Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter Seven: Revelations and Resolutions

"I don't have any more evidence other than my word that I'm telling you the truth, Sakura-san. But, I assure you, I am not lying to you. It'll be up to you whether you actually believe me or not."

Sakura had sat silently through the story as Itachi unveiled the truth of his tragic life. If her mouth hadn't been hiding from view behind her mask, he would have seen the slow progression of it opening until she looked like a fish gasping for breath. By his reaction, she knew her first words in response to him were not what he expected after she had sat for a few moments in silence, trying to digest everything he had told her.

"…That bastard."

Sakura had always known she hated Danzo. Hated him for creating Root. Hated him for controlling a good hearted soul like Sai and countless others. Hated him for having put an order out to kill Sasuke when he stood in as Hokage when Tsunade had been utterly spent after Pain had come. Hated that he went about bringing 'peace' in his own twisted ways. She didn't think she'd grow to hate him even more, even if he was killed by Obito and no longer walked this earth.

Learning that he, and the Konoha elders Homura and Koharu that made up the council, ordered Itachi to eradicate his brethren to disrupt their plans of a coup, made her blood burn. She knew that the Sandaime would never do such a thing himself, but he did allow it. Of course she could step back and see that yes, it did work. Konoha was spared the violence of a civil war. But to place such a burden on one so young? It was cruel.

Itachi explained it to her all from the beginning. How he was a double agent. How Danzo fought his friend and fellow clansman, Uchiha Shishui, stealing his eye. How Madara, or rather, Obito, intervened, taking glee in helping the young ANBU captain fulfill his bloody mission. How he wept when he had to kill his parents, who praised him even as he took their lives. How he watched Sasuke turn against him, and how he begged with Hiruzen, begged him not to let Sasuke know the truth. Threatened to blackmail them if they did and leak their secrets to the world.

That was an even larger shock. Itachi loved Sasuke - loved him dearly and accepted Danzo's offer to let him live. Loved him so much that he took on the role of the cold-hearted killer, the enemy, the ultimate threat, just so Sasuke could live his life believing that the Uchiha name was pure. That they and the Senju finally got along. That Itachi was just a bastard and that he had finally killed him and avenged his family. She recalled that day at the bridge when Naruto saved her from Sasuke, when she had tried to go and kill him herself. "I heard the truth about Itachi," Naruto had said. At the time she had no idea what that meant; a lot had been said she didn't understand until now, things Sasuke spoke of that had made no sense to her.

"I can't believe this… Itachi-san…" A small part of her still wanted to doubt the story, but it all made sense. It fit. Her logic yearned to accept it while her heart still tried to hold strong to what she had been taught. Because the tragedy was woven about the likes of Danzo, Sakura knew deep down Itachi was telling the truth. She wouldn't put much past that man. Sakura went back to all those times Itachi could have killed or captured herself and her friends but hadn't. The truth was just so alarming. Her thoughts went back to Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun knew," she said quietly. Sakura had begun to realize it as the story progressed. Itachi frowned, but seemed to have realized this himself much earlier than her. "It makes sense. I asked myself back then, why would he target Konohagakure now that he finally killed you? I couldn't understand why… Obito must have told him, and rather than follow your path he felt betrayed by his home and wanted revenge all over again. That he joined with the likes of Obito and the Akatsuki confirms it." That he tried to kill her confirmed it. Itachi only nodded his head. "So all your hard work was for nothing?"

"Unfortunately… Sasuke died with the truth of my incident, knowing that the Uchiha, in his mind, would always be tainted…"

"At least he died knowing that his brother loved him," Sakura offered, and Itachi closed his eyes.

"I suppose that's a more positive way of looking at things," he agreed, but his expression was still troubled. "Sakura-san…" he reopened his eyes and caught hers again. "This is why I came to you. This is why I need your help. I can't heal myself of this sickness on my own. As I told you, I've already tried and have not been successful… I want to rid the world of Hakumei. I can't sit back and watch them grow and come to rule the world, but I'm not as strong as you all once believed." A small ironic laugh escaped her at his humility. "It's true. I'm only one man. I can only achieve so much on my own." She sobered at his words and sighed deeply.

