Chapter Text
2 Years Ago: Konoha Village
The flush of victory was fading into apprehension now that they were faced with the consequences of their choice, but it wasn't enough to suppress triumph from humming in Sakura's blood. They had done it. They'd escaped out from under the Uchiha Clan's watchful eye and found a way to put Team Seven back together. Their performance at the chunin exam had been a complete success, all three of them graduating to chunin and taking all the high marks in team exercises.
The weight of the silence was heavy on Sakura's shoulders and it made faking confidence under Tsunade's gaze even more difficult. Naruto and Sasuke were shields at her sides, but she could still feel the presence of Uchiha Fugaku and the accompanying council members to the side of the room, even if she wasn't looking at them, and it made the hairs on the back of her neck prick. Naruto and Sasuke were displaying their own subtle signs of confidence and belligerence.
Finally, Tsunade dropped her gaze back to the written report about their performance and shuffled the papers ostentatiously. Lacing her fingers together, she eyed them for a long moment, deliberately ignoring the small crowd of people standing to her left.
"Report."
Sakura took a deep breath and shifted to the balls of her feet, placing herself just minutely in front of her teammates. "As ordered, Hokage-sama, we reported to Kirigakure for the Chunin exams." Sakura said evenly. "According to the criteria pre-determined by the council of daimyo and village shinobi, all members of Team Seven have been advanced to the rank of chunin."
They had done it with style, too. But that wasn't something she could say here with representation of the Uchiha Clan watching their proceedings. It was bad enough that Fugaku was here, but he had brought Uchiha Uruchi and one other council representative that Sakura didn't recognize on sight. Uruchi had no love for Naruto and had probably been one of the driving forces behind the clan's decision to block Sasuke from testing with them. Sakura resisted the urge to curl her hand into a fist.
Tsunade leaned back, fingers tapping for a moment on the surface of her desk. "There has been some concern about the… abruptness of your leaving the village."
Naruto fielded this one, running one hand through his hair and managing to look sheepish as long as you didn't pay attention to glitter behind his eyes. "Oh man, that? Kakashi-sensei was supposed to go with us and he's always late. We figured if we left early he'd have to pull his nose out of the newest Icha Icha to come find us."
Sakura bit on the edge of her tongue, careful to keep anything but a mild curiosity from her face. There was no reason for them to be aware of the power play that had almost happened by the Uchiha Clan and Council. Their explanation of Kakashi's legendary lateness along with Naruto's over-eager reputation was serving them well, for once.
The unknown Uchiha made a faint noise in the back of his throat. Tsunade ignored him.
"I have received an official petition from you to maintain your team," she said mildly.
Almost in unison, Sakura's head dropped with a soft 'Hai,' Naruto's eyes began to take on an almost manic gleam, and Sasuke lifted his chin in a visible expression of interest. Tsunade's expression remained thoughtful as she glanced back at the small stack of papers on her desk.
Sakura continued to look straight ahead, despite the way the silence from the Uchiha corner of the room had shifted to become predatory. She was doing all she could to remain calm and not give away the fact that if that father of Sasuke's managed to block them from becoming a team, he was going to leave here with a broken nose.
She knew that Sasuke's continued silence could be taken as a sign that he did not fully agree to their request – and also knew that he was doing it on purpose. He wanted to attempt to maintain these ties with his father, with his clan. But it gave the clan an opening, and she knew that they were going to push with all they had.
The heavy wrinkles on Uruchi's face deepened as the silence continued. "We have plans to send Sasuke for ANBU training now that he has shown the appropriate skills."
Tsunade arched a brow as she glanced up. "Oh?"
Fugaku stepped forward. "Hokage-sama, this… coddling, has gone on long enough. As genin, this team was separated for reasons we have already discussed – reasons your predecessor agreed with. That they managed to re-form long enough to pass the exams is merely coincidental. As a team, their purpose is served and it is time for them to go their own ways."
Naruto was almost vibrating with anger and Sakura mentally willed him to hold his tongue. This was not the place. Not yet. They had expected this, prepared for it. Everything that could be done was done; they just had to let it play out.
Tsunade continued to study the Uchiha-elders. "I am aware of the conditions behind their original separation." There was something in her tone that made Fugaku go still. "And I admit, it is unusual for genin teams to reform after they have been disbanded… unusual but not unheard of."
