Author's note: Hey! This is another Itachi and Sakura (with a bit of Sasuke of course) fanfic I'm doing. Quite honestly I'm really developing a liking to the parring despite the fact that it's NEVER going to happen in either the manga or anime. But a girl can dream can't she? Since "Sakura's Admire" is such a huge success, I'm sure that all of you will love this fanfic. It's a bit more mature as far as the plot goes...and I'm not going to give away too much...but this is turning out to be one of my favorite Itachi x Sakura fanfic. I hope you like it just as much. Oh and a bit of a warning for you Sasuke and Sakura fans...I made Sasuke a HUGE jerk in the beginning. Don't kill me for that! Don't forget to leave a comment. NO FLAMES!! I'm looking for at least 10 or more...before I put up the next chappie. Ok...enough of my chatting...besides the fact that you came here to read, I have to get ready for work! Ja Ne mina!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto...there wouldn't be any fillers for the episodes. I hate fillers.

Underneath the Cherry Blossom Tree

By Sailorprincess3234

Chapter one: The Encounter

"Don't go Sasuke-kun! Please...Please don't leave me like this!" Sakura begged and pleaded as tears upon tears rolled down her cheeks. Sasuke who stood about 3 feet in front of her had his back towards her, ignoring her. He closed his eyes trying to block out her pleads. She truly was making it impossible for him to take even one step forward! He tighten his fist which hung loosely at his sides. His patience was slowly slipping by the second.

"I told you...I'm an avenger...my sole purpose is to to gain power to kill that man. This village is holding me back and I don't want to waste my time here anymore!" He said in a low even tone not looking back.

The cool midsummer's breeze brushed against the two teenagers. Neither one said a word but the tension was so thick that it could be sliced in half with a knife. Although it was not cold...Sakura felt this uncontrollable shiver running up and down her spine. The situation was so surreal...that it must have been a dream. A terrible dream in which she desperately wanted to get out of. However much to her distaste...it was nothing close to being a dream. It was a nightmare. The one person that she truly loved was leaving...and not for any good reason. He was planning on going to the one person who nearly crushed their village two months prior! She couldn't fully understand his reason and quite frankly she couldn't care. All she ever wanted was to be by his side.

"I understand." She said quietly as she took a conscious step forward...as if she were walking on thin ice. "But..." She continued in a soft tone...so soft that it was barely audible. "Take me with you. Let me help you...I...I don't know what I could do but...Sasuke-kun...I love you...and if you leave...then I don't know what I would do!" She cried out the last sentence as more tears rolled down her creamy colored cheeks.

"Train more. That's what you could do." He said in a serious tone. He turned his head slightly to look back at her. "You're too weak" He said with a smirk and without mercy.

Those last few words...to her...was almost like someone taking a kuni knife and stabbing it through her chest. Not once...but over and over and over again. Her mouth opened as she felt the sensation of her heart jumping to her throat. It felt as if it were tied up in knots...like all her strength was zapped away from her.

"Sasuke-kun..." She started in a very small voice but was brutally cut off by a now angered Uchiha.

"Enough!" He snapped in anger as he disappeared. In less then a second he reappeared behind her. Sakura gasped at the sudden movement. Her eyes widen not knowing what to expect.

"Please don't leave me." She quietly pleaded again but to no avail. Her requests and pleads...her out pouring affections...all fell upon deaf ears.

"Sakura." He said in a low voice as he lowered his head to her ear. His hot breath tickled her neck sending a warm shutter through out her whole body. She instantly tensed up as he began to speak again.

"You are still annoying after all this time." Before she could open her mouth to react, he struck her unconscious. Her limp body fell to the cold concrete ground where it remained the rest of the night...

A pair of emerald green eyes shot open only to be met with the bare white ceiling. She sat up on her bed...in a cold sweat and hyperventilating. She turned to her clock to check the time. It was only 2:30 in the morning. The nightmare that she had was still fresh in her mind. Although...truth be told it was no nightmare. In fact, it's been 7 years since that incident and since that time he never returned. Attempts to look for him had long been forgotten. Even Naruto gave up any hopes in finding him. So...she left it upon herself to do all that she could to bring him back. Since that day she devoted her life to training and becoming stronger...to prove to him as well as herself that she was not weak...and to show him how far she would go just to be by his side...to show how much she really did love him.

It wasn't long that her breathing returned to normal. She laid back down and stared at the ceiling. Even if she tried, she knew that she couldn't go back to sleep. She muttered a curse under her breath as she turned to her side and not even a moment later returned to laying down her back. She released an agitated sigh as she closed her eyes.

"I can't sleep!" She whispered to herself as she sat up. She looked at the clock again. To be honest, it wasn't that bad. She normally woke up at about 3:30am or 4am to do some training before work. So what if she started an hour sooner? With that thought resolved, she got up and walked to her closet. She rummaged through her closet looking for something to wear. It wasn't long before She pulled out a pair of gray sweat paints, a pink t-shirt and a gray hoodie with white sneakers. She didn't rush to get dressed. She took a warm shower and slowly pulled her cloths on. She didn't eat too much but just enough so that she wouldn't starve. All together it took her about 20-30 minutes to get ready.