"Hakumei," she breathed out, the name tasting bitter in her mouth. "I don't want to see another group like the Akatsuki grow so powerful that they can rule the shinobi world. I don't want to see their ideals come true." Sakura thought back to that morning and the words that shinobi had told her, a chill crawling over her at the thought of their ambitions becoming a reality. "I feel like it's my obligation, too, to oppose the threat. My duty as a shinobi to protect these lands… but like you, I'm only one person, and I'm nowhere near your caliber, Itachi-san. For the past two years I've been here in Hougyoku. I'm rusty. I was able to take out that one squad, but I didn't escape unharmed. If they send more squads to hunt me down I'm afraid I may not stand a chance." She didn't expect the small smirk that formed on his lips.

"We're both far cries from our former selves." She wanted to say something, thinking about what Isano had said back in the hideout, but refrained. "I'm sick, and have been for so long. It's affected my ability to fight. But with your help, I can be healed. I can be at my full strength once more. I can help you train, and we can grow strong again and more readily face Hakumei."

"But… it's just the two of us. What can we manage?" She didn't want to sound too hopeless around the renowned Uchiha, but she couldn't help but wonder.

"There are others out there who are resisting already. This far north you wouldn't notice."

"Other shinobi resisting?" A small spark of hope showed in her eyes.

"Yes… I've heard multiple rumors that a group has formed. I can't be certain how big the group is, or how organized they are, but what I am certain of is that there are others like us still out there. Other shinobi who want to see Hakumei destroyed."

"Then we've gotta find them. Find them and fight back!" Sakura clenched a fist in exaggeration.

"That's why I need you, Sakura-san. I can't win their trust without you. They'll be more inclined to believe I'm sided with Hakumei than with them, just as you did." Sakura looked a little sheepish. "The only ones who knew the truth are gone. Even Jiraiya," he said, the name falling somewhat wistfully from his lips.

"Jiraiya-sama?" He knew, too?

"Ah, I forgot: I was his spy in the Akatsuki and leaked information to him. I'm sure he told Tsunade-sama, or she found out on her own, as cunning as she was." Sakura grinned. It pained her how much she missed Tsunade; even Jiraiya held a soft spot in her heart despite his lecherous ways. "But like I said, they're gone. I can only imagine that anyone else who Obito and Madara told are gone, too."

"Like Naruto-kun, and Kakashi and Yamato-senpai," Sakura sighed. Even Sasuke was gone. It appeared that she really was the only one left. Itachi nodded, those names sparking another wistful expression from him. Thinking of the other Uchiha brother lit a question she had forgotten to ask until now. He spoke about their fight but only that it was a means for him to empower Sasuke even more and finally let him have his vengeance.

"After your fight with Sasuke-kun… how did you get away? Wouldn't Madara want your body guarded? Want your eyes?" He regarded her silently for a moment as he coped with the change in subject.

"He did… I had fully expected to die that day. I never thought that I'd survive. I'm sure Obito took my body and hid it away until he'd use my eyes and give them to Sasuke. He would need mine to gain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. I was practically on death's doorstep when Sasuke and I had our fight, but he never got the chance to claim my life. My disease incapacitated me in the end."

"Wait. He didn't even actually kill you? Or rather, think that he killed you?"

"No. During the battle I took a turn for the worse. Sasuke himself probably realized in the end that something was wrong with me prior to our fight. I passed out after transferring the power for him to awaken his Mangekyo Sharingan, and I must have been so close to death that they mistook me for being dead. But I lived. Somehow my body persisted. I woke, still injured, still very sick, in a place I did not know. There was no one else. Everyone was gone for the war I imagine. It surprised me that I wasn't kept under better watch, and was more surprised I still had my eyes. I left in search of one of Orochimaru's hideouts where I knew I could find more medicine to prolong my life. I wanted to find out what had transpired since the fight. I only found death. I found that Obito and Madara had lost, but that the hidden villages had, too. Everything was in shambles. I was shocked, I had to admit. I thought that Naruto would win, that he'd find a way like he had with everything else he faced…" Itachi fell silent.

"We all did," Sakura whispered and blinked away threatening tears. "It's been five years… what have you done all this time?"

