Shades of Grey

Chapter 21

Kisame was starting to wonder when his partner was going to come out of his trance like state, and what they would do with the jinchuriki when he did. They had worked together for a long time now, and he knew the Uchiha better than anyone. Even though Itachi had given no outward sign that anything was amiss, he was certain that this was one demon Pein would not be getting his grubby hands on. Kisame had to agree with the younger man, the girl was far too interesting to come to that end.

The blue man's loyalties like Itachi's did not lay with Akatsuki, though for different reasons. Kisame was in it for the money and he could not give a shit about Pein's goals. He still had not figured exactly what made Itachi tick, but he had a feeling if the kunoichi hung around he would get a much better idea. It would be interesting to say the least. Finally, he saw Itachi blink and kunoichi started to stir at the same time. So, he was right the kunoichi would not be delivered to Pein; at least not today.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Kisame greeted his partner from his perch on a log.

"Indeed." Itachi slightly inclined his head as he took in the sight of the man polishing Samehada near where he had subdued their mark with chakra restraints.

"My head." The kunoichi mumbled earning both of their attention.

"That tends to happen when Itachi uses his little eye trick." Kisame chuckled earning a glare from both of them.

"You call that a little eye trick?" Sakura stared at the large blue man.

"So, what is the plan?" Kisame laughed at her expense.

"We make camp here." Itachi replied after a moment of observing the girl who still seemed shook up.

"And him?" The shark motioned to the man who had been their mark. "If we wouldn't have shown up Pinky there would have taken him down. The reward is hers."

"Keep him I don't give a shit about the reward." Sakura answered after mumbling about blue men having the nerve to call her pinky.

"So, it is not the money that makes you tick." Kisame mused. "You just get off on running around playing angel?"

"I am not an angel." The kunoichi argued.

"No, she is not." Itachi agreed earning a glare from the girl. "Kunoichi you will stay here for the night; you will stay with us."

"I have told you before that I have a name." Sakura growled.

"I take it you two know each other." Kisame interjected to end the argument before it could start. "But I don't believe that I have had the pleasure."

"Her name is Sakura Haruno." The Uchiha surprised him by being the one to answer. "She is the apprentice to Lady Tsunade and the teammate of the former jinchuriki Naruto Uzumaki."

"Former teammate." The girl corrected. "We haven't been teammates for some time now."

"Where is your headband?" The large man questioned.

"I left it behind when I was banished." A hint of sadness painted her voice.

"You do know that running around playing protector isn't a good way for a missing nin to stay alive." Kisame grinned at the girl.

"The alternative is to die from boredom or get locked away by your friends in a misguided attempt to protect you from the evil Akatsuki." Sakura defended.

"We aren't all that bad." Kisame out right laughed, and Itachi found a piece of his answer.

"You left Suna to protect them from us?" Itachi voiced his suspicion.

"I left Suna because my ex is a bit overprotective. In case you did not notice last time Gaara faced off against you guys, he died." Sakura clarified.

"Hn." Had the foolish girl mentioned her prior affiliation with the Kazekage Itachi would have sent her somewhere else. Even if he was not sure why.

"That he did." Kisame agreed. "But you didn't. You have grown a lot since you took down Sasori kid; even went out and got yourself a demon."

"I have been busy." The kunoichi smirked earning another laugh.

"It was unwise to leave Suna." Itachi told her. Even if he should not have sent her there.

"Oh!" She crossed her arms. "I suppose it would have been better to wait on you to get tired of your little game, and you and shark face to destroy half the village."

"We are capable of being much more subtle than that." The Uchiha assured her.

"That is, it." Sakura stood up and stomped her foot on the ground. "I have had it with all of this, but mostly with you Mr. Uchiha. Let's just get this over. Me and you right here right now!"

"I wonder if that's how she wooed the Kazekage?" Kisame expected the glare from the girl but not the swirling sharingan that was turned in his direction."

"Damn it." She cried out in frustration. "Alright Uchiha you win you take me to your leader."

"No." Itachi stubbornly intoned.

"Then just what the hell do you want me to do?" The exasperation in her voice was clear.

"You will travel with us now." He told her.

"Are you crazy?" She nearly shrieked in response. "Have you forgotten that you are the big bad Akatsuki that is supposed to take me to your evil leader? I hardly think that I can just start traveling with you."

"It would be easier than you think." Kisame spoke up. "It isn't like Pein watches us and we hardly ever go to based. You would just have to lay low when we communicate through our rings."

"Exactly." Itachi's superiority complex was enough to drive Sakura insane.

"You cannot tell me what to do." She sounded like a petulant child.

"I can." The Uchiha assured her. "You will listen, I don't think that anyone would like a repeat of today's events."

"I wouldn't mind." Kisame stood to go gather firewood. "I think that she is pretty cute when she goes all demon."

With that Kisame made his exit and Itachi calmly set and leaned against a tree. Drawing Sakura into his sharingan had given him another of his headaches, and the conversation after had certainly done him no good. The kunoichi for her part set close to where Kisame had been. She had not missed the scrunch in Itachi's brow. He probably had a headache from his earlier trick, but she had absolutely no intentions of helping him this time.