Hello, my readers! First off, for those who have been dedicated through the hiatus, I apologize for the wait, and furthermore for the rewrite I have just completed with the previous chapters. Rereading this story (and earlier stories I wrote) made me cringe, so I needed to re-edit this before I continued.

By the time this chapter comes out, all previous chapters will have been rewritten, though the plot lines are the same for the most part.

One more thing: I know there is some OOC and non-cannon events or the timeline is a little different. But for the sake of the plot, that is how I wanted to make it. Not to mention, we don't know how Itachi would have actually acted in these circumstances.

Hope you enjoy!

Sakura leapt across a few oak branches as she approached her destination. It had taken only a little over three hours to travel with no troublesome encounters. During the entire trip, the weather miraculously held back the rain, though the hovering dark clouds reminded her that it wouldn't be for much longer. The shift in the breeze continued steadily, but the change of direction pushed the rainclouds further inland from the coast. Whenever the rain did decide to fall, she knew it would be unpleasant and cold.

She wished she had her cloak with her still. If her mind was working correctly, she would have bought one from the town she was staying in before leaving.

The forest was becoming dense as she continued towards her country. There was a steady beat of her sandals against the bark, and the occasional crack of twigs from the wind snaking through the trees.

The trip towards Konoha's border offered Sakura a chance to step away from the earlier events of the week and reflect on her options. As each mile passed beneath her, the resolve of leaving Itachi alone only fortified. She was confident he would be long-gone by the time she returned. For that, she was partially grateful. Just thinking of trying to bring him into Konoha made her head hurt, and she had no intention of starting a fight in hopes to gain the upper hand.

The eldest Uchiha was a formidable opponent with a demon lingering beneath the calm exterior. He had effectively defeated more Iwa-nin than she did on the night he fell into unconsciousness. Even half dead and sabotaged, the hunter-nin didn't stand a chance against him.

Nope.

She had no intention of dancing with his monster as an opponent. She would leave that up to Sasuke to figure out-if he ever did.

Despite this, Sakura couldn't help but feel a mix of guilt at the idea of keeping the encounter a secret. It wasn't right, no matter which way she tried to argue it. The fact was still the same; she committed treason.

Then there was the problem of Itachi being there when she returned. Though unlikely, she didn't appreciate the wave of relief being her first reaction. There was no reason for her to be pleased because that meant she would be forced to decide. Although the idea of him being free offered some comfort to her, she still had no desire to be the one to make that final decision. The guilt of giving him permission to leave (not that he needed it) made the entire situation worse.

She didn't even know if she had it in her to do it.

But if he did stay, she would have a few more days to ponder it. Which also meant he had a few more days to escape for her sake.

And I would have company a little longer.

The thought didn't cause her to frown as she expected it to. He had been pleasant to talk to. Occasionally, there would be tense interactions that caused her stress to grow. Although the numerous moments of wondering if her life was in danger declined, the skeptical voice in the back of her head warned he wanted her to drop her guard before delivering the fatal blow. The logical, or cynic, view opted to believe he would just kill her without manipulation if he wanted to.

Either way, she was sure she wouldn't see in coming and she wasn't foolish enough to think she could restrain him by herself. Perhaps if she hadn't healed him in the beginning, but that time had long since passed.

Thinking back to her last discussion with him, she was pleased to get his input on her mission. Deciding to reach the village first, she opted to return the way of the coastline.

Surprisingly, the suspicion never appeared when he gave his opinion. Whether out of misplaced trust or that she gave up on trying to read him, she wasn't sure.

Turning back to the task at hand, Sakura continued closing the distance to the village when something out of the corner of her eye drew her attention. Coming to a stop, she glanced at the surrounding trees around her, noticing the scars left behind from a fresh skirmish.

With her focus fully on the landscape, she could see the fragments that the news articles had explained. Snapped and jagged branches hung in odd angles. Bark was splintered from obvious explosions and the creaking of weakened trees filled the area.

Deciding not to take a chance of stepping on a distorted branch, Sakura leapt to the forest floor where there was a crunch of dead leaf debris. She furrowed her brows at the sight of the assorted leaves where some were charred and others still healthy and full of color as if they were recently plucked from the branches.

About 50 feet away, she noticed a path, wide and civilized, most likely used by the towns people. In the distance, the silhouette of buildings peaked between the forest vegetation where the trees thinned.

