Chapter 3: Operation Itachi

"Itachi-san, would you like to join me for lunch?" asks a random girl from the street.

Sasuke and Itachi are on their way home after eating at a restaurant. His brother's treat, he said, after failing his mission to deliver the bento to Sakura.

He did not fail. He did deliver the bento. She just didn't know it.

Sasuke examines the girl curiously, wondering if she's sick. She's blushing to the tips of her ears and she keeps sighing dreamily at Itachi.

"No," says his brother, before turning away from the girl, leaving.

Sasuke follows after Itachi and jumps in surprise when a 'Kyaaa!' sound comes out of the girl's mouth. He looks over his shoulder to see her staring at Itachi with adoring eyes.

What the hell is wrong with her?

"What's with her?" asks Sasuke.

Itachi glances at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" Sasuke says, recalling the girl's face. "She was red and she kept sighing. And then she made that noise." He scrunches his nose. "Is she sick?"

Itachi chuckles at his brother's innocence. "I suppose she likes me."

"Likes you?"

"Yes. Romantically."

Now it's Sasuke's turn to blush.

Romantic? Like how he likes-?

Sasuke shakes his head furiously.

No no. That's not how he likes Sakura. He doesn't blush around her. He doesn't scream or sigh around her. Sakura's a friend. She's a friend.

She. Is. A. Friend.

Then he remembers.

Not anymore, thinking of the time he accidentally called Sakura an idiot.

He sighs. "How did you get her to like you?" Maybe he needs to work to get Sakura to like him again, have her call him Sasuke-kun again.

He was the only one she addressed with that honorific. Maybe that means something.

His brother has to know how he got that girl to like her.

"I don't know, otouto." Sasuke pouts at his answer.

But…

Maybe he could follow his brother around and find out how that girl liked him.

His brother is a great ninja though, so Sasuke has to be as sneaky as he can be.

Right. Operation Itachi will now commence!

From 6:00 to 9:00 in the morning, Itachi trains himself to death in the training grounds. After that, he leaves the training grounds to go to his favorite vendor to buy dango.

Trains early in the morning, likes dango, writes Sasuke in his notepad.

He hides behind a tree because this is a covert mission. He has to know why that girl has romantic feelings for his brother so he can make Sakura like him too.

He blushes at the thought.

But enough about that! He has to watch his brother who is still eating dango-

Itachi disappeared!

Sasuke comes out of his hiding place to find him. He looks around to search for long black hair tied to the back but he sees nothing.

He runs to the vendor to ask where his brother went but the vendor only said that he disappeared so suddenly he doesn't have a clue where he went.

And so Sasuke searches for Itachi for hours. He only finds him again when he hears 'Kyaaa!'

He sees his brother's figure and takes cover behind a bush. He must not be found or Itachi will make fun of him and tell their mother, who will make fun of him too.

"Itachi-san! Would you please have lunch with me?"

To Sasuke's confusion, it's a different girl. Does this mean that his brother is a womanizer?

He gasps in horror. There's no way his brother would do that!

Itachi probably doesn't like them back and they're only bothering him. It's the only explanation. No way is his brother playing two girls! He's just popular.

He's popular… which means that something about his brother is appealing to these people.

But what is it? Will it be the secret to Sakura's friendship?

He observes his brother and the girl but nothing happens. Itachi just ignores her and goes on his way to wherever he's headed to.

The girl sighs dreamily. "Oh I do love his hair. And how he's just ice cold and untouchable. Kyaaa!"

Has long hair, cold and untouchable, Sasuke writes down.

He follows after his brother again and sees that he's ignoring another girl!

Wow. His brother must really be popular.

But then Sasuke blinks and Itachi is gone again.

He groans.

In some place in the village, Itachi laughs at his brother.

He follows Itachi for days until he finally has the facts that he needs.

Sakura still greets him everyday but the honorific still hasn't returned. And for some reason, she pauses at his table, as if she has something more she wants to say.

He doesn't ask what though, because he's afraid that his stupid mouth will ruin things again.

Now, based on his observation of his brother, girls seem to like his long tied hair. So Sasuke tries to tie his cowlick too, but the band flies away as soon as he attempts to wrestle his hair into submission.

He scratches off long tied hair in his notepad in frustration.

He remembers how Sakura insulted his hair. And him.

I hate you, chicken butt hair!

But it's not his fault that his hair is this way! How will Sakura like him now if it won't behave?

Though he might still have a chance.

Based on his observations of his brother, girls seem to also like it when they are ignored like his brother did to them. Or act like he doesn't care.

Yes. He will act like this in front of Sakura. And then she will want to be his friend again.

It might just work.

"Sasuke, can we talk?" Sakura asks him after class. "Can we speak by the trees?"

That's where he first saw her cry.

He opens his mouth to say yes, he wants to talk to her too, wants to hear her voice again.

"Y-" He remembers his observations on his brother. "Hn," he finishes.

He has to ignore her no matter how much he doesn't want to. This way, Sakura will like him better like the girl who admire Itachi.

Sakura furrows her eyebrows. "I'll take that as a yes then."

Damn it! It's supposed to be read as a negative answer. But he's ignoring her so he can't say anything to her.

Sakura grabs his wrist and his heart jumps.

"Wh- wha-"

She's holding his hand!

His plan is working!

"Let's go."

And now they're by the trees. Alone.

Is she going to confess?

Aren't they going too fast though? Shouldn't they get to know each other first? She has to meet his mom too.

"Sasuke," Sakura starts. "Your mom said that you gave me that bento last week. And that you helped make it?" She sounds unsure.

Oh! She has already met his mo-

Wait, what? His mom said that?

Traitor!

But says, "Hn." instead.

Ignore ignore ignore.

Because it's working! Look how Sakura is speaking to him again.

She digs her toe onto the ground. "I want to say thank you."

And now for his special attack: act like he doesn't care. Because that worked great with Itachi with those girls.

"I don't care," Sasuke says, blushing, hoping that Sakura will finally accept him as a friend.

She hits him on the head.

End Note: I always giggle whenever I write this. Oh Sasuke.