Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Naruto Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hoshigaki Kisame/Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame & Uchiha Itachi Characters: Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friends to Lovers, Not Really Character Death, Difficult Decisions, Language of Flowers, Not Canon Compliant, Gift Fic, Gift Exchange Series: Part 2 of Akatsuki Gift Exchange 2019

@exemplarybehaviour 

Please, just imagine.

While training with Tsunade, Sakura finds in the Hokage's office a document with the Uchiha simbol. She then finds out the truth about the Uchiha's massacre and about Itachi.

She, Naruto and Kakashi go on a misson to find Itachi and try to convince him to stop Sasuke's training with Orochimaru and bring him back to Konoha.

Itachi, realising how much Sasuke was affected by the darkness he was sinking in and beliving this was all his fault, agrees with Sakura and the four works together to bring back Sasuke.

Just imagine.

Itachi lives.

Sasuke will never embrace darkness so much.

Itachi lives.

Sasuke will never try to kill Sakura.

Itachi lives.

ITACHI LIVES and the Uchiha brothers will fight together against Orochimaru and the other enemies.

So...

Chapter 4

"Well, this... this explains a lot of things" Kakashi said when he finished reading the report.

Sakura said nothing. She was still shocked about what she had found out.

"I have worked with Itachi, you know? When we both were in ANBU" Kakashi continued, catching Sakura's attention:"He was different from the others. He only wanted peace for the village, peace for all the five ninja countries. He and Shisui...they knew how rotten the Uchiha clan was. How full of hatred and how focused on power they were. That's why, deeply inside of me, I never accepted the reason the Third Hokage gave us for the massacre. Itachi Uchiha killing his entire clan because he wanted to test his power? Unbelievable."

Again, Sakura said nothing. She was thinking about Sasuke-kun, wondering how much he had been manipulated by his own brother. Itachi chose which path Sasuke-kun had to follow without asking him. Itachi gave him a mission, forcing Sasuke-kun to hate him, to live in loneliness, to have only one porpuse and forget about everything else. How different would his life have been, if Itachi had choosen not to interfer too much in Sasuke-kun's life choices. Maybe Sasuke-kun would have stayed in the village, if Itachi hadn't pushed him again and again into hatred, if Itachi hadn't tortured him again with the memories of the massacre the last time he came to the village.

Oh God, Sasuke-kun. What did he do to you?

"Sakura, are you listening to me?"

"Sorry, sensei. I was lost in my thoughts."

"You were thinking about Sasuke, right?"

Sakura nodded:"I was wondering how much his life wuold have been different if Itachi hadn't decided his life. Maybe Sasuke would have stayed in the village, maybe he wouldn't have been so lost in hatred and revenge. The Third Hokage wrote about it, remember? Sasuke-kun was different from the other Uchihas. So genuine and full of love for his brother. He wrote:" As a kid, Sasuke only wanted to be loved. But Itachi took this love away from him and Sasuke filled that hole with the only emotion Itachi left him: hatred." It's...unjust, sensei. To decide his entire existence, without his permission, justifying himself by saying "It's for Sasuke's sake". Bullshit!" Sakura screamed. Some tears started to fall again, and Kakashi knew she was trying to hold her anger.

"What do you want to do now?"

"Sasuke-kun deserves to know, sensei."

"But he won't listen to us, Sakura. You was the  one who met him in Orochimaru's hideout. You know how focused on his mission he is."

Sakura nodded:"He will listen only to one person."

Kakashi's eyes were wild open with shock:"You want to find Itachi? Are you crazy?"

"The Third said that Itachi has been loyal to the village since he joined the ANBU. That he is a spy of the village in the Akatsuki. He is no criminal".

"But he is dangerous" Kakashi replied.

"But he still loves Sasuke-kun with all his heart. He will do everything for Sasuke's sake."

Kakashi shook his head. Sakura could be as stubborn as Naruto when it comes to Sasuke. He could see the logic of her plan, but still he was full of doubts.

"If I follow you in this... we need the Hokage's permission. Understood?"

Sakura nodded:"Understood".

