Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Hunter	By : Zelha Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female > Itachi/Sakura Views: 3374 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, duh. I only own a pair of sleepers, so obviously I don't make any profit with this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
Final Chapter: You Only Live Twice

-X-

His steps
froze when he took sight of his little brother... or what was left of him.

“Kami-sama,” he breathed as he approached, looking
everywhere for a sign of their enemy.

There was
none.

“... Sasuke?”

The blackened
form stirred. “...Nii-...san?” His voice was rough.
“I... I did it, Nii-san...”

“When did
you learn such a technique, Sasuke...” he asked in a low tone, wishing for
everything, for Sakura to wake up, for him to be in is little brother’s place, to
have medical abilities... but even his new eyes
were telling him that Sasuke had no way out of what he had brought upon
himself.

“I just...
performed Kirin... to blind... the bastard,” the youngest Uchiha said with a
wet chuckle, coughing up a mouthful of blood. “Then I used another... it
doesn’t have a name... I just sucked him... away in a vortex.”

Itachi
realized that it must have been a time-space jutsu. Something ever rarer than the massive amount of electrical chakra he had witnessed gathering about his little brother’s head.

“I am
sorry, otouto,” he kneeled next to him. “I should
have--”

“No,”
Sasuke wheezed, cutting him off. “I did this... willingly. I was so...
intent... on surpassing you... that I forgot... the important things in life,”
he added, looking with the only onyx eye he had left towards the three people
approaching them. Sakura was still out like a light. “She needs... to wake
up... before... her mind gives out.”

“Sasuke,
don’t speak, teme,” Naruto said as he lay their
teammate next to him. “We’ll wake Sakura-chan up and she will patch you up like
she always does,” he babbled, azure eyes tearing up as he took in just how badly damaged Sasuke’s body was.

“Gomen,” Sasuke paid no heed to Naruto’s plead. “I was...
wrong. I should have... trusted you all. I should... have told Nii-san about... the seal... and the scroll... I
shouldn’t... I shouldn’t have pushed... her away. She... must hate me now.”

“Sakura
doesn’t hate you, Sasuke,” Kakashi said, kneeling next to him with a pained
grunt. “We are her special people. You
are her most special person.”

“No... I was but not... anymore. Now it’s...
another one... who will take care... of her like I should... have...”

“Otouto,” Itachi started, but Sasuke shook his blackened
head minutely.

“Please, Nii-san... forgive me... please...
tell her... I’m sorry... and please take... care of her. Make Konoha... her
safe place...”

“No, Sasuke, no! I’ll wake her up now...” Naruto grabbed her body and shook her gently. “Sakura-chan? C’mon, Sakura-chan, we need you! Wake up,
please!”

But she
didn’t answer, and Sasuke was drifting away.

“Kaa-san... you came for... me?”

“He’s
delirious,” Kakashi reported softly. “Itachi, what do you want--”

“... I
don’t know,” the barely audible whisper struck them hard. The Uchiha ANBU
Captain always knew what to do. “I
don’t... know...”

“Sasuke!
Focus, dammit!”

“Naruto...
Kakashi... Sakura... Nii-san... thank you.”

The blond jinchuuriki’s roar of pain called the attention of their nakama, as they made their way to them through the rubble.

-X-

Twelve and
a half hours later and back in Fire Country, Sakura still hadn’t had woken up completely yet. She responded to
pain and light stimulus, but her conscience was still out.

Naruto,
understandably, was beside himself with worry and grief. The civilian medic of
Border Town had tried everything and Sakura was still unconscious. Her heart
rate was elevated, as if she were fighting something within her mind. Her eyes
moved under closed lids, looking to the casual observer as if she was merely
experiencing a bad dream.

But the
males that sat next to her knew better.

Kakashi had
sent the medic away from him, instead telling her in a steely voice for her to focus her skills on their female teammate. Meanwhile,
Naruto leaned on her hand and it was obvious that he wasn’t keen on letting go.

