Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Caretaker

7

Kicking Insecurity to the Curb

To say that Yamanaka Ino played a big part in Konoha's rumor mill was a huge understatement. Rather, Yamanaka Ino was the heart of the rumor mill. She ran the whole thing, second to her mother who might as well change jobs from florist to information broker.

So imagine Ino's surprise when she'd just come back from a two month-long mission in Suna and her mother had informed her that Sakura had lost her ability to walk and had been spotted being carried around town by Uchiha Itachi. Bridal style. On multiple occasions.

She'd almost lost her damn mind.

Then her mother had said something about Itachi living with Sakura to care for her.

This time she really did lose it.

And so after dropping the flower pot that she was holding, she'd immediately excused herself from watching the shop and had bolted out without bothering to take off her apron.

Her destination: Sakura's house.

"Of course," Ino hissed to herself, all the while scurrying down the street. "Of course these things had to happen while I was gone."

The notion of Sakura losing her ability to walk was simply unbelievable, seeing as the roseate was known throughout the nation for being an astounding medical expert that far surpassed her mentor. It was even more baffling that Sasuke's older freaking brother, elite ANBU captain and also one of Konoha's hottest bachelors, was now living with Sakura to care for her.

Scratch that—maybe it wasn't all that surprising.

After the incident at the chunin exams, Ino had thoroughly grilled Sakura on her relationship with Itachi. To her surprise, the two had only met a total of three times, including the delightful show of care that she had the honor of having front row tickets to.

Just from that moment alone, Ino could tell that the stoic Uchiha heir was interested in her best friend. To what extent, she didn't know. What she did know was that the two hardly knew each other despite their multiple encounters, and the current situation was perfect for development between them.

Ino highly doubted Sasuke and Naruto would stand for a relationship between the two to develop though, considering how freakishly protective they were of Sakura. Heck, even she was somewhat protective of the pinkette despite knowing that the girl could handle herself perfectly well. She just couldn't help but worry though—it's a best friend's nature to worry!

Which was why she was scrambling to the roseate's house all the while looking like a hot mess along the way.

She needed to assess the situation and most definitely needed to assess Sakura's feelings. She needed to make sure that Sasuke's older brother wasn't playing around with Sakura. If she found any signs of her vulnerable best friend being taken advantage of, she was going to raise hell.

"Ugh," Ino grumbled, picking up on her speed. "The things I do for you, Forehead."

"I do not understand what I am doing wrong."

Sakura's brows arched high into her hairline. She covered her mouth with her hand, sorely fighting back the temptation to smile like a fool at Itachi's obvious dismay—a look that she'd seen him sport many times now in the past month that they'd been living together.

"That's okay," She said, her voice warm and encouraging. "Let's try again."

Itachi gave one last pointed look at the frying pan that held his fourth failure of the morning (and also his thirty-sixth failure of the month) before he relented with a nod. It was humiliating, but he would continue to persevere, especially since the woman he was pursuing had been kind and patient enough to teach him how to make the one dish that was more or less the bane of his existence.

Perched on the kitchen counter between the stove and the sink, Sakura watched as Itachi moved from one place to another with the frying pan in his hand. After dumping his failure onto a plate, he stood in front of the sink, turned on the faucet and began to scrub at the pan.

Once Itachi was done washing and drying it off, he moved back to stand before the stove, settling the pan down on top of it again. After turning the dial to the highest setting to heat the pan up, he glanced at the pinkette, to which she returned with a bright smile.

His onyx orbs trailed down to the items that lay beside her on the counter. A carton of eggs, a bowl full of chopped green onions, salt and pepper, and vegetable oil—ingredients for typical sunny side up eggs.

Truly the bane of his existence, indeed.

After a brief period of waiting, Itachi hovered his hand over the frying pan to test its heat. Deeming it hot enough, he lowered the heat before pouring the oil in and spreading it. Itachi reached for an egg, to which Sakura gladly handed to him. With a deft flick of his wrist, he cracked the egg open against the edge of the frying pan before letting the contents fall into the pan. Then he repeated the steps with a second egg.

"So far, so good," Sakura beamed. She perked once the egg whites became more opaque. "Add the water now!"

Itachi nodded and moved to pour a bit of water into the pan, which sizzled loudly at the newest additions. He gladly accepted a pot lid from Sakura and swiftly covered the pan with it.

