A/N: Hello! So, I've decided to take a story I had originally posted under my other Naruto story As The Heaven's Cried and let it have its own spotlight. The reason was that even though it was originally a one-shot, I kept coming up with more stories for the plot. Don't expect it to run in a continuous flow, there will months or even years between chapters, but – I'm hoping – they will all be posted in chronological order.

It is Sakura x Itachi and it will be mostly drama – this couple seems made for it in my mind - but it will become better over time.

Please make sure to read and review!

This Unplanned Life

And So It Begins…

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Sakura asked in concern, shivering in the early morning cold. She was at the front gates, along with Naruto, Lee, and Sasuke, to see the four of them off for their mission. She couldn't help but feel apprehensive on not going with her team, but Tsunade had requested she join the other members of Team Guy for her own mission.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, you worry too much!" Naruto chided her with a grin as he stopped next to Sasuke to wrap his arm around the Uchiha's neck in a choke hold. Sasuke just sighed and drove his elbow in to Naruto's stomach to get him to let go before turning back to Sakura.

"We'll be fine," he reassured her and Sakura paused before nodding. All of them were Jounin and some of the top fighters in Konoha, so she knew they could take care of themselves.

"Just don't get hurt with me there not to take care of you guys, okay?" she ordered, scowling at Naruto.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan!" Lee said as he stopped next to Naruto and gave her thumbs up. "The power of Youth will be on our side!"

"And it's just an intelligence mission, nothing more," Kakashi reassured her as he finally strolled up the group, Icha Icha in hand.

"You're late!" the three members of Team Seven chided, but after five years there was little behind the berating besides habit.

"Alright, alright, let's go get started!" Naruto laughed. Even if he was just about to turn eighteen and had been a Jounin for the past year, time had done little to tame his exuberant personality.

"Yes, we have a ways to go," Kakashi agreed, though he didn't lower the book as he exited the gate. "Sakura, be safe on your mission with Guy."

"Yes, taicho," Sakura called with a smile before Kakashi disappeared in to the trees, quickly followed by Lee and Naruto who were arguing about what pace they needed to set.

Left alone with Sasuke, Sakura looked up at him to see him frowning at he stared past her in to town.

"Sasuke?"she murmured as she closed the distance between them to rest her head against his chest as her hands came up to fist around his flak jacket."Please, be careful."

"I told you, we'll be fine."

"Right," Sakura said, stepping back to smile up at him. She knew the four of them would take care of each other, so she pushed aside her worry.

"Sakura," Sasuke started to say, glancing over his shoulder when they heard Naruto yelling for Sasuke to hurry up. With a sigh, he turned back to Sakura and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before stepping back with a small smirk. "See you in a week."

"Bye," Sakura waved as her boyfriend disappeared in a blur of color, leaving her alone in the early morning.

sSs

"Sakura, you seem to be in a rush," Ten Ten teased seven days later as she, Sakura, Neji, and Guy made their way through the forest protecting Konoha. Their mission had gone well, capturing their intended target with nothing more than a few scrapes and they were making it back to Konoha early.

"Sasuke and the others are back today as well," Sakura told her with a smile and Ten Ten chuckled but nodded in understanding. Clearing the marker that said they were less than a mile from home, Sakura put in a burst of chakra.

"Way to embrace the power of Youthful Love, Sakura-chan!"

Finally reaching the gate, Sakura jumped down from the trees to land before the gates. Smiling to be back home Sakura was walking in to the gate when a flash of orange caught her eye.

"Naruto!" she called in greeting, spotting her blond teammate sitting just inside the entrance, resting against a building. Wondering if he had come to greet her, Sakura jogged towards him only to slow down when he didn't respond. Taking in the fact he was slumped over with his hair hanging over his face, she couldn't help but be worried as she reached him.

"Naruto?" she asked softly, frowning.

"Sa…Sakura…I…" Naruto muttered softly. When he finally straightened, Sakura gasped when she noticed the front of his outfit was dark, soaked in blood.

"Are you wounded? What's wrong!" she asked, reaching out as she covered her hands in chakra to start healing.

"No, not me," Naruto told her softly and Sakura froze, slowly lifting her eyes to meet Naruto's to find tears running down his face.

"Who, Naruto. Who!" she yelled, aware that the rest of Team Guy had arrived and were approaching.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered and Sakura felt her breath catch before she was running down the street towards the hospital.

Ending A/N: So as some can see this is a new part of the story, expanding on the first piece. If I feel up to writing it, some parts will be fleshed out, some won't. It's the joy of writing!

Life is crazy with end of semester projects, so I'll try...possibly...to get another "new" chapter up as soon as I can, but it may before after April 11th due to a 20 page paper I haven't written yet :{

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Disclaimer:Naruto is. Not. Mine.