Itachi
sighed deeply. They hadn’t slept, worrying over her. He had busied himself in
sending a message to the Hokage, briefing her about the outcome of the battle,
and the casualties they had suffered. She had dispatched another jounin-ranked
medical team to help, but the injured shinobi were too many for the town’s
civilian healer.

They had
carried Sasuke’s body wrapped in Naruto’s cloak. As Shisui and Yamato had been
ANBU, they were given the funerary rituals the ninja way. As they burned in
sacred, clean blue fire, the pyres served as
the first sign of loss for the Konoha shinobi. Shikamaru and Gai had departed from Border Town, but not before giving
the lingering ninja their sincerest condolences as they took their own
teammates’ remains back to Fire Country.

No matter
how set in stone the Shinobi Rules were, the loss of a comrade always struck
hard.

Sending a
message to his father and the elders of the clan had been of utmost importance,
seeing that one of the Head’s sons had fallen in battle. The missive was brief
and to the point, the parchment of the scroll tied to a hawk and sent away
without any remorse for the curtness of the letter.

He would
deal with them later.

For now, he
needed to do something for Sakura. The reanimation technique he copied from her
seemed like a good idea to help her break her state. He needed time to allow
his chakra to replenish somewhat - but still, he needed more energy.

“So you
think this will work?” Naruto asked for the
sixth time. Itachi nodded, taking a deep breath.

“I don’t
have enough chakra for this,” he explained. “And I’m not willing to wait for it
to rebuild in my system. She needs to wake up now.”

“Your hands
will probably burn from the chakra output,”
Kakashi warned. “We three have different elements after all.”

“It’s a
risk I’m willing to take.”

The Copy
Ninja and the blond jinchuuriki looked at each other and nodded.

Itachi only
hoped he was doing it right, as his hands went through the seals.

-X-

Kakashi
heaved a relieved breath when she opened her eyes.

Tired, injured,
and emotionally exhausted, he could only watch
as Naruto cradled Sakura’s head as he welcomed her back to the waking world.

“What...
happened?” she whispered. Pale, and with haunted eyes, her brother shook his
head.

A slow
glance around the large room made her notice the obvious. “Where’s... Sasuke?”

Naruto
lowered his head to her stomach, and she seemed to understand.

Running her
fingers through golden hair as she silently cried with Naruto, her other hand
slid to Itachi’s, squeezing his burned fingers in a soft but firm clasp, her
green energy sealing his burns without a single word. Kakashi listened to those
gentle, shushing sounds she made as her tears lodged themselves in her mussed
hair, trying to comfort the three of them at the same time.

The hand
that was on Naruto’s head extended to him, and when he took it gently, he could
feel her chakra mending his internal wounds, bringing him relief and peace. He
tried to stop her, to tell her she was still in a delicate state, but she only
shook her head and beckoned him closer, closing his injuries and healing his
soul.

The Copy
Ninja was no fool. That gesture, no matter how small it was, comforted the
three of them more that he would be willing to acknowledge. The hands that had healed
them all so many times were moving slowly but surely, soothing another ache,
and he had to admit that he was content with this and nothing more.

Tomorrow
would be another day.

-X-

Itachi’s
mind was still on the moment where he felt his consciousness enter Sakura’s
mind, as they walked through the thick foliage of the Land of Fire, their
country.

Sakura was
still weak from her previous comatose state, but she managed to stay awake for
the majority of their journey back home. Speaking in whispers
with Naruto as he carried her on his back, scolding Kakashi softly when it was
his turn to transport her.

Placing her head in a trusting gesture on his shoulder when he carried
her in his bandaged arms.

No words
were needed. The silence was enough for them to convey how emotionally taxing
the mission had been. Sakura only had to look
at him with those lively, worried eyes to make him want to keep holding her; no
matter how annoying he initially thought her incessant worry.