She paused, studying the tense faces of the clan before turning her gaze back to Team Seven. "However… while their individual marks in the exams were above average – it was their work as a team that has stood out."
Uruchi frowned. "Surely their results were not so extraordinary that they cannot be recreated within another unit, Hokage-sama."
"I disagree." Tsunade said, finality sharpening her tone. "While I understand the Uchiha Clan's concerns, there are no sufficient reasons to disband Team Seven. They are, of course, completely within their rights to submit their applications to ANBU on a team and individual basis. But as it stands, I grant their petition to remain together until a further date."
Fugaku stepped forward, eyes locking Sasuke's profile. "And if a member of the team disagrees with this?"
Tsunade laced her fingers together. "The petition was signed by all members of the team… However; Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto? Petition aside, do any of you wish to be assigned to another team? Speak freely."
Naruto shook his head. "I'm Team Seven."
Sakura nodded, hands finally curling into fists. "Me too."
Fugaku hadn't taken his eyes off Sasuke and there was a tick in the side of his jaw. Sasuke turned his eyes to Tsunade and for a long moment, he and Tsunade simply watched each other before he too nodded. "I wish to stay with Naruto and Sakura."
Tsunade smiled. "Then until otherwise stated, I grant your petition."
Fugaku made as if to protest, the other two close behind him, but Tsunade held up her hand. "My decision is final."
"The council…"
"Has no say in this matter." Tsunade said mildly. "Now, if you will excuse us? These chunin have a verbal report to give and I am very interested to hear what they have learned."
Sakura bit the side of her tongue to keep her expression straight as Fugaku stared at them, something violent flickering behind his eyes before he left. Tsunade waited until the door shut before arching a brow in their direction.
"You're going to give me constant headaches. I can already tell. Sakura, bring that jar of sake over here and you three can tell me all the interesting bits that aren't in this report. That should give your clan enough time to start cooling off, Uchiha."
"Baa-chan! It's not even noon! You can't possibly be drinking!"
"Show some respect! Around you, I find every hour is a good hour to drink!"
Present Day: Konoha, Civilian District
'Days off' a few days after an incursion weren't really 'days off' at all – they were excuses to go and help the civilian quarter without pay. Sakura was currently clearing out rubble. It was hot, sweaty work, but it gave her that unique feeling of 'putting something back together again' that she usually only got in a successful operation. Plus, she was very good at it.
It was just the sort of mindless activity to take her mind off the fact that… she hadn't seen Itachi since he'd declared that he had clan business and vanished from the Hokage's office. Sakura was trying not to let it worry her. Clan business could mean almost anything, and with the recent upheaval with Danzo’s arrest and the change of leadership with ROOT, it made sense that he’d be busy. Her old insecurities were trying to nag at her, a sign of just how emotionally involved she’d become, but she pushed them aside. She was no longer a child, and she wouldn’t let childish worries haunt her.
Itachi was a shinobi, and their duty came absolutely before anything else. He’d done nothing to make her think he’d suddenly changed his mind about what he wanted.
I would not ask for all of you without giving all of myself in return.
Uchiha Itachi did not lightly say those words. He'd asked her for everything. And he was showing her in his own way what that meant for him. She was still annoyed that he’d turned her hospital office into a potential battlefield with his traps, but the secret, girlish part of her heart was also pleased. Itachi’s ideas of romance were always going to be a little strange, but she found she didn’t mind. That kind of care was better than flowers any day. Though that wouldn’t stop her from complaining about it, as soon as she had the chance.
Until she had that chance, they were both very busy. The destruction left in the wake of an enemy army was hardly the time to be moping about that she hadn’t seen her… boyfriend? No. Stalker? Ha! Lover? She shivered. Not yet. Not yet, but soon if she had anything to say about it.
Tossing another large chunk of concrete, Sakura dusted her hands with a sigh. Right place or not, the real problem was that she missed the man. A few days of peace and quiet, the chance to be reminded what it was like not to have Itachi poking his nose and his opinions and his extremely noisy silence into her life had been surprisingly lonely.