Her skills in tracking were poor, especially compared to her Anbu counterparts, but she had managed to learn a few tricks from Kakashi. Being a couple days after the attack, she didn't imagine there would be any chakra trails left, though she had hoped. If any chakra had lingered, the wind and rain had long since carried it away. Instead of dwelling on it, she was forced to pick through the physical evidence around.

Sakura glanced toward the remnants above her, realizing that the shinobi had most likely escaped through the way she had come. The splintered bark was facing the direction of the village, with sap trying to heal the wounds, as if thrown at someone evading the attack. Judging from the type of destruction and direction, she assumed the village was not a target, but had been in the way. The innocent bystander.

Tucking this estimation away, she walked towards the village, not sure what she would find.

The closer she came to the town, the more distorted the trees became from the warpage of the fire. The charred remains of branches and stumps displayed macabre skeletons around the village border. The wind shuffled ash from the surviving canopy, creating an unnatural snow that swirled and sprawled across the forest floor. As a result, it enhanced the strange sort of wrongness to the landscape. The powdery grey substance twisted the once beautiful scenery into a gloomy reminder of death in the air.

Stopping at the edge of the tree line, Sakura rested a gloved hand against the blacked texture, rough and lifeless. The village was no better off.

Corners and foundations of the infrastructures remained like ghosts. Some buildings had sustained a wall or two where doors once were, but the bones of the town were picked over—eaten away by the insatiable fire.

Furrowing her brows, she observed the area as a few people shuffled through the ruins. The slow methodical movements were like those of apparitions, lost in time and forever wandering. She wasn't sure if these were the surviving townspeople or members from a neighboring village. All the articles reported that there were no survivors, though she assumed they could have been mistake.

As she watched from the lifeless, scorched trees, she noticed that some of the individuals were swathed in soot and ash while others made nimble effort of picking through the debris and keeping clean, as if hesitant to disturb the remnants of what was.

Deciding to explore, she tucked her headband away, but opted to keep her kodachi in place. Whoever these people were, she didn't think a kunoichi would be much of a welcomed site at the moment.

Stepping forward, she entered the village and began exploring the cobbled streets. As she walked through, a few individuals stopped to toss her a suspicious look. A mother and son, who looked to be around 8, quickly shuffled to the back of a building, grabbing whatever they could on the way out. Mentally, Sakura checked her jutsu only to find it naturally in place.

Everyone was just on edge and she was an outsider.

Pausing in the middle of the road, she took in the area, seeing that others were not as bothered by her and continued cleaning out buildings as if she wasn't there. That was a slight relief for her and gave her hope that she could get some sort of information. She understood they would be wary and uneasy, and for good reason.

Dropping her attention to the cobblestone, a lone child's sock lay by her foot, marred by the fire. Sakura felt a knot form in her chest as she took a breath. The tragedy made the air heavy around her, but she stuffed the solemn feelings away for later dwellings.

Deciding to not linger here longer than necessary, she turned down a different street that led to the village square.

She was welcomed with the sight of a team of people bustling around the open area. Rows of dirt and stone mounds protruded from the ground while a few men hammered headstones at the end of each pile. Others took to sweeping and removing debris, doing what they could to tidy the makeshift graveyard. Across from her, a few women and children trickled from a different street with handfuls of wildflowers and grasses, setting a single piece down on each mound. The children followed their mothers diligently with arms full, but no doubt confused as to why.

The sight was heartbreaking to her, but she was here for answers. Not to intrude in their recovery.

Sakura approached an elder man near her, hoping his wisdom could shed some insight.

"Excuse me, sir," she greeted politely with a tight smile.

The older man turned his attention away from a heavy piece of timber. She saw his eyes drift to the kodachi at the small of her back and his face twist with unease. Dropping the log, he raised his hands and started to hobble backwards.

"N-no, no-we don't want trouble," he cried out, drawing attention from the others in the town square.

Sakura stopped where she was, seeing a few middle-aged men approach her with shovels while the other villagers just watched in place, no doubt waiting to see if they should run.

Raising her hands to mimic the elder's, she faced the approaching men.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone. Just passing through. I'm a traveler just trying to get home and I saw the ash in the air," she lied easily. The villagers exchanged wary glances before the one closest to her addressed her explanation.

