Perhaps it was because she hadn't heard her youngest call out to her in that small, broken tone since he was a little boy. Whatever it was, Mikoto found herself responding almost immediately.

"Yes, Sasu-chan?"

Fugaku closed his eyes in defeat.

At the sound of his mother's voice, Sasuke moved forward on autopilot... like he was having some out-of-body experience. No one knew why Itachi didn't stop him, but it was obvious why Shisui wasn't holding him back (he wanted to know what the hell was going on in there).

As Shisui and Itachi followed Sasuke into the formal reception room, their infamous eyes slowly absorbed the scene.

A dark red samurai breastplate and a cheesy looking kabuto helmet was scattered haphazardly in a corner, along with a random katana… and a whip.

There were also various layers of silk robes scattered all over the floor, but the mediocre quality of the fabric and the shoddy embroidery didn't align with anything the Uchiha matriarch actually owned herself.

The boys reluctantly met the eyes of their parents. They were sitting a healthy distance apart from one another with a surprising degree of dignity, given the circumstances.

Fugaku faced his sons and nephew bare chested, wearing only his pajama pants. Mikoto wasn't faring much better, as she was haphazardly covered in what appeared to be a jūnihitoe costume (which explained the cheap, colorful layers lying around).

Shisui suddenly shrieked, "Oh shit, THE BOOK!"

All eyes in the room followed his gaze to a copy of Icha Icha Tactics, Hardcore Edition lying open and partly covered by one of the robes on the floor.

Sasuke felt like his brain was throttled with a violent wind jutsu.

Suddenly, it all made sense: the fake samurai armor, the jūnihitoe costume, star crossed lovers ….

The book.

THE BOOK.

THE BOOK.

Sasuke blanched as he connected the dots. He was supremely grateful that he hadn't eaten all day because he was fairly certain it would have all come up in a spray of projectile vomit. Itachi may have held onto his usual stoic expression, but his handsome face turned an unmistakable shade of grey.

"Auntie, you're my hero!" Shisui reverently whispered.

Fugaku leveled a hard stare at his nephew. "Out."

He didn't yell, but the patriarch never had to.

Shisui squeaked like an academy school girl, swiftly bowed and shunshin'd his ass out of there.

Fugaku looked to his sons and barked, "Sit."

The brothers immediately obeyed as they assumed their seats in perfect seiza before their parents.

Their father cleared his throat. "This is… unexpected. You are very… early."

(Which explained so much).

Knowing that their father was not accustomed to waiting for answers, Itachi cleared his throat and dispassionately relayed the results of the exam.

"Yes, Otou-san. Sasuke successfully passed the exam in record time, and he and Naruto-kun earned the highest number of tactical points out of all the applicants for this cycle."

Fugaku's impassive expression remained, but there was an unmistakable softening of his eyes. He looked to his youngest son, and finally relaxed his shoulders. With pride in his voice he said, "Well done, Sasuke."

Sasuke silently bowed his head in respect, as he had been trained to do since he was a boy.

Mikoto seemed to momentarily table her embarrassment in favor of this impressive news. "Oh my, Sasuke! We are so proud of you. Are you hurt?"

Encouraged, Sasuke responded, "I sprained my ankle, but Sakura already healed me."

Mikoto clasped her hands in front of her chest. "Thank Amaterasu for Sakura-chan! She was waiting for you by the gates, then?"

"Aa."

His mother was about to ask another question when Fugaku gently placed a large hand on his wife's shoulder. "Mikoto, the boy looks tired. He should wash and eat."

This also served as a subtle but clear signal to all that the patriarch had no intention of discussing the elephant in the room.

Not now, or ever.

"Ah, ha… of course! Take a hot bath, Sasuke. Food will be ready for you in an hour."

Upon being dismissed, Itachi led his otouto to his room.

"First, I take it you realize we are not to speak of… this, ever again."

Sasuke nodded vigorously. He'd have gladly traded five years of his life to forget what he'd just witnessed downstairs.

Satisfied, Itachi continued. But not before his brother noticed the object he held in his hands.

"I know you are tired Sasuke, but I wanted to give you your jounin gift first."

Sasuke gingerly took the object from his brother and carefully unwrapped it from its black velvet casing.

