A/N: ...this was supposed to be a one-shot.

Also, you guys should check out the cool new KakaSaku stuff for KakaSaku Month 2018 over at Tumblr!

Sakura supposed that forgoing normal, everyday human experiences was part of dying. And while she's clearly thankful to finally ditch using tampons monthly, there were some human necessities she'd like to still experience. Not being able to eat, for example, bummed her out. Not having to sleep was fun at first, until having nothing to do while everyone around her had to rest became too old. She had voiced out this concern to Kakashi one time, and promptly invited him to a 122 hour, 26 minute non-stop Marvel Cinematic Universe movie marathon, just so she could finally have something to do in the dead hours of the night. The latter only rolled his eyes and went back to sleep, leaving Sakura alone again in the darkness of the apartment. Sakura huffed and glided to her claimed spot by the apartment's largest window where she stayed and looked at the moon and at the busy street. As she watched, entranced by the slow movements of the clouds and hustle and bustle of city night life, Sakura slowly felt herself drifting away. And on that night, the same day that Sakura remembered Naruto's and Sasuke's names, Sakura began to dream again.

She had been with her boys, for that is what they were: her boys, when the letter of acceptance from medical school arrived. She was sprawled on her back on the floor of her bedroom as the boys sat beside her and they watched a movie together. Her mother knocked on her door, and handed her a letter with the seal for Konoha University. Sakura felt her heart leap to her throat at the sight of the envelope that determined her future. With a reassuring smile to her daughter, Mebuki left the room.

"Is that what I think it is?" She heard Sasuke say from behind her. Sakura nodded.

"Well?" Naruto asked, excitedly, "aren't you going to open it?"

She didn't reply. Sasuke sighed. "Sakura," he said firmly, "don't be too nervous. It's going to be fine."

She turned to face them, finally letting them see the uncertainty in her expression. "How can you be so sure?" She said in a small voice, "what if I didn't pass?"

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, exchanging small smiles, and then turned back to her. Naruto stood up and cradled Sakura, who was slowly turning into a nervous wreck, in his arms. He led her to the bed were Sasuke was seated and gently pushed her into a sitting position in between the two of them. Sasuke raised his hand and patted her head comfortingly.

"You passed." Sasuke said, with a voice that exuded confidence. "You passed because Konoha University would have to be run by idiots for them to fail to see how brilliant a student you would be." Sakura smiled a bit at his words. Sasuke can be really sweet sometimes. "And even if you didn't," Sasuke continued, "Naruto and I would always, always be here for you."

A lot similar to waking up, Sakura came to her senses as the sun rose from the horizon. Sasuke's voice was still ringing inside her head, and she was pretty sure that if she had functional tear ducts, she would be crying, what with the panging she was now feeling in her heart. She had a few more minutes, give or take, before Kakashi woke up and she used it to regroup and manage her emotions.

To regain the ability to dream had been jarring, after what felt like endless days and nights blending into each other. Sakura wasn't even sure if it should be called a dream, to be honest, as it felt a lot similar to the flashback that first brought back the memories of Naruto and Sasuke. Nonetheless, she felt grateful for it. The memories she regained were nowhere near enough to piece together the mystery of her death, but it was enough to make her feel hope, an emotion foreign to her for quite some time now. Sakura smiled a bittersweet smile. Naruto and Sasuke loved her so much, didn't they?

For the third night in a row, Sasuke caught his best friend crying. He knew for sure, though, that Naruto cried far more than the few times he was caught. Sasuke would know. He did the same. Peeking at the doorway of the kitchen of their shared apartment, Sasuke debated on whether he should come and comfort the man crying like a little boy at the kitchen counter. On one hand, he didn't know how. On the other, he knew that Naruto needed him now, just as much as he needed Naruto, and that if he didn't do anything he might lose his best friend to grief. Sasuke shook his head and decided to make his presence known. He can't stand losing another one of his precious people.

"Naruto." The other man slowly lifted his head that was buried in his arms as he sobbed on the counter. His clear blue eyes sparkled with tears and his lids were puffy from crying.

"Sasuke," he whispered, sounding more vulnerable than he ever did in all the years that Sasuke have known him. Sasuke approached him and sat on the kitchen counter, his back to his friend. If he was going to try to help Naruto be strong about this, it wouldn't do for the latter to see his vulnerability, and Sasuke didn't trust himself enough to not show emotion if Sakura was the topic.

"I won't even ask you anymore if you're okay. You clearly aren't." Sasuke said in a level tone. Naruto frowned.