"How do we know you aren't lying? You are clearly armed and travelling alone," he demanded. The 'alone' comment made her think he was implying that she was a shinobi, but he didn't outwardly state it. Therefore, there was no reason for her to mention it.

Keeping up appearances, she answered in a level tone. "I'm armed because I travel alone."

She dropped her right hand to open her medic pack and displayed the contents to the villagers. "I'm a medic and I came to Tea Country for herbs."

The lowering of shovels and pickaxes was a clear sign that they believed her story enough to lessen their hostility.

Relieved, she lowered her other hand and offered an apologetic smile. "I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to see what happened."

No one seemed eager to speak first, so Sakura offered a question, hoping to get someone to communicate.

"Are you the villagers of this place?"

The first man nodded to the others around him who dispersed and returned to their duties. She waited for an answer, as he rested the spade on the cobblestone and leaned his weight into it, easing his aching feet.

"No. We came from a village a few miles away."

She didn't miss the suspicious gleam in is eyes or the elder man watching impatiently behind her.

"So, you came to bury the dead…" she trailed off, glancing around to the many rows of mounds behind him.

The older man followed her gaze before returning his attention to her. "My name is Riku. I'm overseeing the people who wanted to come bury the neighbors."

"Mei," Sakura introduced with a nod. She ignored the suspicion he watched her with. "So, what happened? Who did this?"

The elder behind her chose to speak up before Riku could. "We saw smoke from our village a few days ago. We already told a few reporter shinobi this, but I take it you don't read the paper."

Sakura wasn't sure if he meant that in reference to her 'travels' or as a snide comment, but she ignored it. Older people always tended to be crankier. She wouldn't be surprised if he was annoyed over her startling him.

"Riku and a few others came to see what happened and to help survivors but there weren't any who lived."

Sakura glanced back to Riku who looked solemn and fatigued. His mouse brown hair was short and matched the baggy shirt he wore. It looked like it was a regular work shirt for it had old paint stains of bright colors that didn't fit the grey town. "It was the work of shinobi. We think there was a battle that took place here."

"And why is that?" she asked, interest peaked to hear if her suspicion was correct.

Riku nodded to the main street she came from. "We already cleaned up most of it, but there were kunai and shuriken in some of the buildings. Not to mention ice encasing some branches in the forest. Pretty clear there was a fight."

So, she was correct. This was good news, but still useless.

Her mission was Sasuke. Not some random shinobi conflict. The amount of fire that swallowed the town was hard to distinguish. If a fire jutsu caught a building, and the wind was strong enough, then the fire would spread quickly. Even something as small as a spark had the potential to grow to this size.

It didn't point to Sasuke but it didn't eliminate the possibility either. Plenty of shinobi could use fire jutsus, though Team Taka rumored to be in the area didn't erase speculation.

From what she saw, someone could have been after Sasuke and he had to fight back. Then again, she had no idea who would be after him. If that was the case, then if could explain why Sasuke didn't return to Konoha. Perhaps, Itachi may have an answer. At the very least, she was curious what his opinion would be with this information of hers.

"Do you have any idea who may be responsible?"

"No idea," Riku replied with a shake of his head.

She wasn't surprised by this but figured she would ask.

"If we knew that, we would have told the officials, silly girl," the elder piped grumpily. "Not keep the information to ourselves."

Sakura resisted the urge to scowl at the man. Riku didn't seem phased by the elder's rudeness and ignored him.

After a few more questions, Sakura offered to help clear out some buildings, while looking for anymore clues to her search. Most of the people relaxed once they saw she was not a threat and even asked her a few questions. The small talk wasn't completely unwelcomed, but she wasn't the best at lying on the spot. A few times she stumbled over her words until something coherent came out, leading the listeners further away from the truth of her occupation.

An hour passed and Sakura noticed that the weather was steadily building. The wind had turned to short gusts and the smell of rain drowned the sulfur scent of the town. Deciding to head back, she handed out a few medical supplies to the villagers to help with the blisters and cuts from their humanitarian efforts and bid them goodbye. She didn't miss the same elder man muttering a few dry comments about how silly of a girl she was.

He's got some issues he needs to work through, she pondered as she made her way to the coast.

She was regretting the fact that she didn't check the shore on the way to the village. There wasn't going to be much scouting if the sky finally opened up and she was near the water. Still, she would run a quick recon while on the move and if something caught her interests, she could stop or return the next day. Sakura had no intentions of being stuck in a storm.

