Summary: Sakura is tasked to blind a captured Uchiha Itachi. [ItaSaku, NaruSaku]

I've taken liberties with their characters; you could say they are all OOC to an extent.

A/N: Events are altered during the fight between brothers. The fated fight is interrupted by Danzo towards the end when both brothers were weakened, and kills Sasuke. He fails to kill Itachi. Tsunade does not recover from her coma, and Naruto becomes Hokage. Everything else substantially follows the manga except for a few details. This story takes place two years hence, just before the Fourth Ninja War.

Blindness

Chapter 1: Torture

The last of the evening was fading away between the mountains but she still could not sleep. Sakura bolted upright and stood up, pacing the room. The wind rushed past her hair as she does, and she shivered in the thin fabric of her evening gown, suddenly aware of another presence in the room. There was no knocking when he came, a member of the ANBU Root, crouched low in the dark corner of her room. His mask revealed bear markings, unnaturally bright in the dark. Sakura did not bother asking him how he came to be there.

"You are being summoned, Sakura-san."

By Danzo, no doubt, ANBU Root head, after all these years. The Hokage would have barged right in if he needed her.

"For what purpose?"

Silence.

"Where?"

"Room 130, Intelligence Division."

By then Sakura had already put on her coat.

When she arrived there was just two of them. Or three, if there was a human being beneath the black covering in the middle of the table. Sakura looked at Danzo and bowed slightly in acknowledgement.

"Sakura," he drawled, wasting no time. "This is a most sensitive operation."

Sakura nodded lightly, wrapping her arms around her. If Naruto had trusted Danzo enough to let him retain the Root under his command, she cannot refuse him without just cause.

"You are to do exactly three things."

Danzo paced slowly around the table, closer to Sakura. The floorboards creaked in anticipation.

"First, I need you to take his eyes out. Damage the nerve cells around the eyes."

Danzo was staring at her, gauging her.

"Second. No communication with him during the entirety of the operation. He is not a patient."

Danzo stopped, a meter away from her. She met his gaze, her questions apparent.

"Third. Do the first two without questions."

Sakura clenched her fists in her robe to keep herself from trembling. She was a medic, not a butcher. She began to move, noticing for the first time how all her equipment had been transported to the division. Naruto in all probability knew nothing of this. She always wondered why he gave this fossil blanket authority to act and command some ANBU Root of his own. Danzo always had something up his sleeve.

"Danzo-sama," Sakura called, her back to the ANBU head. "I would prefer that you situate yourself elsewhere."

"I will leave after you sedate him."

Sakura prepared her sedative and promptly removed the black cloth covering the table. She recoiled at the sight.

On the table lay Uchiha Itachi, blindfolded and bleeding. He was naked from waist up, and his body was covered by deep lacerations, spread unevenly across his torso and his arms. His cheeks were swollen and there were already scars forming in his face. The bruises spread everywhere, sheer cascades of hues: yellow, rust, blue, pink, red, gray and purple, every color spilling over the others. And they told the story entire. Whatever had been done to him it seems they had melted parts of his flesh, a brand of torture so characteristically Danzo.

"We drained him of chakra, but it is not enough. His eyes must be removed."

Sakura tentatively took one of Itachi's hands into hers, and turned it so his palm faced her. The flesh of his hand stuck out and she could clearly see the shape of a bone. It was grotesque; the wounds were not cleanly cut.

"You tore the tendons on his right arm," she stated quietly. "We still follow due process in criminal cases involving S-ranked shinobi. You should have handed him over to Ibiki-san and the Interrogation Force. I believe you are out of hand, Danzo-sama."

"I was given a free hand in capturing missing nins. By the hokage's orders," Danzo replied. "Uchiha Itachi attacked me. I will turn him over as soon as I am sure he no longer poses a threat."

Sakura held the Uchiha's hand still, tapping on his palm gently. One of his fingers lifted slightly. The Uchiha was half-conscious. Sakura carefully dabbed cotton in antiseptic and wiped it on the Uchiha's arm. She promptly injected the sedative. "How long has he been with your group? Does the Hokage know?"

"I believe I told you no questions must be asked, Sakura."

"You told me you would leave after I have induced the sedative."

Sakura turned to look at Danzo. He looked back at her, then turned on his heel. Sakura removed the Uchiha's blindfold. Eyes closed, he looked just like Sasuke, except her former teammate had shorter hair. Sakura pulled on her gloves and began gathering chakra to close the wounds in his right hand. She applied her power quickly, then moved to his face, reducing its swelling.

His good hand shot up suddenly, grabbing hold of her wrist.

Sakura gave a start, and gasped as he opened his eyes fully. They were bloodshot, but alert. And they were staring at her. He took his time assessing his punisher and he seemed to be reading her smallest movements. There was strength still in his grip, but the sedative will work its way quickly into his veins. Sakura returned his odd gaze and let herself be held as he tugged her closer. She waited.

The release came several minutes later. He never once averted his gaze.

Itachi's head throbbed painfully and his entire body felt like an open wound, like every cell was on fire. He knew he was lying flat in intelligence division, sprawled like frog to be dissected. There was cloth tied around his head, covering his eyes. He did not try to open them.

He must have been asleep for almost two days, judging by the dryness of his lips. He took in a shuddering breath, trying to sense anyone's presence in the room. All he sensed was his own blood, the tang of metal filling his own nostrils. He sat up as quietly as he could. His body felt better than it had the past few days.

They should have killed him. He had been caught in his failed assassination attempt, but he had gotten what he wanted from Danzo. Danzo's treachery had been revealed to him ages ago, but he could not make his move until Danzo, contrary to their agreement, had Sasuke killed.

Light footsteps made its way to him and soon someone began changing the bandages around his eyes. He was sure it was not the emerald-eyed medic called Sakura. She had smelled different, like laundry soap and vanilla and antiseptic. Her pink hair was wild, tousled and uneven, reaching her shoulders. Her skin paled under his touch, she blushed in surprise when he grabbed her, but her eyes showed no trepidation. They were wide and glassy and mesmerizing, but full of coldness and finality, as if she had decided to take his fate into her hands without looking back.

Something pinched his skin, and he knew it was the sugar they were injecting to keep him alive. He lay back down, too tired to keep himself upright. He felt disconnected. He knew all was darkness, but all he could see crimson red staining the ground. It was his blood, and his brother's.

He had gambled so hard, and won. It would be his turn next.