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
- 1
- 2
- 3
Chapter 2: Cover Me

The sealing process is draining for any medic, Sakura noted absently as she
walked back to the ANBU’s assigned room. The good thing was that Shizune seemed
to have everything under control, most surely because she took Tsunade’s silent
support as she stood next to Sakura, observing the procedure.

Yawning
again, she stopped in front of a window. The night was clear and the stars
glittered quite noticeably. A lovely
sight, she mused. Too bad that almost all the people of Konoha didn’t appreciate
the beauty that nature offered.

Her thoughts
were dwelling on Sasuke’s scornful words. It was true that she pined for him
for too long, but certainly she had grown under Tsunade’s guidance. Her lips
curved with fondness when she remembered how she had stormed inside the
Hokage’s office, all but demanding – she thought she was begging, but the
blonde had assured her that her eyes said another thing from the fierce
determination that shone in them – for the blonde to teach her. Sakura
remembered how strict the training with the Slug Princess had been, doubting
that any of her teammates would have endured it. Naruto probably would have
thrown a fit from frustration at his inability to punch the busty female back –
he was all but too afraid of her insane strength, but also because he said he
couldn’t hit a woman – and Sasuke had also been quite intimidated with the
Godaime’s display of massive destruction with just one of her fingers.

And now
Sakura, sweet and weak Haruno Sakura, who liked to wash her teammates with
tears, had the same strong feature. Tsunade had teased about how her chakra
control could be regarded as a bloodline trait, despite of how the clans were
adamant in not recognizing the very few that had this excellent control over
their energy.

No matter
how much it had hurt – because the truth had the ability to cut ruthlessly when
it was said with harsh words – Sasuke’s words had jolted a nerve inside the
pink-haired kunoichi. Tsunade’s lessons were of utmost importance to Sakura’s
self-esteem, because the blonde just knew how much she hurt seeing her
teammates advancing in their careers in jumps and leaps and bounds, leaving her
behind, as usual.

Kakashi had
to make the mistake of neglecting her; he understood that when he was told
about Sakura’s apprenticeship with no other than their powerful Hokage. He knew
that she had the potential to be one of the greatest kunoichi of the village,
yet he had chosen to take Sasuke under his wing, teaching him a few things that
even his family had no idea how to perform. The Chidori was proof enough of
this, since the seasoned Jounin had seen how ignored and undermined the younger
son of the Clan Head was.

Jiraiya, the
Toad Sage, had taken upon himself the mentorship of the loudmouthed blond,
shaping him just like his father when he lived. Naruto had grown incredibly,
showing how much he mastered his skills and those from his father’s creation,
including the power that was lurking inside his body under that swirled seal.

In the
shadow of those genii in their own field, Sakura had found herself lost and forgotten,
always being the last in their tacit but fierce race to surpass the others.

Sakura
sighed, moving away from the window. Maybe the last criticism from Sasuke would
prove useful, despite how awful it felt for her. She realized how silly she had
been by pursuing someone who simply didn’t want her back. It dealt a severe
blow to her femininity, but she refused to feel the biting rejection.

Knocking on
her patient’s door, she entered without his permission. The masked ANBU sat
still on the bed, with his legs hanging from it. It looked like he was about to
rise from the bed.

“Sorry I’m
late, ANBU-san,” she said absently, extending her hands on his bandaged torso.
“The procedure took a little longer than expected. Your lung is healing nicely,
but it’s still sore. Refrain for taijutsu training for a week and it will be
restored completely.”

“What about
my ribs?”

Sakura
blinked, looking up at the white rodent mask. A strong aura filled her senses,
making her realize that this ANBU was not a regular one. A hard frown curved her
lips downward unconsciously.

“The ribs
are perfectly healed,” she deadpanned. “My chakra repaired them when I examined
you a while ago.”

“Good,” his
voice filtered through his mask, cold and detached but well-mannered
nonetheless. “Shall I come back for another check-up?”