/./././././././

"This doesn't look good," came the grave observation beside him.

Kakashi was inclined to agree as he looked at the destruction before them.

The dark clouds looming over the top of the town added an eerie shadow over the structure, not helping ease his worry. The hotel before them stood with the second and third level wall's blown out towards the street where they were. The third floor was sullied with soot in the visible hallway, painting the salmon pink wallpaper and splotched carpet black. Along the sidewalks was remnants of the structure with wood framing and bricks peppering the ground.

There was no mistaking the evidence of an explosion.

Movement in the office drew Kakashi's attention from the destruction. Glancing through the windows, he could make out the short, pudgy figure of the hotel manager who scrambled about his desk.

Not bothering with a response to Gai, Kakashi made his way to the door where a 'closed' sign was scribbled across the back of an old invoice. As both shinobi reached the glass door, Kakashi focused on their disguises' reflections, seeing both were firmly in place.

He wore his usual Anbu concealment with messy sandy hair and grey eyes. The shirt he had was a navy blue ¾ sleeve with a black cloak draped across his shoulders. Gai's disguise had brunette hair that was clean cut with his missing-nin emblem tied around his forehead. The same cloak was wrapped around him to guard against the weather.

Opening the door instantly attracted the nervous energy emitting from the manager who jerked his head up to see. The walnut colored eyes widened at the sight of Kakashi and he scrambled around to stand before the desk.

"I-I'm sorry, but we are closed. As you can see there has been an accident and we have to wait for repairs—"

"What happened here?" Kakashi questioned flatly.

The pudgy owner looked a little annoyed at the interruption but he remembered the last time he caused problems with the missing-nin.

"Some of the guests had an altercation and destroyed my hotel. Insurance company says it is not structurally sound and I will need to have repairs made before anyone can stay here." He directed his thick hand towards the door as politely as he could. Subtlety was not his expertise.

"How long ago was it?"

"Er… almost a week now."

Kakashi and Gai were unmoving.

"You remember my companion." It wasn't a question. "Was she here or involved?"

Sighing, the man answered reluctantly. "Yes, but she wasn't involved. She wasn't too happy that she was forced to leave but I had no choice."

"Where did she go?"

The man shrugged, his patience thinning but he kept it in check for fear of pushing the shinobi's temper. Dealing with missing-nin was nothing new and usually he didn't allow them to push him around. The shinobi before him was not as forgiving as others.

"Don't know. Maybe to the next town. Maybe to another hotel. Most went to the main street hotels that night."

Knowing that was about all the information that was available, Kakashi nodded to Gai and both left the office. Walking back to the street, the sky began to sprinkle softly as they regrouped.

"So, Sakura might not have been involved… Do you trust the man's word?" Gai asked calmly, knowing that his friend was worried for his teammate.

"Enough to not question him further. I doubt he knows any more on her whereabouts."

"Do you think she is in another village?"

Kakashi paused in his steps and looked to the hotel one more time. It was possible that Sakura could have moved on to continue her mission, but he found it unlikely. The reason why he showed her this town in the first place was due to the convenience of its location. Centrally located in Tea Country allowed for a day's travel to the northern border. The southern area was probably two-day travel but still feasible for most missions.

The hotel had been attacked recently, and he doubted she would move further in the country when her mission was near its end. He predicted she would have started the assignment on the farther portion of Tea before making her way back towards Konoha.

"Not likely. She may be in one of the other hotels here. We can check the town as we head that direction."

If nothing happened to her.

It wasn't like Sakura to not give updates on her solo assignments, to him or Tsunade. Occasionally, she would send a letter to Naruto, but he was absent for training. Knowing that the kunoichi was capable of handling herself still didn't dilute the nagging feeling that something wasn't right with the scenario.

He just hoped he was wrong.

././././././

A chill shook the kunoichi while the cool breezed brushed past, as if laughing at her pitiful figure. Her clothes clung to her like static and brunette locks dripped water into her face. Emerging from the forest, Sakura was pleased to see the village standing before her. The sight was welcoming after a hard dash from the coast.

An hour earlier, the kunoichi had found herself in the middle of a downpour that swallowed the countryside. The rain was biting and wind blistering. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought she somehow ended up in Rain Country by mistake. It was just poor timing for her assignment to take place, and part of it was her fault for putting off the search for a few days.