"Yeah, I'm not." Naruto said with a sad grin, "I wish I were more like you Sasuke. You seem to be coping well enough."

Sasuke let out a harsh laugh, "ha. One of us has to keep it together, Naruto, and it obviously isn't you."

For a while, silence prevailed between the two men. "It used to be Sakura-chan," Naruto finally whispered, finally voicing out who the two of them were thinking about. Dear, old, Sakura-chan, the glue that held their little group together.

Sasuke sighed, "is that why you were crying? Did you dream about her again?"

The planes of Sasuke's back were rigid. The tension in his muscles told Naruto that Sasuke was as uncomfortable as he was in talking about this, but knew that they both needed to in order to cope. "I dreamt about the day she got her acceptance letter to medical school," Naruto began slowly. "She was scared to death of opening that letter."

"She was," Sasuke replied, looking back on that day. "We both knew she would pass, anyway. That girl is brilliant."

Naruto smiled, because, yes, Sakura was indeed brilliant. Smart. Responsible. Hard-working. Maybe, too hard-working, at times. "I have a confession," Naruto suddenly said. Sasuke inclined his head to indicate that he was listening. "Sometimes, I wish that Sakura was rejected by the school." Naruto whispered, as if revealing a dirty secret, "that way, she would have come with us to the same academy, and we wouldn't have to be apart. Then maybe…then maybe this wouldn't have happened."

Sasuke snorted, "how utterly selfish of you." He said in a tone that held no real rebuke. He wouldn't admit it, but sometimes, he thought of the same thing too. He sighed. "Naruto, you don't really think that, do you? Medicine was Sakura's dream, and we promised to support her in that."

Naruto looked away, "on days that I really miss her, I do. I know it's wrong, though. It's not like medical school was the one that took Sakura away permanently."

'It was us' were the three words that remained unspoken.

Roughly a month after moving in, Kakashi wondered why he was getting strange looks from his neighbors. He also wondered why the young teens who lived in the building seemed to shy away from him, and why parents liked to hide their children behind their backs whenever they saw his presence. As he really didn't care about making friends with his neighbors, he decided to shrug this off at first. He realized that something was up, though, when a young girl fell to her knees in front of him, and when Kakashi tried to help her, her eyes widened in fear and bolted in the opposite direction, scraped knees and all.

"Oh. It's because there's a rumor that you kidnap teenagers and torture them inside your apartment." Sakura said nonchalantly one day, when Kakashi told her about his experiences with their neighbors. Kakashi's eyes widened in shock.

"What? I'm a cop. Where did that idea even come from?" He asked, exasperatedly.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Kakashi, Kakashi, didn't you know that it's a common movie plot twist to make the supposedly good guy the evil mastermind?" She said, patronizingly.

"And you said I'm the one who watches too much police dramas," Kakashi grumbled. "Still doesn't make sense why they would suspect me. I haven't done anything at all."

Sakura grinned sheepishly, "well, it might have something to do with me screaming at sunrise, loud crying at noon, and howling at midnight. I think they have this idea that they're hearing one of your victims."

Like any normal, sane person, Kakashi's first thought was why the everloving fuck? At least the girl had the gall to look embarrassed as Kakashi resigned himself to a sigh, "do I even want to know?"

Sakura pouted, "I'm bored!" She wailed, "I'm dead, and I'm stuck here with nothing to do. The least I could do is enjoy the things ghosts do in their free time," she reasoned.

Kakashi felt like he was a dad dealing with a particularly rebellious teenage daughter. "And what is it that ghosts do in their free time? Scare people to death?" Kakashi deadpanned. "Sakura, you can't just go around and try to frighten people. It's not right." And I'd rather my neighbors don't think I'm a psychopath, Kakashi added in his head.

Sakura glided towards him and patted his head, her ghostly hand passing through Kakashi's skull. Her touch was cool, and felt a lot like a winter breeze blowing at Kakashi's ears. "There, there," she whispered consolingly. "Just think of this as extra motivation to get me out of here as soon as possible."

Kakashi glared at her. Was he being punished because she felt like he wasn't moving fast enough? "I'm trying and you know it." He growled.

Sakura raised a brow as she crossed her arms. "Oh, do I?" She challenged. "I wouldn't know, Kakashi, as you've failed to tell me anything."

Well. Kakashi walked right into that one.

