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
- 8
- 9
- 10
Chapter 9: Human Behavior

-X-

A thoroughly
stumped and dumbfounded Haruno Sakura spent the rest of the week trying to
figure out what had possessed the Uchiha Heir to kiss her senseless like he
did.

Especially,
when he had left in such a – dare she say – hurried
and determined manner?

When Naruto
appeared that very night with ramen takeout she didn’t protest when her blond
and obnoxious brother tried to cheer her by telling her how he had pounded
Sasuke into oblivion for making a nasty comment about her sanction. Sakura only
sighed and shook her head, chastising the foxy ninja half-heartedly.

“Oi, Sakura-chan,” Naruto locked her eyes with those bright
blue orbs of his in a piercing gave. “Are you okay? You seem kinda...off.”

“...Yeah,
I’m fine, Naruto,” she lied hastily, plastering a fake smile on her face. “I’m
just bored to be locked up here.”

“But... but
we can take care of that, Sakura-chan!” the young man bounced enthusiastically
in his seat. “Let’s go for a spar tomorrow, just you and me! No Sasuke-teme and no Kakashi-sensei, and I’ll even let you
break my bones!”

Sakura let
out a giggle that escalated into a full-blown laughter, recalling the last time
she had punished Naruto by punching him and sending him straight to a massive wall.

Of course,
she had healed him afterwards, but the blond had been so sweet for letting her
vent by using him as a punching bag that she felt she owed him a ramen treat,
at least.

Agreeing to
his invitation she strode the streets swiftly, intent on meeting with her brother
in order to let out some steam. While it was true that she could train on her
own, Sakura didn't know how far the Uchiha grapevine reached. As such, she
preferred to perform her katas and meditation in the
privacy of her backyard before someone scolded or punished her for training
even though she was suspended.

Especially
because Sakura wanted to avoid any and all men who answered to the Uchiha
surname.

Shisui had
slipped a note under her door, saying that while she probably didn't want to
see anyone from his family – and how right he was! – he just wanted to let her
know that he was checking up on her and offering to help her with anything she
needed.

It was very
sweet and thoughtful of him, and it reminded Sakura how different Shisui was
from the rest of his family. It specifically reminded her of how different he
was from the one who was supposed to be her teammate and friend.

Sasuke
hadn't dropped by, nor had he asked about her since Naruto told him about her
sanction.

Shaking her
head, she made her way to the woods well beyond the KIA Monument to the
gigantic waterfall that Naruto said the ANBU Yamato had made, knowing that
Naruto was probably already there. Sakura decided to surprise him and jumped
into the trees, bouncing from branch to branch with her chakra masked
towards the rendezvous point.

She arrived at the specified location, only to find two cloaked people
cornering a rather anxious and angry Naruto.

Pressing
her lips together to swallow her gasp, she surrounded the clearing, trying to
get a full view of the unknown and most likely opponents. Covered with black
cloaks with red clouds, she realized that these two weren’t the average opponents.

Akatsuki.

“So, are
you going to come with us or I start destroying your village, hmm?” asked one
of them, a blond man with his long hair gathered on a topknot.

“Let the
boy make up his mind, Deidara,” a raspy voice filtered from the other nin. Narrowing her eyes, she only could make out a rather
peculiar figure, short stature with a wide body. Knowing that it was just a disguise,
especially with that weird tail that
showed from beneath the cloak, she saw the short one advance towards Naruto.
“But I don’t like to wait for too long. What is it going to be, jinchuuriki?”

To Sakura’s
surprise, Naruto closed his eyes.

“I’ll go. Just...
don’t harm the village.”

“Like hell I’m going to let you go like that!”
Sakura flipped, landing behind the two Akatsuki. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Naruto?!”

“Go away!”
he yelled, his blue eyes wide with fear. “These two aren’t playing,
Sakura-chan! They can destroy the village just like they did to the Ojiji’s Palace!”