Wrapping numb arms around her, she tried to suppress another shiver as the breeze passed by again.

At least she was back, and the heavy rain had eased to a mild drizzle the closer she got to the town. Her search had proven to be of no use along the coast, but she wasn't really surprised. If she had to guess, she would bet that Sasuke either was never in the Country or had left.

It didn't make much difference if that was the case; she only had a couple days of her mission left before she would return to Konoha.

As she reached the outskirts of the village, Sakura tossed a glance over her shoulder at the woods. Almost a week ago, she blindly ran into the night to aid an unknown acquaintance.

It seemed laughable now that she reflected on it.

Continuing her trek into town, her thoughts drifted to her warm hotel room and prisoner. After being gone for a little over six hours, it gave plenty of time for Itachi to leave. The possibility of him staying seemed slim as she expected he was eager to return to whatever missing Uchiha's did when they weren't in search for power.

Either way, I will find out soon enough.

The foot traffic in the streets had lessened since she left, no doubt finding a warm, dry place to pass the day. As she turned to the main street, she saw a few shinobi laughing as they entered into a busy tea shop, joking about some failed jutsu that backfired on a teammate.

She smiled a little, missing Naruto and his antics. It sounded like something he would do.

A couple blocks ahead, the much-appreciated hotel peaked between buildings. Sakura could feel her pace quicken as her longing for a warm shower strengthened.

"Sakura…"

The familiar voice broke through her distraction, causing her feet to slow to a stop. Looking towards the source, she recognized Kakashi's sandy haired hedge who released the tea shop's door, letting it swing closed. Beside him was an unfamiliar face that she didn't recognize.

At first, she assumed it was someone passing by but when he waited next to Kakashi, she knew it was someone from Konoha.

"Hi! What are you doing here?" she greeted with a bright smile. Her sensei was the last person she expected to see here but he was a welcomed sight.

She tossed a questioning glimpse at the second man as they walked to meet her in the street. Before she could ask who he was, the taller disguise eagerly cut it.

"Hello! You are looking youthful as ever!"

Sakura forced a polite smile. Yup that's Gai…

His presence was even more curious than Kakashi's. Now that she took in both their appearances, she realized she had more questions.

Ever since she earned her rank as Anbu Medic, she had learned exclusive methods used for missions. Kakashi had a few different genjutus he used for hiding his identity. The current face was what he applied solely for Anbu missions. The same was for her current brunette hedge.

During their regular missions with the Team Kakashi, there were a variety of other faces both used due to lower ranking assignments.

The Anbu hedges were specific for the stealth missions for a few different reasons. When performing with their usual teams, like with Team Kakashi, there were more opportunities for mistakes to be made and the hedge to be recognized by the enemy. Solo or Anbu missions needed a hedge that hid in plain sight and would otherwise be invisible to opponents in the area. That was another reason why the Anbu hedges were so simple and similar to their natural images.

Sakura's hedge had similar hair style but a more common color, along with her eyes. Likewise, Kakashi's hedge altered little of his normal appearance by displaying both eyes and lower face with the absence of his messy white hair.

The less they changed, the better it was for the mission. Many people would do the opposite and change large amounts of their characteristics, but this could be a fatal mistake. Whenever a hedge was needed, it was likely that the mission required infiltration, deceiving, or hunting involved. More complicated hedges meant less focus on the mission if questions came up on their appearance.

Why did they have a scar? Why was their hair so different?

The less lies needed, the easier it was to do the job.

During one mission with Naruto and Sai, she accidently used her Anbu hedge and hadn't realized it until her companion made a comment.

"Eh, Sakura that's a different look. I like it!"

Instantly, she realized her mistake and a look of embarrassment took over. Trying to play it off, she scratched the back of her head with a bashful smile.

"Oh yeah, something I was trying out, but I don't think it's for me."

After she returned to the usual hedge, Kakashi sent her a warning look, clearly saying to be more careful. Naruto and most others were still not aware that Kakashi was an active Anbu member—hell, she didn't even know until she got accepted into the ranks.

Since then, she had to say one of the most enjoyable perks was her and Kakashi sharing a little secret. She, for once, enjoyed being above her teammates in that aspect as Kakashi had spent one on one-time training with Naruto and Sasuke in the past.

Turning back to both shinobi before her, she asked her question again. "What are you doing here? Another assignment?"