His eyes widened at what he saw. "Kusanagi…" he breathed. "Nii-san…"

Itachi was known for a number of impressive kills over his storied career, but the one that held particular significance for his family was his defeat of Orochimaru at the age of sixteen.

At the time, the village went haywire when news broke that a teenager had managed to kill the legendary rogue sannin.

But the Uchiha weren't as hung up on Itachi's age. He was a remarkable prodigy, after all. Still, this kill was especially meaningful to the clan because everyone within the compound knew of Orochimaru's attempt to kidnap little Sasuke when he was just three years old… an attempt that was spectacularly foiled by a then eight year old Itachi.

Itachi never forgot the night Orochimaru tried to take his precious otouto away. As far as his eight year old self was concerned, the snake sannin signed his own death warrant by trying to abduct Sasuke, and the fiercely protective older brother in him vowed to be the one to defeat him.

Upon killing Orochimaru, the young ANBU operative divested the sannin's corpse of the legendary Kusanagi, and brought it back to the Sandaime.

"Tell me Weasel, what should I do with this sword?" The Sandaime asked thoughtfully to his youngest ANBU captain.

"Whatever you determine will be in the best interests of the village, Hokage-sama." The boy murmured respectfully, holding the weapon out with both hands.

"If it was up to you, what would you do with it?"

The young captain took off his mask and looked at his Hokage with determination in his eyes. "I would entrust the sword to Sasuke."

The Sandaime smiled. "Be sure to have an uchiwa engraved onto the hilt, and make it so."

Itachi calmly relayed this past exchange to his otouto, noticing how his eyes grew incrementally wider as he took the story in.

"Nii-san… But… are you sure? Shouldn't you – " Sasuke was quietly, but firmly, cut off by his brother.

"I always believed that you would be strong enough to wield this, and I was right. The only other people that know about this are Kakashi-senpai, who was in the Sandaime's office with me at the time… and Otou-san." Sasuke felt himself suck in a quiet breath at this revelation.

Itachi continued. "They both believe you are the best shinobi in the village to be entrusted with this, as do I. Kakashi-senpai has kept us apprised of your progress with lightening nature manipulation. Kusanagi can be a powerful extension of that, don't you think?"

Sasuke looked down for a beat, but soon lifted his head to meet his brother's eyes with wonder and gratitude. Itachi's stoic façade relaxed into a soft smile. He slowly lifted his right hand and poked his otouto's forehead with his index and middle finger.

"Master this weapon and use it to protect your precious people… and our village."

"I will. Arigatou, Nii-san…"

When Sasuke and his brother arrived at the Yumei Lounge with Izumi later that night, they found the bar already packed to capacity.

While they hadn't arrived more than a half hour late, Naruto was already six sheets to the wind, loudly bragging and pointing at the customized jounin flack vest he was proudly wearing.

"Theeemeeeeeeeeee! Finally! Thook you long enough to thtyle that thtoopid duck-butt hair!"

Sasuke briefly wondered why the idiot was speaking with a whistled lisp until he remembered (with deep internal satisfaction) that his best friend was still missing some of his front teeth. In his drunkenness, the moron had completely lost his ability to speak properly.

"Hey hey! Theee thith? Ithts my awthome jounin gifth from Hinatha-chyan dathebayo!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and pushed another mystery shot that he pulled from a passing server's tray into his best friend's sweaty palm.

Of course, Naruto being Naruto – downed the shot without a second thought (or a first thought) and then proceeded to challenge an equally inebriated Kiba to a karaoke battle.

Shaking his head, Sasuke snaked his way through the crowd, nodding every once in a while at the congratulatory messages and pats on the back he received from his peers, when he spotted a familiar head of gravity defying silver hair.

"Glad to see you made it, Sasuke. Don't party too hard, though. Making jounin doesn't mean training's over."

"Hn. I already know that, old man."

"Mah mah, I'm not old. Just well preserved."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but they both knew it was only half hearted.

"I'll give you tomorrow off, but the day after that we're going to resume training bright and early."

Sasuke nodded curtly in assent.

"Training ground 6, 8:00AM. Bring your Kusanagi." Then, with his signature eye crinkle, Kakashi suddenly poofed away. The only evidence that he was ever there was the sound of Yamato yelling from across the room,

"But senpai! What about your tab?!"

Sasuke snorted. Typical Kakashi.