Tsukiyomi,
he realized, was beyond anyone’s guess about a wicked genjutsu. The fact that a
mental representation of Sakura had been strapped to a cross and took all the
katana wounds from a beastly-looking Madara without breaking down was
remarkable enough for him to burn that fact into his memory.

As soon as
his irritated fist broke through Madara’s head, the red skies cleared and the
black clouds evaporated, leaving a warm, golden sunset in Konoha.

Terminating
the illusion was easy now, with the Mangekyou Sharingan at his disposal. The
tricky part was revisiting Sakura’s moments of failure, and trying to convince
her that sometimes, there were no available solutions to certain situations.

The first
time she had to deal with bullies at the Academy. The first moment she decided
to face the Sound team to protect her unconscious teammates. The instant she
had her heart crushed by his little brother for the first time out of many.

Her
parents’ deaths. The moment she decided to pursue the medical field of the
shinobi profession under the Godaime’s guidance. The
demise of her first patient.

Her
confrontation and the humiliation dealt to her by his father. Her mini-battle
with Kisame at the Fire Palace. Her desperate battle against Sasori. Sai’s
death.

Having the
Mangekyou and a better understanding of the Tsukiyomi he found out that he
could manipulate the scenes shown to him, so he searched for positive events;
the moments that she could say were decisive to her life.

Her first
friend. How she gained the upper hand on her skirmish against those Sound ninja
in the Forest of Death. The first moment she found out that her chakra control
was superior to all the ninja she knew in her little world.

The moment
she helped deliver a mother’s first baby. Those little episodes during her
grueling training when Tsunade praised her for her hard work.

The moment
he kissed her at her home, comforting, warm and filled with a light feeling.

Itachi
opened his eyes a second before she did.

Only then did he allow himself to let out a relieved breath.

Konoha was
up ahead, and then... it was time to set things right.

-X-

Tsunade had
been beside herself with fury during the briefing when they finally returned.
Everything had been beyond anyone’s imagination.

So many deaths in that battle, she sighed. It made her think of how many people had to die to keep their peace.

It took
Sakura a few more days and a good chakra infusion from her shishou to return to
full health. But her emotional state was badly wounded, Tsunade observed. Not
only because of Sasuke’s death, but also because of the rest of the losses. Gai’s
and Nara’s team suffered casualties as well, Lee and Ino. Not to mention that it
seemed that Team Seven had made quite the strong bonds with those ANBU Alpha
Team members.

And
Jiraiya. She had to grit her teeth to keep herself from falling apart again.

Being
honest, her keen eye had seen Uchiha Itachi glancing at her pink-haired protégé
more times that he would ever admit.

Tsunade
smiled softly to herself. She could approve of this, seeing that Itachi had
been doing some remodeling inside his family.

Sasuke’s
fall, along with Shisui’s, had finally provoked quite the turmoil within the
Uchiha clan, especially when the heir basically forced his father to abdicate headship
to him. Fugaku simply could not refuse the demand under the newly evolved eyes
of his eldest son, who had no qualms in threatening the whole clan,
blackmailing them with Madara’s coup d’état scheme – known by the Hokage now
and thus gaining the upper hand on the Uchiha – and telling them in precise
terms that further plans to destabilize the Hokage’s chain of command would
result in a complete disbanding and banning of the clan.

Meanwhile,
Naruto had spent a few days with Sakura, conversing about what would happen with them, with the team, as now they
were one member short, and the only other person that would have been a great teammate had
been lost as well. Tsunade had caught them talking in Sakura’s hospital room.

“Sai would
have been a great asset for Team Seven,” Naruto said with a sigh.

“Yeah,”
Sakura answered, a rustle of fabric told the Hokage that her apprentice had sat
up on the bed. “Yamato, too.”

“I bet
Shisui would have been quite the teammate, with that quirky sense of humor of
his.”

“I don’t
doubt it,” she sighed softly. “Do you think Kakashi-sensei will want to remain with us now?”

