o.- Please don't kill me.

I know it's been forever since I've updated, and I am truly truly truly truly TRULY sorry about that. I kind of lost inspiration for this story and as such, I kind of kept my agenda full with other stories/life. But here is my attempt to right my wrongs! =D More A/N after the chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters in any way, shape, or form.

Chapter 19: Christmas

Hinata blew some heat into her mittened-hands, rubbing them to try and get some friction to warm them. Nevertheless, whatever she did seemed futile. It was cold as all hell, and the Hyuga heiress could hardly stand it. She was making her way to the Hyuga Compound, coming back from a dinner with her team. Deciding she didn't particularly want to be out here much longer, despite how cute and wintery the scenery looked, she cut through the park, a short cut to reach her ultimate destination.

But suddenly she paused, spotting a little girl who she had met before, who seemed to be waiting patiently at a park bench, the very same one which they had shared an ice cream cone on. "Suki?!"

Said girl turned to face Hinata, her small frame covered by a big puffy winter jacket and scarf. "Hinata-nee!" She smiled in glee, allowing said Hyuga heiress to approach her current location. "I wasn't sure if I'd find you here, but I figured it was worth a shot." she stood up, if only for the sake of allowing Hinata to embrace her smaller frame.

"I-I thought you left the v-village for the winter." she questioned as they both sat down.

"Okaa-san had some errands to run here, so we came back just for the day. We'll be leaving later today."

"Oh... were you... waiting for me?" Hinata seemed puzzled. Clearly, it didn't look like Suki had anyone watching her, which led her to believe that she was alone and perhaps waiting to see her specifically.

"Hai." Suki grinned. "I wanted to give you this." And as she said this, she indicated to the small present that set beside her on the bench. "I know it isn't much, but I wanted to give you something." As she said this, Suki placed the small box on Hinata's lap, who seemed startled, a small blush appearing on her face.

"B-But I didn't even get y-you anything." Furthermore, how did this little girl get the money to afford a present, no matter how cheap? Had her mother perhaps bought it for her?

"I didn't expect you to." Suki was honest. "You have made a lasting impact on me, Hinata-nee. I just wanted to show my gratitude to you." her smile was unwavering, so resilient that it bubbled warmth inside of Hinata and made her momentarily forget about the chilly weather around her. Why was this girl so... radiant? "Anyway, I should go in case Okaa-san starts to worry! I hope I see you again after the holidays, Hinata-nee!" She give Hinata another quick hug before she began running off in a different direction from which Hinata came. Truth be told, she had left much too quick for Hinata to even mutter a thank you, still too shocked by the gift and their small interaction.

You have made a lasting impact on me,

What could she possibly mean by that? Hinata had been the one to receive advice from a little toddler during their first and only interaction at the time. So what had she received from it, and why had it been enough for her to want to deliver this gift?

More importantly, what was it?

"Gomen, I had some business to attend to in Konoha."

Kisame raised an eyebrow, stiffly leaning against a giant oak tree. "Don't tell me you're becoming buddies with them again." Kisame warned -not really for Akatsuki's sake, but for hers.

"No, none of that. I had to get something from there, is all. Let's hurry along, lest the weather picks up." Sakura shook her head.

"I think it may be a little too late for that." Kisame shrugged as he glanced behind him, another hooded figure standing there. "How long do you think it'll take us to arrive?"

Itachi seemed to ponder this, staring up at the darkening skies; a storm was brewing. "Easily past nightfall."

Kisame grumbled. "Great. I'm starving now as it is."

Sakura laughed. "You'll live. Come on."

"Hai, hai."

"Suzuki, help your sister set the table! Our guests will be arriving any minute!"

"Hai, Okaa-san!"

It was rather strange to have her two girls listen to her without question, Sera couldn't help but think. But it was Christmas Eve, and the two girls were probably too excited, and needed something to do to keep their minds distracted. After all, Sakura and her two male companions would be arriving shortly for their Christmas meal, and it had truly been a while since they had last seen Sakura, so one could hardly blame them.

Within no time, the table was set, dinner just about ready, just as Sera and her two children heard a knock on the door. "It smells good in there! Let me in!" It was distinctly a male's voice, one which excited both Suki and Suzuki as they rushed to the door.

"Kisame-senpai!"

But of course he wasn't the only one, for alongside him stood their favorite pink-haired sister-figure, and they were just as quick to hop on her. Of course, Itachi had been forced to come as well (Kisame had mentioned something about not being allowed to break away from their duo), but the kiddos restrained themselves from embracing him, knowing his tendencies of shying away from physical contact -but it was alright.

"Come in, come in!" Sera was quick to usher in the shinobi, quick to give Sakura an embrace. "My husband's out getting some firewood, he'll be back soon enough. Come take a seat."

"Hai... But what are we to do with all of these presents?" Sakura grinned, seeing the girls' faces light up.

"We'll take them off your hands!" they exclaimed in unison, but Sera was quick to silence them.

"No you will not." She snapped. "No presents until tomorrow morning, I already told you two." Nevertheless, she smiled. "You can put them over there by the tree." She pointed to the corner of the room.

"Hai" And so she and Kisame walked towards the tree, each of them holding two to three presents in their hands. "You know, you've really come to like these girls, haven't you, Kisame?" Sakura muttered. Truth be told, Kisame had gotten them rather pricey presents (of course, he could afford it -she couldn't).

"Of course I have." Kisame chuckled. "They're the only two children who haven't ran after seeing me." Although his statement was loaded with humor and laced with sarcasm, Sakura knew these words to hold truth. After all, Kisame wasn't the nicest looking person out there, what with his giant stature and blue skin and beady eyes and sharp teeth and -well, you get the point.

Dinner began shortly after Sera's husband arrived, with lots of laughter and conversation exchanged throughout most of the table, minus Itachi of course. It had been a considerably late dinner (the storm near Konoha and Oto had slowed them down considerably, and their travel had taken much longer than they had expected). As such, straight after dinner the two girls were left to retire to their rooms respectively. "Will you guys be here tomorrow morning?" Suzuki asked, hopeful of the answer to come.