As they waited for the eggs to cook, Sakura couldn't help but ogle the Uchiha heir for the umpteenth time that morning. Here he was, this powerful and deadly man, stiff as a block of ice while ominously glaring at the eggs through the pot lid—another sight that she'd had the privilege of seeing every other morning in their quest to conquer the almighty egg.

It was hilariously adorable and she was completely enamored.

After three minutes had passed by, she urged him to take the lid off the pan. He set the lid aside and they both leaned in, curiously peering at the results.

Sakura's eyes lit up and she squealed. "You did it!"

Itachi blinked once, and then twice. He stood rooted in the spot for a long while, staring down at the sizzling eggs in a mix of bewilderment and amazement.

"I did it," He said slowly, self-pride flashing in his eyes and swelling in his chest.

He did it.

He had finally emerged victorious.

While Itachi continued to stare the eggs, Sakura reached over to the toaster and pushed two slices of bread in. They had agreed to not make the toast until he'd successfully made the sunny side up eggs. Once he was done basking in his success, Itachi turned to regard Sakura, which she caught and returned with a quizzical smile.

"Thank you," Itachi murmured, a soft grateful smile on his handsome features.

Sakura blinked, her brows slowly arching upwards as she dazedly absorbed his warm gaze. After what seemed like ages of getting lost in his eyes but had really only been two minutes, the sound of bread popping out of the toaster startled her out of her reverie. Her eyes widened and she jerked on the spot with a start, all the while flailing her hands a little in an attempt to rebalance herself.

It was highly unlikely that she would fall off the counter, but not wanting to risk the chance, Itachi swiftly moved to stand in front of her. He placed his hands on top of the counter and positioned them on each side of her hips to cage her in. Sakura's hands found their way to his arms, pressing on the swell of his toned biceps. Her eyes batted once, and then twice before widening again in surprise at his close proximity. Her cheeks flushed a delightful crimson red and she began to squeak, a reaction that Itachi couldn't help but smile at.

"You're welcome!" Sakura blurted, having finally found her voice again.

Gods, could she act anymore like a lovestruck pubescent little girl?

The effect he had on her was still unbelievable. It grew each passing day with every single touch that made her shiver, and every lingering glance that set her heart on fire—some of which, when she wasn't getting lost in his eyes like a moment ago, she had no idea if they were intentional or not.

Was she getting in over her head and misinterpreting the meaning behind those looks?

She had to be.

She definitely had to be.

She was still a wishful fool and there was no other explanation.

Itachi on the other hand, was having a difficult time constraining himself. Here she was, the object of his affections, situated between his arms and looking as beautiful as ever. He sorely wanted to lean in and wrap his arms around her small frame, maybe take the risk and steal a kiss from her to see how red she could truly become.

In the past month, he'd been steadily showering her with his attention, sometimes making it obvious enough for her to catch on to them. It pleased him to know that she was receiving them well—it meant that he was making progress in his romantic endeavor. Many times, he had wanted to throw everything out the window to claim her lips right on the spot (like right now), but he knew not to. He didn't want to risk the chance of scaring her away, especially considering how daunting his status as the Uchiha clan heir was.

The Art of Subtle Courting was so, so hard.

He hadn't seen much of his brat of a little brother and his blond friend either. They hadn't been meddling as much as they had been at the beginning, especially after the genjutsu he'd casted on Sasuke. Suffice to say, the six hour loop of Rock Lee obnoxiously yelling while prancing around in his equally obnoxious and appalling green suit, coupled with the threat to destroy all of Naruto's premium instant ramen was enough to keep the two stooges at bay.

He hoped it would stay that way for a while.

Before Itachi could say anything to the blushing roseate caged between his arms, a faint smoky fragrance filled his nostrils and he blinked. Having also noticed, Sakura snapped out of her umpteenth inner dilemma. They both turned their heads to the frying pan, where their breakfast was currently burning from being overcooked.

"Ohh…" Sakura said slowly, her roseate brows arching high into her hairline as she blankly eyed the charred mess. "Oh no."

Itachi hummed in reply, an identical expression on his visage.

Oh no, indeed.

Truly the bane of his existence, indeed.

Itachi and Sakura perked at the furious knocking against Sakura's front door. Recognizing the chakra signature that belonged to her one and only bombshell of a best friend, Sakura took a bite out of her sunny side up egg toast and slowly chewed.