Suddenly someone knocked at Kakashi's door. It was Naruto.

"Kaka-sensei. Oh, Sakura-chan! Good to see you too here. Baa-chan wants to see us! Is so very important!"

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Deidara, as loud as always, interrupted Itachi and Kisame's dialogue.

"You know what, Itachi? Rumor has it that your little brother has killed Orochimaru. Can you believe it? Soon he will come to you too! Are you scared?"

Itachi's face was emotionless as always. He didn't give an answer to Deidara and continued talking with Kisame.

When he was finally alone he sighed.

Oh God, Sasuke. What have you done?

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Author's thoughts

Hi everyone! How are you? Sorry for the delay, I was a little bit busy with some job interviews and so on.

So, finally we have met Itachi! What do you think he would do now?

Chapter 1

After taking the document from the Hokage's office, Sakura lost her sleep. She hid it in her room at home, knowing that her mother would have never invade her privacy, but still she feared that someone would find it out and that she would have been in serious troubles. She had avoided all Naruto's offers to go to Ichiraku's, saying him she was so very tired because of all her shifts at the hospital. Fortunately, everytime Naruto insisted too much, Sai (SAI!) helped her, telling Naruto:"Don't you see how much uglier Ugly became, Naruto? She is too tired, let her go home and sleep.'

Not the kindest of words, but it helped.

She was so concentrated in her thoughts that she didn't notice her mom asked her something.

"I'm sorry, mom. I got distracted. You said?"

"I only asked you if everything is okay. You really look worried about something".

Sakura shook her head:"Everything is fine. I was just thinking..."

"Yes?"

"...about Sasuke. I hardly doubt we will meet again as friends".

Not entirely a lie, but still not the whole truth.

"Ah, the poor boy. What a sad story he has, right?"

Sakura watched her mother washing the dishes and wondered how much did she knew about the Uchihas.

"What do you know about them? The Uchihas?"

Her mother continued with the dishes as she said:"Not much. Just the things everybody knows. But I knew Mikoto. Well, we had some friends in common when we were teens, she was always very nice with everyone, ninjas or not".

"Mikoto?" Sakura asked with interest.

Her mother nodded:"Sasuke's mom. He really looked like her when he was a kid. A male and little version of Mikoto."

"I didn't know. Sasuke never spoke much about his family."

"Could you blame him? Not only his parents, but his entire clan were killed by his own brother. What a trauma for a little kid. And he had to live by himself since then, knowing that nobody would care if he got lost in the woods, or got ill or...whatever. Such a sad and lonely existance he had...".

She didn't give and answer to her mother, there was no need to. She was surprised that her mother, a civilian, knew so much about the Uchihas, and probabily she knew even more.

Still, she had a lot of questions.

She needed to know. She needed to find the perfect place where nobody will disturbe her and read the file with the Uchiha's crest on it.

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Sasuke was laying in bed, still awake in the middle of the night. He was thinking about a lot of things and he couldn't get some sleep.

In the last weeks Orochimaru had become weaker and weaker, only Kabuto's strage concoctions seemed to have some kind of effect on him. Plus, after almost three years, Orochimaru had only few things left to teach him, and then... nothing.

What shoul he do? Stay with Orochimaru, bacome totally his slave? Even give him his body so that he could take all his power?

No. He wanted to defeat Itachi as himself, Uchiha Sasuke, the avager of his parents and his entire clan.

Defeating Itachi as Orochimar's reincarnation was without sense. And moreover... who would give him the certainty that after Orochimaru's reincarnation he would kill Itachi?

Nobody.

So, I have to wait until Orochimaru gives me his last teaching, Sasuke thought. And then kill him, find Itachi and...

Find Itachi. As it was something easy.

I need to form my own team, Sasuke decided immediately.

He needed that girl from the Southern hideout, the one who can recognise the chakra even with long distance.

Maybe I can find somebody else in the way, Sasuke decided before finally get some sleep.

I'm coming for you, Itachi. Be prepared.