“Then why
the hell aren’t you fighting to protect it?!” she yelled back, pulling her
gloves on hastily. “Are you going to give up without a fight, baka?!”

Naruto
perked up like he had been struck, narrowing his eyes at Deidara.

“I think
she’s right, yeah,” the Iwa nukenin drawled, amused. “But it would be better
for us if you’re out cold. I could give you a ride inside the beak of my bird,
yeah.”

Naruto
growled, but a sudden explosion beneath him made him activate the springs in
his feet. Sakura had stomped the ground, and he knew she was looking for
revenge after the episode at the Daimyo’s Palace. “Why don't you go to hell,
bastard?”

At the
other side of the clearing, Sakura confronted her opponent.

“So you are
the one that injured Kisame,” the short, weird man said emotionlessly. “The
Hokage’s apprentice.”

“In the
flesh,” she sneered, avoiding a few senbon whipped at her by the strange tail.
“Why don’t you introduce yourself? I fail to recognize people when they have a
mask on.”

“Akasuna no
Sasori,” the nukenin said with a husky murmur. “You have a lot of guts to
injure one of the Seven Swordsmen of Mist, kunoichi. You were lucky that
someone saved your little life before he maimed you.”

“I assure
you, I was rather disgruntled for the interruption,” she hissed before
back-flipping to avoid yet another ruthless attack from her enemy. Rebounding,
she launched two tagged kunai. The ensuing explosion was dimmed by another one,
that coming from the airborne blond nukenin fighting her fox brother.

“Pay
attention, kunoichi, otherwise you’ll be dead before you get to see my real
face,” Sasori said raspily, attacking her with a barrage of weapons. Jumping
and deflecting as much as she could, she heard him laughing softly again. “Nice
evasive moves, girl. But you are dead already.”

“What the
fuck do you mean?” she demanded, landing heavily on her feet. The man let out
another cold snicker.

“Your face, pretty kunoichi. One of my poisoned weapons grazed you.”

“Tch, poison,” she spat angrily, wiping the thin drop of
blood on her cheek. “Like something like that
would stop me!”

Stomping
the ground again, Sakura leapt off the rumbling earth as a huge hole broke
below her opponent, swallowing him whole. She swiveled her head to check up on
Naruto, who was sporting a rather reddish look on his eyes. She gasped, knowing
what that meant.

“NARUTO!”
she yelled frantically. “Don’t lose it! Focus!!”

But as
another explosion filled the air, the ground under her gave way as well and a
bunch of puppets sprang out from below, attacking her mercilessly. A few gashes
later, she landed near a large tree, panting heavily. Something was off with
her body; she could feel it. The poison was acting fast enough that her
normally sharp reflexes felt dulled, slowed down somewhat.

“Che, and here I thought I could get back at you for what
you did to me, little bitch,” another raspy and familiar voice entered her head,
forcing her to look up at the tree. A large, blue-skinned man was leaning on
the trunk, wearing a disappointed frown. “I don’t think Sasori would mind if I
kill you before he makes a cute puppet out of your corpse.”

“Go fuck
yourself, sushi-pack,” she panted, focusing on the scorpion-like form that was
barely hid by the dark Akatsuki cloak thanks to her. “I’m a little busy now.”

“See, keep
saying things like that and you’ll be killed in the blink of an eye,” the
shark-nin reprimanded, shrugging. “If you allowed him to poison you, you are
most surely done for. That’s a shame.”

“What side
are you on?” she heard Sasori asking him in a different but still cold voice.
Green eyes widened when she took in the form that was slowly unfolding itself
from the scorpion puppet. A man with red hair and cold grey eyes was standing
up from the puppet’s back, as if this was the most normal thing to do in the
world.

“Your side,
Sasori-san, of course,” Kisame
snickered sarcastically, jumping down the tree and placing himself behind the
pink-haired medic. “But as you can understand, I owe this little spitfire for
what she did to me. I had to go all the way to Nami
to find a medic willing to treat me.”