"I can't make any promises." Sakura was truthful. "But I'll tell you what. You'll be seeing me in about a week's time, for sure." She smiled.

Although it was clear that both kids were disappointed, they bid their good nights and hurried off to bed -all of the excitement had truly worn them off, and they had to wake up bright and early the next day to open their cool presents, after all.

Sera's husband had excused himself shortly afterwards, stating he had to work, even on Christmas day, leaving the three rogue shinobi and Sera alone, huddled by the fireplace. Kisame and Itachi were left by the fireplace drinking some hot relaxing tea, while Sera and Sakura started cleaning up the dinner table and washing dishes, leaving them time to talk in peace. "So you'll be leaving tonight, then?" she questioned.

"Hai... we have an event elsewhere tomorrow." Sakura stated.

"You sure have been gone often since you met these two gentlemen." Sera stated, a foreshadow of what she believed Sakura to be doing. Sakura didn't necessarily know how to respond to this. She had finally built a home here in Oto, and as soon as she gets settled in she finds Kisame and Itachi, and starts being involved in Akatsuki, although she hadn't wanted to at first.

"I guess I'm not entirely done with my shinobi life style." Sakura smiled hesitantly.

"There is nothing wrong with that." Sera shook her head. "I just worry for your safety, is all." Sera was truthful. Her and her girls had become attached to Sakura, especially after hearing everything that she had gone through. So for her to possibly be hanging around shinobi? It was unsettling. But they knew Sakura was a smart girl, and wouldn't get herself caught up in something she couldn't handle (hopefully). "Do promise me you're not getting yourself into any trouble."

"I'm not." Sakura assured very quickly. 'Sort of...' she flinched internally. "For now..."

Sera stopped washing her dishes. "What is that supposed to mean?" she frowned in distaste. Not that Sera had any right to know, but she had saved the girl's life and had come to care for her greatly -if there was something going on she'd like to know.

Sakura supposed there was no harm in telling her. "I've received an opportunity to perhaps help out Otogakure. I've been seriously considering it..."

Sera was quiet for the longest time, not knowing exactly how to respond to it. As such, they were both left washing the dishes in silence for what could be five minutes. "There are dark forces behind Otogakure, Sakura."

"I'm well aware of its origins." Sakura didn't even bat an eyelash.

"Then you should also be aware of the fact that his influence still lingers here. Originally, Sound was nothing more than poverty-stricken areas where shinobi came for a promise of discovering their identities. Over the years, the lack of restrictions and a set ruling government attracted civilians wanting to start their own trade free of government intervention." she stated, pausing to let out a small sigh. "After Orochimaru's demise, the shinobi previously under his rule began to try and lay claims to these lands, imposing on us taxes and all sorts of conditions. This little town is lucky. We're too close to Konoha, you see. Seeing as the man who defeated Orochimaru returned to Konoha, they're all very hesitant to even get close to it." Sera stated.

Sakura nodded. She knew all about this part of Sera's story, and it made sense. Konoha was a powerful adversary, and if a threat came too close to home, she was sure Tsunade would be quick to silence it. As such, it was probably a smart move for Orochimaru's ex-nin to avoid being in this town. "I understand this. But I'm not afraid of them. I've seen and faced challenges far more difficult than these pesky rogues to let them phase me. That won't even be the hardest part of this mission."

Sera allowed herself time to contemplate this statement. She supposed Sakura was that sort of kunoichi that didn't let adversity get in her way. As such, Sera could do nothing to dissuade Sakura from taking up a kunai once more. Honestly, she should have seen this coming the moment she had met Itachi and Kisame. "Whatever the case may be, just know that we care for you, Sakura. I will support you the best I can from here."

Sakura smiled. "Your words mean more than I could ever express, Sera. Arigatou."

"Merry Christmas"

It was but two simple words, but it brought Sakura to a grin from ear to ear. This would be her first holiday with the Akatsuki -an odd thought, given the fact that a few months prior, they would have been her sworn enemies. But never mind that. She had too much on her mind and too much to do to linger on these thoughts.

"Merry Christmas, Sakura." Kisame responded with a not-as-enthusiastic grin. Truth be told, he and Konan had somewhat tip-toed the subject of Christmas with the kunoichi. After all, even if she was lying to herself, Christmas with them was definitely a down-grade from Christmas with her old comrades. Despite how elated Sakura seemed to be, they knew she had to be in some sort of inner turmoil. As such, they truly hoped this Christmas wouldn't be a bust: they had worked their butt's off on the decorations and gifts and all that entailed Christmas, and truth be told, Sakura's broken spirit probably couldn't take it. They were sure she missed her old life style -to a certain extent, they all did. Life was easy when they weren't constantly breaking international laws and such. But they had chosen these lives, and Sakura hadn't, that was where the difference lie.

Sakura hadn't denied this. She had told Konan flat out -there was no sense in lying to her anyway.

I can't help but wonder what they're all doing now. I used to plan our Christmas's, y'know. I wonder if Shikamaru is doing last minute shopping for Temari again this year and if Naruto is still completely oblivious of what he should get Hinata.

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate everything she had now, it was just hard to forget her past when it had been ripped away from her so suddenly. She hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to anyone, and as such she never got closure, to completely forget her previous life style. She supposed that perhaps she never would. But regardless of this, she knew how hard Konan and Kisame were trying, and she greatly appreciated it, truth be told.

But never mind that -her mind was getting off topic. It was Christmas, for Kami's sake, and Sakura was going to enjoy it. It was bad enough that she had been desperate to find a perfect gift for Kisame and had come up short until the last minute -she didn't need this day to be as stressful too. "Dinner's almost ready. We should gather everyone at the table." Konan muttered.

Sakura gave a curt nod, and together they began to rally up the Akatsuki members until all were neatly sitting down at the long dinner table. It was actually sort of odd to see everyone well groomed for the occasion, Deidara and Kisame even going out of their way to wear festive hats and cute little bow ties. "We shall exchange our gifts after dinner." Pein stated, honestly tired of the Christmas cheer -only Kami knew how long it had taken him to come up with a Christmas present idea, after all.