Kakashi smiled casually and nodded in the direction she was heading. Sakura didn't miss its meaning and began walking with them. If anyone was interested in eavesdropping, it would be easier to locate them while moving.

"I assume you heard of the village that was attacked?" Kakashi asked as he walked on her left side

Sakura nodded, waiting to bring up her trip there until after he was finished explaining.

"Everyone on assignments in the area are currently being recalled. At least until the Hokage is sure there isn't a threat to Konoha's members."

"Oh." Sakrua pondered for a moment. "Has there been more information about who attacked the town?"

"Not that we are aware of," Gai explained. "But she has some members reaching to their sources for any news."

"I see. So, you two were sent to escort me back?"

Kakashi glanced at her from the corner of his eye, taking in her drenched appearance. It was clear she came from an area with heavier rain than the current drizzle the town was under.

"You haven't checked in like you normally do. And it was a solo mission pursuing a certain individual that caused your mentor to worry."

Sakura couldn't help the surge of guilt. It was irresponsible of her to miss the updates and cause her friends to worry. She could expect a firm lecture from her mentor when she returned.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried after seeing the usual hotel in shambles," he added purposefully, knowing that his pupil was already feeling guilty, but felt like it was justly deserved.

The copy-cat was not fond of the dread that filled him knowing that she could have been hurt or taken while on her own. Anbu Medic or not, she was still a cherished friend to him.

The underlying chiding stung more than what Tsunade would no doubt have in store. Kakashi didn't need to raise his voice to express his disappointment. The guilt only grew heavier on Sakura's shoulders and she was beginning to hate this day more and more.

"I'm sorry. It has been really hectic, and I really should have checked in…." She meant to continue when suddenly the situation she found herself in finally dawned on her.

"What happened at the hotel? Looked like some major altercation," Kakashi continued, not aware that Sakura's nerves were beginning to fray at the edges.

"Oh—er… just some drunks or something. No one ended up finding out who it was."

She was nearing the hotel now, with Kakashi and Gai, but neither knew of her harbored criminal in the room…. Or her treasonous actions leading to his significant recover… Or her attack on the Iwa hunter-nin resulting in their untimely death.

Oh, no. No-no-no! What am I going to do?

If Uchiha Itachi was in the hotel room, she no longer had a few days to decide. It was down to minutes.

"Eh… are you alright? You're looking a little pale," Gai commented, drawing her sensei's attention onto her.

Cursing mentally, the kunoichi forced a tight smile and tried to redirect the topic quickly. "Fine. Just a little cold from the recon. Got stuck in a storm. Umm… So, how soon are we wanting to leave?"

She didn't miss the lingering stare Kakashi fixed her with, but she forced herself to put on her most casual mask.

"If you are able to, we would like to start heading back tonight."

His grey eyes were still searching her armor for a weakness that would shed light on her strange behavior.

"Right. I'll be ready to travel after I pack my things and check out." And see if a certain Uchiha is still around…

There was an uncomfortable tightness in her chest and a nauseous bubbling in her stomach. She could feel herself start to sweat despite the cold sprinkling and breeze.

Ironically, Sakura felt like a kid again who snuck a stray dog in the house and tried to keep it without her parents knowing. She supposed the situation wasn't that far off. Itachi was her feral dog and her parents were in disguise beside her…

Glancing at Kakashi and Gai, she tried not to laugh. They bickered like a married couple, mostly because Kakashi was the polar opposite of the energetic and enthusiastic Gai.

How am I finding anything funny at a time like this? Must be the nerves or I've finally lost it.

"This is the hotel you are staying in?" Gai whistled at her upgraded accommodations.

"Haha… yeah. There weren't many options left after everyone left the cheaper hotel—"

"Why not stay another night?" Gai interrupted as he grinned at his friend. "We can bunk up with Sakura and leave in the morning fresh and dry!"

"N-no, no!" She answered that too quickly. "I think we should leave tonight. I'm ready for better weather."

The excuse was weak and didn't seem to deter the Green Beast.

"Ah, just one more night! Not like sleeping in the wet forest is a better option."

Damn him for making a better argument. Before she could try to make another attempt at an excuse, Kakashi beat her to it.

"I don't think Sakura would want both of us sharing her hotel room. Probably a little cramped." He finished it with an innocent smile.

Relief flooded through her, though she knew the underlying reason for it. Although the room would be a nice alternative, sharing a room with Gai was sure to lead to challenges and lack of sleep.