As she stepped outside, she closed the door behind her. It was a bit chilly out and there was a bit of fog in the air. She took in a deep breath of the crisp fall air. She didn't know why, but fall was her favorite time of year. Be it the leaves changing colors or the smell of fire burning in a fire place...or maybe it the memories she had of baking apple and pumpkin pie with her mom on the weekends. Whatever it was...it comforted her. She took her time walking to her training spot. It was located along the boarder of the village...any further and she would be out of the village.

While she walked she appreciated the difference between now and the time when the village was busy and people were up and about. It was so peaceful and quite...

It wasn't long before she reached the training ground. She wasted no time in starting her warm ups and training decided to focus a little on her Taijtsu and Ninjtsu but mostly is was her Ninjtsu...probelly it was the one thing that regardless of how much training she committed herself to...she just never seemed to prefect this area as much as she wanted to. Not that she hadn't gotten stronger...in fact...she has. Next to Tsunade she was one of the top medical ninjas in the village as well as a jounin. Most of her friends right now were jounin's and a few were also on the anbu squad. Also Naruto was very close to having his life long dream actually being fulfilled. Tsunade had openly acknowledge that in a few years time she would step down and the title of Hokage would without a doubt be given to Naruto.

Besides that, Sakura was also one of the most wanted Kunoichi in Konoha. Everywhere she went she would have guys trail her down. Yet to each and everyone she turned them down as if she were already taken...and in her heart she strongly believed that.

Her friends would always nag her with questions such as "You really should move on...", "He betrayed the village and you...", or her favorite "Are you crazy?" Short. Sweet. And to the point. Of course she always gave the same reply and then some where off in the distance rolled her eyes at how simple minded some people could actually be. There were very few times though where she actually wondered if they were right. It was a rare moment when her mind came to mere thought. However, most of the time she brushed away the thought and allowed her determination to just drive her to push further and grow stronger.

After sometime, Sakura completed her training breathing heavily in and out. It was a good training...but as always she wasn't quite satisfied. She truly wondered is she ever would be. Regardless, she grabbed a bottle of water that she brought with her and as if it were a tradition, walked over to what she considered to be a sacred spot. Everyday after her training she would go there to think about him, her life and her accomplishments so far. The cherry blossom tree had always been her favorite tree. Not because they shared the same name, but because it always seemed to hold this gracefulness and strength about it and when it bloomed in the fall...oh how she would never get enough of the smell. This tree in particular was by far her favorite. It was huge and what's more is that not too far off in the distance was a beautiful stream with wild flower of all kinds just growing everywhere.

It wasn't too long before she finally got there. However, unlike other times something was not right. Since she was far out from the village it was very rare for anyone to come this far...and not to mention that THIS little spot was outside of the village by just a few yards. She swallowed hard, not knowing what to expect. The stranger was slumped over...she didn't know if they were dead or alive...dangerous or harmless...a comrade or an enemy. She wouldn't allow her guard to be down but at the same time she couldn't help but to draw closer out of curiosity. Slowly she inched her way towards the person and soon enough realized that it was actually a man. He hadn't moved since she approached him.

She was now only 6 feet away from him...surely he would have sensed her by now...even if he were sleeping. She never knew of any ninja...even if they were sleeping...to let their guards down...especially since it appeared that he was actually alone. She dared herself to take a closer inspection. Upon doing so...that's when she realized the reason he hadn't moved or at least show that his guards were up. The smell of blood filled the air around him. On looks alone he looked dead. However Sakura knew that looks alone couldn't determine wither or not a person was alive or dead. Whatever the case and whoever he was, she need to preform an emergency assessment and healing. She didn't even waste a second as she rushed over to his side. Slowly she lowered his back to the ground for him to lay down. It was then that she got a good look at his face. She gasped in horror.

'Sa...Sa...Sasuke-kun???' She thought to herself with widen eyes. Upon closer inspection she realized that she was wrong. Although he looked very much like him...it wasn't him. This guy had a distinctive mark along both sides of his nose...like...crease marks under both eyes. She breathed a sigh of relief and at the same time felt sadden that it wasn't him.

She checked for a pulse and breathing which was sure enough there...faint...but still there. She looked over the man to see what was wrong. She noticed that there was a huge blood stain along the upper right side of his abdomen. She used her chakra to cut his shirt open to better inspect the area. When she got a better look at the cut, she noticed that it was very deep and judging by the and color of his skin, he lost a lot of blood. Without hesitation, she tore a piece of his shirt and ran to the streams the wet it. When she came back, she made sure to clean the wound as best as she could. She didn't have much medication on hand but after checking her bag, she was thankful enough to find a small bottle of peroxide...she was always prepared just in cause she need it for her self. Once she finished cleaning his wound, green chakra was glowing in both hands as she placed it over the wound to close it up. Upon further inspecting him, she found out that he had a few internal damages that were minor as well as a complete fracture just above his elbow. She did the best that she could to fix these problems...however...she knew that there was a limited amount that she could do right there and considering that he lost so much blood he was definitely not in the clear. The best she could do considering the situation was to bring him back to her place and care for him there.