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Author's thoughts

Hey guys! Here's rhe first chaptter of my Sasusakufanfiction =) Sorry it took an entire week to post it, but I was a little busy with some job interviews ^^"

I hope you like this chapter, and, more important, feel free to tell me everything you think I can improve or whatever.

I know it sounds strage that Sakura's mom knew Mikoto, but I have this headcanon that Mikoto was more friendly and nicer than Fugaku and that she had a kind relationship woth everyone in the village.

Dear Naruto fandom, here the Prologue of the fanfiction I told you about yesterday. I'm sorry, I'm not english native speaker, so if there are some errors... forgive me ^^".

I do not owned Naruto.

Prologue

It has been a very busy day for Sakura. First the physical training and then the medic lessons with Tsunade-sama and now she had to order all the documents on the Hokage's desk before coming back home.

"Mental strenght is as important as the physical one, Sakura" Tsunade told her:"If your mind can still work even if your body is extremely tired, then you can do whatever you want."

She knew her mentor did all of this because she wanted to train her in the best way possible, but lately Sakura wasn't as motivated as usual.  Before she had beared everything, even the hardest things, thank to her strong temperament and will, but lately... Lately she was full of doubts. She still wanted to become a medical nin and to protect the village but after her last encounter with Sasuke-kun in Orochimaru's hideout, her very first mission, bringing Sasuke-kun back to Konoha, was starting being classified as 'impossible to achieve' in her mind.

He was so... cold. As ice.

He has always been imperturbable, never showing any kind of emotion on his face, but now it felt like he doesn't feel anything at all. Was he still the Sasuke-kun she knew?

She hardly thought so.

Still she asks herself if there was something so powerful to convince him to let go his revenge desire.

She knew the answer. Itachi's death.

Or maybe... just Itachi?

Does his brother still have a sort of influence on him? Will Sasuke-kun ever listen to Itachi?

Sakura  shook her head. These were only fantasies.

Itachi was an enemy of the village and Sasuke-kun was so close to be considered as such.

There was no way... No way at all.

With her head full of these thoughts, she put the documents in the right place, without paying much attention, when suddenly...

Wans't it the Uchiha's crest?

Yes, it was. Without any doubt.

She has watched and admired it on Sasuke-kun's back so many time for not recognising it.

But how...why...?

Should I open it?, Sakura thought. No, no, of course not.

But, wait... Was it the 3rd Hokage's seal on the document? A top-secret document?

What should I do?, Sakura asked herself. Probabily the document meant nothing, or maybe everything.

Maybe it was just a report of the Uchiha police force, one of so many years ago, or maybe...

Was it about the Uchiha's massacre? Could it be true?

Once Tsunade-sama asked her what would she do to bring back Sasuke to Konoha.

Everything, she answered. Even kill.

Remembering this conversation, Sakura took the document and hid it in her bag.

Chapter 2

There was only one place in the entire village where nobody would ever find Sakura reading the Third Hokage's report: the Uchiha's district. So, the next morning, her day-off from the hospital, she went there.

It was weird to be there. Everything was like frozen in time, only the dust and the spiders' webs demonstrated that time had passed.

A ghost city, Sakura thought while searching for Sasuke's old house. She knew that his father was the cheaf of the Uchiha Police and the cheaf of the entire clan, so his house should be the biggest one. But in front of her every house looked the same and she couln't distinguish one from the other. After a while she recognised Sasuke's house thank to an old memory she had of her former team mate. Sasuke-kun once told her (well... she had forced him a little to be honest... back in that time she was very clingy and she talked without thinking first) that his house was the only one with the Uchiha's crest painted on every side of the house. "Our bloodline was the noblest between the others. The most aristocratic between the aristocrstics. So father wanted everyone to acknowledged it". Those were his exact words.

She came in the house and she was shocked by what she found there. Not only dust and spiders' webs, but blood. Dried one, on the walls and on the floor.

Nobody in all these years ever thought of cleaning the entire district from the blood. The witnesses of the massacre, of Itachi's crimes, were still there, cristal clear.