“That does
not concern me, Kisame-san,” Sasori retorted tersely. “I won’t allow you to
interfere with our battle.”

“Then it’s
a good thing that there are more opponents to choose from,” another deep and
detached voice sounded behind Kisame, startling him. Sakura had to admit that
the sight of three Uchiha clansmen standing in full gear was most welcome,
given the current situation that was almost drowning her in stress and worry.

Kisame
snickered loudly, grabbing his sword and jumping straight towards Uchiha
Itachi, who merely leapt back in order to have enough room for the impending
battle between them. Sasuke looked at her, flicking his gaze towards the
blonds' battle as well.

“Go,
Sasuke,” she said with determination. “He needs you now.”

He nodded
firmly after a bit of hesitation, understanding what she was saying. ‘Don’t you dare help.
This is my battle.’

As Shisui
shifted his weight from one leg to the other, she clenched her fists.

“Go help
Naruto, Shisui-san,” she motioned, pinning her opponent with a hard glare as
she adjusted her gloves and slipped into a battle stance. “I’ll call if I need
any help.”

“Of course,
Sakura-san,” he said airily, regarding her with his Sharingan activated. “Make
sure you don’t take too long.”

“I’ll try
my best,” she responded as she lifted her foot once more and slammed it onto
the ground at the very same time that Shisui leapt towards Deidara, but
suddenly another masked, cloaked nin interfered,
ensuing another harsh fight.

“Are you
willing to pay attention to me now?” Sasori deadpanned gravelly, sending
another barrage of puppets towards her. No matter how many she deflected and
avoided, there was always another one behind them to attempt to hurt her.

Damn, she thought, frustrated. If I don’t do something soon, I’ll...

She didn’t
finish her own thought. She was really worried about Naruto, but the battle
against the Puppet Master was one that demanded her full attention. The poison
was working rapidly inside her system, but she didn’t have any antidote she
could activate with her dwindling chakra to delay its effect until she went to
her mentor.

She figured
that Tsunade and Shizune could counteract the poison, but she needed to break
out and send her opponent to his merry way first... just like--

A memory
flashed through her mind, and Sakura remembered a shotgun mission she did with
her team. Sasuke and Naruto were in the middle of the fray, rescuing the
daughter of one of the minor Fire Daimyo, when she got cornered by
approximately a dozen of enemy nin. Thinking fast and showing them why she was
a Jounin, she summoned Kakashi’s pack of dogs, unleashing them on her enemies
and working with them as they chewed, one by one, their opponents down.

Grabbing
her little scroll from her pouch and thanking her foresight to put it in when
she was preparing for her sparring session with Naruto, she used a gash on the
back of her hand to perform the Kuchiyose no Jutsu.

Pakkun
appeared accompanied by the rest of the pack, understanding the situation in
the blink of an eye. Spreading swiftly like the ninja familiars they were, the
powerful canines started to chomp down on Sasori’s puppets, while she dealt
with others with the sheer strength of her fists as the petite pug disappeared
to get back-up.

Sasori
didn’t seem to acknowledge the dogs; he was so focused on keeping the
pink-haired kunoichi in sight as he continued sending puppet after puppet at
her. The only thing that could be heard was the clash of metal, great
explosions and the dull noises that the empty dolls made when she flung them to
the uneven ground.

However,
Sakura’s strength was waning at an alarming rate. The poison was too ingrained
in her system now, and she feared a collapse when she sent yet another wooden
doll to the ground. But suddenly Pakkun came back with Kakashi, Yamato and
Tsunade herself in tow, along with a large group of shinobi that didn't think
twice about jumping ahead and cornering the Akatsuki members.

“Thank
Kami,” she breathed in relief when Yamato leapt to continue her battle with his
early opponent while Kakashi went to assist Shisui with his.