There was a firm knock on Sasuke's door, said Uchiha standing in front of his mirror, staring at his reflection. He gave a low grunt, a sign for the person on the other side of the door to come in.

The door opened slowly, revealing his blonde counterpart, dressed in a dressy button up, similar to his own. "Teme, they're all arriving soon. Ino said to come down." Naruto was slow with his words, his voice not as annoying or exuberant as usual, perhaps because he knew how important this day was to Sasuke -hell, he felt it too. This would be their first Christmas without Sakura, and with enough pleading on Naruto's behalf, Sasuke had finally relented in letting the dinner be held at his house, with a quick visit to Sakura's grave first and foremost.

Sasuke did not respond, but gave a curt nod as he looked himself over in the mirror -he had been left to look himself over, after all, something that Sakura would have probably done for him were she still here.

Naruto seemed to sense his turmoil, approaching him and gripping his shoulder. "We'll be alright." he stated, perhaps to try and ease Sasuke's thoughts momentarily.

Sasuke didn't respond, still surveying his reflection in the mirror. After much thought, he turned. "Hn. Let's go."

It had been awfully nostalgic.

Sasuke hadn't visited Sakura's grave since her original funeral, even if he knew he should visit her often -it had been too painful, after all, remembering all the instances between the two.

He had never had her chance with her, and now he supposed he would never be able to. Perhaps this had all been his fault anyway. If he hadn't abandoned his own home, his own family, for the sake of power, Sakura would have never grown to resent him, and they would have been happily together. At least he would have known what it would have been like to call her his.

It seemed that luck was never on his side, nevertheless.

Little by little, everyone seemed to approach her grave, starting with Ino, Hinata, and TenTen, and then the rest of the Rookie 9 and Team Gai. They were each given the chance to say their prayers privately, until all of them united around her grave and began sharing fond memories of her. It was oddly... calm. Sasuke had expected this to hurt more, but the pain in his chest was hollow and not as fresh. He supposed time really did heal most things.

They had spent nearly an hour huddled up around her grave, light fluffy snowflakes falling around them, until Naruto's stomach growled, letting people know that it was finally time to head back. Yet, oddly enough, Sasuke found that he didn't want to leave. He hadn't said a word during this entire time, not to say that his mind wasn't racing with all sorts of memories and thoughts and feelings. Naruto made a motion to walk towards him, the lone person still standing at the foot of Sakura's grave, but Ino saw this and halted Naruto, a calm hand on his shoulder.

"Sasuke needs this, Naruto." Ino mumbled. "Let's leave him to his thoughts for a little while."

Although reluctant to leave his last best friend alone, perhaps Ino was right. As such, he turned back hesitantly, shouting out to his friend that they were all heading back now.

Either Sasuke hadn't heard, or simply didn't care.

Eventually, he sat down alongside her tombstone, although he still hadn't spoken. What could he even say? It's not like she was there to hear him anyway. And who even made the tradition of speaking to a tombstone? Sasuke could nearly sign in irritation by all of this. But even as he thought this, only one thing came to mind, and he couldn't help but voice it out. "I'm so sorry Sakura..."

He was sorry for abandoning her, and he was sorry for ignoring her, and he was sorry for not being able to protect her, or her innocent, naive, kind-hearted spirit. She hadn't deserved her ending, and were he able to he knew he would have switched places with her in a heartbeat, if only for the sake of protecting someone so innately pure and compassionate that she hadn't given up on him despite the way he had abandoned her and Naruto.

And he missed her; terribly so. She had a way of understanding him, of seeing what others could not (and what sometimes even he could not see in himself), and it had made his unbearably lonely life a little more whole and a little more bearable. It made his desire for vengeance not as crucial for him, but rather to fill an emptiness in his hollow heart that he knew only family could fix. She had always found a way of finding the truly spectacular things about anything and everything in life, and without her to remind him of how wonderful life could be -well... truth be told, his days had been drearier and grayer all around.

He hadn't noticed how dependent he was on her until he had finally lost her. He brought meaning to his world, and now she was gone, and with her the happiest future imaginable. And he couldn't help but feel sorry for her, and sorry for him, for denying himself the most blessed happiness he could have ever had in this world.

Sasuke didn't know how long he had been there, but eventually he stood up to leave. He had been there far too long, if his now numb backside was an indication of anything. As he exited the graveyard, he saw a small figure, pressing their knitted hands against their mouth. "Ino? What are you doing here?" Sasuke seemed perplexed.

Ino, having been too distracted with trying to retain some form of heat, couldn't help but be startles slightly by Sasuke's intimidating voice. "I was waiting for you, what does it look like I was doing?" she snapped -clearly, she was not happy about having been in the snow for so long. Curse her and her caring nature.

"I can see that. I meant why." Sasuke glared in response to Ino's sarcastic comeback. As he said this, Ino walked alongside him as they both made their way back to the Uchiha Compound.

"I didn't think it nice to leave you all alone." Ino merely shrugged. No more words were spoken between the two shinobi, as they made their way through the deserted snowy streets of Konoha, not one single person other than themselves walking around; of course, everyone was in their own home probably eating or opening presents by now, after all. Right around the time they rounded the corner of the Uchiha Compound, Ino opened her mouth to speak, her eyes glancing away from Sasuke nervously. "Did you talk to her?"

"Hn." he muttered in response, an indication that yes, he had in a sense at least spoken to her tombstone.

And Ino couldn't help but let out a small smile at this. She was glad to hear this, after all. Sasuke needed this, and he seemed to be the only against talking to Sakura or visiting her grave, and she had a feeling that it was because he was still not accepting of the fact that she had passed on. He had yet to let go of her and move on, although Ino honestly couldn't blame him for this. "I'm sure she would be glad that we spent our Christmas with her."

And as much as Sasuke hadn't wanted to do it, he knew that she would have been glad too.

"Is this... glow in the dark chalk?!" Tobi had just about passed out in sheer amazement, squealing like a fan girl over his Christmas present from his secret santa.

Sakura couldn't help but find it odd how much he seemed to truly appreciate the gift. It had to be, by far, the most childish gift anyone could have received, other than Konan who ended up giving Hidan a Panic Pete squeeze toy (which had been hilarious, if you ask Kisame), among other miscellaneous items.