"Sorry, Gai. I think I'm just ready to go home."

If he was upset, it didn't show. "Of course, of course. That is alright. The weather will only make us stronger and build our tolerance to nature's powers!"

That's one way to look at it, Sakura mused as she looked back to the sky. The clouds hid the descending sun, and the temperatures were beginning to drop. If they were to leave, they best do it soon.

Dismissing herself, Sakura disappeared into the building to gather her things. Once out of sight, her pace quickened, and it took all her control to not run down the hall. Soon, she reached the stairs and released an exhale in hopes it would ease the pain in her chest. But it offered little relief.

Was Itachi still here? If he was, would she turn him in? The opportunity had shifted to her favor with Kakashi and Gai present, which meant they could help detain him if he resisted.

Itachi's chakra levels were replenished but his body hadn't recovered from the brutal stress of surviving. Not to mention, she hadn't healed all of his ailments. These were things that would take time. Though he was stronger now, he wasn't used to functioning at higher capacity, so it was safe to say his attacks would be hindered or unbalanced.

This wasn't to say it would be an easy task to bring him in, but at least she wouldn't be alone.

Regardless, it was decision time. No more holding off on it.

Blinking she gazed at the wooden door before her, blocking the view to the answer she was afraid to find.

After a heavy sigh and pathetic attempt to calm her pacing heart, she knocked on the door five times.

No answer.

Did that mean…?

Sakura hesitated before gathering her thoughts and opened the door.

The kunoichi surveyed the room. Empty.

Another sigh escaped her chapped lips as she closed the door and leaned against it. A weight was lifted off her shoulders from the relief of not having to make the decision. Despite the choice being out of her hands now, there was a singe of regret of not saying goodbye to him.

It wasn't like they were friends, and if she was thinking clearly, she would know how wrong she was to think that way. However, right now, she couldn't be bothered to feel guilty over the thought.

It was for the best that he left.

As Sakura recollected her thoughts, she pushed off the door and made her way towards the beds to pack her items.

Just as she stepped further into the room, the bathroom door in front of her opened to reveal the unruly dark hair of Itachi. Wiping his face with a towel, he peered at her with his single eye, instantly noticing the wide eyes and panic that deepened her frown.

Both stayed where they were, Sakura trying to convince herself that stress was making her see things and Itachi realizing that something happened to her.

Removing the towel from his face, the unreadable expression turned serious and his onyx pupil only darkened.

"What happened?" His voice was just short of demanding.

Sakura shook herself from her shock and strode towards him.

"I-I thought… You. What were you doing?" she insisted, alarm evident in her tone.

Narrowing his eye at her for ignoring his question, he went ahead and answered, knowing she wouldn't move on from the subject when she was clearly upset.

"I decided to get a workout in. Now what's wrong?"

Blinking, she took a shaky breath realizing that this was not what she wanted. What made her more stressed was that he actually looked concerned… for her or for something that could affect him?

She wasn't sure, but deep down she hoped it was worry for his wellbeing. She didn't know if she could mentally handle the thought that he would actually be concerned for her.

"What's wrong? You're still here! I thought you would have left while I was gone" she trudged past him, coming to the decision that the relief she felt moments ago was the right choice.

She started grabbing the little gear he had and stuffed it into a spare pack she kept incase hers ever became damaged.

Growing annoyed, he grabbed her upper arm, twisting her around to face him.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded impatiently, and she felt the tingling of fear replace the anxiety in her chest.

"You need to leave…" She pulled her arm from his grasp and he just waited for her to elaborated. "Kakashi and Gai are here to bring me back to Konoha. Shinobi on assignments in the area are being recalled and you need to go."

He mulled over her words, but he otherwise didn't reveal what he was thinking. The determined gleam in his eye moments before had dulled but there was an undeniable edge to them.

"And why is Kakashi and Gai here for you?"

Sakura looked away, trying to control her unbridled emotions. She was Anbu, damnit… she needed to remember her training.

"Lady Tsunade sent them, probably because she is my mentor and I haven't sent word in a few days to let her know of my progress. She was worried that something happened." Not meeting his eyes, she looked to the pack in her hands. "Until Konoha's leaders can decide if there is a direct threat to our country, then she wanted anyone in the area to return until the investigation is complete."