"Not much at first. I was weak from my illness. It was all I could do to stay alive the first two years or so. Eventually I got it back under control. The symptoms were very mild if present at all. Shortly after I started to hear rumors of a growing threat but didn't think too much of them. That was, until, about another year passed. I was discovered by Hakumei. I didn't know who they were at the time. They were just as surprised to see me, thinking that I was dead. I was still weak then. A few got away. I still only thought that they were just a minor nuisance trying to use the disaster left behind to their advantage. I was wrong.

"I didn't anticipate what their true motives came to be. They confronted me again and invited me to join them. Needless to say I declined. Multiple times. They must have kept trying because of my affiliation to the Akatsuki and thought I'd be the type of shinobi that would sympathize with their plans. Eventually they realized I'd continue to decline and have been targeting me since, trying to kill me." Sakura didn't have to ask why. He was probably one of their biggest threats, if not the largest. "As I mentioned the other day, I lost my tab on you two years ago when you finally came here and settled in Hougyoku. I heard that rumor in a little pub about you being here about a few months ago. I discovered that waterfall hideout by a happy accident about four months ago; I've been trying to recon the location to destroy it, but they somehow caught on to me. They anticipated my most recent arrival. After the fight I came to Hougyoku as fast as I could. Luckily the rumors were right or I'd be dead."

"You can say that again," she mumbled. "What about your illness? It's obviously been giving you issues lately."

"Yes. Lately I've felt weaker and have lost weight. My appetite has decreased. Sometimes it's hard for me to keep food down." He frowned. "I spent the last few years training, honing my skills once more since my illness had been controlled…" He spoke those words more to himself it seemed, venting his frustrations at the disease for ruining all his hard work. "I would have been fine the other night if not for it." But, at the same time, it worked out in the end for him, having this illness. Had Itachi been successful in destroying the waterfall hideout, it would not still be there to provide Sakura evidence of Hakumei's existence. She would not have made the trip and overheard Isano and Juunan's conversation, or gotten into that fight with the scouting squad. Itachi would have had a hard time trying to convince her otherwise. This was no coincidence. It was fate.

"It came back fighting, that's for sure. You're lucky you found me when you did. This is some nasty bug you picked up. I've never seen anything like it."

"I have faith that you'll find a way to cure me, Sakura-san." Such praise from him unnerved her. For his sake she gave a nod of her head and hoped he was right. For the land's and peoples' sake, she hoped he was right. Itachi-san… you're going to be a crucial figure in the hardships ahead…

"You should rest," she suggested, realizing just how late it was. She was sure he was sick of talking even though he spoke readily to her. Gaining her trust was extremely important, she knew. Itachi couldn't afford to be introverted and cryptic. She could tell his body yearned for slumber by the way he struggled to keep his eyes fully open. He didn't object to the suggestion. She herself was tired and wanted to go home and crawl into bed. That she couldn't afford. She'd need to be present should something happen and he took a turn for the worse again. "I'll be right outside. Hit the call light if you need anything" Though he didn't show it she was sure that put him at ease. As strong as a man he was, having such a life threatening illness must have been frightening. He had no control over it, save for his use of Orochimaru's medicine. At least that snake was good for something.

Before she left the room, Itachi spoke.

"Sakura-san…" Turning back to look at him, she waited for him to finish. "…Thank you. Thank you for everything you've done." She watched him for a long moment in silence, her eyes widening. It was awkward, but if Itachi was uncomfortable he hid it well. It struck her again in that moment just how similar Itachi and Sasuke looked, and a strange emotion overcame her as she stared at him, a long ago memory filling her mind.

The cold breeze of night around her ankles as she clenched her fists tightly, as if the grip could somehow keep him from leaving the village when her words had failed. The tears in her eyes, burning her nose. The sight of his back to her. He was so close and yet felt so far away. She threatened to yell and scream and do everything in her power to stop him. And then, he was gone, and she forgot how to breathe until she heard his voice behind her, as soft as the breeze that played down the path they stood on before darkness overcame her.

"Sakura… Thank you…"

Clenching her teeth until it hurt, she tried not to crumple in on herself, sure she was failing at keeping the pain of that memory out of her eyes.

"I-uh-you're welcome… Itachi-san. Don't mention it." She left before he said something else lest she keep babbling like a fool, all but fleeing from the room into the antechamber. Stripping her protective gear and washing up, she went out into the hall and leaned heavily against the door, her breathing fast, her heart racing. Standing there, she took slow breaths until she calmed herself down. Pushing away from the door a few minutes later, Sakura walked down the hall to the office and workroom she and Yanagi shared. From there, she could hear the chime of the call light from the nurse's station in the quiet clinic if Itachi used it.