“That won’t
be necessary, ANBU-san, I have the feeling you won’t be happy if you have to
come back,” she answered, withdrawing her hands and warm chakra from his body
and turned to grab his chart, scribbling something on it. “You are free to go,
ANBU-san. Remember not to overdo it or your lung will be re-injured. Have a good
night.”

“Thank you,
Haruno-san,” he said politely, snapping her attention. Locking her gaze with
the impassive mask, she nodded as he descended from the bed, pulling his
sandals on.

“No need.
We are here to help, after all.”

As she went
to the door, she felt the sharp gaze of the White Op on her back.

She gritted
her teeth in annoyance, closing the door softly.

-X-

All in all,
she didn’t know why the ANBU operatives were so dislikeable to her, Sakura
mused three days later at noon, when she noted three brown-cloaked figures
jumping over the rooftops of Konoha.

She sighed,
recalling how callous that ANBU Captain had been when she pleaded for his squad
to come back to the village. It seemed that all the White Ops were a bunch of
cold-hearted bastards, she concluded, knowing why she was so nervous about
Naruto and Sasuke entering the Assassination Corps. Mostly she feared for
Naruto, because his usual bright and loud personality was going to be crushed
by all that hard-ass training.

Bowing in
thanks to the fruit vendor, she made her way through the bustling market
square, waving to people she knew from missions, a few medic colleagues and
some of her patients, who greeted her fondly. True, she had been busy with
field missions and a few night shifts at the hospital, but the now restored
people remembered her cheerful bedside manner and how thorough she had been in
nursing them back to full health.

“Haruno-san!”
called out a lady she knew because of her son, because the little one kept
messing with his Academy training, but nothing more serious than scraped knees
or a few nicks from shuriken and stray kunai.

Waving back
at the lady, she turned her head just in time to collide with a hard form,
sending her fruit flying all over the ground and her landing on her rump
painfully.

“Ouch...”
she groused, rubbing her sore spot before opening her eyes and looking at the
wall she had bumped.

Instead of
a wall, a tall man with raven hair was staring back at her with a sheepish smirk.
He was dressed in black pants and a dark shirt with a wide collar, a hand on
his knee while the other was splayed, its palm up, at her.

“I
apologize, I was not looking where I was going,” he said hastily, blinking his
midnight black eyes and taking in all the fruity mess he had provoked. “Here,
let me help you,” he added, picking the peaches and apples delicately from the
dirt and placing them back in the bag in a few seconds. “Are you okay,
Haruno-san?”

She was
surprised at the effectiveness of his fruit gathering, but she gaped when the
tall man addressed her with her surname.

“How do you
know my name?” she blurted out, watching the man leaning back on her and
offering her his hand. She hesitated for a moment, but seeing how he had picked
up all her purchases she took it, allowing him to pull her up to her feet.

“You are
well known, Haruno-san,” he said with a hint of amusement under his serious
tone as he handed her fruit bag back. “Please forgive me for my clumsiness,” he
continued, bowing at her slightly.

Finally,
taking the style of his clothes and the dark eyes and hair in, Sakura realized
who she was talking to. One of the Uchiha clansmen, a relative of Sasuke. This
was weird, because the entire village knew that the Clan liked to keep to
themselves, hardly leaving their vast District because they had most of
supplies and provisions granted by their own crops and livestock.

“No
problem,” she eventually answered politely, with a little fake smile. “I wasn’t
looking either. And the fruit is fine, so no
harm done, Uchiha-san.”

“I trust
you are not hurt, Haruno-san? The impact was rather harsh, I believe, for I was
almost down on the floor myself.”

Furrowing
her fine brows for a moment, she realized what he was hinting at. “Oh, yes. I’m
fine, Uchiha-san.”

“Yokatta,” he said in relief, displaying
a great change in his features by smiling at her. Sakura was shocked at how
different he looked when he smiled despite how little the gesture was, so she
blinked to get a grip on the rampage going on inside her mind thanks to a
lunatic and hormone-crazed inner personality.

“Thank you
for gathering my fruit,” she said, not being able to slip a smile of her own on
her lips. He nodded, making his short dark locks – pulled into a little ponytail
– fly with the motion.