“Why do you
say that? He’s part of our team, like, our family. I don’t think he would leave
us hanging like that.”

She made a
non-committal sound. “What are we gonna do now, Naruto? The balance is off...”

“Well... I
kind of wanted to go ANBU,” he started, but a sharp intake of air had him raising
his voice in a placating tone, “but I don’t want to now! We saw how they
were... even with Itachi, things wouldn’t be the same...”

“They won’t
be the same,” she said, and Tsunade heard a muted sniffle.

“C’mon,
Sakura-chan... don’t cry... I promise I won’t enter ANBU, ever. In fact, it
would be better for me if I start badgering baa-chan for her to give me the
Hokage position, don’t you think?”

The answer
was a wet laugh, “I don’t think she would take that lightly...”

“Let’s remain
here at home for a while, Sakura-chan. We need to think about things... and
what about you, what do you want to do?”

“The
hospital,” she said simply, with a final sniffle. “This will be my life now. I don’t... I don’t want to be unable
to heal someone who needs me ever again.”

“It wasn’t
your--”

“... Itachi
said that too, that it wasn’t my fault,” she interrupted him. “But somehow I
feel... like I failed him. If I had been awake...”

“We don’t
know for sure if you would have survived long enough, Sakura-chan. This Madara
bastard was one serious son of a bitch. Even Itachi and Shisui... and
Sasuke...”

“I should
have been awake to heal him...”

“No... you didn’t see him, Sakura,” Naruto whispered. “He was
beyond help. Trust me on this.”

There was a
long moment of silence. Then, “You know... you
saying I’m your brother... it has always made me happy,” Naruto continued in a
low voice. “Me and Sasuke... and even Kakashi-sensei... we are still a family.”

“And we
always will be,” Sakura’s feeble voice contained tears again.

“Yeah...
and having you on our back, defending us, protecting us and assuring us... we
never thank you for it. We just took it for granted. Even Sasuke thanked you.”

“You told
me...”

“Maybe now is the time for us to finish growing up,” he said, now
in a determined tone. “Losing our important people only made us realize how
precious life is, right? Well... I think I’m done with pranks and juvenile
stuff now. I’ll be a jounin... just like Kakashi-sensei, just like you, until
the time is right.”

“Naruto...”
Sakura said in a soft tone that didn’t hide her heartfelt pride, “you will be a
great Hokage.”

Outside,
Tsunade agreed wholeheartedly.

-X-

The
afternoon had been stifling, as the summer season was giving signs of its
impending arrival. Leaving her home after days of pondering and meditating had
been mandatory. After the paycheck of Naruto’s retrieval mission came, she
would move out of her childhood home.

Her home
held bittersweet memories about her confinement and her life as a Team Seven
member. She knew she needed change, she needed to start over.

No one
dared to stop her in her stroll. The news about the outcome of the Akatsuki
Battle – now labeled such by the whole village
– shook Konoha to the ground. Outrageous rumors about the identity of the
Akatsuki shinobi ran rampant throughout the
masses, but thankfully no word of Uchiha Madara
had been disseminated. She was sure that no Uchiha in their right mind would
breathe any information to the populace at large, knowing that it would bring
shame and embarrassment to the whole clan.

Having a
day off from the hospital was rare for Haruno Sakura nowadays. She had devoted
herself to the medical field, handling all the cases thrown her way with
professionalism and excellent capability. Her bedside manner was sincere and
gentle, even though a lot of people had
commented that she always wore a sad smile.

Getting in
sync with her new life after the disbanding of Team Seven was taking some time –
Naruto was finally taken under Tsunade’s wing and was learning the ropes of the
Hokage position. Last time Sakura saw him, he had complained and whined for a
long while about administrative tasks and the fact that as Hokage, he was going
to be pretty much grounded to the village for an indeterminate amount of time.
This was the worst part of being Konoha’s leader, he had said, but he was
determined to see this new challenge through, and Sakura simply knew he would
succeed.