And completely aggravating, because it wasn’t just his presence that she missed. Sakura shivered beneath the heat of the sun at the memory of his kisses after the Cloud Ambush. His softly uttered fuck as they’d been forced to deal with the enemy agent haunted her. She was an adult, she could deal with some unresolved sexual tension, but it was damn vexing that she’d had too. He had to know now, didn't he, that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her? So why had he left her alone? Itachi was an observant man.
He had to know they were both off duty.
Gaze narrowing, she bent over to start tossing more of the debris. It had to be the clan that was tying him up, because she hadn't seen Sasuke yet either. Just what could have been so important that the clan could have occupied so much of his time?
She froze as she was reaching for a stone as a thought occurred to her. Unless…he was expecting her to come to him. That…that wasn’t happening. The only way she was setting foot on Uchiha grounds was to storm the grounds in an emergency when Sasuke needed her. Not even Mikoto’s rice balls were worth choking down her dislike of the clan elders. And there was absolutely no way she was going to so much as hint to Uchiha Mikoto that she was trying to seduce her eldest son by showing up at their home. The very idea of it left her skin hot with embarrassment, and she beant to heft the heaviest of the debris from what had been the entrance.
Heaving out an exasperated breath, she returned to her work with mortified determination. She needed to find her patience, because it was just a matter of time before they connected and she found out what was going on.
Though, she realized with narrowed eyes, Hana at least thought she had an idea of what had occurred behind Uchiha Clan walls if her cryptic congratulations were to go by. Her grumpiness increased as she realized that there were too many questions with no good way to find out the answers. She hefted another large rock into the street with a satisfying thump, glaring at the mostly finished project.
And that was when the hair on the back of her neck prickled. Turning her head casually so she could see out of the corner of her eye – there he was. Itachi. Standing on top of some rumble, one foot propped up slightly higher than the other, perfectly clean, his hair blowing slightly in the wind, and a familiar heat in his gaze.
She glared at him. Of course, now he has to show up, when she’s all hot and sweaty from work and messed up about missing him…
A faint shadow of what looked like amusement flickered across his face, but his gaze did not waver. Instead, his eyes dipped slowly down her body, pausing on the large pile of shifted rubble near her, before just as slowly returning to her face. His gaze was warm with the familiar appreciation for her strength, a hint of the heat neither of them had yet managed to to satisfy. Awareness burned low in her stomach that began to warm her as it fought to spread down to her toes and up to her fingertips. She knew he saw her. All of her. And he liked what he saw. He held out one hand to her in a wordless invitation.
Sakura swallowed, heart pounding in her ears, and then narrowed her eyes before turning her back on him, giving her attention to the debris. Not so easy, Uchiha-san, she thought loudly in his direction. Even if she hadn't been annoyed at the days of silence, regardless if it was his fault or not, he did not just get to show up looking perfect, and just expect her to go with him because he held out his hand.
The soft sound of his laughter was barely discernible over the crunch of another boulder and she tilted her head just enough to watch him prowl closer, the heat behind his eyes warming with his amusement. He stopped when he was close enough that she could feel the heat of him pressing just against the line of her spine as she straightened.
"Come, Sakura." She shivered. He really shouldn't be allowed to have a voice like that on top of everything else. It just wasn't fair. "You will not find the answers you are looking for in that pile of rock."
That he even knew her well enough to know that she was using the physical work to clear her head was...not unexpected, he knew more than she would have thought possible in such a short period of time. But it was a tad annoying that he was so often right. No wonder Sasuke wore that look on his face so often.
Sakura turned to face him. She reached out and poked him once in the chest, directly above his heart. The fact that she connected made her feel – he trusted her that much. It was almost enough for her to completely lose her irritation. "How do you know?"
"Sa-ku-ra," he drawled her name slowly, the word as effective as a caress. "Come with me." And then he held out his hand again.
Sakura felt her mouth go dry. She looked from his eyes, to his hand, and then met his gaze again. And this time, she slid her gloved hand in his. The warm humor sharpened and the familiar rush of chakra for the teleportation jutsu pulled them away from the work-site. Her heart hammered in her throat for a moment at the way he easily completed the jutsu without hand signals – he'd done it before when they went to the monument, but it was still a surprise to see it.
Even more surprising was where he had chosen to take them.