“There is
no need to thank me, Haruno-san,” he replied with a glint of humor in his tone.
“Now I owe you two.”

“Eh?”

“I am
Uchiha Shisui,” he introduced himself, smirking again good-naturedly. “Nice to
meet you—oh, here it is. I thought I had lost it.”

Bending to
pick up a little parcel, he blew on it to disperse any trace of dirt in the
little white box. “Medicines, why are they so delicate?” he added with a fake
dejected tone, which made Sakura hide a laugh behind a hand.

“Because
they hold health on their little bottles... or pills, whatever the case is,”
she shot back amusedly. He raised a hand to his nape and laughed lightly,
seemingly embarrassed when he realized he was talking about medicines to a
medic.

“Well,
these are pills indeed,” he confided, lowering his voice. “They are for my
cousin, who has been suffering with migraines for
quite a while now. He refuses to go to the hospital, so I’m stuck with his
little display of stubbornness.”

“I’m not
surprised,” she observed with a raised brow. “Most of the people I know refuse
to go to the hospital, even if they’re bleeding to death,” she added, noticing the
hitai-ate on Shisui’s forehead. “So I get a few migraines myself for treating
my patients in any location, because they won’t budge despite how much I argue
with them.”

“Sounds
like my predicament, indeed,” he said with a pained expression, eliciting a
laugh from the pink-haired medic. “I think I’ll snoop half of these for myself,
if this situation keeps on.”

“And why
don’t you force your cousin to go to the hospital? You’re a shinobi,
Uchiha-san. Even if he’s a ninja he should listen to you.”

Shisui
snorted, much to Sakura’s surprise. “Forcing him to go somewhere would be like
asking Yondaime-sama’s stone head to dance the Matsuri,” he said with a devious
smirk. “Besides, I’m too fond of my unscathed state, mind you.”

“Oh come
on, Uchiha-san, it shouldn’t be that bad,” she laughed, shifting her bag from
hand to hand. “What about the Clan’s medics? I’ve been told that they’re quite
skilled.”

“They are,
yes,” he said, the humor in his seemingly blank façade seeping through his
voice as he looked up to the Hokage Monument thoughtfully. “However, they
haven’t been able to locate the reason of my poor cousin’s headaches, much to
their complete frustration.”

“They
haven’t?” Sakura repeated, blinking in surprise, leaning back when he turned to
look at her with wide eyes.

“Can I owe
you another thing, Haruno-san, if you agree to help us with this predicament?”
he said, as she started. “I’m sure you can alleviate his migraines – and mine –
with a quick examination.”

Sakura
seemed shocked with the unexpected petition. “Err... I don’t do house calls,
Uchiha-san--”

“Please,
Haruno-san, I humbly request this of you,” he bowed again, a little more deeply
than his last. “My family would be deeply grateful for your assistance in this
matter.”

She sighed,
hanging her head in defeat. “...Fine, Uchiha-san. Tell your cousin to go to my
office tomorrow and I’ll check him up. I have the day off today, and--”

“You have
the day off? Most excellent!” he exclaimed, changing his features again with a surprised
smile that threw her off balance. “Haruno-san, please come with me now. I beg
for your assistance in this very moment. My cousin had been suffering this pain
for far too long, and to tell you the truth my patience is wearing thin.”

She tried
to hide her laugh, but Shisui’s anxious face was too comical for her.

“So he’s
being a pain, huh? I wonder if your cousin is one of my teammates,” she said
sarcastically.

“I wouldn’t
know, Haruno-san, we Uchiha are quite the lot.”

Both
laughed at his unexpected remark. Sakura had to lean over to hide her mirth, her
face flushing with the humor that coursed through her.

“Oh, fine,
Uchiha-san, you win,” she gasped, trying to regain her composure. “To tell you
the truth, you are the first of your Clan that had been friendly to me, so I’ll
consent to your wish. But, you will do something for me in return, okay?”

“I am most
grateful, Haruno-san! You just name it and I’ll grant your request.”

“Sa-ku-ra,”
she said playfully, enunciating all the syllables of her name. “My name is
Sakura, Uchiha-san.”

