Itachi sometimes wondered what he had done in his previous life to deserve this. Especially when the boys wouldn't stop fighting. He had to count down from ten to make sure he wouldn't snap at them. Even he had his limits, despite what people thought, and it was running thin.

His foolish little brother Sasuke, and Naruto, the Hokage's son, rarely agreed on anything, it seemed to have only gotten worse now that they are on the same team. Then there was Kakashi, the boy who didn't seem to think he needs anyone, except his father. And finally, there was his favorite student out of all of them: Sakura, the girl was always a polite and quiet girl. She was the one who always seemed to have an endless supply of Pocky and dango. It was a well know fact that most Uchihas had a sweet tooth.

"Good morning Itachi-sensei!" Ah, thinking of the girl and she shall appear. He turned his head to look at her and nodded in return. He took note of Sakura already offering him a stick of dango. This was why he favored her over the rest of his students. He used more time training her than the boy, there was just too much potential inside her that he couldn't ignore if he tried. He just couldn't understand how everyone else seem incapable of seeing it. She didn't even mind sharing her seemingly endless supply of dango with him. Really, that alone had told him that her parents had raised her well.

Itachi had never investigated their fills, having known most of them since they were babies. He only knew that Sakura was from a civilian family from the gossip. Itachi had known many cases like hers. Civilian children simply being overlooked in favor of the clan children. Not to talk about how many heirs in her class alone, well there won't be anything interesting he couldn't figure out himself.
Do to that, Sakura remained a mystery to him, and he so love a good puzzle. It was both so much fun, while still frustrating for him. Sakura wasn't a very open person to begin with, and even when they did have long talks. Itachi always ended up realizing that she still hasn't said anything new about herself, and HE had been the one to talk about himself, again. Diplomate in the making right there. But that was okay, seeing how she reacted to his praise was enough for now.

By contrast, Naruto was very loud, and liked to let the whole village know what he thought about everything and anything. Itachi or anyone else, had no problems knowing when something was wrong with him. Sasuke was his little baby brother. For him, Sasuke was like an open book, even if he was about as talkative as a pile of rocks. Kakashi just reminded him of himself, only a bigger asshole, when he was that age, so it wasn't hard to see past his mask, either.

Funny enough, it was Sakura he had the hardest time reading. Her smiles could be either sad, bittersweet or forced and they all looked the same to him. He had never seen Sakura lose her temper…
Hell, she had never even raised her voice when the boys said something mean or hurtful to her. Which they did way to often for his liking, he got revenge on her behalf by "training". Shisui said he just beat them into the ground, but what did he know. Sasuke seemed to believe that Sakura was somehow beneath him, do to the fact that she didn't come from a clan nor had any important parents. Somehow Sasuke thought that meant, that she didn't understand nor had a right to voice her opinions regarding anything. Itachi highly disapproved of this, and often lectured him on it. Genjutsu was highly useful here, what felt like 72 hours of lecture that truly only lasted seconds.

Naruto seemed to mean well but thought that she needed them to protect her. Which was ridicules, as if he would allow her not to be able to protect herself. He didn't even want to think about Kakashi, it always led to headaches.

She was polite, gentle and holding all of them at a distance at the same time. That seemed to be the only thing the boys could pick up on. Itachi had taken her aside more than once, asking if she was alright. He knew deep down that she wouldn't just tell him, but he had hope, that someday she would look at him and see someone she could rely on. It was probably in these moments that she looked the happiest. Her eyes would soften just so, and a ghost of a smile on her sweet lips. Her reply was always the same.

He noticed the bruises on her arms, but it was mostly hidden under her blouse. She didn't say anything them, so neither did he. It didn't stop Itachi to wonder if there were more that he couldn't see. She had said that if there were any problems, she would come to him, he only prayed that it wasn't a lie.

Still, he didn't like it, and decided to change strategy. Maybe some team bonding would do well, surely a meal couldn't go wrong. Either way, it was time to meet her parents, and maybe that would shed some light on the case of her bruises...

"Enough for today! We will all share dinner at my house tonight so be sure to bring your family, too," Itachi said when training was over. He had been nice today. He had only beaten them all into the ground until they couldn't stand anymore once without giving them a mission afterward. Really, he was becoming soft.

He watched as Sakura was the first one to stand up on shaking legs. It was odd how she was always the first one on her feet again, it worried him that she had such a high pain toleration. No, that wasn't right… he was worried for what that meant, for her, the civilian, to have the highest tolerance in the team didn't seem right. In the end, he watched her walk away once again without saying anything else, but a goodbye.