Among other somewhat humorous gifts was that of Tobi's to Itachi, who got him bunny slippers and a matching pajama set. Honestly, it looked like Tobi had been more excited about the slippers than Itachi ever will be. Deidara had also received a Deluxe Firework Set, which although somewhat childish, Deidara had to admit he ws actually excited about.

And then on to the more thoughtful and pricey gifts, Kisame had gifted Konan a three day stay and a luxurious spa, and had thrown in an extra ticket so that Sakura could go along as well. And Konan, although she hadn't been required to do so, ended up giving Sakura a photo album, already started with many pictures of Akatsuki and their festivities during the Christmas times. Sakura had absolutely loved this gift, stating that it was more precious to her than anything in the world -had she ever mentioned that she was a big fan of photos? They had a way of freezing time, a way to never forget the precious memories of the past, and it helped Sakura feel like her friends would never leave her -they were only ever one photo album away, after all.

Yet, hands down the best present perhaps given that night was that of Sakura's to Kisame. She had handed him a small, slim present that he had opened excitedly to reveal a picture frame, with one sole photo of a baby shark. Although initially perplexed and slightly confused, Sakura went on to say that he was now the very proud mother of his own baby shark. It had been hard to find a pregnant shark, and even more so difficult to detach it's fetus without harming said shark. And don't even get her started on how she had managed to obtain Kisame's chakra and feed it to said shark fetus on a regular basis (although she had had help from Konan and Itachi for figuring this out), so as for it to be completely accepting and compatible of said chakra pattern.

"Take it as your own ninja shark." Sakura had stated, somewhat shrugging her shoulders. "She'll come at your command and do as you tell her to, so long as you give her your chakra and express what it is you desire."

And if Kisame had to be honest, it had been the best present anyone had ever given him in his life. "I-I'm a mommy..." he was in near tears.

What was left of the presents was passed out, and after everything was all said and done, Kisame was quick to pop out the champagne and all their other assorted alcoholic goodies as the livelier people of the group, namely Kisame, Hidan, Sakura, Deidara, Konan, and Deidara began to get inebriated. The more reserved of the group proceeded to gather their gifts and retire to their rooms, to hopefully drown on the sounds of the remaining Akatsuki members celebrating the end of another year.

The magic of Christmas seemed to be gone in the blink of an eye. She supposed this wasn't an evil organization for nothing, then again. The very next morning, bright and early, exactly the way she didn't like it, there was a knock on her door, presumably the same person that always got her up at ungodly times of the morning after she had consumed alcohol the night before.

The characteristic cup of coffee on one hand, with the same "Leader-sama wishes to see you" following slipped out of his mouth. Of course, no surprise there. But at least this time she was prepared, and didn't look completely disheveled or indecent in front of the seemingly impeccable and perfect appearance of the Uchiha before her.

"Leader-sama." Itachi knocked once, waiting patiently until he heard Pein's low "come in". He opened the door, allowing the ex-Konoha kunoichi to walk in, before bowing. "I leave you to your meeting." he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him quietly, leaving Sakura alone with the leader of the organization, someone who clearly intimidated her slightly, although Konan's stories of their past left Sakura at ease slightly. She sat there patiently, sipping her coffee, knowing exactly what this was about.

Otogakure.

Truth be told, she knew she would be called in for this -to continue their preparations on how to eventually conquer, or lay claim to Oto. But more and more, she had begun to think that perhaps this wasn't the best option for her.

It seemed to her that Pein could see this bubbling doubt in her, sitting on a chair twiddling her thumbs in hesitant anticipation. "You seem nervous." he stated, more so in order for her to state her qualms.

"I... I don't know about this plan, Pein-san..." she was truthful -she knew that, regardless of her answer, Pein would not hurt her. She was a friend to Konan, something in itself that wouldn't even allow him to consider the notion of getting rid of her, she knew. But more than that, she had become somewhat of a friend to the people in the organization.

"What seems to be your concern?" Pein asked, having expected this. There was no way the kunoichi would give in to his plans so easily, after all. He had heard stories. She was intelligent and liked to think things through thoroughly, and what about becoming a kage to a foreign nation seemed easy? Absolutely nothing, that's what.

"My intentions were never to get involved with Akatsuki... you know that very well..." Sakura spoke, remembering of her very first encounter with Kakuzu and Hidan. "You could have killed me... should have, and I wouldn't have cared." Sakura stated. "Unfortunately you didn't, and now I stand before you as a friend. But Akatsuki... what you guys do... I'm not so sure I can allow myself to be affiliated with you guys so easily..."

They were murderers. They were funny and nice and caring, but they were rogue, wanted murderers. She was a compassionate, loyal healer, one who felt bad for switching the sale tags on clothes just to save fifteen bucks. Her conscious would be castrated if she allowed this plan to go on, knowing in the back of her mind that she was helping them to kill innocent people and take over the world.

Suddenly Pein stood up. "Would you mind coming with me, Sakura?"

Sakura blinked, watching Pein walk to his doors. "Sure. Where are we going?" She got up and followed a few steps behind him.

"You'll see..."

It was an orphanage -sort of. A run down, ragged little building, abandoned and left to deteriorate after many years of neglect and abandonment. Sakura could almost feel the pain and heartbreak in the poor, decaying structure, being able to imagine the stories of the kids who came from here. It was small, perhaps fit for no more than three to five people -and even those living under said roof would fit uncomfortably. So what was the significance of this?

"I lived here once... With Konan and Yahiko... a dear friend of ours..."

Sakura's eyes widened, turning to stare at Pein, his face expression unreadable but his eyes hazy with memories from the past.

"This was the place I first vowed to bring peace to Amegakure. To end all political corruption in war, so that no one had to ever feel pain like I had ever again."

Sakura's eyebrows furled in confusion. "Then why..."

She didn't understand it. If he wanted peace why make an organization such as this? Why pursue such hatred and crime? He seemed to understand her question, long before she even asked her incomplete phrase. "Trying to obtain peace without force is futile." his statement seemed bold, almost echoing in the small clearing. "The only way for people to truly want peace is for them to experience war first hand."