The explanation she offered made enough sense. The Hokage would want her student safe, though he felt it didn't do Sakura any good. She was proving to be capable to handle most situations. There was no justification for her needing to be babied by her mentor. If anything, it would slow her progress of learning from her own mistakes.

"And your solution is to let me leave?" he asked dryly, still not revealing his thoughts on the matter. "You really are horrible with this prisoner concept."

Sakura's glare turned to him.

Under normal circumstances, she would have found his attempt at a joke amusing, but she just brushed it off. Sakura was too stressed to appreciate the rarity of the event.

"How can you joke about that. I'm letting you go and trusting that this never comes back to bite me in the ass. I figured you would be relieved not to worry about me taking you in."

"I was never worried." He replied nonchalantly.

What was he thinking right now? Was he irritated? Amused? Disappointed? Or was he just being cocky?

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Sakura tried to reign in her annoyance. "Now you're being the frustrating one."

Before either could continue, there was a knock that reverberated in the room.

"Hey, it's me," announced the familiar voice from the other side of the door. "Can I come in?"

Sakura cursed under her breath and stepped away from Itachi, missing how he turned a cold glare at the door.

Recognizing Kakashi's voice, Sakura quickly procured an excuse to buy her some time. "Just one second-I'm changing into some dry clothes."

She retreated to her pack next to her bed and pulled out a new shirt. With her back turned to the man in the room she pulled her shirt over her head and started placing the fresh green blouse on. Itachi allowed himself a quick glance of her bare back, but otherwise turned away, noting how she played her lie smoothly.

It was clear how dire the situation was that they found themselves in if she had forsaken her modesty to change in front of him.

The glimpse of a four-inch scar protruding from her smooth skin didn't escape his attention. The edges were rough, clearly not smoothed over from time. The damage must have been substantial for her not to be able to heal it properly.

Ponderings for another time.

Russet eyes looked to him from over her shoulder, pulling his attention back to her. His discretion at her undressing caused heat to rise to her cheeks but she brushed if off.

She couldn't bring herself to argue with him further on his leaving; the thought of the hole she kept digging was beginning to look like her grave. She didn't even know what she was doing anymore. If Itachi was not going to take the warning, then it would be out of her hands and her friends would be involved.

After a few seconds of silence, the man stepped towards her, causing Sakura to fully face him while pulling the blouse over her stomach. A hand cupped her chin and a dark eye with what she assumed was a hint of mischief. Leaning in, Sakura's heartbeat quickened, and she felt utterly overwhelmed as his lips brushed her ear and breathe tickled her skin.

"I will be seeing you around, Sakura."

Before she could protest that she 'hoped not', he grabbed the bag she half-packed and left out the window in a flicker.

Not having much time to linger or think of his words, she changed her pants and closed the window.

Taking a few shaking breaths, she managed to recollect herself and opened the door for Kakashi while offering a warm smile.

"Let me make sure I got everything and then we can go," she said as casually as she could, despite her pounding heart.

Kakashi nodded in his usual friendly manner as he took in the details of the room. "Talk about an upgrade in rooms. I'm guessing they didn't have any smaller rooms available?"

"By the time I checked in, the more expensive rooms were the only ones left." She shrugged while stuffing her soaked clothes in her bag, knowing that they would make the rest of her clothes smell if they stayed in there too long. However, she couldn't bring herself to care about it, still trying to keep her calm façade in place.

Kakashi was too clever for his own good and would pick out anything if she wasn't diligent.

"I'm not complaining, though. I couldn't find anything on my mission, so at least I had a nice room."

She didn't bother asking how he found her accommodation, knowing he likely asked the receptionist where a kunoichi named 'Mei' was staying.

"Hmm. So, no sign of Team Taka or Sasuke?"

"Nothing, unfortunately. But it was just rumors that he was in the area." As she made sure she wasn't leaving anything behind, she turned to face Kakashi. His attention was lingered on something on that side of the room but when she shifted to see, he looked to her with a friendly eye crinkle.

Sakura knew not to take the friendly front lightly. He was just as observant whether he was serious or joking.

"I'm ready, now."

"Alright, after you."

Sakura passed by him and exited out of the room, hoping he couldn't hear her heart pounding. She just wanted to put this mission behind her as soon as possible and forget it ever happened.

Kakashi followed after her, closing the door softly before following his companion.

The pair of teacups next to the sink didn't escape his attention nor the dampened curtains from the closed window.