They were standing in the middle of a civilian neighborhood that had come out of the invasion unscathed – more importantly, they were standing in front of a small, one story home. The area was densely populated with trees, giving the impression of privacy among the scattered homes. She supposed that was how it had avoided the brunt of the attack. A quick glance at the monument as she started to strip her gloves gave her an approximate distance to the Tower and Hospital but what…
The heat of Itachi's gaze pulled her attention back to him and she absently noted the way he started shifting through a complex series of hand signals. Her brain automatically memorized the movements even as her heart jumped into her throat. Itachi didn't do slow hand signals, much less a series of them that were this complicated. Her mind scrambled to process. This… this was his?
Before she could even start to formulate a question, the air shifted almost audibly as it twisted back into reality. Her throat ran dry but she waited until Itachi lowered his hands before turning her eyes back to the house just in time to watch the last of the genjutsu fade. He had used the lines of the home and the angles of the trees to re-weave reality in such a way that even once the jutsu was gone it took a long moment to catch exactly what had changed.
The defined edges of the house disappeared behind the careful lining of trees – giving an impression of space. The feeling of being tucked into a confined area was gone and once again, Sakura was reminded of just how potent Itachi's talent was. It wasn't just the scope of the jutsu that made this impressive – it was the way he had incorporated the smallest of details, down to the layers of rock that had shortened the front walkway by several feet.
She turned to glance up at him and question – but he preempted her with the way that he held out his hand. Again, it was an offer of trust – both for him, letting her so close and allowing her to 'tie down' a part of himself – and for her, when she slid her hand in his – an offer of acceptance. They walked into the house together.
The door shut. The house smelled clean, like lemon and pine, the hallway was uncluttered, utilitarian, and traditional. There were no lights on, but the high cut window on the door let in the daylight in a pattern on the floor. Sakura turned to him in order to ask him where they were and what was going on…
...and caught him finishing up the cloaking jutsu with his other hand moments before his mouth covered hers. The suddenness of the kiss was startling and she parted her lips greedily under his as his hands moved into her hair. Weeks of pent-up frustration washed through her as he flicked his tongue against hers, hand sliding roughly down her spine to pull her flush against him. Rising up on tiptoe, she ran her hands along his shoulders to curl around the back of his neck, pushing her breasts almost flat against his chest. Itachi made a noise low in his throat while fisting his hand in her hair, pulling away from her mouth to scrape the edge of her jaw with his teeth before kissing a path back behind her ear.
Sakura made a muffled, needy noise and slid her hands up his neck to the edge of his scalp, pulling him closer. Itachi bit on the sensitive skin he found below her ear and she gasped, arching into him. She could feel his lips curling into a smile on her skin before he moved to soothe the sting with a quick flick of his tongue – only to bite again, teasingly lingering as one hand found its way under the back of her shirt, calluses scraping against smooth skin; the cool contact a temporary shock to her system. She shivered.
He released his bite and blew on the mark, spurring her into action. Sakura slid one leg up his side and wrapped it around his waist. She went to move her head and trace her own series of kisses down his neck, but his grip on her hair held her fast, and exactly where he wanted her as he continued to lavish that one sensitive spot on her neck with attention. Very deliberately, Sakura tilted her hips to align with his.
For the space of a heartbeat, Itachi froze. She smiled – and then raked her hands abruptly down his back. His breath hissed between his teeth as her leg lowered half-an inch, so that her fingers could slide tantalizingly along the muscle just inside the line of his pants before her leg flexed. The hand in her hair tightened, nails scraping lightly against the back of her neck and she shivered at the deliberate way his fingers moved along her back – a direct contrast to the rapid feel of his breath against her neck.
"Now?" she breathed the question in his ear, running her hands slowly up his back.
He didn't verbally respond, just suddenly releasing his grip on her hair to trace down her side and hoist her other leg around his waist. His lips returned to hers for a greedy kiss, and she responded, wrapping her arms around his neck and tightening her grip around his waist. Running her tongue along his bottom lip, she sucked it between hers and bit down lightly as he moved them so that her back pressed up against the wall. He pulled away with something like a snarl and she arched her spine as his lips slid along her collarbone.
