I wanted to get Within the Messages and Cold Case up for you guys tonight. Look for the verses and other stories in the next day or too. Thank you to all of those that kept checking back with me! I 3 you guys!

Chapter One
The Case

The muffled sound of gunfire echoed in Sakura's ears as her finger pulled the trigger on her gun. She lowered her weapon and frowned slightly when she saw the bullet had missed the target by less than a quarter of an inch. Determined, she cocked her gun and fired again until her round was used up and she was satisfied with her aim. Slowly, she turned around as she took off her ear muffs and directed an accomplished smirk at her best friend, Yamanaka Ino. The blonde woman frowned before she gave Sakura the yen she now owed her. Sakura had warned her friend before their bet that she had better aim than her. It wasn't her fault Ino didn't listen.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Ino snapped half-heartedly.

Sakura grinned. "I warned you."

Still smiling, Sakura sat down on a chair next to her and pulled the clip out of her gun before she replaced it with a brand new one. Ino just sat back in her chair and crossed her arms as more gunfire echoed around them as more officers came downstairs on their lunch breaks to get some target practice in. Though, Sakura hardly noticed.

Lately it seemed like everywhere she went, she was surrounded by guns and other weapons used in the field. It just felt natural for her to have a gun on her persona at all times. Since becoming a field agent again a year ago, she felt naked without one, especially when she was on-duty. Nonetheless she loved her new job even if it meant she put herself in danger every day. But she wasn't too worried. She had only been in the hospital once since going back into the field and even though it had been terrifying, she still didn't regret her decision.

It had started out simple. Sakura was just pulling a driver over for speeding but for whatever reason he had decided to run. She chased him through the backstreets of Tokyo in her squad car with back up not far behind. He had run a red light at an intersection and without thinking, Sakura had followed. A driver coming from the left hadn't seen the lights and sirens of the police cars and went straight through the intersection. They had hit the car of the person Sakura had been chasing, causing them to come to an abrupt halt. Sakura wasn't able to stop quickly enough and she rear ended him going close to fifty miles an hour. She had been taken to the hospital with some bruises, a concussion and a sprained wrist.

But being a field agent wasn't the only thing to change in the past two years. The ring on Ino's finger was only seven months old. It was the wedding ring Shikamaru had given her when they stood at the altar and said their vows. Sakura had stood at Ino's side as the Maid of Honor when Ino's fiancé had placed the ring on her finger. She couldn't remember her blonde friend being so happy before. The smile that had lit up her face was absolutely beautiful. It was a wedding no one was going to forget for a while.

That wasn't the only relationship change in the department. About a week after Hyuuga Neji had been arrested on nearly thirty accounts of murder and attempted murder on Sakura's own life as well as Itachi's, the department had hired a new Chief Medical Examiner. Her name was Shizune. She was a fairly short woman with black hair and dark brown eyes. Sakura hardly ever spoke with her, but from the few conversations they'd had in the past, Sakura had found she was a polite but quiet woman. She mostly kept to herself, but about six months into her employment, a rumor had started that she was dating the department's all-time player, Shiranui Genma. At first, Sakura hadn't believed the rumor, but when Genma had stopped flirting with her and acting like he wanted in her pants, she knew it was true. And from the slight change in his personality, she knew that he had actual feelings for the quiet woman.

Then there had been the debate dealing with Naruto. It had been a long argument that had ended in more than one fight. When the officers in the Tokyo Metro Police Department found out he was dating Hyuuga Hinata, the younger cousin of Neji, more than one person wouldn't even speak to Naruto. A lot of officers gave him shit for it, but when Sakura heard what was going on, she had made a public announcement that if anyone had a problem with it, they should take it to her before even looking at Naruto. After all, if they were happy, what was the problem? It's not like Hinata helped her younger cousin or even knew anything about what he had done. She still deserved respect even if her family member didn't. Besides, Hinata was about to apply to the department and Sakura wouldn't allow anyone to make it already harder than it was going to be on the young woman.

But even with those changes, the biggest one so far had to be her relationship with the Superintendent General, Uchiha Itachi. Technically she hadn't moved in with him, but the more she spent the night, the more she found her stuff in the closet and his dresser. She hardly ever spent the night at her apartment anymore, but she didn't care. She was so busy with her schedule and he was with his that the only time they ever saw each other was in passing at the department or at night. She didn't like seeing him so little, but she knew they both had responsibilities – his more important and time-consuming than hers – and they were doing the best they could.