Knowing themselves
outnumbered, the four Akatsuki nukenin gathered in front of the Konoha ninjas,
one of them speaking on their behalf.

“You did
well today in protecting your weapon,” a smooth, deep masculine voice filtered
through an orange, swirled mask. “Let’s see if you can keep a close eye on him
in the future. Good day, Tsunade-san.”

“What the
fuck!” Sakura heard the blonde Hokage shout as the four enemies clasped their
hands simultaneously, teleporting away. But the pink-haired woman's senses were
dulling more and more as she started to collapse, someone broke her fall
gently, cushioning her battered body as they lowered her onto the broken dirt.

“Sakura!” a
faint feminine voice demanded, but she was much too dizzy to identify it now.

“Poison...”
she whispered, finally falling into oblivion.

-X-

Sakura
awoke thanks to the golden light filtering through the curtains. Letting out a
groan, she tried to sit up when a deep, familiar voice stopped her from doing
so.

“Please
don't move, Sakura-san,” Shisui said from the threshold of the door. Looking
around, she noticed with relief that she was still in her own room. She
furrowed her brow in confusion when she looked at the man entering her room
with a light bow.

“What are
you doing here?” she asked in a husky murmur, prompting the man to walk quickly
to her and offer a glass of fresh water. She drank slowly, grateful for his
help. “I thought you would be in the hospital.”

“We were
released two days ago,” the elder Uchiha said as he crouched next to her bed. “You
were still under observation, but Tsunade-sama said it would be best if you
were treated in your own home. Shizune-san left a little while ago, after she
checked up on you.”

Sakura made
a noise to let him know she knew what he was referring to. In her soothing and
sedate manner, Shizune said it was a nasty poison. Thankfully she had all the
herbs to make the antidote. Funny enough, one of them was one Sakura had in her
garden. She smiled faintly, recalling what the dark-haired poison expert said
when she came for the ingredient she grew at her own home. “So nothing was
found on the battleground?”

“Not yet. We’ve been combing the area, but
it's just a matter of time until those bastards show up again,” Shisui said
with a light shrug and a frown. “Tsunade-sama is so relieved that you and
Naruto-kun were okay that I think she forgot about reproving you for your
actions.”

“Your
actions helped save your nakama,” another
voice sounded behind Shisui. Sakura’s eyes widened when she took in the sight
of Uchiha Itachi leaning on the doorjamb. “It was a good thing you managed to
delay one of them long enough for others to realize you were missing.”

“But I
wasn’t missing, I was going to spar with Naruto--” she protested weakly.

“He was
called for a mission with us; that is why we had to track him down,” Shisui
piped in lightly, looking a little bit wary of the sudden narrowing of Itachi's
eyes when his cousin locked eyes with Sakura.

“Is either
of you injured?” she asked softly, avoiding the younger Uchiha’s stare. “You
should be resting, those fights surely were harsh.”

“Ever the
thoughtful medic, Sakura-san!” Shisui said with one of his perplexing smiles.
“Do not worry on our account though, Itachi and I are sound. Only you were the
one that took the most injuries of our party, since your opponent was the most
vicious one.”

“Shisui,
don’t you have to visit someone?” Itachi asked suddenly, startling him. “I heard
that Inuzuka-san returned from her mission last night.”

Sakura
smiled when said Uchiha frowned and colored slightly. “How do you know Hana is
back?”

“I have my
sources,” his cousin shot back with a faint curve of his lips. “You might want
to go visit or Tsume-san would consider not giving
any more credibility to your courting.”

“...Fuck
you, Itachi,” Shisui growled in annoyance, rising from his place next to
Sakura's bed. “I have to go, Sakura-san, I’ll come back later if you’ll allow
me.”

“Thank you
for your concern, Shisui-san,” she intoned in a fond murmur. “Say hello to
Hana-chan for me, please.”

