his tongue before starting again.

"The world, if they must. It does not matter to men like them." Sakura couldn't help thinking 'men like you' to herself at his words.

"So, what, they want to relive the clans of old? Rebuild Leaf, Sand, Mist? Start over from scratch and rule with an iron fist?"

"That is the idea, yes."

"Ridiculous," she scoffed. "It's all too far-fetched."

"Is it really?" Sakura held his gaze, and a pit of dread began to form in her stomach. Perhaps Itachi was right, and all of this wasn't some big scheme, some joke. Perhaps, deep down she believed him, but damn, she did not want to. Doing so would mean her new life could be over, her new friends and family threatened.

"No…" she said with a shake of her head. "No. No. This is all some kind of ploy. Some kind of game you're playing." Itachi was a traitor, a murderer, a manipulator - he was obviously toying with her, trying to get her to lower her guard and trust him. He was probably part of the organization, himself.

If he were a part of this Hakumei, then why would he go to such lengths to warn you of them? a voice in her mind asked. She pushed the question harshly from her thoughts.

"I don't believe you. You're simply here to kill me. That's why you've come." As she said those words aloud she realized how idiotic they finally sounded. Yes, Itachi came to kill her when he himself had been on the verge of death not too long ago. Again she shoved away those thoughts. "It's the drugs, they're making you delusional." She was starting to get angry, it was apparent on her face and her voice.

"Sakura-"

"No!" She was standing then, her fists clenched as she looked down at him. There was a loud clatter as the clipboard in her hand was thrown to the floor in her anger, but she ignored it, too focused on her growing fear and rage. Itachi's only reaction was to blink. "You're a deceiver! A clan killing, vicious criminal! Why should I trust you? You killed your family! You drove your little brother, your own brother, to be just as cold-hearted and dangerous as you! You drove him away from us and into Orochimaru's arms." Her words slurred somewhat together as they rushed from her mouth in a torrent. Though his expression barely flickered away from that indifferent mask he wore, she saw his jaw clench. She half expected to see those dark eyes of his bleed crimson, but they didn't. It surprised her that she was even looking him in the eye when she had been taught not to. His own cool reaction to her spurt of yelling quelled her rage a notch. "I just can't take your words for truth."

"Ignorance does not become you, Sakura-san. For being Tsunade's apprentice, you were left in the dark more than I thought." Those words had her looking at him again like he was simply spewing drug induced nonsense.

"What's that supposed to mean?" There was a guarded edge to her voice.

"There are things about your beloved Konoha that would shock you. Things you'd never dream of."

"Things? What things?" How dare he say such nonsense about her home. He was a crazy, manipulative bastard, she reminded herself.

"Everything you think you know about me is a lie."

"A lie? What the hell are you talking about?"

"My involvement in that incident was not for personal gain as you have believed all of these years. They were orders. Orders from the Sandaime himself." Sakura looked at him, still standing, and felt like he had just slapped her.

"…No." The word fell from her lips as a whisper. "That's a lie." Itachi only held her gaze. How dare he speak such blasphemous things to her about her home. She should kill him for his disrespect of the Third. There was no way in hell that he would order Itachi, still only a boy at the time, to murder his own clan in cold blood. It made no sense. The Third was gentle, kind, and would never allow such an incident to be placed on his shoulders.

What about Root? Her chest tightened at the thought. Her mind worked and Itachi could see the gears turning in reaction to the words he spoke to her.

"Sakura-san…"

Sakura took a shaky breath to compose herself. This was all too much for her to handle. New threats were supposedly growing on the horizon. Itachi was still alive and only an S-class criminal, banished from his home, because of orders. Itachi coming to her for help on the verge of death. She felt completely overwhelmed. Her heart began beating quickly in her chest, painful. Itachi's own steady rhythm was betrayed by the beeping. Had that been her finger in that sensor it would be a much quicker tempo. She changed the subject when a thought crossed her mind.

"How… how did you even know I was here?" If Itachi harbored annoyance at the sudden change in conversation he didn't let on.

"I've been keeping tabs on many people. People who I know I can trust should I need their help. I cannot gain the trust of others without gaining yours first." Sakura's gaze locked with his. She understood him without any need of an explanation. If he wanted people like her to trust him, people who thought he was still an Akatsuki member at heart, they would need word from someone reliable to tell them that his story he just shared with her was true. Someone who they would believe. Someone like Haruno Sakura, a former Leaf shinobi, a reputable hero, defender of evil, and from Itachi's homeland, too. Only, he did not have her trust, for she didn't believe him. His coming here would be pointless. Was this the help he sought from her? It seemed that there was more to it.

"And your wounds?"

"Ambushed by Hakumei shinobi. The odds were not in my favor." Sakura half wanted to know just what the odds were in the back of her mind. How many shinobi were required to take on the dangerous sharingan user?