Besides when they did have time alone, it was like Sakura was in heaven. She had never been more showered with attention. Whenever he was close, her heart would pound almost painfully against her ribs and she couldn't help but smile, even after two years since the start of their relationship. He made her happier than anyone else ever had and her heart swelled when she knew she made him feel the same way.

Which is why when she had been placed in the hospital after her car accident with the suspect she was chasing, he had been furious. She could still remember his razor-sharp aura and icy gaze when he walked into the room while Doctor Tsunade bandaged up her hand. At first, she had been anxious to face him, but when she realized he was angry at the driver and not her, she had relaxed and explained the situation to him. Itachi still didn't look happy and she knew he didn't want her in the field, but he firmly kept his mouth shut. For that she was grateful and because of it, she used more caution when out in the field. If he wasn't going to press her about her decision then she would be more careful about her safety so he didn't have to worry.

Unconsciously Sakura's hand went to the necklace Itachi had given her nearly a year ago for Christmas. It was a simple piece of jewelry, but it meant more to her than anyone could ever know. The silver chain wrapped around her neck delicately and led to a small, beautifully crafted square stone of emerald that rested at the top of her cleavage. When Itachi had given it to her, Sakura could only stare at it in awe before Itachi pulled it from her grasp and clasped it around her neck with a small, knowing smirk. Sakura had yet to take it off and she knew that was he was aware she wore it as a promise she would come home safe every night.

"You know, you were smart for going back into the field," Ino suddenly said.

Sakura turned her attention away from her gun and fixed her gaze on Ino. "What do you mean?"

The blonde woman sighed as she grabbed Sakura's gun and pulled the new clip out before placing it back in uninterestedly. "Since Hyuuga two years ago, we haven't gotten any huge cases. It's just been kind of boring lately."

Sakura huffed in amusement and fingered her necklace absently as she drew one knee to her chest and rested her arm on it. "I'm sure something will come up soon."

Ino turned Sakura's gun over in her hands. "Yeah, but who knows if the Superintendent General will even put me on the case if one does."

Sakura snatched back her gun. "You were on Hyuuga's case. I'm sure you will be Itachi's first pick."

"Easy for you to say," Ino snorted. "You're the one screwing him."

Sakura grinned. "Well I can't argue with that."

"Argue with what?" a familiar voice asked.

Sakura almost laughed aloud when she saw Ino had nearly jumped out of her skin. Honestly Sakura was so used to her boyfriend appearing out of nowhere she had learned to expect it at the most unlikely of times. The first time he had used his appearing trick, she had been so startled, she nearly cut herself with the knife she was using to make dinner.

"Argue that I have better aim with a gun than Ino," Sakura said smoothly, lifting her gun for emphasis as she turned to face her boyfriend.

Itachi was standing less than three feet behind her, wearing a formal black suit. His crimson button-up shirt looked absolutely stunning against his gorgeous face and his black tie only emphasized his startlingly beautiful eyes. It was times like these that Sakura wondered what she did to capture the attention of someone so attractive and powerful. He was everything she could possibly want in a man.

"Ah," Itachi said, obviously not believing her. He didn't press though and instead turned to Ino. "Your assistance is required upstairs, Nara."

Slowly, Ino stood up and bowed. "Then excuse me, sir." Then she glanced at Sakura. "I'll see you later."

Sakura smiled from her spot on the chair. "I'll let you try and win this back later," she said, waving the money in the air.

Ino glared at her before she turned and walked away. Sakura was still grinning as Itachi took the seat Ino had been occupying moments before. He turned his attention to her and stared at her with those eyes that made her feel like she was the only thing in the world. Then she realized he was still curious as to what she and Ino had been talking about.

"What?" Sakura asked, still smiling slightly.

"What were you speaking to Nara about?" he asked smoothly.

Sakura shrugged. "Nothing really. Was there a reason you came down here?" she asked casually.

They both knew she was purposely changing the subject and she was somewhat surprised when Itachi let it go without a word. "I was looking for you."

"Congratulations. You found me," she said, gesturing to herself.

He was hardly put off by her sarcasm. He had been dealing with it for years from his younger brother and Chief Superintendent, Uchiha Sasuke, and his cousin and second-in-command, Uchiha Shisui, so he ignored her cynical words without a second thought. "Are you working late this evening?" he asked.