Kakashi,
also, had decided to ask for a reprieve. Now he helped Shikamaru in some
tactical and strategy tasks, both brilliant minds retired from active duty and
being content just with their desk work. That is, when Kakashi even showed up
at the office, much to Shikamaru’s lazy annoyance. But Sakura was an optimist about their new partnership. After Ino’s
loss in the Akatsuki Battle, both Chouji and the Nara tensai were basically alone.
The Ino-Shika-Chou trio would be no more, so the Akimichi decided to take a
genin team while Shikamaru, ever practical, joined ANBU on the condition that
he would remain tied to his desk. Tsunade understood.

As for
Sakura, she knew that the empty place Sasuke had left in her heart would
probably never heal. Itachi’s absence from her life was only physical though.
He took great care in sending her notes with one of his crows as often as he
could. But taking over the reins of a clan, especially the way he had done it,
only meant strife among the members of the Uchiha House, particularly from
those most traditionalist of the elders who
were also the most stubborn of all.

But still,
she knew some of what had happened after he
placed a lockdown on the District after the mission briefing with the Godaime.
First, about Uchiha Fugaku. After the initial shock and wariness, he had come
to understand how his firstborn ticked. Sasuke’s loss did enough for both of
them to help them realize that having a broken relationship was not the way to
go. Fugaku had sided with his son after he graciously passed the title and
position to him. The elders threw some heated accusations, prompting father and
son to join against the harsh words of the old men.

It took a
while, but Itachi’s plan was slowly coming to fruition. Young members that
looked up to him supported all his decisions and suggestions, and slowly but
surely those elders were replaced by their own sons. The Uchiha council had new
blood, new ideologies, and with Itachi at the helm they simply had the sky as
their limit.

Sakura was
glad to learn that the clan was finally coming
out of its hostile shell.

But those
short notes given by summoned crows weren’t enough, she sighed softly as her
feet directed her to the KIA Monument. Itachi’s presence had been a constant
source of reassurance of herself and her entire being, her beliefs, and her
sanity. He had been adamant in the first of his missives:

He was not
going to let the clan to come between them.

Itachi had
also asked, in his underhanded way, for her to wait. She was happy to oblige,
because she needed the time alone, and because she wasn’t really comfortable
with facing Itachi’s father after all the offense he dealt her parents’ memory.

The stone
was a bit different, she observed as she neared it. Of course, Tsunade had
already added the names of those who had been killed in the Akatsuki Battle.

Rock Lee.
Yamanaka Ino. Sai. Yamato Tenzou. Uchiha Shisui.

Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto had
been very clear about his final state when he died. Sakura knew she should be
grateful she hadn’t seen him in that horrendous condition, but as a medic, she
knew such a horrific burn of electrical nature,
especially the huge amount of chakra Sasuke had spent creating and performing
the Kirin, had to yield results none short of dismaying.

She didn’t
need to have a morbid mind to imagine how bad Sasuke had looked.

But then
again, she had to accept Naruto’s vague explanation and let the whole matter
go. Sasuke was gone, after all.

Repeating
his last words in her mind, her fingers traced the cold marble where his name
was engraved.

Only then was she able to breathe a sigh, forgiving him in her
heart.

“... Sakura.”

Opening her
eyes, she didn’t have to turn around to see who had stepped on the Memorial
field. “... Itachi.”

A gloved hand
had gently placed itself on her shoulder, silently asking for her to turn
around.

Sakura let
out a sigh as she turned and saw how haggard and haunted he looked. He had lost
weight, and his eyes looked more prominent in his face with those pronounced
stress marks under his eyes. Sakura’s eyebrows drew up in concern.

“Itachi...”
she whispered, bringing a hand to his cheek. His eyes closed as he enjoyed the
warm of her palm against his skin. “You need to rest...”

“I have to
ask you something first,” he whispered. “I have... done everything I planned
with the clan. The council... is filled to capacity with the new generation. I
pushed them to move forward with a purpose, a goal to protect and honor our
homeland.”