Slumping into her desk chair she sighed, running her hands roughly over her face as mentally pushed thoughts of Sasuke from her mind. Sakura focused instead on what she had learned tonight. A dull headache was forming in her temples, her brain feeling mushy from fatigue and shock. Again and again she thought about the things Itachi revealed to her, and her entire world felt flipped upside down. She almost wished she could go back in time and live in ignorance. Life would be so much easier. What was done was done, though, and there was no going back. Only forward.

That last bit of conversation and how awkward it became before she left when Itachi thanked her plagued her mind next no matter how hard she tried to avoid it. No doubt he caught on to her unease. She had to squash down the urge to groan loudly, settling on a soft, pathetic whimper instead. Sakura didn't want to alert Itachi, unsure of how good his hearing was even through the walls of the clinic. Not only that, if she intended to help him, intended to heal and potentially fight alongside him, she'd have to become comfortable in his presence. The thought made her scowl.

Easier said than done.

Sakura thought she could cry in joy when she heard Yanagi enter the clinic early the next morning. She was ridiculously exhausted. The medic in her wouldn't let her sleep while Itachi was in her care. She drank enough coffee for three people and substituted sleep with food, eating whatever she could find. At one point she had indulged in sitting down in a chair in the staff break room, intending to just rest for a minute or two as she munched on rice crackers. She jerked awake almost an hour later from a dream with drool on her cheek and her crackers spilt on the floor. Twice while she sat at her desk she nodded off, but each time her chin slipped from her hand, jarring her awake. The sight of her pink lilies made Yanagi's face pop into her mind, chastising her. But he only looked somewhat concerned when he huffed his way in that morning.

"Sakura-sama, good morning," he greeted as he came to his work table and set down his things. "How is Itachi-san?"

"Well," Sakura answered, her eyelids struggling to stay open. "He's doing well." She gave him an update, explaining all that occurred over the night. She didn't tell him how Itachi, despite his condition, was immediately vigil, eyes wide open if bleary, each time she forced herself to go back in his room to assess him. Years of living in a constant state of hyper awareness were difficult to forget, especially in an unfamiliar environment. Each time he'd get his bearings and would remember that he was safe, eventually relaxing and falling asleep soon after, even with her chakra pouring through his body. Sakura was thankful for that. She didn't mind comfortable quiet but hated awkward silences and the idea of him just laying there, staring at her while she worked. If he was simply feigning sleep for her benefit, and really, for his own, too, she had no intention of asking him to stop.

"Excellent," Yanagi beamed after she finished talking. His face turned bemused as he looked at her. "You poor thing. Go home and rest. The others will be here shortly. We've got it from here." Sakura was tempted to just go lay down in one of the clinic beds, but abandoned the idea before it could take root. She thanked Yanagi and headed home. Once there, she stripped and showered in a haze of exhaustion. She didn't even bother to brush her wet hair, and fell into bed and heaved the longest, loudest groan she could muster, savoring the comfort of her mattress.

"What a week," she grumbled into her pillow. As she lay there, she tried not to dwell too heavily on Itachi and the Uchiha Massacre, or the looming threat of Hakumei. Tried not to dwell on the fact that very soon she would be leaving Hougyoku and the peaceful life she had made for herself. Luckily, sleep found her quickly, but her dreams were filled with the sounds of crying and a heavy sense of guilt. Flashes of silver cut through the darkness of night, and red and tomoe eyes filled with a gripping sorrow sought for understanding and yet knew there was none to be had…

Author's Notes:

For those of you wondering how I know all the medical jargon, I am a registered nurse. I currently work in education.

I decided to make Itachi's illness a bit different to fit into my story better. I thought a protozoal infection would be interesting, and it made the most sense to me. Just as Sakura speculates, Itachi traveled all over the shinobi countries and I can totally picture him drinking or eating something questionable. 😬

And I know all my night shifters can relate to Sakura when Yanagi shows up in the morning. working a 12-hour shift on the floor is a different kind of tired, y'all.

Thank you guys for all the love and comments. They are encouraging! I'm so thankful for you all 💖