The
raven-haired man startled at her words, frowning, almost pouting comically to the prostrate medic. “I think you should
consider applying for ANBU, you seem to pick up on nasty mind manipulations quite
swiftly. Ibiki-san would be really happy to have you in his department.”

Sakura
merely laughed silently, grimacing in pain when the muscles on her stomach protested
for the sudden movement. Itachi noticed, but waited for his cousin to depart.

A sudden
silence fell on the room after they heard the main door closing behind Shisui,
leaving them alone.

“How is
Naruto?” she asked.

“He's at
home,” the Uchiha responded easily, arms crossed over his chest. Still, he made
no move to enter her room. “It's been two and a half weeks since the Akatsuki
infiltrated the village.”

“...Bloody hell.”

The man
nodded curtly. Sakura sighed, swallowing a groan.

It was
silent until she tisked and lifted a green glowing hand, placing it over her
own stomach. She noticed that Itachi was still there, watching her carefully examine
herself with her chakra and soothing the soreness from her stomach.

“I will be
okay now,” she said after enduring his heavy gaze for a while longer. “You
should be on your way as well. You wouldn’t want to be caught in my company.”

“And why
would I care if someone sees us, Sakura?” he asked smoothly. Her eyes flickered
to him briefly before lowering. She felt no desire to spill the full story and
relate the horrible moment in which his father insulted her.

“...I
really think you should go,” she pressed firmly, though her blazing cheeks told
another story. Itachi had already noticed her sudden withdrawal. He was almost
expecting her to yell at him for being in her house, but this reaction firmly
supported a theory that was building inside his brilliant head.

“Alright,”
he relented after a long moment of observation without her raising her eyes to
meet his. “I will leave you to your own devices. However, you are not to leave
your bed until Shizune-san or the Hokage says so. Those were her personal orders.”

“And since
when ANBU Captains are personal nurses to mere Jounin?” she snapped, already
annoyed by the heat stubbornly plastered into her face.

Itachi
smirked faintly.

“Since I came here to talk to you.”

Sakura
gaped at him.

At the same
time, something burst inside her, the anger and the confusion she was feeling
since he'd left her that night after that slow kiss, so full of fire and desire.

“Just who
the hell do you think you are?” she demanded, sitting up on her bed without
even realizing that her clothes had been changed into a large dark t-shirt she
stole from Kakashi. The collar was loose enough that her shoulder was bare due
to the fabric slipping down. “First you kiss me and then you leave like I was
some sort of--just--what the hell are you doing with me? Don't you have a Clan
to lead, a fanclub to attend to?”

“I would
not know about the fanclub, and I do not lead the Uchiha Clan. At least, not at
the moment,” he rebuked her words easily and calmly. All the same, Sakura wasn’t
too keen on having him loitering about in her home any longer. “I want to know
what they said while we weren’t there.”

“Wha--Why?”
she asked, watching him warily as Itachi strolled casually to her window.

“The Kiri
nukenin said a few things regarding the Akatsuki organization that I need to
arrange before drawing a definite conclusion,” he explained, looking as relaxed
as if he owned her own room. “Hoshigake Kisame taunted me with his Leader being
really interested in my skills.”

Sakura
gaped again, this time more openly. Why he was telling her this?

Itachi
glanced at her over his shoulder. She didn't seem aware that she’d voiced her
internal question, making her sound concerned. Worried.

“I need you
to tell me, Sakura,” he pressed quietly, leaning on her window. “Something is
brewing around Naruto-kun and I’m positive you can feel it. You are his best
friend.”

“You are
wrong,” she said in an angry whisper. “I am not Naruto’s best friend. Your
brother is. I am Naruto’s sister. And
I will do whatever it takes to protect him.”

Uchiha
Itachi’s lips curved slowly in a little smile.

“I did not
expect anything less from your bond, Sakura,” he answered. “Now, tell me what
Akasuna no Sasori told you.”