It wasn't difficult for her to find Sasuke's bedroom. Like the other rooms it was full of dust, but no blood was there. She looked at the bed with some toys still on it, the little writing desk full of books about how to become a perfect shinobi. She noticed a family portrait near the books. Oh, her mother was right; Sasuke-kun was really a little and male version of his mother. The same eyes, the same gentle smile. She never remembered Sasuke-kun smiling so openly, so genuinely. All she remembered were smirks and, very rarely, half smiles. The image she had of Sasuke had nothing in common with that kid.

Oh God, Sasuke-kun. What did they do to you?

Finally she opened the report and started reading it. She had to read it till she knew it by heart, because she couldn't believe that it was the truth, the real and unconditional truth.

"I, the undersigned, Lord Third Hokage leave this report about the truth under the Uchiha's massacre and about Itachi Uchiha to my successors. Years ago the Ancient and me did the mistake to let a boy take all the responsabilities on his shoulders and we let a kid grew up in hatred and with the desire to kill his own brother, the one he loved so deeply. Back then we thought it was the best way to avoid an other war; the scars of the Third Great Ninja War were still bleeding and nobody wanted to cry again on the deaths of the beloved ones. Now I realise how much hypocrites we were and how much unjust this was for Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha.

Before explaining what happened I want to say an other thing. Itachi never wanted the real truth to be revealed. He never asked for glory and never wanted to be the hero of the village. He only wanted to do what was right to protect the village and for this reason he accepted to leave the village as a traitor and to live with dishounor and guilt. But now that I have watched very carefully Sasuke's growth, how full of hatred and revenge he is, I see the necessity to reveal the truth. Maybe for Itachi is too late, but we can still save Sasuke from a destiny of loneliness and regrets.

Discontent was very clear among the Uchiha since the period of the second Hokage. And it grew bigger, deeper and bitter after the Third Great Ninja War. The entire village accused the Uchiha to have some responsabilities on Kyubi's attack. I have to admit that this was also my suspicion. Only someone with the Sharingan could control Kyubi.

What happened next demonstrated that the hatred of the Uchiha's clan was no more under control. They organised a coup d'Etat and wanted Fugaku Uchiha to become the Firth Hokage.

Shisui and Itachi were the only one against the coup. They came immediately to us and Itachi, after Shisui's death, decided to work as a double agent for me. When the situation was irredeemable, Itachi was forced by Danzo to kill his entire clan in order to avoid an other war.

It was impossible for him to kill everybody in a single night alone. He must have asked for help, but I don't know who really helped him. Shisui would have done it, but he was already dead.

That night he spared only Sasuke, his beloved little brother. He gave him a mission: grow up in hatred, become as stronger as him and once he had the Mangekyo Sharingan, he had to find him and kill him.

Itachi thought that in this way Sasuke would have become a hero for the village, the one who killed the great enemy of Konoha, Itachi Uchiha. He thought that Sasuke would have benefited from his death and he would have restore the Uchiha's clan with better values.

He never realised that Sasuke never asked or wanted to become a hero.

I have watched Sasuke all these years and I noticed that he is different from the other Uchiha, never seeking power for himself, never wanting power or prestige for himselg. He, of course, wanted to be strong, to become a fine Shinobi. As a kid, he wanted to become just like Itachi, because he admired him so much, because he wanted his father to be as proud of him as he was of Itachi. He started seeking power for himself only after Itachi betrayal. As a kid, Sasuke only wanted to be loved. But Itachi took this love away from him and Sasuke filled that hole with the only emotion Itachi left him: hatred.

To everybody who is reading this, I want to leave this last thought. Itachi wanted to control everything, he planned everything, even his death. He never considered the hypothesis that the person he wanted so much to control one day will be beyond control.

I have told you everything I know. Now it's your turn to do what you think is the best for the village and for the Uchiha".

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Oh God, Sasuke-kun. What did they do to you?

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Author's thoughts

Hi guys! Here the second chapter. Finally Sakura finds out about the Uchiha's massacre.

I hope you like it and again, if you think I did something wrong, feel free to tell me =)

I'm sorry if there are some mistakes, but I'm not english native speaker.