"And that's when you came here?"

"Yes. I heard a rumor of you being here a few months ago. That there was a medic-nin supposedly in Hougyoku, a medic-nin trained by a legendary sannin." Even the people this far north knew of the three shinobi, Sakura had found out that day her abilities had been discovered, and it amazed her. "I knew you survived the war and traveled north some time ago. I lost my tab on you, though, until that day."

"I could have let you die. How were you so certain I'd heal you?"

"I wasn't." It seemed that he took a large risk in coming here, Sakura noted. Maybe he knew he was beyond the help of traditional medical methods. Maybe he thought she'd feel bad for him. Maybe he was simply close by and with the rumor, took his chances. Had she not been here, Sakura had a feeling Itachi wouldn't be alive right now. Yanagi was an excellent doctor, but he was limited in his resources here in the rural village. "But here we are… These shinobi, they're looking for you, Sakura-san. They want you for their own. And if you don't oblige them, they will try and kill you." Sakura understood his manner of arrival that morning better now, she was certain. Did Itachi refuse? Frowning, she reminded herself this was all rubbish.

"When healing my wounds, I'm sure you saw-"

"I can't-" she interrupted him again, looking away from that intense gaze, a dull ache forming behind her eyes. "No. This is enough. You're crazy." She reached for something on the counter behind her and then approached him. Sedative. Sakura was going to drug him again so he'd stop talking, stop filling her head with nonsense. Itachi didn't look frightened, nor angry, nor anything. He merely watched her as she brought the syringe to his IV line, preparing to inject it into his bloodstream. Before she did, he spoke, causing her to pause despite herself.

"There is a place not far from here. A day's hard run. Go there, wait, and you'll see." He told her the location, listing off recognizable landmarks. She didn't acknowledge him by nodding, or saying anything, or even looking at him, but she did by hesitating, waiting for him to finish speaking. "Go there in secrecy." His voice was much harsher now after all the speaking he did. She didn't think he'd talk so much, she mused to herself briefly, but her pounding heart drove such thoughts from her mind. "Do not be seen, do not be heard, do not be sensed."

When he did not continue any longer, she finally administered the initial sedative with a slow, steady push. A few minutes passed in silence as she watched the floor, listening as his breathing lessened in pace, as well as the monitor's beeping. Knowing he was now unconscious she sighed, turning to the IV pole to program the continuous infusion of sedative that would keep him unconscious. She prepared the new jar beforehand, anticipating needing it again. Sakura was glad she had the foresight to do so. Picking up the clipboard she'd all but thrown, she set it on the counter. Finally Sakura turned her gaze back to him, and their conversation ran rampant in her mind. She sat back down in the chair and let her face fall into her hands. Perhaps waking him so soon was a bad idea after all. She only felt worse, and her head throbbed. Had someone told her yesterday that today she'd be healing Uchiha Itachi and learning of new threats to the world, she'd have laughed in their face.

She wasn't laughing now.

She was tired, her body aching once more. Despite herself her mind was running down the path that would take her to the place Itachi had told her about. Most of the landmarks she was familiar with, the rest she was not. They were distinctive in description and sounded like they'd be easy to locate. Realizing her traitorous, curious mind, she forced herself to think about something other than the man in the room with her. But she couldn't. All she could think was what if he was telling the truth? What if this was all happening, and she was in danger like he said? What if Hakumei was looking for her, wanting to recruit her into their organization?

Rubbing her tired eyes with the heels of palms, she groaned.

"This is too much," she muttered aloud. "Ugh!" Lifting her head, she looked at Itachi again and sighed raggedly. Was he really telling the truth? Did the Sandaime really order him to kill his entire clan? If that was the case, why? She needed more of an explanation. In his drugged state there was probably a lot that he had wanted to say but forgot, and she was too shocked and upset to logically break things down. She reminded herself yet again she didn't believe him.

Knowing she couldn't just leave him and go home until someone else came, Sakura attempted to try and preoccupy herself, but no matter what she did in the clinic, her thoughts were on Itachi. She mulled over all the memories of him she could muster. Tried to remember all the stories she heard from Kakashi and Naruto. With his story fresh in her mind, she couldn't help but realize something. Each time they encountered the Uchiha renegade, he could have easily succeeded in killing or capturing them, but he hadn't. He didn't kill Kakashi that day he and his partner came to Konoha after the Sandaime died, or Kurenai, Gai or Asuma. He didn't take Naruto like he had been ordered to by the Akatsuki that day with Sasuke and Jiraiya when he could have. That day they battled his clone, he could have killed them even just with a clone, but he hadn't. And in all his times with Sasuke, he never harmed him fatally during their encounters.