There was only one reason why Ino would be trying to tear her door down right now. In fact, Sakura had already signed her fate a long time ago—she'd expected this inescapable moment since the first day Itachi had been assigned as her caretaker.

`Itachi directed an inquisitive glance at her from across the dining table. "Shall I open the door?"

"Yes please," Sakura replied with a grateful smile. She'd rather let the blonde in than have to replace her front door.

Itachi nodded before he got up and moved to exit the kitchen.

As she waited, Sakura continued to bite into her breakfast in silence. Not even a minute later, a series of squawks and babbling courtesy of Ino could be heard from the foyer. By the time Itachi returned to the kitchen with Ino in tow, Sakura had already finished her meal.

"Hi Pig," Sakura greeted with a wry smile and a wave of her hand.

"Forehead!" Ino half-shrieked in reply, her cheeks flushed crimson. She had expected Itachi to open the door, but expectations tended to differ from reality. A lot. Gods, it was unbelievable how handsome he was, especially from up close.

Ino couldn't help but wonder how Sakura wasn't dead yet from his killer looks.

"When did you get back?" Sakura inquired conversationally. She gave a grateful smile at Itachi and gladly handed her empty plate to him for him to wash.

Ino eyed Itachi as he moved towards the sink. Then she straightened and cleared her throat, as if she hadn't just had her second consecutive shock of the day and hadn't simultaneously just embarrassed herself in front of the Uchiha heir.

"Last night," Ino replied, her tone equally casual as she moved to sit herself on the chair beside Sakura. "You'd be surprised how much Suna's hospital has improved."

A delighted grin emerged on Sakura's features, her eyes glittering with excitement. "Really? I'm so glad to hear that."

Ino's lips curved knowingly at the pinkette. "I'll have a copy of the report ready for you later."

"Thanks, Pig!"

"You're welcome, Forehead," Ino returned. She flipped her long tresses over her shoulder and leaned closer towards the pinkette.

"Anyways, I heard what happened to you so I came to hang out and see how you were doing," Ino continued, her eyes shifting to Itachi before landing on Sakura again. "I also need to talk to you about something."

Aha. There it was.

"Girl talk?" Sakura asked with a slight quirk of her lips and an exasperated knowing look.

"Girl talk," Ino confirmed with a nod.

Feeling their gazes on his back, Itachi slowly turned around to face them. He slowly blinked, mildly perturbed at Ino's pointed look. Then he became confused at Sakura's apologetic expression. After running their conversation in his mind again, understanding dawned him.

"I shall come back later," He slowly said, his eyes trailing from Sakura to Ino and then back at Sakura again. "Will you be finished in two hours?"

Sakura opened her mouth to reply to him, only to stop as a thought came to her. "Oh, that's right," She winced. "Ino, I have an appointment with Tsunade-sama in two hours."

Girl talks with Ino usually lasted at least five hours. There was no way they were going to be done in less than two hours.

"Oh, that's fine," Ino replied with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "I'll take you to your appointment then. I believe Uchiha-san deserves a day off today."

A wry smile emerged on Sakura's features at the blonde's flippant answer. A large part of her expected it—there was no way she was going to be able to escape from her glamorous friend. She turned to give Itachi another apologetic smile, to which he returned with a frown.

"I'll be fine," Sakura assured warmly, aware of what was on his mind. Then she added, "Didn't Shisui-san say he had a new technique to show you?"

Itachi's lips pursed as he eyed her. They both knew that was an excuse for Shisui to hang out with him—the man had made it loud and clear that he missed his beloved cousin numerous times already. Eventually Itachi relented with an inaudible sigh and a nod of his head.

"I'll see you later?" She beamed.

"Aa," He replied, his lips turning upwards to form a slight smile. "I will be around the clan compounds with Shisui until then."

Ino watched the warm gazes and soft smiles exchanged between her best friend and the Uchiha heir in an utter daze. Then she had a moment of clarity—a whole goddamn epiphany. Understanding and realization dawned on her as she watched Itachi exit the kitchen with wide eyes. The moment she heard the front door shut and had sensed Itachi's disappearing chakra signature, she screamed.

"I need to know everything!" Ino demanded.

Sakura winced at the sheer volume of the blonde's voice. Then a long, exasperated sigh dragged out of her and she resigned to her fate once more.