To someone else, it would have made sense for her to take him to the hospital rather then to her house. Yet there were two reasons why she choose the latter rather then taking him to the hospital. First, Next to Tusande, she was the head doctor in the hospital. Being that she wasn't in the hospital and she had a lot of the needed supplies at home, it wouldn't make sense for her to go there. Second, it would be a wast of her time to take him there since it was clear across town and she was only about 10 minutes walking distance from her house. She nodded her head in agreement with the prior thought. With that, she gathered her things and picked up the man and rushed home.

She was some what surprised that she reached the house in no time. She opened the door while still carrying him and walked over to the guest room where she placed him gently on the bed. He was still unconscious the whole time...and she figured due to his injuries...that he would be for the next couple of days. She sighed deeply as she looked down at him. The moonlight that reflected off his face portrayed an innocent picture of him...though she doubted that he was. Her eyes narrowed as she studied his features. He did have such a strong resemblance to the man she once loved. It was so...uncanny...but she also felt that she had met him somewhere before. She reached out her hand and softly traced her fingers along the permanent birthmark that was so unique to him. His skin was soft and smooth despite the few scratches that he had across his face. She stayed that way for a few moments...staring at him and tracing her fingers along his birthmark.

Just then...something completely unexpected happen. She felt a strong grip around her wrist. Her eyes widen in surprise and shock as she looked down at the hand that was wrapped firmly around his wrist and back up to the eyes that were now opened...staring up at her with such intensity. Now that his eyes were opened and he was looking at her, she could see despite the lack of light, that they held the same depth and intensity as Sasuke's. They were dark like his and made this man in front of her look so much like him, that her stomach was doing flips. She once again looked down at her wrist and then made eye contact with him once again. He didn't say one word the whole time and she suddenly felt an uneasy feeling sweeping over her. She didn't know what to expect now...the whole situation was so unpredictable. Her breathing became a little more fast paced but despite her inner feelings she remained calm and collected on the outside. The last thing that she wanted was to make it appear that she was afraid...she needed to keep her guard up...no matter what. With that thought in mind, she straighten herself up and returned the intense look that he was giving her.

They stayed like that for a few moments, neither on exchanging words...but the look that they were giving each other said more then words could say...as if they were having some sort of silent conversation...as if they understood each other. Yet again he surprised her by releasing his grip on her wrist. She pulled it back and with her other hand graped her wrist...pulling it close to her chest. All the while she never looked away from him. She saw as he slowly made an attempt to sit up and that's when her medical instincts kicked in.

"Don't move." She said softly yet firmly as she place her hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back down. "You're not in a position to do so." He looked at her with a questioning look...a simple look that asked a thousand questions...all with out saying a word. "I found you half dead. I'm a medical ninja and took you back to my place to further treat your wounds since I couldn't do so on the spot." She sighed deeply as she took a step back. "For the next couple of days try not to move as you still have some internal damages. As soon as those two days are over, you are free to leave." She smiled softly to him as she turned around she walked over to a table not to far from the bed. The man's eyes followed her as she walked to the table and back towards him...this time with a needle in hand. Before he had time to react, she made her way towards him and stuck the needle in his arm. His face sort of flinched at that slight pain. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at her. She returned the glare with a confident smile.

"And if you think for one moment that you could get up and move about as you please, before those two days..." Her smile widen as her eyes seemed to glisten in the moonlight. "Then you are wrong. I gave you a small dose of a paralyzing drug. Nothing sever...but you won't be able to move for a couple of days." She turned around and walked towards the door. However before she could reach it, a voice from behind stopped her.

"You went through all of this trouble for me...and you don't know who I am?" He asked in a groggily yet a little surprised deep voice. She closed her eyes upon hearing his voice...he even sounded a little like Sasuke! She really had to laugh at the irony of it all!

"Who you are...isn't important right now. Innocent man or criminal. It's not my concern." She turned her head slightly as she looked back a him...a smirk playing across her pink lips. "As I mentioned before, I'm a med-nin my only intentions are to nurse you back to health. Besides that, I'm also the apprentice of the Fifth Hokage. Being that I've acquired the same strength and knowledge of jitsu's that she knows. So in short if you are innocent, there's no problem at all. If you aren't, don't think for a second that I can't hold my own ground." With that said she turned around and left the room.

The man continued to look towards the door way where the pink haired woman once stood. A small smirk of his own appeared across his face. Maybe he underestimated her. She had more guts then he thought and something told him he hadn't see it all. Maybe after all this, she wouldn't be worth killing. He sighed deeply as he closed his eyes. Some how he couldn't get the picture of her smile off his mind.