Sakura understood the implication, although she didn't quite understand what had led him to such a bold conclusion. "You're bringing war to their doorstep to make this personal."

Pein finally turned, staring at her. "They destroyed my country, Sakura. No one understands our pain because they haven't had an ounce of what Ame has."

"Is this truly the only way you see fit for peace?" Sakura couldn't help but notice how Pein's idealism was similar to that of Naruto, but also very different.

"Let me show you something else, Sakura." he didn't answer her question -at least not directly.

Suddenly the scenery changed, something Sakura could easily identify as a genjutsu, neither malicious nor scary. A different scene, of three little kids, alone in the world. Time passed. They grew, and with a man Sakura knew to be Jiraiya, they grew stronger and determined to end war in Amegakure -peacefully, might she add.

And then the scene changed once more, and she saw bloodshed, a battle with the three orphans and a man she knew was Hanzo.

"This is what a peaceful solution to war gave us. After all our years of hard work, all we got was death -betrayed by our own people."

Sakura gasped, not upon realizing that Pein had lost one of his closest and dearest friends, but upon realizing that the Pein she was talking to looked exactly like the 'Pein' that had been killed in the genjutsu, but she knew this to not be his name. His name was Yahiko, and neither of the three shinobi there was named Pein. Sakura had a feeling that Pein had, indirectly of course, just revealed one of his secrets -if not all of them, truthfully speaking. He had just revealed his identity to her, sort of, and he didn't seem to care even the slightest.

"Why are you telling me all of this? Showing me this?" She asked.

"Konan has taken a strong liking to you, Sakura." He began, picturing the woman whom he had known since he was but a toddler. "She hasn't allowed herself to get close to anyone since Yahiko's death." Pein paused, letting these words sink in. "She trusts you more than she let's on. As such, I believe that I can trust you too. Come, I have more to show you."

Sakura blinked. More? More to show her? She felt like she had seen enough.

But as Pein stated, there was more for her to learn, and as such she had no choice but to follow him as he disguised himself and led her across the town, a different part than that which Konan had showed her briefly. "None of these orphanages were here before I took over." Pein stated. "Kids were either left to fend for themselves or slowly wither away into nothing-ness."

Sakura's eyes softened at the scene. Yes, these orphanages were not anything like she would see in Konoha, all decrepit and poorly structured, but Pein was trying, and that was a notable feat on its own. "During our earlier years," Pein began, allowing Sakura to inspect the building, "Akatsuki was a mercenary group for hire. All of our earnings were either directly or indirectly put into Amegakure to try and stabilize our future. Of course, with our rising name, we were getting less and less customers, due to our bad reputation."

"That's why you have Kakuzu and Hidan doing bounties..." Sakura let out a low gasp -this had been, after all, what Hidan and Kakuzu had being doing upon her capture by them.

"Precisely." Pein nodded. "We've focused most of our earnings on building orphanages and hospitals for the needy, as well as to extend our food supply, particularly during these rough cold months."

Sakura's heart clenched at the thought. Pein was so like Naruto it almost caused her heartache. To think that, all along, they were fighting an organization not entirely evil, but willing to make sacrifices for the sake of what Pein perceived to be a perfect world. It sent her mind into an unimaginable turmoil. "Pein... I..."

"I have one more thing to show you. Then you can make your final decision. Please." It was not a demand, but rather a request, one which tugged at Sakura's heartstrings. She had never expected to see this side of the Akatsuki -absentmindedly, she wondered if perhaps all of the Akatsuki members knew this side of the organization, this side of Pein, and were following him because of it, or whether they had their own agendas and reasons for joining.

"...Alright" she mumbled. But truthfully speaking, she had no choice. She was in too deep.

Oddly enough, Sakura found herself in what seemed to be an extension of the Akatsuki lair, although she had never been here -truth be told, she didn't quite know how she had gotten there either. Before her lay two large doors, and Sakura could feel the presence of another human being just within this doors. Who was this?

"Whenever you're ready, kunoichi." Pein stood aside, almost as if waiting for her to go in first.

Sakura watched with mild curiosity, but shook all the uncertainties in her brain away, and ushered forward, pushing on the two doors.

"Konan?" Sakura blinked, seeing Konan's figure standing next to...-

Wait a minute, what?

She hadn't sensed another person there, not that the image before her could even be called a human. He was decrepit, feeble beyond his years, a withering shell of a man Sakura had seen in her genjutsu.

"Nagato..." She turned to look behind her, seeing Pein standing just a few short feet behind her. "And... Yahiko?"

Konan seemed just as surprised as Sakura, turning to Nagato in a perplexed fashion. "You've shown her this much?"

The man, more bones than meat, nodded. "If we plan on obtaining her aid, then we need to trust her completely." he spoke. Konan didn't seem to question this, as Nagato turned from Konan to Sakura. "You now know everything kunoichi. Our plans, our origins, our aspirations... and even my identity. It is now that I ask for your decision."

Sakura didn't even know what to make of this. Here she was, plain as day seeing the true master mind behind Akatsuki, laying bare and vulnerable before her, and all she could think or even feel was the urge to help him. He had let himself fall so much for the sake of his nation, and more and more he was reminding her of Naruto and how he would sacrifice everything in his power to give to his country, and it made her previous resolution crumble.

She couldn't deny him. Not anymore.

"I don't agree with the way that you are going about things." Sakura was honest. "I don't believe that you are the martyr that this world needs for peace. But I don't think my conscious will let me live my life without trying to help you restore Ame, if nothing else... If you can promise to not include me in any one of your other plans... I guess we can try this thing."

From the sidelines, Konan couldn't help but let out a genuine smile. She knew she had felt something from Sakura, from the moment she had seen Sakura's shell of a body, her angst and depression leaving her nothing but a sad portion of her former self. She had opened up to Konan, almost completely, and in the short span of time that they had spent together, Konan was able to tell that Sakura was a lover -she definitely did not belong in this world of war and violence. But she was convinced that neither did Pein. Their ideals were similar, and they had both felt the pain of being betrayed by the nation they loved so dearly, by the nation they would have given their lives for.