The battle he had with his brother in which he supposedly died must have been brutal, despite that realization. Still, while fighting against 'Tobi', Sakura couldn't believe her ears at the news that odd Akatsuki member had revealed. Of course she knew Sasuke was strong, but strong enough to beat Itachi? The man who had joined ANBU at the tender age of ten? The man Orochimaru had wanted for himself but could not have? In the end, Sasuke wasn't strong enough, for Itachi was still alive. Had he tricked the Akatsuki into believing he was dead? Some kind of weird jutsu? If that was the case, why? What had his reasons been? Did he want it to seem like Sasuke was the victor for reasons unknown? Or had things been different? Sakura could not know, she hadn't been there. It just all made no sense. She needed more answers.

Despite her logical reasoning screaming at her, she made her decision: she would go. Go and see if Itachi was telling her the truth. Go and see if her life was in danger, and by extension, Hougyoku. She owed that to the villagers. She had gone two years without bringing harm their way and she couldn't break that streak. Itachi was a threat on his own. She didn't need some aspiring Akatsuki wannabe group tearing through the village in search of her, and probably the Uchiha, too. Yes, she was strong, but she was rusty. If Itachi was indeed an ally, at least she knew she'd have a formidable comrade, but these shinobi were powerful if they sent him to her in such a state.

The night passed more quickly than she anticipated. She spent the time going over, and over, their conversation, and an excuse to leave town for a few days. Trying to get some kind of rest, she allowed herself to nap a few hours in one of the beds, but it had been restless and unsatisfactory. Sunday mornings brought in a middle-aged woman named Emi, a clinician who had trained under Yanagi. Upon her arrival Sakura made herself appear calm and collected.

"Good morning, Sakura-sama," Emi greeted Sakura, who was scouring through the clinic's supply, looking as if she were searching hard for something she needed. She turned her head to offer her own hello. "What are you looking for?" Sakura explained they were out of a particular medication she had wanted to use for their newest patient. It wasn't something they kept in abundance and Sakura was practically the only one there who used it. It had harsh side effects on the body, but with her ninjutsu she could subdue those effects and let the medication work without the threat of renal failure.

"It works well alongside medical ninjutsu," she explained to Emi, who nodded her head in understanding. Emi wasn't too keen on the art. She appreciated and revered it, but Sakura had the feeling it frightened her. Though they were comfortable with each other and Emi was always civil, Sakura could tell that Emi was frightened by her. Though Sakura never provoked her, or made her have reason to be afraid, she could sense it on her. To Emi, she was like a wild animal: amazing to behold and revere at a respectable distance, but something you could never completely trust. "I'm going to have to go and get some. I may be gone for a few days, though." She would have to travel to nearby cities, and there was no guarantee that the nearest town with a clinic like theirs would even carry the medication she supposedly needed.

"Not to worry, Dear," Emi said with a smile and a wave of her hand. "If it's something we need then of course you go and get it. We'll take care of things here in your absence." Sakura returned the smile and looked relieved.

"Thanks so much! Please tell Yanagi-sama if you happen to see him today. I don't want to worry him."

"Of course."

"Be sure to keep him sedated," she reminded her after she gathered her things and headed to leave, referring to Itachi. "He's stable, but still tender." Emi didn't question the order and wished Sakura safe travels. She never suspected that Sakura had stashed away what was left of the particular drug into her satchel. Never suspected that Sakura was lying to her. "I'll be back as quick as I can!"

Sakura headed home as quickly as she could without looking like she was in too big of a hurry. Only Yuri stopped her to ask about the day before and she got home quickly enough. She immediately changed. She still looked the part of a civilian, but she gave up her more comfortable attire for something more fitting, something that wouldn't slow her down as she made for the place Itachi told her. It would have been nostalgic to zip up her old black boots but they screamed shinobi, so she opted for a more civilian style hiking boot, instead. She could not resist pulling on her old well-worn gloves, though, and she flexed her fingers inside the supple leather with a smile.

"I'll be gone for a few days," she explained to Kinshou who was watching her with sleepy eyes from her bed as she put her hair up with a hair-tie, the long tail of pink falling over her shoulder. "Be good." The fat cat only closed his eyes, as if ignoring her. With a huff and a laugh, Sakura left him be.

She didn't want to take too much with her, but to keep her civilian image accurate, she donned her rucksack. It was filled with kunai and shuriken and other shinobi paraphernalia, as well as a box of granola bars she hastily stuffed inside with two canteens of water. One of the tasty treats was stuck between her teeth as she exited her home. With the skills still drilled into that she could never forget, she left Hougyoku with the practiced stealth of a shinobi of her caliber. She approached the edge of the village within minutes, and she cast a glance over her shoulder at her new home.

I hope for their sake Itachi is wrong…