Tongue and teeth alternated in a dizzying pattern as one of his hands slid up her side and across the line of her chest until he reached the zipper on her shirt. The tip of his finger ran lightly over the skin of her chest before he slid it nearly to her navel, ghosting his fingers up her sternum to splay just below her collarbones, thumb brushing along the swell of her breast. His mouth moved towards her neck, teeth nipping lightly at the junction of her shoulder before he started a pattern of open-mouth kisses towards her jaw.
Panting, she dragged her hands along the side of his neck before she fisted her fingers in the mesh of his shirt and tugged, splitting the material in a ragged tear. She kept pulling, knuckles sliding along the heat of his skin until her fingers were brushing below his ribs leaving him mostly bare.
Itachi made a curious noise, somewhere between a gasp and a growl before he pulled back. Sakura could almost see the tremendous effort of will it took to leash it around his passion, but restrain himself he did, a tiger on the leash. She went very still, watching him carefully – his strength was beautiful, his will was breathtaking – and she wanted to snap it. That perfect complexion of his was flushed with effort, eyes glazed with lust, thin lips swollen from passion – and it was all for her. Even as this, the deliberate tracing of his fingers up and over her chest made her want to move, she held still under his silent command as his hands moved to frame her face.
"You're mine, Sakura. All of you. All that you are. Everything. Always."
And for once, she didn't want to protest. He gave her enough time to, slowly lowering his head – too slowly. She tilted her head forward and met his lips with hers, ripping off the rest of his shirt as she did so.
Palms splayed, she dragged the edges of her nails against his abdomen as she moved her hands along the newly exposed skin. Her lips curved under his as he trembled against her – then her eyes went wide as his hands delved under the edges of her parted shirt as he shifted his weight and moved against her in a way that made her writhe.
Once more arching against him, Sakura knew with sudden certainty that if they didn't move right now the next time he slid against her like that would insure that their first time took place in the foyer of his home. And she wanted more than that from him. Sex was one thing, intimacy was something else – and she wanted him, wanted Itachi, wanted him inside of her and completing her and she wanted to be able to stare into all the shaded places of his soul without flinching, and she wasn't going to settle for anything less. One hand managed to slide around him and catch the very ends of his hair. She pulled back and he ignored her – clamping her legs tighter around him as his mouth explored the contour of her breast.
She pulled harder and he bit down on the swell near the tip. "Itachi."
It was his name that made him glance up, and the heat in them excited her. She couldn't help but smile at him, even as she moved her head to attack his collarbone. "Bedroom."
He hissed when her teeth touched his skin and then he moved. Her back landed on a firm mattress and for a moment his face was suspended in excitement above her – and then his head lowered to continue his work exploring her chest and her hands slid down his back to the waist of his pants—
He lifted up his head to speak a word – and all the lights in the room went on. Sakura blinked in the light, surprised for a moment. And then his mouth was under her jaw, tracing patterns there, and he was sliding her pants off her hips and she realized –
He wants to see everything –
– and then there was no more time left to think.
Naruto scanned the side-street that had one of those tea-stands that Sakura pretended she didn't hit up in between errands, except that she did. He didn't really expect to see a flash of pink hair but since he hadn't found her anywhere else – and it was located sorta near where he was going anyway… Lacing his fingers behind his head, he looked skyward for a moment, lips pursed in thought. Hana's little innocent comment told him something was up… and he couldn't find Sasuke. This meant that a certain clan was messing with his team – again. This time, both of them. Since he couldn't track down Sakura and Sasuke wasn't in his usual sulking places…
Yup. Time to track down Teme. Besides, Sasuke would never forgive him if he beat the living hell out of his brother and didn't at least get to watch. There were only one or two places that you could always count on finding a member of Team 7 who was in a mood. Since the problem wasn't one of them then it wasn't going to be the bridge. Which, now that he thought about it… if he was really, really lucky then Sakura had already tracked Sasuke down and was using her own special brand of discussion to pull Sasuke out of his funk. And if not well… a little workout wouldn't hurt either of them.
This training field wasn't their preferred, it was too close to the edges of the forest and Sakura always bitched about dragging their asses to the hospital from this distance. So they saved it for the big ones. The ones when they needed to be by themselves, to deal with their personal demons alone. Big things – like lightning bolts that missed.