Don't ask her why, but Konan knew Sakura could be trusted, and knowing that Pein would need help to restore Ame to its former glory, she knew that perhaps Sakura, a shinobi with no past, could possibly be the key to it.

Even now, it was clear as day to Konan that Sakura meant it -she would help him with everything in her might, if not for Konan and Nagato, and if not for Amegakure, then perhaps for herself or for Otogakure as well. Because when it came down to it, wasn't it just plain cruel to perhaps have the power and the ability to help thousands, and not? Sakura was never the type of person to turn away people who needed her help, and with the opportunity to save an entire nation?

She truly couldn't say no, and she knew that Naruto would look down on her if she turned down this opportunity.

Alas, she truly had no choice.

There was a quiet knock on the door to Pein's office.

Ahh, exactly who he had been meaning to speak to. "Come in." Itachi, for the third or so time that day, entered Pein's office, waiting expectantly. "I'll make matters short." Pein stated, staring at Itachi, who walked closer and sat down on a nearby chair.

"Sakura is on board. She'll need guidance along the way, lest she gets over-whelmed."

Itachi did not speak; only process. Because there was only one reason for him to be called in, and only one reason for Pein to share this information with him.

"This is a long-term mission. She takes top priority."

"...Hn" The silence lay thick between them, Itachi wondering if this perhaps was an intervention of all that was misfortune in the world. He was her body guard now, from now until who knows how long, and Itachi would be lying if he didn't admit this somewhat irked him.

"Konan will brief the two of you on where our plan starts later on today. I will inform Sakura of your involvement in the plan. You are dismissed for now."

Itachi didn't comment as he stood to leave, thinking in the back of his mind that he and the Konoha kunoichi would be stick together like glue for the years to come, a thought that irritated him.

"A-Anno... Pein informed me of your involvement in the plan, Itachi-san..."

They were inside a large underground arena, Sakura having accompanied Kisame for a training exercise, seeing this as the perfect opportunity to try and converse with the elder Uchiha male. After all, since she would be seeing a lot of him through the upcoming days, she figured she should at least get to know him a little, or have him get to know her at least.

Itachi, who had been sitting down at a corner of the training ground reading a book, put it aside and looked up at the kunoichi. "Hn"

He really wasn't making it easy for her, that's for sure. "Well... I'd just... uhh... Like to thank you, I guess... for all the work you'll be putting into this project from now on."

It wasn't like Itachi really had a choice, but never mind that bit; although upset about the entire ordeal, Itachi was not raised to be rude, especially when it wasn't entirely her fault. "Are you truly sure you'd like to go on with this project? It'll be rigorous work." Itachi asked, not particularly because he cared about her feelings, but rather, because he didn't want to waste his time. He was a man with a mission, after all.

"I'm well aware." Sakura stated.

But of course she was, Itachi couldn't help but think. As little as he knew about the kunoichi, he knew that she wasn't stupid. She knew exactly what challenges she was facing, not that it mattered. She was a very determined kunoichi, one who hardly took no for an answer, and as such he had a feeling she wouldn't be backing down any time soon. Still, Itachi couldn't help but wonder what it had been that Pein told her inside of his office. The Haruno was a kunoichi dictated by her morals, above all else; so for her to agree to aiding the organization after her Jinchuuriki friend? Either Pein was really convincing, or he had threatened her, and he strongly believed against the latter. "Very well." was all Itachi bothered to comment.

"How do you think we should go about this?" Sakura seemed unfazed by Itachi's reluctance to continue their conversation -she had dealt with just as bad with Neji and Sasuke.

"There is much to prepare before we even approach Otogakure." Itachi began, his eyes finally landing on her figure, staring dead center at her with his Sharingan eyes staring level-headedly at her, not at all surprised that she was staring straight back at him with determination, and without so much as an ounce of fear. "As impressive as you may be with your skills, there is much for you to learn before you can consider taking on a Kage role; politics won't be easy." As he stated this, Kisame, seemingly curious to know what it was that they were talking about, approached them.

"What's going on?" He looked from Sakura to Itachi with a raised eyebrow, knowing that, after the whole "I slept on the same bed as Itachi and totally harassed him" incident, Itachi had done his best to avoid her.

Sakura, seemingly too preoccupied with her thoughts, remained oblivious to him or his statement. "Would it be too much to ask for you to train me?" She stared nervously at Itachi, and added a quick "Onegai" to try and further persuade him.

Itachi seemed to process this information, although it seemed that Kisame had more to say on the matter than him. "Why would you even want that?" Kisame asked.

Sakura mewled over her words. "As Sakura Haruno, I rely on my medical ninjutsu and my inhuman strength. As a Kage of Oto, were I to ever need to fight, I cannot rely on such obvious and brutish methods that would point me back to my former life in Konoha. If I'm going to take responsibility for these people, I need to make sure I can protect them, but without giving away my identity... At least, as I see it." Sakura muttered. She had given this much thought, after all. She didn't want to bother Itachi, honest to god, but she figured that if she was going to be spending all of this time with Itachi, he might as well be the one to do it, right?

"...What do you mean, Otokage?" Kisame blinked. Clearly, he had not been filled in on something, and suddenly it was starting to become a little more understandable, why Itachi and Sakura had been seen together often in the past few weeks.

Itachi glanced at Kisame. "Leader was planning on filling you in later today." he stated without batting an eye.

"Well it's a little late for that I guess." Kisame shrugged, as his eyes landed on Sakura. "He wants you to become Otokage?" he questioned. He could sort of see Pein's thought process and see how this could possibly be beneficial for Akatsuki in the long run, but he had never imagined that Sakura would even go along with the plan to begin with. "But regardless of that, Itachi's not the easiest person to work with -I can attest to that." And no, he wasn't saying that Itachi was a terrible teacher, it was just that he was a bit of a slave driver.

"It doesn't matter." Sakura shook her head, as if denying Kisame's notion. "Training with Tsunade left me ready for any sort of beating. Whatever it is, I can handle it." she stated with determination. So please..."