She started from the beginning, from when Itachi had returned from his decade-long mission, to when she'd examined him at the hospital. From when he'd caught her from falling over after a long day at work, only to offer her his dango again while walking her home. From her slip of the tongue involving his abs while on a mission with him, to the lovely dinner they had together that night. From the moment she'd lost feeling in her legs, to how he had raced across the country carrying her home. From the sweet words he'd told her at the hospital after being assigned her caretaker, to the equally sweet words he'd said after cooking a buffet for her.

Then she told Ino of times where, after he would finish reading a book from her collection, they would spend an hour or two discussing it in length. Times where she would teach him about certain poisonous plants to avoid on his missions, along with the appropriate measures to take if he or his teammates were to get poisoned by those plants.

And then the many fleeting moments of intimacy between them, of the warm gazes and soft smiles that she had been catching from him lately.

By the time she'd finished retelling everything that had happened so far, more than an hour had passed and Ino's mouth had slacked from disbelief. After a long moment, the blonde finally found her voice again.

"You guys are so in love with each other!" Ino blurted. If the earlier display between Sakura and Itachi hadn't convinced her, then the juicy details she'd just heard definitely would do the job.

Sakura's brows shot up at the blonde's words. "You guys...?" She echoed. Realization flashed in her wide chartreuse eyes and she gasped. "What? No!" She protested. "Definitely me, but not him!"

"Are you kidding me, Forehead?!" Ino shrilly asked. "He's completely enamoured by you. Every single thing that you've told me so far literally screams that he's in love with you! It's so obvious!"

Before Ino could continue ranting, she caught the pinkette's uncertain expression. Her lips clamped shut and downturned as she eyed her best friend for a long while until she eventually spoke again.

"Sakura, what's holding you back?"

Sakura's lips pursed at the question. "He's the Uchiha heir," She said slowly.

"And?"

"...And I'm just a normal girl born from civilian parents, who was lucky enough to get accepted as Tsunade-sama's apprentice," She continued. "I'm super weird, I'm not elegant, I'm bullheaded, and I have a temper—there's no way he would be interested in me. Even if he was and it did work out somehow, I don't think his clan would accept me..." She trailed off dejectedly.

"Is that what you've been telling yourself?" Ino asked flatly.

At the blonde's very unimpressed stare, Sakura shrunk in her seat and she pouted. "Yes," She mumbled.

Ino leaned against the back of her chair and crossed her arms, the pointed look on her face still fixed. Then she sighed ruefully. "Sakura, I literally just watched you two talk to each other like an old married couple. You guys are so in love with each other, I can see it like how I can see Lee and his tacky spandex from a mile away." She said.

Sakura winced a little. "Is it really that obvious?"

Ino brought her hand up and pinched her thumb and forefinger together, the two digits barely touching. "Just a little."

Sakura stared at Ino's hand in an utter daze until eventually she palmed her face. "Ohmygod," She squeaked with great embarrassment. If Ino could tell that she was in love with Itachi, then what did that say about everyone else?! Oh god, Sasuke—

A series of shrieks sounded, muffled by her hands. After a momentary silence, she dragged her hands down her flushed face until they eventually fell on her lap. "Okay, but—"

Sensing the pinkette's returning insecurity, Ino instantly stuck her index finger at her. "No," She said firmly. "Don't you dare." When Sakura's shoulders slumped and her lips clamped shut with an audible click, Ino began wagging her finger.

"You're perfectly fine the way you are. You're in a different league compared to those prim and proper high-born hussies, and you're a whole lot more beautiful and stronger than them too," She said ardently. "Yes, you're really weird and you smash mountains with your pinky when you're angry, but it's all part of your charm. You need to kick your insecurity to the curb and jump his ass before it's too late."

Sakura eyed Ino dubiously for a long while as she mulled to herself. "...You really think it's mutual?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "I don't think it's mutual—I know it's mutual," She corrected confidently. At the sight of Sakura's countenance brightening a little, Ino decided to give one last push to seal the deal. "If he can like you for who you are, then I'm sure the rest of his clan will accept you." She said with a warm smile. "You'll be fine, Forehead."

Sakura returned the smile, genuinely thankful that she had such a wonderful and supporting friend in Ino. Her mind wandered to Itachi again and her smile grew even more, her heart flipping and spinning endlessly from sheer ecstacy at the prospect of her feelings being reciprocated.