Itachi stood in the kitchen with his mother, she was talking about how excited she was to finally meet the rest of his students and "Sasuke-chan's" teammates. His mother had forced her way in, "to make sure the food got ready on time". He knew that she didn't have any siblings but didn't know if She had one or two parents, so he made food for two parents.

The first to arrive was with his father and brother, shortly followed by Kakashi and his dad. He could hear Naruto yelling way before Itachi saw him, which quite frankly, was no surprise. Both of his parents following right behind him, it was surprising how the Hokage still found time for family. Now, they were only missing their only female member, and hopefully, she would show up any minute now.

This was the first time, since meeting her that Sakura was late. Granted it was only ten minutes, but still Itachi was beginning to worry. Someone finally knocked on his door, and Itachi had never walked so discreetly fast to the door. Only it wasn't just Sakura that he came face-to-face with, but his own elder cousin smiling at him with Sakura standing hesitantly by his side.

"I sincerely apologize Itachi-sensei, for being late, but I got lost…" The longer she talked, the more it turned into a mumble and her ears red. He swore she said something about Uchihas, clones and everyone looking alike, but that might just be him. Through it all, she never once looked him in the eyes, and seemed to find the ground far more interesting.

He simply moved aside to let her in. He watched as she politely introduced herself to all the adults and greeted her teammates. Shisui looking at him in amusement before leaving.

Itachi watched as his foolish brother simply ignored her greeting, their mother jabbed him in the ribcage before he reacted. As Sasuke finally gave a grunt in acknowledgment, mother's smile becomes more and more forced. She glanced at her husband, and gave him a look that clearly stated, that Sasuke's rude behavior was his fault.

They could agree on that much, at least. If only their mother knew that right now, Sasuke was being on his best behavior right now.

"Neh, Sakura-chan, do you not have parents?" Naruto finally asked. Itachi could tell that the blond boy had tried to hold back from asking. It was clear that he had ultimately failed in the end. He watched as a grim look appeared on the Fourth Hokage's face at the question, as if he knew the answer but didn't like it.

"… Everyone has parents Naruto-san. Even people from the red districted, they are just…"

No one said anything after that, and Sakura simply continued to eat as if she hadn't left the question unanswered. It clearly didn't sit well with Naruto, but his father gave him a look, that made him keep it to himself.

"How can someone so disgusting bastard child of a whore be so ungrateful? Not even give him a prober reply" hissed Sasuke at her, mother just mange to say hiss his name when Sakura simply stood up. Everyone knew what it meant to live in the redistricted among prostitutes, murders and smugglers. Itachi understood that whatever Sakura did next, his little brother had deserved it... but what he had not expected was for her to let him off with just a slap him.

"My parents are honest hardworking people, who unlike you have to work themselves into the ground just to ensure that there is food on the table. You, a child raised in the summer district with a silver spoon in your mouth know nothing of the worlds darker sides."

She looked down at Sasuke with cold eyes, and for a moment Itachi wonder if she would try to kill him. She had hissed the words at him with such venom, that he couldn't help but dead what she must have seen. He had once heard about a man that was murdered there and hanged from some of the light polls only held up by his organs, like a sick decoration.

Yet her green eyes were not angry, but she seemed defeat instead. It seems that not even her anger was worthy of Sasuke. Itachi thought that it was a look that should never have been on her face in the first place.

She turned around and quickly gathered her things and gave a quiet goodbye before leaving. He wanted to follow her, but first, he would have to deal with his brother once and for all. Not that he needed to it, it seemed that their mother had gotten to him first. Holding him up by the ear while hissing something to him.

He took one glance at Sasuke and saw him looking for help. Itachi just got up and turned to leave only to paused one by the door, turning his head to look over his shoulder at Sasuke.

"Be gone before I return."

With that, he was out the door, looking for his student. It was one of his crows that found her by the river. Instead of saying anything, Itachi simply sat down beside her and pulled her into his side. She began to cry all over again, holding onto him like a lifeline.

"Why did you come?" She asked, after most of her tears were gone. She looked up at him, and he was reminded of how vulnerable and innocent she really was. It made Itachi want to protect her for the rest of his life.

"I couldn't leave my favorite student alone, now, could I?"

It was not something he would ever voice aloud again, but the smile she gave him made up for it. Her smiles did odd things to him... and he wanted to see her smile like forever… preferably, only at him, of course.