He nodded,
smiling pleasantly. “Very well, Sakura-san. But you must address me by my name
as well.”

“Deal,” she
laughed as he extended a hand towards the street, falling into step beside her.
“So your cousin has severe migraines?” she asked, entering into medic mode. “When
did they start? How long they last? Had he been under stress lately?”

“A long
time, I wouldn’t know and yes, always,” Shisui shot back, slipping his hands on
his pants pockets, walking slowly but with long strides. “He’s a very
accomplished ninja, you see. His skills are quite in demand by our village’s
customers.”

Sakura
pursed her lips. “I know the type,” she mused aloud. “My Team Leader is quite
famous because of his abilities as well.”

“Who is
your Team Leader?” he asked curiously. She sighed again, exasperated.

“He’s a
good-for-nothing pervert, but he’s one of Konoha’s main assets. He’s also known
by his penchant of walking with his nose buried in a book and his tardiness...”

“Hatake
Kakashi?”

Her laugh
served as an affirmation, as she transferred her bag to the other hand.

“Yeah, he’s
my Team Leader and former sensei. And he’s also my main migraine inducer as he
runs away from the hospital when the opportunity is at hand.”

“My father
was like that until he met my mother,” Shisui said. “She knocked him out and
dragged him back to the hospital once, and apparently this was the reason he
chose to marry her.”

Sakura let
out an unladylike snort. “A lovely woman indeed! I’d shake her hand if I meet
her. We need more medics like her, that’s for sure!”

“They
passed away, but they lived a great life together,” he said with a pensive but
fond smile. “I’m proud of being their son. I can only hope they’re in a better
place now.”

“I’m sorry,
Shisui-san,” Sakura offered, touched by his wistful remembrance. He nodded in
thanks, as they walked in a comfortable silence.

After a
while, she was the one who spoke. “I lost my parents too. And illness took them
away from me. But somehow I know they are fine now.”

“I’m sorry
for your loss, Sakura-san,” he said politely, and she smiled appreciatively. “Oh,
we are here. Welcome to the Uchiha District,” he added, waving a hand to the
sentinel who nodded back.

Sakura
stood speechless. She had passed near the walls of the District, but she had
never entered it. When Sasuke was needed for a mission or for training, it was
Naruto or Kakashi who went to contact him. On one occasion, the three of them
stood in front of the Uchiha gates, but they had been denied entrance, one of
the sentinels going to retrieve their teammate for an emergency mission in the
middle of the night.

Sasuke had
emerged from the District, looking a bit drowsy but downright disgruntled.
However, he went with them, recovering the scroll and pulling a great battle
with the enemy shinobi that had stole it in the first place.

On that
mission, Sakura only treated her teammates, once again watching them from the
sidelines as they did all the work.

And after
they came back to the village, Sasuke turned her down, as usual.

Sakura
gritted her teeth in annoyance at herself. How stupid she had been. She had the
massive strength from her mentor and yet again she had been protected by her
teammates, leaving her behind. She had impressive chakra control and yet she
had been underestimated because of her gender and soft personality.

Well, fuck
that. She was going to show how much fire she had in her spirit from now on.

“Sakura-san?”

A deep
voice broke her from her reverie. Snapping her head, she looked at her guide.

“You looked
a bit upset for a moment. Are you alright?” Shisui asked, his eyes showing his
concern for a moment. Sakura shook her head, offering him a sheepish smile.

“Sorry, I
was remembering something.”

“I see,” he
answered, as he pointed at a building they were passing. “Our shrine,” he
explained. “Our Clan is devoted to the Gods, making offerings to ensure a good
return of our people from their daily tasks or missions.”

“Interesting,”
she murmured, feeling a lot like a fish out of the water. The shrine was impeccable,
with dark blue and red flags hanging on its entrance. An old lady was sweeping
the stone front yard, with the traditional sweep made of bamboo, while a young
man ran on the engawa, a rag on his hands, cleaning it in its proper but surely
uncomfortable manner.