Satisfaction bloomed in Ino's heart as she watched Sakura glow with pure love and happiness, her mission now accomplished. They'd been together through thick and thin since their first year at the academy together, and she'd watched the pinkette grow from an anxious, self-conscious little girl to a confident, beautiful woman. It simply made her happy knowing that her best friend was happy.

A sly smile emerged on Ino's face as a thought that had been lingering in the back of her mind made itself known to her again. "Off topic—I know you know this, but I'm just going to say it anyways," She began, a mischievous glint in her light blue eyes. "He has a really nice ass."

Sakura's brows shot upwards in surprise. Then a roguish grin broke out on her features and her cheeks colored a pretty shade of pink. "He does, doesn't he?"

Honestly, everything about Itachi was nice... and she loved every bit of it.

"Let's have some guy talk, shall we?"

Itachi blinked before lifting his head from his novel to direct an incredulous stare at Shisui, who returned the look innocently.

After Itachi had left Sakura's house, he'd dropped by the main house to greet his mother and to see how she was faring, all the while idly listening to her prattle on about the latest gossip. The only time he'd really shown a keen interest in what she was saying was when she had steered away from the gossip to offer advice for his romantic endeavor.

That had lasted an hour.

Then he'd left and seeked out Shisui. Upon finding the older Uchiha, the two had agreed to pass the time by way of light sparring in the forest located behind the clan compound.

Light sparring meant playing the good ol' game of "who's slicker than the other."

And so, after two hours of constantly one-upping each other with ridiculous tactics and traps, coupled together with burning down a few trees here and there, Shisui had decided to call for a break. Only ten minutes had passed since they'd each settled down on a tree branch, only for the silence to unfortunately be broken by his chatty cousin.

"...Pardon?"

"Well, you got kicked out of Sakura-chan's house because her friend came over for girl talk, right?" Shisui inquired, a charming smile on his handsome face. "So let's have some guy talk of our own," He said pleasantly. "How goes your quest for romance, little cousin?"

Itachi eyed the older Uchiha for a long moment, debating between leaving the older Uchiha and returning home to read his novel in peace, or to stay and continue to keep him company. Eventually he relented with a silent sigh. "Fine," He said curtly, snapping his novel closed shut.

"Oh?" Mischief flashed in Shisui's eyes. "No 'Eternal Rival for Love' to hinder you?" A chuckle sounded from Shisui at the withering glare that Itachi pointed at him. "Alright, I'm sorry," He said lightly, his hands up in a placating manner.

"Hn."

Shisui leaned against the trunk of the tree and began eyeing Itachi, the smile on his lips warming as he did so. From the smooth skin between Itachi's brows, to the softness around his eyes, along with his leisurely gait as he held his book on his lap.

It was the most relaxed that Shisui had ever seen Itachi in all the years that he'd known him, and it was all thanks to one special roseate woman that unknowingly held Itachi's heart.

"Ahh," Shisui started loudly, catching Itachi's attention again. "I'm so jealous of you, Itachi," He sighed dramatically, hands animatedly flapping here and there as he spoke. "Your love life is flourishing with Konoha's most beautiful blossom. When will I find my one true love?"

Itachi lifted a brow at the theatrical and he snorted. "Perhaps if you cease your frivolous, philandering ways, you would be able to find your 'one true love,'" He pointed out dryly.

Shisui blinked at Itachi, his hands stilled midair. "...Ouch, little cousin."

"You are welcome."

"It's been a month now. How does it feel to live with one of Konoha's most wanted bachelors?"

Sakura gave an incredulous look at Tsunade, who was currently working on one of her legs while she worked on the other. She glanced at Ino, who was sitting on the other side of the bed, before looking back at her master again.

"Is it 'Interrogate Sakura Day' today or something?" She dryly asked with a lift of her brow.

"Just answer the question, Forehead," Ino sniffed. "I'm vicariously living through you because you are literally the luckiest bitch alive right now."

Sakura gave an exasperated stare at Ino, to which the blonde returned pointedly before flipping her long tresses over her shoulders. She'd already heard the full story back at Sakura's house but she wanted to hear it again nonetheless.

"Why is the question about my living circumstances with him and not about something else?" Sakura asked with a slight whine.

"Girl, you are living with the epitome of a red-blooded, virile, alpha male hunk." Ino blurted, absolutely unbothered by her string of indecent words in front of Tsunade, who snorted in amusement. "A whole ass meal!"

Sakura gaped at her best friend's shamelessness in utter silence. After a brief moment, she'd finally collected herself and facepalmed.