Sakura’s
lips curved in a soft, proud smile. “You have done well, Itachi...”

“Yes. But
there is still something I should have done, back then.”

“No...” she
said, closing her eyes. “I was the one who should have done something. I... I’m
sorry. I should have saved him.”

“I should
be the one asking for forgiveness,” he shook his head, sad onyx eyes going to
the memorial stone, roving over the names. “I wish... for many things. I wish
for my little brother to be here with the two of us. I wish for a better
occasion to talk to you... and I wish I could help you, to just say the thing
that will give you comfort, but I... do not have those words.”

“I don’t
need words of comfort, Itachi,” she said, taking his cold hands in hers,
speaking in rapid tones, her throat spilling all the things she wanted to tell
him since the last time they saw each other. “But I can give them to you if you
need them! You were right... it wasn’t my fault, but it wasn’t your fault
either... it was his decision to
make, and whatever consequences... he faced them with no fear. Like a true
Konoha shinobi, like a faithful Uchiha. Like the proud
man he was. Nothing either of us could have done would have convinced him not to do anything.”

“Sasuke...
he’s a hero, our hero, and he will remain that way in
our hearts.”

“Our hero,”
he whispered, facing the stone. Sakura nodded, leaning her head on his shoulder
as they stared silently to the monument. After a while, he shifted, prompting
her to look at him.

“But...
there’s something else I need,” he nodded, his eyes pinning to hers. “I never
could have done this without you, Sakura. I... need you with me.”

She
blinked, caught in surprise. “You need... me?”

He nodded
again. “I do. May I ask you formally?”

That
feverish light he had in his eyes every time he was near her hadn’t changed in
the weeks they had spent apart. Itachi waited as she looked deeply at him, her
mind processing what he was really requesting of her, until she understood.

Sakura
looked around, as if committing every detail to memory. The monument at her side
bore many names, and she looked for those she cared about.

The
decision wasn’t very hard to make.

“There’s no
need,” she finally said, a soft smile and a blush lightly colored her features.
“I will.”

“You will
stay with me?” he repeated, lowering his tone to that dulcet whisper she loved.
Itachi breathed a deep sigh as she took his hand, and both traced their lost
family’s name. He was complete now. Before, he was just like a wild hunter,
providing sustenance for its offspring, ensuring their safety, even at the
ultimate cost.

“Yes. Always.”

-

- Tenna' ento lye omenta -

-XxX-

“All we have to believe with is our senses, the
tools we use to perceive the world: our sight, our touch, our memory. If they
lie to us, then nothing can be trusted. And even if we do not believe, then
still we cannot travel in any other way than the road our senses show us; and
we must walk that road to the end.” ~ Neil Gaiman

-XxX-

AN: Oops, I
managed to put everything in here. My planner kind of went to hell – I saw some
details portrayed in other stories I follow because of my own tardiness in
finishing this up, ahaha – and I realized it would be better to cram up
everything in this last chapter.

Well, at
least I can scream to the rooftops: THIS STORY IS OVER AND IT WON’T HAVE ANY
KIND OF SEQUEL WHATSOFRIGGIN’EVER.

-Lets out a
huge relieved sigh-

This is the
last time I post something without finishing it first. Trying to fit stuff from
the manga worked well for a moment, but everything
wasn’t to my entire liking. Not to mention the fact that the blocks hit me
because I got nervous with the amount of attention this story got. But now it’s
over and now I can move on, thankfully.

I’d like to
give my heartfelt thanks to all of you guys who gave this story a chance. Those
who waited for me to kick my own ass into gear, and those who had kind words to
me during my blocks. I really appreciate those minutes you spent reading and
reviewing. Thank you, thank you all.

And I can’t
really give a proper ending to my author’s notes without a huge declaration of
gratitude to my dearest MelissaRose85, who is an amazing beta and an excellent
friend.

Toodles!
- 13
- 14
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