Which was indeed where he found Sasuke… sitting on the ground with his shoulders hunched like he was twelve again. His hands were fisted against his knees and Naruto frowned at the lack of… well, lack of anything really. Beyond the white-knuckled fists and clenched jaw, Sasuke looked remarkably unresponsive to his surroundings.
Well, shit. Ramen wasn't going to fix this. But since Sasuke was family as well as a teammate, he shoved his hands in his pockets, strolled over to the ground and nudged him with his foot.
"Oi, teme? You breathing?"
"What do you think, dobe?" His response was immediate, but strangely monotone, even for Sasuke. When he lifted his gaze a moment later, Naruto could clearly see the red and swirling tomoes of the sharingan.
Well, fuck. Naruto upgraded his cursing, even as his eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you looking at, bastard?"
"Shut-up." And the words still lacked emotion, but they had a certain edge that made Naruto's hackles rise. A heartbeat of tense studying later, and Naruto dropped to his haunches in front of him, blue eyes staring intensely into red. He refused to look away.
"Sasuke." He wasn't Sakura, but like hell this was on. "Tell me."
They glared at each other for a long moment. But Naruto wasn't giving up. Sasuke might be a member of that clan, but he was Naruto's family. And Sasuke knew it too – he'd chosen Naruto and Sakura just as much as they had chosen him. And finally, Sasuke gritted through clenched teeth, "Itachi declared himself autonomous."
Naruto wind-milled as his balance wavered and crashed backwards before pushing himself back up onto the palms of his hands. There was a humorless smirk hovering along the edges of Sasuke's mouth and Naruto knew he looked ridiculous.
"What?" If he hadn't felt like Sakura had just punched him in the chest, he would have been a little horrified at the high pitched, cracking, I'm-just-hitting-puberty little boy's voice. For a moment, he expected Sasuke to take it back, to shrug and tell him what really had happened.
"Autonomous – it means that while he will continue to be part of the clan and hold his position, he no longer has any responsibility towards the clan."
"I know what it means, stupid!" Naruto snarled as he balanced on his knees.
"Then what are you having a hard time understanding, moron?"
"How could he... do that? He's the clan heir! That's like Kakashi-sensei giving up Icha Icha! Baa-chan giving up sake!" Naruto stared at Sasuke with wide, wide eyes. The world had just started spinning backwards.
"Not anymore." And it was just at this moment – the brief moment where Sasuke's eyes drift down and to the side as if he was ashamed, that flick of a blink, where Naruto understood. And became furious.
Kyuubi raged inside and Naruto squeezed his eyes shut to close him out. With Itachi abdicating, that left Sasuke in the position he'd held, Sasuke who'd never thought that he measured up to his brother – and who the clan felt they would be able to deal with much more easily. Hell, even Naruto could see Sasuke doing a better job being clan head than Itachi, but not for the reasons the clan saw – Sasuke at least had a prayer at claiming sanity.
Not to mention – he was going to become Hokage. Naruto knew it in a way that he could taste it. And Sasuke, as clan head… would be a powerful support for him. And he would be a powerful support for Sasuke. Some of those elders had to know, and plan for that. But Itachi had cornered Sasuke and used him like a shogi piece – and had somehow gotten away with something that no one in the history of Konoha had: Kept all the benefits of belonging to a clan, with none of the shitty side-effects.
How – why – a pebble flicked off his forehead protector. "Oi!"
Sasuke stared back at him, his face still sickeningly blank. "Don't think too hard. You'll hurt yourself."
Naruto scowled and then straightened up and met Sasuke's red, pin-wheeled gaze straight on. Sasuke went still – waiting.
"Do you want me to kill him?"
Sasuke blinked, jaw going a little slack and the sharingan drained away. Naruto waited, watching his best-friend/brother. He was completely serious. Itachi was dangerous when he had the entire clan watching his leash carefully, but an Itachi who had found a way to wiggle out of his leash and walk unimpeded by the clan had the potential to go rabid.
Sasuke gave a half-choked noise and dropped his face into his hands and sighed, heavily.
Fists clenched, Naruto waited.
"He threatened to kill the clan if they didn't let him go, Naruto." His voice was tight, heavy with strain. "Right after he announced his intentions."
"Wait… what?"