The more random well wishers he passed, the more cranky he got. Sure, the recognition was nice. But the bar was getting uncomfortably warm, and listening to Naruto screech out a lispy chorus to some shitty pop song for the third time was going to give him an aneurysm.

He really only came to this stupid party for one reason… and she happened to be the only person he had yet to see.

Until he finally did.

Sasuke finally, finally saw a shock of pink in the crowd. It looked like a beacon was walking towards him from the direction of the women's bathroom. The masses seemed to part as he finally honed in on his female teammate -

and his mouth would have fallen open if he was a lesser man.

There Sakura stood, wearing the shortest, tiniest scrap of silk masquerading as a dress that he'd ever seen. The bold green jewel tone of the delicate fabric clung to her curves, draping over her breasts and backside, accentuating every irresistible slope and dip. Her voluminous pink locks spilled over her back in waves, and her long legs ended in a pair of sky high, strappy nude stiletto sandals.

Someone to Sakura's right pointed, turning her attention to Sasuke. And just when he thought his girlfriend couldn't look any more radiant, she proved him wrong by giving him the most brilliant smile.

Slowly but surely, she began walking towards him… ignoring the advances of others; moving closer and closer until she was finally standing right in front of him.

"I wasn't sure you were coming, Sasuke-kun. I'm so glad you made it." To his immense satisfaction, she leaned forward and whispered breathily in his ear, "I hope you like my dress. I bought it Just. For. You."

Sasuke felt a familiar heat warming the tips of his ears. He didn't trust his voice not to crack, but finally managed to mutter, "I like it."

While most women would have been peeved by such a sparse compliment, Sakura just giggled.

"I thought you might," she said shyly, before moving her hand cautiously towards his own.

Sasuke knew what she was doing. She was letting him know she was about to hold his hand. But in typical considerate Sakura fashion, she was thinking about his feelings and his comfort levels; wanting to make sure he was okay with this public display of affection, and giving him an out if he wasn't.

Sasuke finally took stock of where he was and everyone around them. The endless eyeballs in the room that were glued to her face and figure, his family, their friends and colleagues… everyone he knew and cared about was here and would see…

And to Sakura's surprise, this realization only emboldened him. With conviction in his eyes, Sasuke was actually the one who closed the distance and wrapped her small hand into his own. He leaned in close to whisper,

"Thank you, Sakura."

Sasuke couldn't tell you how much longer they were at the bar. For the rest of the night, he was caught up in his own little bubble with Sakura – curling his larger hand into her own, or holding his long, calloused fingers to the small of her back while he navigated them through the crowds. And it didn't take long for Izumi's razor sharp eyes and those of everyone else to pick up on this development.

When the crowd heard a very drunk Shisui deviate from his karaoke prompt to suddenly scream out, "My auntie is the undisputed OG!" Itachi and Izumi decided it was time to go.

As Izumi dragged a giddy Shisui off the stage, Itachi discreetly pulled Sasuke aside while Sakura helped Hinata pull bits of dried squid and empty umaibo wrappers out of the various pockets of a now passed out Naruto's brand new flack vest.

"We'll pack up your gifts in a scroll and take them home for you… in case you won't be returning with us." Before Sasuke could offer up some feeble denial, Itachi was already gone.

Moments later, he felt Sakura's small hand softly squeeze his shoulder.

"Hinata mentioned that Itachi-san and Izumi-san were kind enough to pack up all your jounin gifts… But I still haven't given you mine."

He looked down to meet Sakura's adoring face. "You didn't need to get me anything."

"Are you sure you don't want my gift? It's not something anyone can buy. It's more like something I thought you wanted to try… together."

Sasuke's mouth suddenly went bone dry and he swallowed thickly. She gently placed her hands on his chest and reached up to whisper against his lips, "Does page 121 ring a bell?"

Basking in the afterglow of the single most astonishing night of passion he'd ever experienced in his young life, Sasuke felt his erratic heartbeat and labored breathing finally start to level out as Sakura's palm traced lazy circles on his chest.

As his mental faculties slowly returned, he finally remembered that small, minor question that vaguely popped up in the back of his head when they first teleported back to her apartment a few hours earlier.

"Sakura."

"Hmm?"

"How… how did you - "

Sakura cut him off with a giggle. Which meant she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Well, I read your book… I snuck it into my medical pouch that day, after… you know."