Sakura then
took the time to look around her. Several people was minding their own
business, tending to their task as if no one was observing them. A man was
sharpening a kunai with a stone, his eyes closed as he went through the
practiced and repetitive motions. A young girl was mending the hood of a black
cloak, humming softly to herself as the needle came and went. An old lady waved
at Shisui, nodding in greeting at the pink-haired medic as her wrinkled hands
never stopped their movements in the refining of the flour on a well-used stone
mill.

“Almost
there,” he said lightly, keeping his guest entertained by pointing at several
interesting things to see on their walk to his cousin. “I’m certain that he
won’t like my intruding in his affairs, but I’m past caring if he’s offended,
to be honest.”

“Sounds
about right,” she answered with a little smile. “Are you sure you don’t know
Sasuke-kun?”

“Sasuke?”
he repeated, tilting his head in thought. “I think so. We’re too many to keep
count, you know.”

Somehow she
knew he was blatantly lying, but she didn’t care. Shisui was about the only
Uchiha she had met that hadn’t treated her like a peasant or a doormat. Even
Sasuke had so much arrogance in his way to carry himself; she had only
concluded that all the Uchiha clan was a lot of arrogant and holier-than-thou
bastards.

But now she
was walking among Uchiha with the most kind Uchiha she had ever known. Surely
the world was coming to an end, Sakura thought with dry amusement.

“Ah, here
we are,” he finally said, stopping in front of a house that was surely bigger
than others they had encountered in their way. “Shall we?”

She only
nodded, busy as she was with all the observing. “What a beautiful house,” she
murmured in awe. A sturdy, traditional manor with a large engawa and white
shoji doors, but the walls were painted in sandy yellow and dark blue with the
Uchiha fan crest from time to time. Seeing the crest repeatedly since she had
entered the District in different ways and profuse blazoned signs – not that
they were proud of their roots, of course
not – the way the emblem played with the decoration colors was rather sober
but elegant, in her secret opinion.

Sakura
absentmindedly heard Shisui talking to the maid that had emerged from the
manor, asking for his cousin in a low whisper. The woman bowed deeply – a sign
of how well-bred the seasoned woman was – to him and then to her, to Sakura’s
inward surprise.

Following
the maid to the garden in the back of the house, she took the time to observe
how pristine clean was everything. Pictures, scrolls and portraits littered the
walls--

She stopped
abruptly when her eyes fixed on a large family photo. A woman with warm eyes and
equal smile was sitting on a chair, with a man with a stern façade and three younglings:
two boys of apparently twelve years old at the most, smiling briefly at the
camera from the woman’s sides while the other child was soundly asleep in his
mother’s arms.

She could
recognize that spiky hair anywhere. The slumbering child was Sasuke.

Trailing
her gaze to Shisui, she was regarded with a sheepish smile and a hand on his
neck, clearly embarrassed and a tad uncomfortable.

Looking
back at the picture, she could recognize one of the youngsters as Shisui, and
the other one was--

“Shisui,
what brings you here?” a blank voice sounded from the garden door. Snapping her
head at the newcomer, her eyes went wide when she realized who the other boy in
the picture was.

No other
than Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke’s older brother.

“Ah,
Itachi! I was in the market when I ran into Haruno-san... and I asked her to
come here to look at your migraines, since you seem to be quite in pain.”

The vacant look
on the tall, raven-haired man was none akin to a pained one, she thought as he
slid his gaze to hers, promptly narrowing his eyes slightly when he saw her
standing next to the family portrait.

“I believe
I only asked you to pick up the pills, Shisui,” he finally said in a detached
tone. “Not to trick a medic to come here to look at my head.”

Emerald
eyes narrowed in anger, snapping to the other Uchiha, who was sporting a
comical look of fear on his face.

“I can’t
believe it,” a low feminine voice cut off Shisui’s attempt to explain. “And
here I thought you were the only kind Uchiha. You tricked me! You, you--”

“I’m so sorry,
Sakura-san!” he quickly blurted out, bowing deeply at her. “I knew you weren’t
going to come if you knew who my cousin was, and I knew Itachi wouldn’t approve
of me bringing another medic here. I’m a ninja, and ninja tricks others, am I
right?”