Taking her star pupil's lack of answer as a negative sign, Tsunade paused her ministrations to frown at the pinkette. "What's the issue?" Tsunade inquired. "The both of you like each other, right?"

Sakura did a double take and she spluttered. "W—What—" She squeaked loudly, her eyes widening. How did she even know that? Since when did she know?! As internal chaos ensued in her mind, her thoughts somehow managed to whirl to the conversation she had with Ino earlier of how obvious her feelings were, and she inwardly groaned.

"Not like," Ino chimed in. "Love. She's completely head over heels for him and I'm three hundred percent sure it's mutual."

Tsunade's brows arched high into her hairline. "Hohh," She drawled, obvious glee in her hazel orbs and a shit-eating grin plastered on her face. This development was much, much better than she had thought. "Why haven't you asked him out yet if it's mutual?" She asked, her eyes on her roseate pupil.

Sakura pouted while an exasperated sigh escaped Ino.

The next long while was spent explaining her month-long inner dilemma along with the mildly intimate moments she'd had with Itachi to Tsunade, with Ino piping in here and there with her input. After she'd finished, she found herself on the receiving end of the woman's very hard and very stern gaze.

Shrinking into the bed from the menacing look, Sakura started to feel a wee bit foolish for being so caught up in her insecurity now. After all, she hadn't broken out of her shell under Tsunade's tutelage to become who she was today for nothing.

"I assume you don't need me to smack some sense into you, right?" Tsunade inquired threateningly.

"Yes," Sakura dolefully replied with a pout.

"Good," Tsunade huffed, her ample bosom moving in tandem with the motion. Then she crossed her arms and began to grumble in dismay.

"Screw all of their dumb, patronizing, traditional ways." Her eyes narrowed into slits as a fire was lit in her hazel orbs. "Who the hell would dare say no to the Fifth Hokage's prized apprentice? I won't let them say no to my baby if it's the last thing I do."

A small whine escaped Sakura as she melted at the blonde woman's endearing name for her. Her confidence had skyrocketed after her talk with Ino earlier, and now after consulting her beloved mentor and second mother, it had completely blown through the roof.

"See?" Ino chirped, a broad grin on her face as she regarded her roseate friend. "What did I say? You're fine, Forehead. Now all you have to do is ask him out."

"How do you think I should do that?" Sakura asked tentatively, apprehension and excitement bubbling in her chest. She hadn't had a boyfriend in years, and even then she'd been the one to be asked out instead of the one doing the asking. She practically had no experience when it came to asserting herself and frankly, that worried her a lot.

A thought came to Tsunade. "I know what you can do," She said slowly, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Oh?" Sakura and Ino perked in unison.

"For the sake of village politics and keeping relations, I happen to know a piece of information that can benefit you," Tsunade hummed.

Sakura's brows rose as she eyed her mentor with curiosity. "What is it?" She urged, leaning closer towards the blonde woman.

The corner of Tsunade's lips quirked and she also leaned in. She regarded Sakura for a moment until she eventually spoke and broke the suspense.

"His birthday is two weeks from now."

A/N: God, they're so whipped for each other LOL.

Hi friends!

This chapter is definitely a wee bit shorter than the rest, but it's still full of ItaSaku goodness and progress in their relationship uwu. I also had a little bit of a block after I released the latest Phantom Parade chapter, and then my birthday week came around so I decided to take a small break to relax before coming back to this.

Finally, Itachi has finally emerged victorious against those damn sunny side up eggs. He's officially reached Master Tier in his journey as a chef and we shall now call him Egg Tamer Itachi, because we all know he'd rather have that as his title instead of Master Chef. Blood, sweat, and tears went into those eggs, I'm telling you.

Man, girl talks can last forever depending on who you're talking to. Ino is such a character and I love her dynamic with Sakura as best friends and rivals, always there to support and to point things out for Sakura to see.

Wingman Shisui also strikes again, albeit silently this time. He knows how to read Itachi and just one look at Itachi could tell him a million things without having to actually ask. His deep understanding of Itachi is one of the reasons that make their relationship so great.

I love Mama Bear Tsunade. That's it. I love Mama Bear Tsunade.

Now that Sakura's snapped out of her denial, things are moving forward more than before!

Thanks again for reading, and for all of the supportive and positive reviews so far.

See you again soon!

R&R!