Sakura dropped her gun on the table and rested her arm on her knee again. "Yeah, I'm working Shiranui's shift tonight. He had some family emergency or something. I told him I'd cover." She paused and scrutinized him. "Why?" she asked slowly.

His smirk was almost invisible, but Sakura saw it. "No reason."

She knew he was lying, but he hadn't pressed her earlier so she wouldn't do so to him. Instead she picked up her gun again and cocked it. "Well if that's all you wanted, I was going to shoot a few more rounds before I had to leave."

Itachi gestured for her to continue. She eyed him for a moment before she stood, grabbing her earmuffs, and walked back into the shooting range. She could feel his eyes on her, but she blocked it out as she shot round after round, imagining each shot was a vital spot on Hyuuga Neji's body. She knew it was malicious, but the bastard did try to kill her and damn did it feel good to imagine him on the ground bleeding to death. It was her way of relieving stress.

Only when she was out of bullets did Sakura head back to the table to grab her things. Surprisingly Itachi was still sitting in the chair, watching her with sharp eyes. Sakura looked at him in confusion. "What?"

He didn't say a word as he stood and walked over to her. He stopped in front of her and looked down at her as his hands slid around her waist. He leaned down towards her, causing Sakura's eyes to automatically close, but his lips didn't meet hers. He stopped a hair's breadth away from her. "Have I ever told you how sexy you look holding a gun?" he murmured quietly against her lips.

"No," Sakura breathed.

She felt him smirk before he pressed his lips fully against hers. Eagerly she replied, but before it could get too heated, Itachi pulled back, his smirk widening when he saw the stars in her eyes. Sakura glared in response, but it quickly faded as he placed a quick kiss to her cheek. His fingers lightly traced the chain around her neck until they found the small emerald hiding in her button-up shirt. "Be safe," he murmured.

Those words had become a habit for him. Sakura could remember the first time he had said it to her two years ago. She had been in a horrible mood after visiting her psychiatrist and she had been heading back to the small apartment the police department had provided her with for the time being when she got a call from Sasuke. He asked if she was alright, which she had lied about and said she was, and right before she hung up Itachi had told her to be safe. She had been surprised to find she was on speaker phone with him, even if it was only after her short conversation with Sasuke.

Ever since that day, he made sure to say it to her before she left for her shift, even if she was still in bed and he was leaving for work or vice versa. But no matter what time it was or state of mind she was in she always replied the same. "You know I will be."

Quietly Itachi placed a chaste kiss to her neck on top of the scar she received the night Neji tried to kill her, before he left to continue his work. Sakura watched him leave, a soft smile on her face, before she turned and gathered her things to get ready for her shift.

It was well past midnight when Sakura passed Itachi's front gate and pulled into the driveway. Automatically she looked over at his black Mazda and began to pull into her usual spot next to his car only to stop when her headlights lit up two other cars parked alongside it.

With a small frown, Sakura pulled her car next to the white BMW and cast confused gazes at them as she walked past them to the front door. They looked oddly familiar.

Quietly Sakura opened the front door only to hesitate momentarily when she found practically every light in the house was on and there were quiet voices coming from the kitchen. Even more confused now, she discarded her shoes and followed the voices to find Itachi, Shisui and Sasuke were all sitting at the dining table drinking coffee as they discussed what appeared to be at least five profiles.

For a long moment, she stopped in the doorway and stared at them in surprise. Though, when they continued to stay oblivious to her presence, a small smile crossed her face. They were definitely family. Of three of them had beautiful dark hair and gorgeous obsidian eyes gifted to all Uchiha with strong jaws and high cheekbones. All of them were attractive in their own way no matter if they were half-asleep or if they had just thrown something on. Funny enough, Sakura hadn't realized until now that they were each wearing a different style of clothing that was almost opposite to their personality.

Even from her spot in the doorway, she could tell Itachi was wearing a pair of dark sweats and a nondescript white shirt. His hair was tied loosely and she frowned slightly when she realized his family members had probably pulled him out of bed. Sasuke, on the other hand, was in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with a jean jacket thrown over the back of his chair. Strangely enough, Shisui was the most formally dressed in his grey suit and matching tie, making her wonder if he had just gotten off work before coming over.

A quiet huff of amusement escaped her. "And here I thought I was up late," she said in a rough voice.

Immediately the three men turned to look at her, each wearing a blank expression, well besides Shisui who looked at her funny. "Too much sex?"