The back of Sasuke's neck burrrrrrrned with the heat of a thousand suns. And then he nearly shot up in bed as he realized something supremely awful.

If Sakura secretly swiped his copy of Icha Icha and had it in her possession this whole week, then the copy the elder's discovered… and the book they caught his parents with must have belonged to -

Ohhhhh, for fuck's sake.

Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut, as if that would make the horrific realization he just had go away.

"Sasuke-kun? Are you alright?"

Sasuke willed his eyes open and tried to brush off his momentary breakdown. "Aa. It's just… you didn't tell me."

"Why would I? It was supposed to be a surprise! I wanted to do the things you earmarked because… I figured those were the ones you were most interested in. This was your jounin gift, remember? Recipients aren't supposed to know about gifts in advance."

"But there were… a few..."

Sakura actually laughed out loud at that, to his chagrin. "Sasuke-kun, there were a LOT." And in her typical annoying fashion, she kept on snickering.

"But… how - why... that one."

That shut her up for some reason, and her voice dropped to a level that she knew he found irresistible. "That one seemed special because it was the only one with a star marked next to it."

Sakura sighed as his entire body tensed at this disclosure. "Oh come on, Sasuke-kun. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I'm not embarrassed," he spat, convincing no one. "It's just… I was just curious… how it worked. In an academic way, of course… because it shouldn't be possible." He tried his best to sound serious, but still refused to meet her gaze.

Sakura decided not to tease him further and responded matter-of-factly.

"You're right. It isn't possible for most people. But there is a way to make it work, if you have perfect chakra control."

At that, Sasuke whipped his head to stare at her in wonder. "Wait – you've done this before?"

Sakura huffed in annoyance. "What are you talking about? Stop being crazy. Of course not!"

"Then how did you know it would work?"

Sakura blushed furiously and started fiddling with one of his nipples. She was disappointed to find that it wasn't as distracting for him as it usually was, because Sasuke only gave her a look of impatience, pushing her to elaborate.

"Fine! It was… ugh, Shishou told me."

Sasuke gaped as he swatted her hand away. "Are you crazy?! You asked the Hokage about this?!"

"Relaaaaax Sasuke-kun, it's no big deal… I swear! She's the one who's always getting sloshed and blabbing about this sort of thing to me and Shizune-senpai."

Sasuke blinked hard in disbelief. He really didn't know how to take this. Knowing that the Hokage was getting wasted and filling his girlfriend's head with all kinds of kinky…

Actually, maybe it wasn't the worst thing in the world.

Suddenly (unfortunately), a random conversation he overheard once between Kakashi and the idiot came to mind.

"As interesting and thrilling as this all is, even I know that Icha Icha isn't completely realistic."

An indignant Naruto vehemently disagreed. "It is too, old man! Ero-sennin may be a super duper pervert but he's a shinobi of the Leaf, and he has principles, dattebayo! He personally tested everything he writes about, and he wouldn't include anything in his books that wasn't true!"

Sasuke mentally put two and two together. So, if the Pervy Sage had personally tested all of these positions (shudder), but the particularly awesome one he and Sakura tried tonight required perfect chakra control that to his knowledge, only one other person in the village had, then…

Sasuke blanched.

Call him an insensitive jerk, but he really was NOT AT ALL interested in the… relations of the elderly (or anyone else for that matter).

He was pulled from this repellent train of thought by the sound of Sakura taking something out of her nightstand. She tapped him lightly on the nose with a soup ladle as she straddled him suggestively.

"You know, there are a few other earmarked pages that we haven't gotten to yet… care to give them a go?"

And for the nth time that night, Sasuke thanked every deity there was for the incomparable kunoichi in his arms, and lost himself to bliss.

Author's Note: And that's the end of Guilty, folks! Thank you so much to everyone who kindly took the time to leave a comment/review for these revised chapters! I also wanted to extend my special thanks and appreciation those who read this fic a year ago, but still took the time to revisit this a second time around!~ Also, I wanted folks to know: the flashback in this chapter that references Orochimaru's attempted abduction of little Sasuke was inspired by a scene in one of my all time favorite Non-massacre ItaSaku fics called The Way of the Wind by justenough. This story is phenomenal, and I really hope you'll give this beloved ItaSaku classic a read if you haven't already!