And Sasuke, far from his normal response of 'I said it once already, why don't you pay attention,' actually felt the need to elaborate. "When Itachi declared his intentions of becoming autonomous, our father immediately objected. So Itachi paused, looked him straight in the eye, and said 'I will be rid of you, one way or another.'"
Naruto opened and closed his mouth. Shit. Shit. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Squeezing his eyes shut, he counted to ten. It didn't work.
"What the fucking bloody hells?" Lunging to his feet, he fisted his hands together and snarled, the air starting to turn over-warm. The hot, flushing chakra of Kyuubi rushed through him and for a moment, all he saw was red.
"Sakura."
The ringing in his ears died suddenly and he felt deaf. "What?"
"Sakura."
Naruto stared at him and then ran his fingers through his hair. Double fuck-ety, damn. He'd known that Itachi was after Sakura – and Sakura must've been taking him seriously. Itachi might've wanted this for some time, but Sakura hated the Uchiha Clan – hated it – and if things were ever going to get serious with them…
Shit, serious? Sakura and Itachi – serious? His brain just – could not – process.
"Shut your mouth, dobe."
Sasuke's words were enough to shake Naruto from his mental gobsmack but… but…
"Wait, wait, wait!" Naruto fisted his hands in his hair, tugging hard enough to hurt. "You're saying… you think that Itachi declared autonomy from the clan for Sakura?"
Sasuke stared at him flatly, mouth compressed in a straight, bloodless line.
And Naruto's brain just didn't want to accept it. For a moment, he glanced around honestly waiting for some sign that the world was imploding on itself. Because this was Sakura-chan and Itachi… and… and… Naruto slowly lowered himself to the ground; still not certain sudden movement wouldn't tip the balance into the end of the world and just – stared at Sasuke. And Sasuke stared back.
The silence was heavy and pressed the reality of the situation on him. Sakura-chan. And Itachi. And Itachi had defied his entire clan for her – maybe would have even killed them. Seconds ticked passed. And suddenly, Naruto's eyes went wide and he shot to his feet.
"Wait, wait, wait! Are you saying that... that... bastard dumped everything on you, keeping all the perks and is going to get Sakura because of it?"
Sasuke glared. It was an impressive glare. And it spoke more than words.
Naruto paused to give an impressed whistle. That bastard. And then he met Sasuke's gaze, completely serious. "Do I need to kill Itachi, teme?"
Sasuke stilled. Naruto didn't flinch at the sudden intensity of Sasuke's gaze, the way his pupils widened and lightened into crimson spirals. Then he closed his eyes and the tension seemed to drain out of his shoulders until his body was slumped over again. Naruto frowned. That wasn't exactly the reaction he'd expected.
"You're forgetting something dobe."
Naruto bristled. He was being serious here! "I'm not afraid of your clan and Tsunade would forgive me… eventually."
For a moment it seemed as if there was an almost-smirk on Sasuke's face but then it was gone again.
"Sakura."
"You keep say – oh shit. You think it's mutual?"
Sasuke snorted. Naruto groaned. Of course. It would be. Of all the crazy bastards, his Sakura-chan had to pick Uchiha Itachi. It was just his luck. But Itachi would've never made this move if he hadn't had some sort of assurance already, and Sakura would've never given it to him unless she was certain. Naruto raised a hand to his forehead and smoothed down his face. "Well… shit."
When his hand drops back down, he speaks with more certainty than he feels. "She'd forgive us too."
Sasuke grunted. "She'd understand. But would she really forgive us?"
It was a good point.
"…if we have to, we'll find out." He met Sasuke's gaze seriously, all of his focus on this problem right now. Itachi, cut loose from the clan, his hooks into their Sakura, his maneuvering forcing Sasuke into being the clan heir. "Do I have to kill him?"
Sasuke was silent for a long moment, and then the smallest flicker of something that looked as if it might have been a smile in another life passed over his face and was gone. "If he did all this for her, what do you think he'll do to keep her happy?"
Naruto paused long enough for that to sink in. If it was that serious for Itachi – and it was Sakura, so of course it was – then… then this could be a very good thing. "If he hurts her…"
"He won't."
Naruto nodded slowly and shrugged. "If he does – we'll handle it. We're her family, after all."