Sakura’s
palm met her forehead in frustration. “Of course I would have come!” she
snapped at the surprised but cowering man. “You requested a medic and here I am!
I’ll settle my score with you later, because this house is way too beautiful to
rattle if I punch your body through its walls.”

Shisui
winced visibly, his face lowered in shame. “I apologize, Sakura-san, I only did
what I judged appropriate for my cousin’s wellbeing.”

“I did not
need your meddling, Shisui,” the other Uchiha deadpanned, crossing his arms on
his chest in a rather intimidating manner.

“Oh,
bullshit, Itachi!” the other snapped, surprising the medic as he straightened.
He was taller than Sasuke’s aniki, his body a bit more sturdy and broad than
Itachi’s lean and slender form. “I’ve had enough of your brooding and your
migraines! I tricked Sakura-san because you have been nothing but a pain in
these past months! You will allow her to check up on you or I’m filing a squad
change request tomorrow!”

A tense
silence ensued after Shisui’s outburst. Distinctive chakra signatures rolled
out from their forms, making Sakura’s impeccable but slow memory to remember
where she had encountered them.

Both Uchiha
turned their heads to a low growl coming from the livid pink-haired kunoichi,
who was clenching her fists in order to control her anger, her mind suddenly
realizing why Shisui was referring to ‘owing her one’. “You-- you are the ANBU
Captain-- And you are the other one what thanked me in the forest--”

Shisui
blanched, astounded at her blunt but spot on conclusion. “Sakura-san, I--”

She whipped
a hand up to shut him up. “I came here and I met none other than the Uchiha
Heir and now I realize who you really are,” she hissed, grinding her teeth. “I
would have forgiven a trick, but not a lie. I’m out of here.”

“Sakura-san,
please understand--”

“No, I
won’t understand!” she finally exclaimed, allowing her rage to seep on her
aura. “You lied to me! And you!” she pointed at a poker-faced Itachi. “You got
me in trouble with Tsunade-shishou! I knew you weren’t going back to the
village like I told you to, but you forced my Team Leader to snitch on me!”

“I merely
provided him with the regular procedures,” he answered smoothly, not even
paying attention to her angry splutter. “You defied me in front of my
teammates. I was not about to let it go. Besides, if I were the one telling to
the Hokage about your display, I am sure you would be locked up in a cell right
now.”

Shisui
watched nervously how Sakura’s face went from flushed with rage to pale white.
Her eyes were wide in surprise, but something in her stance told him she was on
the verge of attacking.

“Itachi,
what is done is done,” he tried, but the younger Uchiha didn’t pay any
attention to his cousin. “I’ll lead Sakura-san back to the gates--”

“She is not
going anywhere.”

Sakura
froze in her anger.

“What?”
Shisui asked, clearly confused by this unexpected turn of events.

“You
tricked her into coming here. She came to heal a patient, so she won’t leave
until she does so. She can pummel you afterwards.”

“Itachi, I
don’t think that’s such a good--”

“I’ll do
it,” Sakura cut the elder Uchiha off with her cold answer. She had seen the
challenging glint in his dark eyes when she was about to maul him for his
scathing remark, as if he was daring her to do it. Then she thought she saw a
flash of amusement at her shock when he stopped his cousin from driving her
away.

He was
mocking her. He was nothing but amused at her fury.

And just
like when the competition with her teammates starts to get a little brash, she
allowed a smirk to curl minutely on her lips. Sakura wasn’t about to back down from
a challenge so easily, even if the proverbial gauntlet was laid by the one and
only Uchiha Itachi.

“I’m sure
you are in pain, Uchiha-san,” she drawled detachedly. “I’m sure we can make you
feel better.”

Watching
them stare at each other with narrowed eyes and dangerous intent on their
auras, Shisui wisely kept his mouth shut, sighing to himself.

-XxX-

AN: I’m completely sure that Itachi is OOC, so
there’s no need to point that out. Just bear with me for a while, aye?
Who else is
surprised by Shisui’s appearance? My beta surely did a double-take, hahaha!
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