The day that he returned from tailing Naruto and Sasuke to the meeting with Sakura's parents, Kakashi went home tired from processing everything he just heard and what these things could possibly mean. He didn't realize that he was at his front door until he was opening it and calling out his greeting to Sakura, a habit he had gotten into ever since he had accepted that he was now not alone but living with a ghost.

"Sakura? I'm home."

Kakashi collapsed on the couch and closed his eyes. He felt her presence glide into the living room and settle beside him "Tough day?" She asked.

He side-eyed her, "and why do you think that is?"

Sakura grinned, "well don't keep me hanging. Tell me how it went. As I can see no Naruto or Sasuke in your person, I assume the plan to kidnap them, as we agreed on yesterday, did not work." She said thoughtfully. "Unless they're in the trunk of your car." She finished with a hopeful lilt in her voice that Kakashi almost felt bad for disappointing her.

"Sorry to tell you, they're not. And for the record, as police chief of Konoha PD, I'd like to remind you that I also didn't agree to kidnap anyone, thank you very much."

Sakura rolled her eyes and poked Kakashi's cheek. Her finger went right through his flesh as he shuddered at the sudden cold brought about by Sakura's ghostly finger. "You're. No. Fun." She said, punctuating each word with a poke.

"That's only because it looks like you're already having enough fun for the both of us." Kakashi said as he rolled his eyes, "seriously, though, stop poking my cheek. It feels weird."

Sakura quickened her poking pace in response. "Not until you tell me everything that happened earlier." She said, with a renewed vigor in abusing Kakashi's cheek.

To be honest, this was the moment he dreaded upon coming home. He was sure that Sakura would pester him for information as soon as he got back, and while he knew that it was highly likely that Sakura would be able to move on by knowing about her death, Kakashi just can't bring himself to tell her what he heard today at the diner. Naruto's admission of guilt came as a surprise, it's true. He didn't expect the seemingly sweet and cheerful boy to be involved in the death of his best friend. But more than that, Kakashi didn't want to think how Sakura would feel if she found out. How hurt she would be if she found out that her two best friends, who she loved the most, played a hand in her death.

In all fairness, if Naruto's emotional breakdown at the diner was anything to go by, it seemed that both he and Sasuke didn't mean to do it. They were, in fact, remorseful, practically grovelling at the feet of Sakura's parents to please, please, forgive them. Kakashi's years of service as a cop, though, told him that tears and a show of remorse do not necessarily equate to innocence. Not always. Crimes of passion, after all, happened in the heat of the moment, often with the suspects losing control of themselves and with them regretting their actions afterward. Regret doesn't make them any less of a criminal. And as far as Kakashi's concerned, right now, there was a dead girl, an admission of guilt, and an uncertainty on whether there is justice to be served.

After Naruto broke down at the diner, Sasuke ushered him and Sakura's parents to talk in a more private location. Kakashi, of course, was unable to follow. After all, if he planned to completely uncover the mystery behind Sakura's death, it would do no good to be caught now. He was interrupted in his musings by Sakura's voice beside him. She had finally stopped poking his cheek and was now looking at him worriedly.

"Kakashi? Is something wrong?" She asked.

Kakashi shook his head, "nah, just tired. Can we talk about this tomorrow, Sakura?"

The girl nodded, yet her brow was still furrowed in worry at his condition. "Are you sure you're okay, though?"

Kakashi smiled. Nearly a decade of living alone, in both the figurative and literal sense, caused him to forget how nice it felt to have someone fretting over you. "I'm fine. I just need to sleep."

Sakura's features relaxed at his reassurance. "Of course. Good night, Kakashi."

As he was falling asleep, he could have sworn he heard soft singing from beside him and felt a soft caress, almost like a breeze, running through his hair. That night, Kakashi had the most peaceful sleep he'd had in years.

Despite his promise to Sakura that evening, they never talked about that day. She continued to pester him about it, of course, but Kakashi wouldn't budge. He had finally come to a resolution. At least until Kakashi knew the whole story on how she died, he would spare her from the hurt of knowing that her death was caused by the two people she trusted the most. Sakura was having none of that, however, and demanded she knew everything that happened. Kakashi had been successful in evading her questions up until today.

The girl's arms were crossed, hip cocked, and face fixed into a scowl. She was the picture of a disgruntled soccer mom who was demanding to talk to the store's manager. Kakashi thought she was rather cute and he had to smother a smile, which he failed to do, causing Sakura to glare more.

"Kakashiiiiii," she whined.

"Sakuuuuraaa?" He said, mimicking her pitch.