Exasperated, she rolled her eyes. "Very funny. It's just a slight cold." She ventured further into the room and looked at the case files on the table. "What are you all doing so late at night?"

"We were just discussing a case," Sasuke answered as his eyes turned downwards to the cases.

Sakura rolled her eyes again. "Yes, I can see that."

Shisui gestured towards the empty chair next to him. "Would you like to join us?"

She stopped next to the table to get a better look at the files only to cringe when she noticed all of them were children between the ages of eight and thirteen. Quickly she shook her head. "I just got off work; I think I'll pass this time, but thanks."

Shisui shrugged at her answer and murmured quietly that she didn't know what she was missing, but she ignored him as she finally turned her attention to Itachi. He was sitting in his normal seat at the table – well the seat he sat at on the rare occasion when they actually had time to sit and eat at the table – and was watching her with a careful eye. It took her a moment to realize he was checking for injuries and she smiled warmly and bent down to kiss him lightly. "I'm fine," she murmured against his lips.

She felt his lips curve into the gentle smile he saved only for her as he wrapped an arm around her waist to draw her closer. It was only a moment longer before she heard Shisui clear his throat and Sasuke groan quietly. "We're still here."

Blindly Sakura reached out behind her and clapped her hands over Sasuke's eyes. "Do what we did as kids," Sakura said. "Close your eyes, stick your fingers in your ears and hum."

Shisui laughed at her response as Sasuke grabbed her wrist and forced her hand away from his face. Sakura looked at him over her shoulder and gave him a playful smile before she turned back to Itachi and gave him another short kiss before she straightened. "I'm going to shower and go to bed. Night."

Itachi nodded in acknowledgment and murmured a quiet good night before he returned his attention to the case files and the three resumed their conversation. Quickly Sakura made for the bedroom down the hall and more importantly the bathroom. She took a rather short shower, though the water was hot enough that when she got out the mirror was completely covered in steam. After she dried off, she changed into a fresh pair of panties and her favorite – and secretly Itachi's too – crimson, silk night gown that stopped just above her mid-thigh before she tied her hair into a knot atop her head. Then she walked into the bedroom only to stop when she found the room was empty. Exactly how late did they plan on staying up?

Sighing, Sakura walked out of the bedroom and back into the kitchen to find the three men were exactly where she had left them. With a roll of her eyes, she leaned against the doorway and sighed as they continued to speak quietly among one another.

Being the only one facing her, Shisui was the first to take notice of her and a small smirk crossed her face when all he did was stare with his mouth partial open. It wasn't long before Itachi and Sasuke sensed his gaze and they slowly glanced over their shoulders to see what had caught his attention. When they spotted her, Itachi's eyes darkened in appreciation while Sasuke's eyes widened and his cheeks took on a slightly pink hue.

"Do you all plan on working through the night or actually going to work tomorrow to debrief everyone?" Sakura asked half-seriously, half-sarcastically.

Shisui was the first to speak again. "Damn, Sakura, you get all dressed up just for us?"

She just smiled darkly at his comment. "I could always kick you this time."

For a moment she thought she saw him cringe in reflex to the memory of her punching him in the face after he made a crude comment about her ass on her first day of work, but his expression quickly cleared and he smiled as he pushed back his chair and stood up. "Well that's my cue to leave."

Sakura's dark smile turned into one of amusement as he retrieved his suit jacket from the back of the chair and pulled it on. Taking this as the end of their "meeting" as well, Sasuke gathered up the case files before he too stood and pulled his jacket off the back chair and slipped it on.

Shisui was the first to make his way towards the door with Itachi close behind him. Sakura began to follow the two to the door when she felt Sasuke suddenly grab her arm, stopping her. "Could I talk to you for a moment?"

She stared at him in confusion before she nodded. "Of course."

Silently she followed him a little ways away from the door, still in the room, but far enough away that the other two men couldn't hear their conversation. When he turned around to face her again, his serious expression worried her. "The case we were discussing – the Camera Killer – came from another police department," he explained. "A man has been kidnapping young girls and murdering them. He's been taunting police with photos of their dead bodies and giving an address on the back as a way to find their bodies. But recently the bodies have been showing up in Tokyo."

Sakura continued to stare at him in confusion. "I don't understand. Why are you telling me this now and not tomorrow?"

Sasuke cast a glance towards Itachi and Shisui to see they were watching them and he lowered his voice. "This case is coming from the Kanazawa department."