Rolling her
eyes openly, she informed him of all the taunts her wooden opponent had thrown
her way in the heat of the battle, something about Akatsuki's goals and the
absolute conquest of the Shinobi Countries.

A dark
glint shone in Itachi’s eyes, making her shiver slightly. Sakura sat up on her
bed.

“They’re
after Naruto... because of the Kyuubi, aren’t they?”

The Uchiha
nodded curtly.

Sakura hid
her face in her hands. “By the Gods...”

Everything
made sense now, and painfully so. Naruto was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Therefore,
it was just a matter of time until he was hunted down by the power-hungry
nukenin. Her blood ran cold as she grasped the very magnitude of the situation.

Her brother
was in unspeakable danger, even in his own village.

“We will do
whatever it takes to protect our comrades,” Itachi said from his perch on her
window, his arms still crossed. “However, if the Elders’ Council sees him as a
liability to the village's security—“

“No!” she cut him off anxiously, her face
flushing in frustration, rage and apprehension. “I would die defending Naruto
from everyone, even the Council if I have to!”

Itachi
nodded. “I realize that. And I’m sure most of your friends would do the same,
as would I.”

Sakura
gasped, staring at the Uchiha Heir with wide eyes. “Why?” she asked. “He’s not
your friend...”

“He is
still a valuable asset to Konoha, and our nakama. I will defend him just
because of that.”

The
kunoichi sighed deeply, trying to control her uncontrolled urge to cry.
Lowering her eyes, she realized that he was leaning somewhat awkwardly on the
windowsill. His position indicated that he was injured.

“You were wounded,” she murmured softly,
leaping at the opportunity to change the subject. “Let me see.”

“I have
been healed by Shizune-san,” he said calmly, but already making his way towards
her. “It is of no importance.”

Sakura was
not to be dissuaded; her mind was already set on seeing to his injuries.
As he pulled up his shirt, she placed her hands on his torso and gathered her
chakra. The effort it took made her wince noticeably. He was well on his way to
a complete recovery, but she could ‘see’ that some of the wounds were sore from
his wandering around. Flooding her hands with medical energy, she soothed him
smoothly with the passing of her delicate fingers.

“All set,” she
whispered, not daring to lift her gaze to meet his. “You should rest too; you
aren’t completely healed yet...”

Two
extended fingers took her chin gently and lifted her face to his. Itachi’s gaze
was intent and somewhat dark with something she couldn’t identify, but the
intensity in his eyes made her blush.

“I want you
to rest,” he murmured softly. “We are going to need your skills soon.”

“Wha--” she
started to say, but the way he trailed his fingertips over her cheek before he
stood up and made his way to the door rendered her speechless once again.

“Do not
worry, Sakura. We will work everything out.”

Suddenly,
she felt the need to believe him.

-XxX-

AN: Seriously, I’m updating this because my beta
cheered me enough to do it. I am not happy at
all with this chapter. I just want to get to the main theme of the story,
so I’ll have to ask for your forgiveness on this half-assed attempt of a
chapter. Instead of placing this story on hiatus, I’ll try to pull those five
chapters left the best way I can. After talking to my beta, I felt it was the
best thing I could do; otherwise this would be my first abandoned project.

Anyway, I
hope you enjoyed this and if you didn’t, I apologize. Sadly, Itachi’s outcome
in the manga made me lose all inspiration for this
fandom. I’m deeply thankful for the attention and the love all of you have
given to this little story; I was certainly overwhelmed and I still am. Because
of that, I can assure you this fanfiction will be
completed. Hopefully, by the end of this year.

I’d like to
give my love and many thanks to Rapturesrevenge, who
was kind enough to fill in for Sometime.Usagi, who
for work-related issues had to step down of the beta position. I love her
anyway, haha! The Bunny Lady knows this is mainly for
her, so I hope she appreciates this effort, hehe.
Give Music Lady a good shout out!

Thanks for
reading!
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