"Stop mocking me," she huffed, annoyed.

Kakashi raised his hands in surrender, "I'm not, I'm not."

"You most definitely are."

He sighed, "okay fine, I did. I'll stop. But Sakura, you've got to stop scaring the neighbors. While I really couldn't care less what they think, I don't fancy the idea of being labelled as a psychopath who gets his kicks out of torturing teenagers."

Sakura stared at him, as if evaluating his words. "I'll stop –"

"Thank you."

Sakura raised a finger, "I'll stop, only if you tell me what you found out when you followed Naruto."

Kakashi frowned, "I thought we're done with this conversation."

"We are not! Those are my friends! It's my death that we're talking about here!" She exclaimed, hurt seeping into her voice. "I don't understand why you won't tell me," she finished in a small tone, her fight evaporating.

Kakashi looked at the girl in front of him, her shoulders hunched in defeat. He understood where she was coming from. He would be mad too if their places were switched, but in the short while that they were together, Sakura had been the thing that Kakashi looked forward to everyday. He enjoyed their banter and her smiles and how, despite being dead, her eyes shone with life; while Kakashi, who still breathed, lived like a walking corpse.

"I'll told you, I want to confirm something first. Please trust me on this, Sakura," he said, hoping that his sincerity was showing in his voice.

Kakashi watched the shift in expressions in Sakura's face as she considered his words. She looked like she wanted to argue at first, opening and closing her mouth wordlessly. "Fine." She sighed, defeatedly. "I trust you, Kakashi." She said as she met his eyes with a small smile.

Kakashi smiled back as he slowly felt butterflies erupting in his stomach at her gaze. He would have probably stared at her for hours, dazed grin on his face, if Sakura had not cleared her throat at the discomfort of being looked at for so long. This brought Kakashi back to his senses and he quickly turned away in an attempt to hide his slowly reddening cheeks.

"Anyway," he said as he rubbed his neck, a nervous tick he had picked up from adolescence. "Glad to have all that sorted out."

Sakura had to muffle a laugh behind her hand. Who would have thought that the chief of Konoha PD is a blusher?

Despite how lazy one's conscience is, it's bound to manifest sooner or later. After a few weeks of abusing his power to pull out files – some, confidential – from the station's archive, it finally dawned on Kakashi that it was probably unethical to use his status in the police force to acquire information for personal use. After a quick back-and-forth with his inner self, Kakashi reasoned that, technically, he was doing this to solve the mystery of a girl's death. A death that could have possibly happened in his jurisdiction, so technically, this was completely within his duties as a cop. The fact that he had very little regard for mundane things like protocol only served to ease his decision-making.

Unfortunately for Kakashi, though, there were no records about Sakura at all. While it was a good thing that, prior to her death, she was not involved in any accidents or crimes or law-breaking, it did pose as a challenge to find out more about her. Naruto and Sasuke, on the other hand, were a different story. The two had been involved in quite a few small-time troubles in the city prior to leaving for the academy. Nothing major, mostly teenage troublemaking. Kakashi chuckled at the picture of stoic, well-mannered Itachi painted in contrast to his little brother with a rebellious streak.

The elder Uchiha brother came in when Kakashi was engrossed in a particularly humorous record on how Naruto and Sasuke were caught streaking in front of an abbey. Itachi came in his superior's office without knocking – which was uncharacteristic for Itachi who was a stickler about manners – while locking the door behind him. Kakashi looked at him with a raised brow.

"If you wanted to get me alone in a locked room, Itachi, all you had to do was ask." Kakashi said with a saucy wink. Itachi, who mostly maintained a look of condescending disinterest, crumpled his face in apparent disgust at Kakashi's words – a win, in Kakashi's opinion.

"Just kidding, Uchiha-san," Kakashi backtracked with a chuckle before Itachi popped a vein. Seriously, the boy's strict nature reminded Kakashi so much of his own younger years. He almost found Itachi endearing. "Did you want something?"

Kakashi watched Itachi's eyes flash to the open files on the table before returning to meet Kakashi's gaze. "I think the question is, what do you want, Hatake-san."

Kakashi leaned back on his chair, arms crossed and feet propped up the table. "I want many things, Itachi. Lower fuel prices, grocery store coupons, the 10th anniversary edition of Icha Icha – you're going to have to be more specific." Kakashi studied the young man in front of him. He knew exactly why Itachi was here. He supposed, sooner or later, the elder Uchiha brother, with all his famed brilliance, was bound to catch on that something was amiss. It's always a pleasure to watch his subordinates squirm, though, so Kakashi tried to feign innocence.