Itachi seemed to stare at her thoughtfully. "I agree that there is much for you to learn in order to be ready to take on a Kage role. But you are not ready to train with me." he was quick to decline her offer. "First and foremost, we start with your stamina. As such, Kisame would probably be the best option for you. I will speak to Leader about starting a training regime for you."

Sakura simply nodded. She knew Itachi to only be speaking truth, anyhow. She was nothing compared to the likes of Itachi or Kisame, this she knew. Sure, she had defeated Sasori once, but that was with the help of Lady Chiyo and her chakra strings. Kami only knows how well she would have survived without her. "I can handle whatever you throw at me." she stated in a determined fashion, as Itachi stood to leave.

And as he brushed past her, he spoke but only sentence. "I don't doubt it."

Needless to say, he, above anyone else, expected great things from her. He knew her fighting style, and had seen enough to know her true potential. Her intelligence by far exceeded most of anyone's he knew; her determination was that of the Land of Fire, enough said there. Her perfect chakra control would prove most efficient and potent for the most challenging of jutsus, and her compassion all combined together would help to evolve her into a great kage, he knew.

Of course, time would only tell.

It had been decided that her first training regimes would be with Hidan and Kisame, to, just as Itachi had stated, help build up her stamina, as well as increase her chakra reserves. The dodging and evading hadn't been hard, especially with the knowledge that even just the tiniest fraction of her blood meant sure death to the hands of Hidan were he to truly take it as a battle (of course, seeing as he had strict instructions to not kill her, it helped ease her worries). But the building of her chakra reserves had been near exhausting, truth be told; and Kisame had said that Itachi was a slave driver -pfffft. Please. It had been three excruciating weeks of this side by side practice, and afterwards she had graduated, in a sense, from Hidan's training, although she would still see Kisame three times a week.

And after Hidan she was suddenly thrown into Deidara's grasps, who stated that he would be helping with all things reconnaissance and stealth alike, which honestly hadn't bee too hard, a nice break from her typical brutish training regimes. But the real torture came after those two weeks, in which she was suddenly expected to teach her body to counteract poisons, and as such was given to the hands of Sasori, who slowly but surely began building up her immunity towards even his deadliest poisons.

It had been hell. Painful, excruciating, mind-numbing pain that had often kept her up all night in a fiery sweat, throwing up at different hours of the night and passing out for days at a time. Sure, Sakura already had the antidote, and was sure she could make one given the time and resources, but that would have defeated the purpose of this training and as such had to bite her thumb through the three weeks while her body became accustomed.

Anything other than Sasori would seem like a breeze, she was sure. Luckily, she was given immunity from Kisame's training for the duration of it, seeing as she was left physically incapable of doing anything that wasn't eat, sleep, and throw up. After that, she was reunited with Kisame and his training regime and was introduced to another familiar and welcome face, Konan, who began teaching her about the politics involved when running a nation.

"How to speak. How to act. What to say. It's all crucial here. The only way to make you Kage, a true Otokage, is to make your reign desirable to the people of Sound. They have to like you if you want to get them to want to follow you." Konan stated, Sakura now placed before her in a room filled with books, a make-shift library for Konan.

"And how do you suppose we should go about doing that?" Sakura questioned.

"That's where things get tricky. Despite our attempts, Pein and I never accomplished such widespread change in Ame, due to the war and Hanzo's influence still in Ame. We may not be able to in our lifetime." Konan was truthful. "Things are different with Sound. They're not devastated by war -they're just exhausted. As such, it may almost be like taking in a wounded soldier, but we must go about it carefully." Konan began.

And so they began planning and planning, and when Sakura wasn't planning and she wasn't being taught bukijutsu with Kisame, she was being taught to master elemental techniques with Kakuzu, which hadn't honestly been very hard and as such could juggle these three activities at once.

But that had not been her final step, as ready as she thought herself to be, and after everything was said and done, Itachi and her had left the base in search for solitude as he began her final training regime of sharpening her mind and honing in on her strengths as a genjutsu wielder. She had thought that Sasori's poison immunity training had been hell -she couldn't begin to explain what fighting the Mangekyou felt like.

But she couldn't complain, not one bit, seeing as Itachi had gone so far out of his way just for her sake.

This would all be worth it, she kept telling herself, although she had yet to see the progress herself.

Every day had been hell, every day a new challenge presented upon her and a new horror to face. Itachi had warned her that he would not go easy on her, but she had expected just a bit of sympathy on his behalf. The worst thing about it had probably been the fact that Itachi had delved in to the deepest and most private recesses of her mind -there hadn't been one inch he hadn't touched, she was sure, and had she not signed up for this she was sure this invasion of privacy would have made her leave. She was left a child in his hands, vulnerable, weak, and completely bare and open before him as he picked at her psyche and made her discover things even she didn't know about herself.

It had been disturbing, but after the worst of it all, things had begun to be easier. She could block him out and fight back, and at times when Itachi allowed his Mangekyou to weaken, she could even break it.

"If you can break the Tsukiyomi you can break any sort of genjutsu that will ever be cast on you." he had stated, and Sakura knew that his words must have been true.

It had been rather lonely at first, considering the point of this exercise was for Sakura to be completely alone, so as to not give her a chance to seek refuge in her companions. Itachi hardly talked, hardly engaged her in any sort of conversation other that those pertaining to her lessons on genjutsus and of the prediction of movements. But after a while, Sakura had grown comfortable with this silence. In fact, she had come to see a different side of Itachi, one that observed the beauties of the world around them and sank himself into the peace it brought. And when it came to it, Itachi had much to say -just not about things Sakura had ever expected him to.

All in all, it hadn't been a completely terrible six weeks.

(3-4 month time skip)

This was it. Her final test. The moment where all she had been learning and practicing would finally be revealed; where she would see how far she had progressed over the past few months she had been relentlessly training with nearly the entirety of Akatsuki. She had to fight with one of their own, and they have done her the favor of allowing her to take her pick on who to fight.

She had picked Kisame, if only because she knew that he was a truly fearsome opponent, and she didn't want to go easy on herself.

So there she was, in a training arena with Kisame, while the likes of Hidan, Deidara, Sasori, Tobi, Konan, and Itachi stood by in the background, observing their battle. It had gone on for well over an hour, Sakura holding her own remarkably well and even landing a few, crucial blows on Kisame.