Her eyes widened slightly. "On the west coast?"

He nodded. "The officers on the case are going to be coming to help with the investigation."

Sakura swore she felt her heart jump a beat as she took in the information. "Who?"

The youngest Uchiha shrugged almost helplessly. "I don't know, but I thought I should tell you now just in case."

Absentmindedly Sakura nodded her thanks and watched as he joined Shisui at the door before the duo left. Quietly Itachi shut and locked the door behind them before he approached her. His expression was confused when he looked at her. "Are you alright, Sakura? You look as if you are going into shock."

Quickly Sakura shook her head, clearing it. Besides what are the chances? she thought. "No, I'm fine," she said with a small smile just before the clock in the corner chimed, signaling it was one in the morning. She took his hand and started to pull him towards the bedroom. "Can we sleep now?"

He smirked slightly as he followed her into the bedroom. "You should know by now we aren't going to sleep first when you wear that outfit to bed."

She opened her mouth to ask him what he meant, but a sharp squeal escaped her lips when he suddenly picked her up and strode towards the bedroom. He kicked the door closed behind them before he walked towards the bed and playfully dropped her on top of it. She laughed softly as he leaned down to kiss her throat. "You know, I don't think I actually have worn this to bed yet," she said as a moan threatened to escape her lips.

Itachi's smirk widened. "Then we should not break the tradition."

Sakura laughed again before his lips collided with hers and his hands slipped under the nightgown as he proceeded to keep them wide awake for the next hour.

Surprisingly Sakura made it to work almost a half an hour earlier than she needed to be. The only reason she had even come early was because she knew that if she hadn't forced herself to get out of bed, she would just be lying around in bed napping and relaxing, which wasn't as nice when Itachi wasn't there with her.

Of course she would have been there even earlier, but the little coffeehouse on her way to work was just calling her name and she stopped to get some before continuing her daily drive to the department. In the long run, she was glad she had stopped to get some. It tasted surprisingly good; so good in fact that she almost missed the important details that nearly half of the people who worked on the top floor were missing.

Puzzled, Sakura stopped and gazed around in confusion. She glanced towards Ino's desk to see if maybe she could ask her what everyone was doing only to see her chair was vacant as well. Then her eyes landed on Shikamaru's followed by Genma, Kakashi and Naruto. Everyone was gone.

That's strange, Sakura thought.

Shrugging to herself, she turned around to head to her lab to check if anything new had been given to her in her time off, only to be stopped by a loud screech that pierced her ears before she was almost tackled to the ground from behind. Immediately Sakura tried to pry the person off, but with one hand holding a coffee cup steady to keep it from spilling she only managed to turn around in the person's arms. Who she saw made her own shriek briefly fill the air. "Temari!" Sakura screamed as she threw her arms around the older woman without spilling her coffee.

The blonde woman returned her tight hug for a moment before they pulled away to hold the other at arm's length. "I've missed you so much," Temari said.

Sakura's smile widened. "If you've missed me, you know I've missed you."

Temari grinned at her statement before she looked her up once. "You look good."

Sakura's smile widened as she gave her friend a onceover as well. The blonde woman was still about a head taller than her and her confidence was just as strong as before with that playful glint in her eyes. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled back into her four ponytails and there was still a light lining of eyeliner around her brilliant green eyes. Today, she was donning a simple pair of plain jeans and a tucked in, button-up shirt but through the material, Sakura could see a difference.

"You lost weight," she stated.

Temari's smile widened. "Glad you noticed."

For a minute, the girls just stared at each other with their own grin before they eventually released one another to look at the rest of the people walking out of the conference room. Only a couple of moments passed before Temari's closest friends, Gaara and Kankuro, walked out. Upon spotting her as well, Kankuro raced up to her side and hugged her while Gaara took his time and hugged her a little looser. She smiled to herself that even after all these years Gaara was still less social towards her than his best friends even after everything they had been through in college. Though in all honesty, she was surprised he had hugged her at all.

At seeing them, Sakura wanted to skip work and just got out to lunch or something with them. It had been so long since the last time she had seen all of them and she wanted to catch up so badly. How long had it been anyway? At least since she quit her job at the Kanazawa department. That would mean since–.

Slowly Sakura looked towards the conference room just as another person walked through the doors. Her fingers tighten around her cup and her breath caught as a hard lump formed in her throat. She tried to swallow but the feeling didn't go away and she ended up holding her breath as her entire body stiffened.