However, Itachi, who had a 3 o'clock appointment with his hairdresser, was having none of his games. "I know that you know what I'm talking about, Hatake-san. Now tell me. Why are you going after my brother?"

Well, that was a grand total of two minutes before Itachi got fed up and dove straight to the point. Kakashi resisted the urge to pout at having his fun spoiled. "I'll answer your question if you answer one of mine," Kakashi said after a thoughtful pause, "what do you know about Haruno Sakura?"

If Kakashi was not an experienced professional in a field that occasionally dealt with disguise and deception, he would have missed the way Itachi's eyes widened in shock at the mention of Sakura's name before returning to the stoic mask it usually is. "I think I should be the one who should ask you that." Itachi murmured.

Kakashi tsk-ed. "That's not how this game works, though, Itachi."

For a moment, the two men stared at each other, as one would when sizing up an opponent. It was Itachi who relented. Sighing, he decided to humor Kakashi. "Along with Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura is one of my brother's best friends. They grew up together, and I have interacted with her a lot of times, but we were never really close. She died in an accident three months ago." Itachi's reply was curt and crafted such that he would be giving minimal information on the subject. Kakashi, however, was already picking apart in his head the measly information that Itachi supplied.

He had said three months, which meant that Sakura was just two months dead when Kakashi moved in the apartment. Kakashi would need to check Naruto and Sasuke's whereabouts around that time. Another word in Itachi's statement struck him. "You say accident?" Kakashi asked, skeptically. Itachi narrowed his eyes, picking up on the tone of suspicion directed at him.

"What's your point?" Itachi asked, cautiously.

Kakashi leaned forward on his desk, leering at Itachi intimidatingly. "Nothing. Just that, I've heard otherwise." He said in a nonchalant tone, as he crossed his fingers in front of him.

Not liking where this conversation was going, Itachi did not dignify his comment with a response, but instead chose to pursue his agenda. "I answered your question." Itachi said firmly, "now answer mine. Why are you going after my brother?"

To the normal, untrained eye, Itachi was the picture of calmness. Kakashi, however, had been there when the boy was a new recruit who had yet to master the art of keeping his emotions in check. Right now, Itachi's eyes were nervous and spoke of worry for Sasuke. He was hiding something and Kakashi knew it. While this revelation was, in some way, heart-warming – for it was very rare for Itachi to show affection, much less concern, to anybody – it was also sickening as it strengthened Kakashi's hunch that Sasuke and Naruto were not as innocent as they seem. If he finds out that they were truly guilty, he could only imagine how badly Sakura would take it once she knows the truth. To know that the best friends who she trusted with her life, were in some way responsible for ending it.

With Itachi's earnest gaze trained on him, Kakashi supposed that it was now or never. "I'll go straight to the point," he announced. "Your brother and his friend are suspects on Haruno Sakura's death."

The first emotion that played on Itachi's face was shock. He looked like he was not expecting what Kakashi said, based on the way his façade faltered. Itachi's eyes flashed in anger before his features were schooled to a mask once more. Despite this, Kakashi could still sense the righteous anger bubbling inside Itachi at the accusation. "Haruno Sakura died in an accident." Itachi said forcefully.

Kakashi stared at him straight in the eye. "Uzumaki Naruto claims otherwise."

Itachi's brow furrowed at the revelation, "you've spoken to Naruto?"

Kakashi ignored his question. "You say that Haruno Sakura died three months ago. This must be the reason why her case was still not in our archives. Am I correct in assuming that you took on the paper-pushing for this case, as you have done in all the other cases where your brother might be implicated?" Kakashi asked, gesturing at the open folders in front of him, all containing records of Sasuke's and Naruto's teenage shenanigans, all of them containing Itachi's neat print and elegant signature.

"My brother has done nothing wrong! All of those are small-time backyard hijinks that teenagers engage in. I'm sure none of those warrants the accusatory tone you're speaking with right now," Itachi defended.

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, his finger tapping his chin in a gesture of contemplation. "Yes, I do agree that vandalism, streaking, and the occasional gang fights are not things to be concerned of," he agreed. "It's just that, with you pulling the strings whenever your brother is involved, I'm not entirely sure that the records are as accurate as they should be."

Itachi looked at the former incredulously. "Are you suggesting that I'm covering up for Sasuke, Hatake-san?" He asked, taking offense. "Are you questioning my integrity as a police officer?"