"Kami we created a monster..." Deidara said in near delight, seeing all the havoc that Sakura was creating around them.

Sasori contemplated this statement as he eyed Sakura. "No. She was already a monster before we got our hands on her, given that her inhuman strength was enough to topple mountains if she truly wanted to. What we did was wipe the slate clean and give her a new identity."

"We gave her a new life." Konan seemed to chide in with agreement, able to visibly see the glint of excitement in happiness in Sakura's eyes, despite her being in battle. "What we created is far better than any monster." They had shaped and molded a new person; the greatest Kage there ever was, she was sure.

Eventually, Sakura had managed to defeat Kisame, his blade thrown precariously to the side and Kisame on the floor. He had been defeated, and you could see it on Kisame's child-like pout of aggravation. "Alright, listen here pinky! I was going easy on you, so don't let this go to your head, alright?" Clearly he was butt-hurt, and it made Sakura grin, as she offered him her hand to help him up.

"Hai, hai." and so the duo walked up to the remaining Akatsuki members, all of them rather impressed with the way she had handled the battle.

"Well, I wouldn't expect any less from Itachi's pupil, I suppose." he couldn't help but shiver at the thought that followed. "I thought Itachi was scary enough, but this girl could also blow up your innards if she wanted to with just a touch of her hand..." And the fact that this was realistic made him realize that perhaps there was much to appreciate about medical ninjutsu.

Because in between Sakura's keen eye and her vast knowledge of the human body, and Itachi's expert and watchful know-how of the inner psyche, he had managed to develop within Sakura an ability to predict the movements of her opponents with deadly accuracy, even if she had no dojutsu to speak of. It had been that trait, along with her now mastery of genjutsu, that had led Kisame to his ultimate demise, and Itachi couldn't be more pleased by it. She had spun an elaborate scheme, one which he would not have seen coming, and baited out the fight long enough for her plan to work -and that it had.

And although everyone commended her for a job well done, her eyes had been on Itachi, almost s if he were the true person to receive acknowledgement from -which he was, if you ask Sakura.

"Impeccable job, Sakura."

Sakura seemed very pleased, allowing the excitement of her success finally sink in, although this expression only lasted for a short while, until her face was once again composed into a serious one filled with determination and concentration. "Alright. I'm ready."

And that she was, Itachi couldn't help but think. They had taught her everything they had to teach, and if there was ever a perfect time to continue their operations it was now. "Very well. Pack your belongings, kunoichi. We leave for Otogakure tomorrow." And just like that, Itachi kicked himself off the the tree trunk he had been leaning on and began walking away without so much as another glance to any of his Akatsuki counterparts.

The weight of Itachi's words weighed down on her, her heart beginning to pound against her chest. Finally. Everything she had been training for would finally come to light.

It was time for her to claim her new title.

End of Chapter

o.x So, if any of you guys still follow this story, I am truly truly truly truly sorry! This is so far my most popular story, which makes me even more regretful to have held it up on a hiatus for so long. I think it's also extremely terrible of me to finally update and suddenly END the story x.x Since my hiatus has been so long, I don't exactly remember where else I wanted to take this before ending it, but I DID state back in CH 16 that this would be coming to and end real soon.

I know this is a lot shorter than I normally write (and trust me it's a lot shorter than I expected it to be too), but due to the rise of popularity for the Sasuke/Sakura couple, I wanted to appease my readers and give them what they wanted x) As such, I find this the best time to end it so I can give readers the best of both worlds =]

IMPORTANT A/N:

I still plan on having this branch out into 2 separate stories, one Sasuke X Sakura and the other Itachi x Sakura, so not to worry there, but I do plan on making some changes in the earlier chapters, namely Sakura's relationship with Sasuke prior to her "death". After giving it much thought, I decided it would be cruel of me to have Sakura in a long, committed relationship with one Uchiha prior to her death and then do a complete 180 and have her end up with his brother. As such (and I will state the change here because I don't know how long it will take me to edit this), I am making it so that Sakura and Sasuke WERE NOT in a relationship prior to her death.

So the changes go as follows: Sasuke came back to the village at around age 16-18 ish, and wanted to court Sakura, somewhat expecting her to have waited for him. She still loved him, that much was clear, but the hurt and betrayal left her reluctant to continue where Sasuke wanted to, while she questioned what kind of love she felt for him. Yet, he persevered, and told Sakura that he would win back her affections, and that she was the only one for him, begging her to give him a chance.

So they were never fully official, though there was some sort of dynamic between the two. I believe this to be the best course of action for the plot to be a little more feasible.

Although I always say I want to finish revisions before starting a new installment, if any of you read Sakura's New Past/ Sakura's New Future, (and if you don't you should =D) you know that never happened. As such, I make no promises. Hopefully, I'll start the next installment(s) before the year is up.

As for the sequels to this, the first chapters (Prequels) will be very similar in nature, but have different flashbacks depending on the pairing. I still don't know how I'm going to do it, but im up for the challenge =D

On to other news, I am posting an edit note here and one on my profile: In regards to Her Love, I've decided to permanently discontinue the story. The plot just wasn't working for me, and I couldn't find a long-term project with the way that it was going. Given that both Her Love and New Sakura have a somewhat general similar plot, I wanna say Her Love is sort of an unnecessary story at this point. As such, it's kind of being swallowed up by this one. I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience, but I think this to be the best course of action. I will leave Her Love up for another month before taking it down permanently, thank you =]

Also, check my profile for updates on what I'm currently working on/ my agenda.

I've said all I have to say, and hopefully you won't have too wait much longer to here from me again, in regards to this story and all future installments! =]

Questions? Concerns? critiques? Leave 'em all here.

-MarzSpy

(AND THANK YOU TO ALL READERS/FOLLOWERS/FAVORITE-RS/REVIEWERS THUS FAR. IT HAS BEEN WONDERFUL READING ALL OF YOUR FEEDBACK AND SEEING HOW MUCH YOU GUYS HAVE ENJOYED THIS. Maybe on some other occasion I will edit this chapter to include a thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story and supported me through it all =])