Shades of Grey

Chapter 48

The next morning found them again on the road to collect a bounty. Itachi had been right Sakura and Kisame had felt like shit when they first awoke, but it was nothing that her healing hands had not been able to banish. Thanks to her training with Tsunade she was perhaps the most skilled shinobi in the world when it came to treating hangovers.

They were making good time and they would have to for this mission. Their mark had deflected form the Hidden Cloud Village slaughtering his teammates and comrades in the process. Word had it that Stone had offered him haven if he joined their ranks. The partners needed to reach him before he was under their protection and the task became more difficult.

Sakura glanced at her companions and was pleased to see that even at this grueling pace none of them had even broken a sweat. Traveling with S-ranked missing nins did wonders for one's stamina, not to mention the rate that your skills could improve with these two for sparing partners. She was sure however that if she would have used this training method before going up for ANBU it would have been highly frowned upon.

It was then that she realized that for the first time in months she had thought of Konoha without having an aching sensation in her heart. She did not yearn to see its gates. She knew then what had changed; she thought that she left her heart in Konoha. Instead she had discovered it out here. Her home had changed from the village's bustling streets to a quiet cabin in the woods. She had not lost teammates that the village had seen fit to place her with; she had gained partners who chose to keep her at their side.

She looked over at the Uchiha running next to her and offered him a coy smile when she caught his eye. She received a smirk from him. Sakura decided that they had been silent and serious for long enough today. Again, tossing him that smile she dashed out ahead of the two men.

"Race you." She called back over her shoulder before giggling and running even faster.

Kisame heard Itachi let out a sigh before turning to face him.

"Shall we." The Uchiha again sighed. "At moments like these I wonder how she stopped playing games long enough to graduate the academy."

"I think I will pass this time, hang back cover our rear. Besides, I am pretty sure that it isn't me she wants to catch her." The blue man laughed when he saw recognition dawn in the younger man's eyes.

There was an entertaining and instant change in the dark-haired man's demeanor. His bored expression was replaced with a smirk. His eyes, which had spent more time their natural hue since being healed, bled red the feral look in them undeniable. Kisame never thought he would see the day when his partner got excited over a game of chase, hell over anything for that matter. But he was just that, and it was all Sakura's doing.

Before the kunoichi entered their life, he was certain that one day he would have to witness his partner's willing demise. Itachi was a self-destructive man, a man living to die. Now though there was life in those crimson orbs. Sakura had shown him that there were still things in this world worth living for. Kisame was now willing to wager Samehada on the fact that Itachi would fight to remain at his kunoichi's side.

Certainly, the two still had a long hard road ahead of them, but he knew they could make it. Kisame grit his sharpened teeth when he thought of all the trials that still lay ahead of the young couple. Beyond a doubt Itachi's brat of a brother would cause heartache for both, but he would probably seem like a minor annoyance compared to Pein. Sure, if the younger brother ever learned of the budding relationship, he would throw one hell of a fit, but Pein would be enraged. Hell, hath no fury like a psychopath scorned.

Pein had hand selected Itachi as a mere child to bring into Akatsuki's folds, and it was clear that he was his star pupil. Pein allowed Itachi more access to the organization than anyone other than Konan. Kisame always thought that Pein was a fool. From the first minute that he had looked into the boy's eyes he could tell that he was a realest; world peace would never be his goal.