"Maybe not in those earlier cases," Kakashi relented. "But on Haruno Sakura's death? I think you're the type of person who would sacrifice the world for your brother, Itachi, and if there's any chance that harm might fall on Sasuke, I'm sure you'd do everything in your power to stop it."

There was fire in Itachi's eyes now. "I'll bring you her case file." Itachi declared. "I don't know how you came to the conclusion that my brother is to blame in all of this, but I'll prove you wrong." And with a swift turn, Itachi left the room.

On some days, Sasuke liked to visit Sakura's grave alone. He would keep these visits a secret from Naruto, as he was sure that the blonde would insist on tagging along. Normally, Naruto's company was welcome. But there were days when Sasuke would be too tired to be the strong one, too tired to take on the role of keeping them together – too tired to take on the role that Sakura left behind. On these days, he would go to her grave on his own. Sometimes, he would just sit next to the marble stone, and stare at her name, as if enough willpower will bring her back to life.

Sasuke gently placed a handful of flowers beside her name and let his fingers run through the gold engraving. "Sakura," he whispered hoarsely, "I miss you."

Sasuke says these words reverently, almost like a prayer. The words he had always thought of, but never voiced, are muttered in the air never to be heard by its intended recipient. "If I could do it over again," he continued, "I'll do it differently. I'll do it correctly. Sakura, I-" Sasuke gasped through gritted teeth, as he tried to keep his emotions in check "-I should have been the one who died."

He felt himself leaning against the headstone, his forehead pressed against the cool surface. Tears ran across his cheeks, despite his best efforts to keep it in. "Sakura," he cried, "I'm sorry."

The report that Kakashi was holding says that on a Tuesday night, exactly three months ago, a vehicle driven by Haruno Sakura was caught speeding on road cameras as it was exiting Konoha borders. It drove on as the concrete sidewalks slowly melted into the lush greenery that surrounded Konoha. The accident happened a couple of miles outside the city proper, at a deserted area surrounded by dense forests, a point somewhere in between Konoha and the neighboring city of Suna. Investigations claimed that she lost control of the car, eventually crashing it onto a thicket of trees which led to a steep cliff. An anonymous tip alerted the authorities of the accident, and the car – along with Haruno Sakura's body – was retrieved at the cliff's bottom the following morning.

Itachi watched expectantly as Kakashi pored through Sakura's file. He had written the report himself and knew that it was cohesive, thorough, and in no way would suggest that Sasuke had a hand in any of this. "I hope you're satisfied, Hatake-san." Itachi said as Kakashi laid down the file on his desk. "As you can see, the investigation showed that everything was an unfortunate accident. I don't think you'd doubt the judgment of your own team on this one."

Kakashi eyes crinkled as he gave the younger man a smile. "Indeed." He agreed with a serene nod, "this seems satisfactory, Itachi-san. I'm sorry for accusing your brother."

The abruptness of Kakashi's change in conviction was lost on Itachi, or if it wasn't, he chose to not notice. The tension in his features slowly leaked out. "Well then," he said with a curt nod, "I only hope this does not happen again, Hatake-san. I will be taking my leave."

Kakashi watched Itachi as the latter exited through the doorway. The boy was a genius, a true gem among Kakashi's men. He was meticulous, and thorough, and hard-working to a fault. He had never seen any work from Itachi that came out less than flawless.

However, it seemed, that even the great Itachi had his lapses too.

Among the sheets that contained the narrative behind Sakura's death, Kakashi stared at the photo of the morning the police found the car. The shot was taken from the passenger's side, looking in. A female form in a bright red yukata, whom Kakashi supposed was Sakura, was lying face down, her arms draped over the steering wheel, the gearshift poking at her stomach, and her feet at the passenger's side. Her legs were at an odd angle, and appeared to be crushed by the dashboard, which probably held her in place throughout the fall to the bottom of the cliff. Both airbags at front were inflated. Both stained with blood.

It was obvious from the way that Sakura's feet were trapped at the passenger's side. It was obvious from the fact that both driver and passenger airbags were bloodied. What happened that night may or may not be an accident, but these things were for sure. Sakura was not alone that night and it was definitely not Sakura who drove the car.

And either Itachi had missed these details, or he was covering it up.

As Uzumaki Naruto's profile flashed on Kakashi's computer screen, naming the boy as the owner of the crashed vehicle, Kakashi was inclined to think the latter.