Inuzuka Kiba.

He looked no different than the last time she had seen him over five years ago. His dark eyes were shining and his dark brown hair was as messy and unkempt as she remembered. The twin, triangular tattoos on his cheeks were still visible and he still had the thing she hated the most: that arrogant smirk that showed off his unusually long canine teeth. Even now it made her skin crawl.

Against her will, Sakura began trembling slightly and she ground her teeth together as he smiled sweetly at her and started towards her. Fortunately, before he could reach her, she heard Itachi call her name from across the room. She glanced towards the conference room to see he was watching her. She nodded once to tell him she was coming before he walked back inside. Then she turned her attention back to Temari. The blonde woman just smiled in understanding at her before she turned to intercept Kiba.

Only once she was inside the conference room was she able to breathe normally again. Though, she was still trying to calm her racing heart and her hands were still shaking bad enough that Sakura had to set down her coffee so she didn't spill it. Not that it mattered. She didn't think she would be able to drink it anyway.

Taking a small, even breath, Sakura fixed her attention on her superiors. Sasuke and Shisui were bent over the head table with a file in front of them while Itachi was leaning against another table, reading another file in hand. Each was wearing a look of utter concentration on their face but after a moment Itachi pulled his gaze up from his file to look at her. "Those are yours," he said.

Confused, Sakura followed the direction of his nod to a table in the corner. Her eyes narrowed further when she saw eight evidence boxes we piled on the metal tabletop. For a moment, Sakura just stared at them before she turned back to Itachi. "How do you figure?"

He gave her a blank stare. "You are our forensic scientist."

She threw him a look. "I'm a field agent."

"And our forensic scientist," he countered.

"Whose job is to currently perform in the field," she retorted, crossing her arms.

A smirk fell across Itachi's lips as he lowered the file in his hands. "I can make it an order."

She snorted out her nose as Sasuke and Shisui looked up and glanced at each other. Their expressions mirrored the other's but Sakura ignored them as she glared half-heartedly at Itachi. "You could have just asked."

His smirk didn't falter. "Sakura, would you be so kind as to process this evidence?"

She rolled her eyes at him but there was a smile slowly betraying her amusement. "You owe me one."

"I'll give you several tonight," he replied with a sly smirk

Sasuke cleared his throat loudly. "We're still here. Could you please save the sex talk until you're alone?" he said somewhat seriously.

Sakura smiled at him in amusement. She still found it funny that Sasuke was somehow always present when she and Itachi jabbed at their sex life. A quiet laugh escaped her before she grew serious and she turned her attention back to the boxes. "You want me to process all of them?"

Itachi nodded once as his own amusement faded into some more serious. "Yes."

Her eyes ran over each box individually before returning to the three men in front of her. "You do know I'm only one person, right?"

She saw the way Itachi raised an eyebrow at her as he closed his file but kept the page marked with his finger. "Are you saying you are incapable of doing your job?" Sakura glared at him half-heartedly as Sasuke and Shisui glanced at one another again. Finally Itachi gave her some relief as straightened slightly. "How long do you think these will take you?"

She frowned in thought. "Five days, give or take."

Itachi frowned. "Do you think you would be able to get it done before that?"

Sakura took a glance at the boxes again and shook her head lightly. "You'd have a better chance of getting Sasuke to wear a Speedo to church."

A small snort escaped Shisui as Itachi raised an eyebrow. Sasuke glared at her. "I don't go to church."

Shisui shot his youngest cousin a look. "That's the only part of that sentence that bothered you?"

The glare on Sasuke's face darkened but before he could speak, Itachi nodded. "Very well. I'll get an officer to help you carry these then you can meet with Inuzuka Kiba to debrief you; he's the lead investigator."

At the sound of his name, Sakura's eyes widened. His smirk flashed across her mind's eye and she opened her mouth to argue when Sasuke spoke. "No, Inuzuka-san will be much too busy. I'm sure Temari-san or Gaara-san are more than capable of doing so."

If Itachi's eyes hadn't been trained on her, she would have let out a huge sigh of relief. Instead she kept her expression as clear as possible as she stared at both him and Sasuke casually. Eventually Itachi nodded before he dismissed her. She flashed her lover a quick smile before she made towards the boxes. On her way out, her gaze turned to Sasuke and she gave him a small, grateful look. He glanced at her out of the corner of her eyes and nodded in understanding before she disappeared out the door and into her lab.